Choosing one director you are familiar with, explain why you do or do not consider them to be an auteur.

• A film director whose films are so distinctive that he or she is perceived as a film's creator

• A star is an image or representation constructed by Hollywood for a particular context

Richard Dyer’s codes and conventions of the star persona:
• Constructed image
• Star is a commodity produced by institutions
• Stars represent ideologies
• Star culture is related to materialism and ideologies of beauty
• Stars support hegemony, the audience compare themselves to the stars
• Stars represented through their roles in films
• Stars are generally aspirational for the audience – hence popular hairstyles

Auteur theory, a film director directs the artistic and dramatic aspects if a film by:
• Defining the artistic vision of the film
• Controlling the content and flow of the film
• Directing the actors
• Organising locations in which the film will be shot
• Managing technical aspects e.g. positioning of cameras and soundtracks

To identify a director as an auteur implies that their films have:
• Integrity
• Creativity
• Ideological questions and debates
• Artistic exploration
• Communication with the audience

Chris Morris is an auteur:
• Focuses on real life themes such as terrorism and the demonization of Muslims on society

• Manages to focus on serious themes with the use of humour and irony which makes ‘Four Lions’, for example, an easy watch and engaging

• ‘Four Lions’ debates whether terrorism in democratic and focuses on the negative impact and the psychological damage it does to the terrorists

• Original thoughts and ideas, such as attaching a bomb to a crow, add to the comedic affect of his work and subtle jokes ease the pressure of the main serious focus of life and death