Week 6

Jordan Peele has been in the film industry for a long time, but he has recently started his career as an auteur director. With Get Out, Us, and Nope. I haven't seen Nope, but from what I've heard people don't like it nearly as much as the other two. A great film in its own sense, but it seemed to steer away from the horror/thriller/suspense of the other two films. Arguably, the first film of any franchise is always the best (these films aren't part of a specific franchise, but in this case we'll consider Peele's films as a franchise). 

Peele is well aware of how drastically different Nope is from his previous two films. He's a director, and it was most definitely done intentionally. So while Nope is not necessarily what people were looking for, what remains the same is his approach. He is not afraid of any sort of backlash, and he's someone that will bring up a conversation that most people would be afraid to bring up. Nope didn't get as much positive feedback as Get Out, but what matters most is Peele's approach to each film. He's said his main goal for his films is to create something that he's never seen before. He lists directors like Hitchcock and Spielberg as inspirations for his own films. You can read more about that here. 

There are other aspects besides genre that make Jordan Peele an auteur. As the Moving Pictures article says, setting, character, lighting and composition. In these three films they're not in setting that are out of the ordinary. In fact, the characters are in a setting where they are supposed to be comfortable, but are not due to circumstances. I noticed that Peele often picks actors who worked together previously. A couple of actors were in Black Panther together, and I'd have to say he has a good taste in his casting choices. The actors he chooses perform great at their characters. The characters give us a good mix of comedy with horror, which makes the film more enjoyable. And this was especially needed in Get Out, with the gradual rise of tension and creepiness throughout the film. 

I watched the trailer for all 3 films, and their lighting is actually more similar than one would think. In Get Out, you see settings that are supposed to be happy, so the lighting is bright, however it's the performance of the characters that seems to give off a dark feeling even when the sun is shining bright. Those bright scenes are easily contrasted with thrilling horror scenes, and what seems to dominate each film. Composition is vital, and the other three characteristics work together beautifully to pull the films together. So while each film is different in its own sense, and the most recent film may not have been as enjoyable or what people expected, Jordan Peele has still presented himself to be a great auteur director.