If you don't actually know who Zack Snyder is, he is the director of such films as '300', 'Watchmen', 'Sucker Punch', and the new upcoming Superman film. All of these films in my own personal opinion are fantastic. They are all incredibly enjoyable and entetaining, which is what a great film should be like. If you have seen any of his films, you will notice the interesting uniqueness in the artistic imagery of his films. The screen is presented in a form of comic-book style glory and a kind of prosthetic brilliance. It is almost as if he films everything first and then designs a new shading of exageration into every detail.
'300' is well-known for for its extreme amount of violence and aparently at the premiere most of the people walked out due to it. At first, this could be compared to any other violent film, yet it is Snyder's unique comic book style which allows this violence to seem more acceptable. It causes it to become less shocking and much more glorified. However this glorification is not presented in a promotional fasion, as a story is rarely displayed on the news presenting a murder by Spartan tactics. In this incident, Snyder's screen detail obsession causes the violence to be toned down very subtly.
In his latest action swing, 'Sucker Punch', he also presents extreme violence, yet this comic style uniqueness again removes its shock factor. This film managed to pass with a 12 certificate, meaning that the vast gallons of gore which appeared in '300' are left out of the equation. Yet this is also due to the content of the action. In the film, Baby Doll and her companions slay such things as steam-driven zombies, robots and giant machine-gun wielding samurai monsters. Therefore the extra gore would remain unnecessary. But despite this, Snyder has kept his exagerated violence, drawing much more of it this time from a video game style concept. Therefore, he can use this comic book violence in a whole range of levels.
Without drawing into his use of violence too much, it is his screen imagery which I am most interested in. 2 of his films are based on comicscand soon to be 3, showing how this director does share a love of especially this style. In each of these films he uses this manner. The colour and lighting is rich and diverse, slow motion appears regularly and every character seems driven by their own exagerated force, making them unbelievable yet brilliant protagonists and antagonists. Unlike any other director, he concentrates heavily on especially these features, causing the artistic visual to often become a greater achievement than the script itself.
Yet this has become his trademark, as any fan who watches a Zack Snyder film will expect slow motion fight scenes, comic style violence and rich heavy colours which decorate the screen passionately. Studios have taken note of this, and hence because of his unique visual, he was chosen to direct the upcoming 'Superman: The Man of Steel'. Personally I am more looking forward to 'The Dark Knight Rises', but this too nonetheless. He is not a director who wins Oscars or BAFTAs, but nonetheless, his style has created exceptional cult films and a close following of fans. His unique direction and obsession with comic book style visuals has propelled him to Hollywood regardless. 'Watchmen' was said to be the unadaptable graphic novel, yet Snyder gave it a shot and produced something spectacular, presenting the work of a great director.
The exact techniques and effects which Snyder uses to create these feccts are unknown, yet the influence and driving obsession are easy to see, allowing an audience to understand how he has truly made the film. And so with his ideas he has created something which little other directors have done. These are his real effects, a love of comics and control over the special effects team with his gision.
