This document provides biographical information about three famous film directors: M. Night Shyamalan, Christopher Nolan, and Steven Spielberg. It discusses their careers, influential films, and backgrounds. M. Night Shyamalan is known for supernatural thrillers like The Sixth Sense. Christopher Nolan is renowned for cerebral blockbusters like The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception. Steven Spielberg is one of the most commercially successful directors ever, making classics such as Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones, and Saving Private Ryan.
3. About the man
Full name is Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan.
He is an Indian born American screenwriter, film director and producer.
He is well known for making films with supernatural themes.
He was born August 6, 1970. He is 44 years old.
He has one older sibling (Veena Shyamalan) and a daughter (Saleka Shyamalan).
His passion for film making was born when he was given a super-8 camera for his 8th
birthday. He was inspired by the film director Steven Spielberg. His father wanted him
to follow in the footsteps of the family and practice medicine however his mother
encouraged him to follow his passion.
By the time he was 17, Shyamalan had made 45 home movies.
Shyamalan made his first professional movie when he was still in NYU, this film was
the semi-autobiographical drama ‘praying with anger’. This was made using the money
borrowed from family and friends.
4. Career
His second film was ‘wide awake’ in which he wrote and directed the film himself.
Shyamalan often uses influences of his childhood in his movies, in this movie the film
was set in his childhood school. The film was a big success earning him nominations
for Best Drama and Best Performance in the Young Artist Awards.
That same year he co-wrote the screenplay for ‘Stuart Little’ with Greg Brooker.
Shyamalan really made his international name when he wrote and directed the film ‘
The Sixth Sense’ which was a commercial success and later nominated for 6 Academy
Awards, including Best Picture, Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
5. Sixth Sense
This film is about a boy who can communicate with spirits who don’t know they’re dead.
It’s a film from the US directed and written by M Night Shyamalan.
Release date – 6 August 1999
Budget estimated around $40,000,000. Opening weekend produced around £257,479
(UK) (5 November 1999). Gross - $293,501,675 (USA) (12 may 2000).
This film was the pathway to Shyamalan’s international recognition as it was a massive
hit!
7. About the man
Born 30th july in 1970 (now aged 44), Christopher Nolan is a British-American director,
screenwriter and producer.
He runs the London- based production company ‘syncopy inc’ with his wife Emma
Thomas.
Nolan’s films are rooted in philosophical and sociological concepts and ideas, exploring
human morality, the construction of time, and the malleable nature of memory and
personal identity.
He is described as “one of the most innovative storytellers and image makers at work
at work in movies today”
Nolan is an Honorary Fellow of University College London, a three-time Academy
Award nominee, and a recipient of numerous career achievement awards, including the
BAFTA Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing.
Nolan was born in London however due to the fact that he had an English father
(Brendan Nolan) and an American mother (Christina), he had both an English and
American citizenship.
He is in a family of five with his parents, his younger brother (Jonathan) and older
brother (Mathew).
His passion for film making began when he was 7. At this age he was given his father’s
super 8 camera which he used to film short film of his action figure. It was at age 11
that he decided he wanted to become a professional filmmaker.
8. career
He made his filming debut with ‘Following in 1998, he then went on to make ‘Memento’
which gained him considerable attention in 2000. The acclaim from theses films
afforded Nolan the opportunity to make the big-budget thriller ‘Insomnia’ in 2002 and
the more offbeat production ‘The Prestige’ in 2006. Both were well received critically
and commercially.
He later went on to make a few of the most successful thriller films out there that’s up to
date. Films such as the ‘Batman Trilogy’ (2005-2012) and ‘Inception’ (2010). These
movies resulted in being flooded with nominations and awards.
Nolan, after the first of the Batman trilogy films were made, later went on to co write,
direct and produce the mystery thriller ‘The Prestige’ in 2006. Starring actors such as
Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson.
After the success of the Batman films, Warner Bros enlisted Nolan to produce their
revamped Superman movie ‘Man of steel’ (2013). The film however was a flop.
He is currently working on a science-fiction film called ‘Interstellar” which is supposed
to be released sometime in 2014.
9. The Dark Knight Rises
This film was released 20th July 2012 in the US. This is the latest film released directed
by Christopher Nolan so far.
