Research into a director

Martin ScorseseMegan Cooper

Famous Work

Mean Streets - 1973Taxi Driver - 1976Raging Bull - 1980Goodfellas - 1990Cape Fear - 1991The Departed - 2006The Wolf of Wall Street - 2013

BackgroundMartin Scorsese was born in Queens, New York on 17 November 1942. His parents were both form Italian descent and therefore moved to Little Italy before Scorsese started school, this later became inspiration for many of his future films.

He attended New York University, where he achieved a B.A. in English (1964) and later went on to earn an M.F.A. in film from the Tisch School of the Arts (1966). In his time at university, he made many short films such as It’s Not You, Murray! (1964) and The Big Shave (1967).

As a child, Scorsese had Asthma, which caused him to sitout in sports or certain activities. Therefore, his parents would take him to theaters, which was how he fell in love with cinema and film. This replaced his previous ambitions of becoming a Priest.

SignaturesHe is famous for using slow motion in his films such as Mean Streets (1973). This extends the suspense and keeps the audience on ‘the edge of their seat’ for longer.

Another trademark of Martin Scorsese’s is his use of tracking shots to follow the action on scene.

In recent years, several of his films include corrupted authority figures, such as policemen.

When using MOS sequences, with voice overs or well-knownmusic, rapid editing and fast moving camera work is often used.

Due to his recognisable status, he is known for doing short and quick cameo appearances in his films. Sometimes he is hidden or not easily noticeable.

His leading female characters often wear white in their firstscene, and are seen through the eyes of the protagonist tocome across to the audience as elegant and angelic.

ThemesScorsese focusses on the theme of Catholicism in several of his films including Raging Bull and Goodfellas. This is because the majority of his main characters are from Italian of Irish descent, which of whom grew up around the religion. Catholicism is also linked to the theme of guilt in Scorsese’s films as many times it is the cause of it.

He often bases his films around one dominant/surrogate male, for example a father. This is seen in Goodfellas, The Departed and more. The protagonists often search for fathers they never had, these played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon many times. However this request for love from a father figure has resulted in the characters being killed many times.

Redemption and Sin are fundamental themes for a lot of Scorsese’s work. Many times Scorsese creates characters for his films who are already psychologically depressed due to their current sins.

Scorsese brings in themes of misunderstanding and solitude into his films also, and these often link to redemption and sin. The protagonists in Scorsese’s films are often misunderstood, and therefore attempt to almost redeem themselves by showing what they are capable of. Furthermore, there are often ‘sparks’ in Scorsese's films which push the protagonists ‘over the edge’ - this becomes the main source of conflict in his films. This clever technique in direction has resulted in many of the actors who have worked with Martin Scorsese to win Oscars because he creates deep and meaningful characters.

Awards:Baftas:Best Film - Goodfellas (1990)

Best Direction - Gooffellas (1990)

Best Film - Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

Best Film - The Aviator (2004)

Academy Awards:Best Director - The Departed (2006)

Best Picture - The Departed (2006)

Golden Globes:Best Director - Gangs of New York (2002)

Best Motion Picture - The Aviator (2004)

Best Director - The Departed (2006)

Best Director - Hugo (2011)

Others:Best Director - X5

Best Film - X2

And more!