Authorship

In film criticism, auteur theory holds that a film reflects the director's personal creative vision. Auteur is a French word and simply means "author," but use of the term in relation to cinema since the 1950s at least has caused much controversy and critical debate. Filmmaker is the author because the director visualizes the scripts and presents it on screen. (Hayward, 2013) He is the one who choose the suitable actors, location, theme according to the storyline. Authorship can be divided into seven types which are Authorship by origins, personality, sociology of production, signature, reading strategy, site of discourses and technique of itself. (Staiger, 2003)

M. Night Shyamalan is one of the directors that proved to be the authorship of signature. Authorship in signature shows themes and film style of the director. It progresses and matures in subsequent films according to the genres. We are going to discuss three films by M.Night Shyamalan which are The Signs, The Village and The Happening by comparing their themes and film styles. 

The movie, Signs (2002) is about Preacher Graham Hess, played by Mel Gibson who has lost his faith in God after his wife dies in a brutal car accident. Six months later, he discovers a gigantic crop circle in his corn fields and similar events happen all over the world. His brother, Merril, thinks it’s pranksters and Graham’s children think it’s the aliens. Eventually, as more and more strange events occur, these events make the family encounter the unexpected and learn how to survive as a family. Next, The Village (2004) talks about an isolated town in old Pennsylvania, confronting the astonishing truth that lies just outside its borders, the creatures. The townspeople do not enter to the woods and the creatures do not enter the surrounding woods. Lucius Hunt plans to step beyond the boundaries of the town and expose the unknown because of his curiosity. Due to his bold move, this brings the threat of forever change the future of the village. Lastly, The Happening (2008) is about an event that begins in Central Park, suddenly and inexplicably, changes the behavior of everyone in the park in the most bizarre and horrible way. The strange behavior spreads over the city and beyond in shortly time. High school science teacher, Elliot Moore have run and hide from the inexplicable and unexpected event with Alma, his wife and Jess the young daughter of a friend by the theories that guided them but the theories may not be enough.