“Despite his tarnished reputation after the events of ‘The Dark Knight’, in which he took
the rap for the crimes of Harvey Dent. Batman feels compelled to intervene to assist
the city and its police force which is struggling to cope with Bane’s plans to destroy the
city”. – plot
Budget - $250,000,000 (estimated)
Opening weekend - $160,887,295 (USA) (20 July 2012)
Gross - $448,130,642 (USA) (7 December 2012)
Production co – Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures & DC Entertainment
Runtime – 165 mins
11. About the man
Born 18th December 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Steven Allan Spielberg is one of
the world’s most well known film director in Hollywood and is one of the wealthiest
filmmakers in the world.
He went to California State University Long Beach but dropped out to pursue his dream
of becoming a filmmaker.
He set up his own production company called ‘Amblin’ (named after one of his first few
films) which later went on the produce the classic ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ in 1982.
Steven was married to Amy Irving but their marriage ended with a divorce, (27
November 1985 – 2 February 1989. Together they had 1 child.
He later went on to marry again to Kate Capshaw. (12 October 1991 – present day).
Together they have 5 children.
He often uses music made by John Williams in his films.
Nearly all of his films have some sort of reference to WW2 or involve images of the
sun.
Protagonists in his film often come from families with divorced parents, with fathers
portrayed as reluctant, absent or irresponsible. For example ‘E.T.’ & ‘Catch Me If You
Can’. This reflects Spielberg’s own experience as a youth with his parents breaking up.
12. Career
Spielberg has won countless awards for his big-grossing films. He is considered one of
the best director and producer of all time.
He gained notoriety as an un-credited assistant editor on the classic western ‘Wagon
Train’ (1957). Among his early directing efforts were ‘Battle Squad’ (1961) which
combined WW2 footage with footage of an airplane on the ground that he makes you
believe is moving.
Spielberg’s first major directional effort was ‘The Sugarland Express’ (1974), with
Goldie Hawn, a film that marked him as a rising star. It was his next effort though that
made his name international among directors: ‘Jaws’ (1975). However Spielberg gained
a lot of criticism from marine biologists later on in life. This was because the film
created a fear of sharks for many people resulting in sharks being hunted down and
exterminated.
Spielberg hit gold again when he made the first of the ‘Indiana Jones’ films, ‘Raiders of
the Lost Ark’ in 1981.
His biggest effort as a producer was the smash-hit blockbuster ‘Back To The Future’
(1985) which made Michael J. Fox an instant superstar.
‘Jurassic Park’ was also made by Spielberg in 1993, it held the record of the highest
grossing film of all time for a while however it was not credited Spielberg's best work at
the time.
13. Career (continued)
In 1998, Spielberg directed a film which is said to be, yet again, his best work so far.
This film was ‘Saving private Ryan’. A story based in WW2 about an effort to reach a
certain soldier (private Ryan) and bring him out of the front lines. This film was
spectacular in almost every way and given credit for being extremely accurate to what
the D-day landings were like. It was stiffed at the Oscars, losing Best Picture to
‘Shakespeare in Love’.
Spielberg produced a series of films, including ‘The Haunting’ (1999), ‘Shrek’ (2001)
and ‘Evolution’ (2001). All of these being a huge success financially but not necessarily
critically.
After this he went on to make a mini-series that definitely was a huge success
financially and critically. ‘Band of Brothers’ (2001), a tale of an infantry company that is
parachuting into France during the invasion to the Battle of the Bulge.
Steven Spielberg’s career has been extremely successful, in total he has directed
about 50 movies and produced around 130.
14. Saving Private Ryan
Released 24th July 1998 in the US.
Plot – Opening with the allied invasion of Normandy on 6th June 1944, members of the
2nd Ranger Battalion under Cpt. Miller fight ashore to secure a beachhead. Amidst the
fighting, two brothers are killed in action. Earlier in New Guinea, a third brother is KIA.
Their mother, Mrs. Ryan, is to receive all three of the grave telegrams on the same day.
The United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, is given an opportunity to
alleviate some of her grief when he learns of a fourth brother, Private James Ryan, and
decides to send out 8 men (Cpt. Miller and select members of the 2nd Rangers) to find
him and bring him back home to his mother…
Budget - $70,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend - $63,500,000 (Non-US) (2 October 1998)
Gross - $216,119,491 (USA) (21 May 1999)
Production co – DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
Runtime – 169 min
