Directors - Martin Scorsese

Scorsese's body of work addresses such themes as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo and violence in American society.

Director trademarks

Begins his films with segments taken from the middle or end of the story. Examples include Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995

Frequent use of slow motion. E.g. Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980). Often uses freeze frames (e.g., Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed)

His lead characters are often sociopathic and/or want to be accepted in society.

Use of MOS sequences set to popular music or voice over, often involving aggressive camera movement and/or rapid editing.

Often has a quick cameo in his films and often provides voice-over narration in many of his own films.

Frequently uses NYC as the main setting in his films, e.g. Gangs of New York, Taxi Driver, The Age of Innocence, After Hours and New York, New York.

Some of his films include references/allusions to classic Westerns particularly Shane and The Searchers .

More recently, his films have featured corrupt authority figures, such as policemen in The Departed and politicians in Gangs of New York and The Aviator.

Extensive white lighting in scenes of his films.

Often uses diegetic music (on-screen).

Often uses long tracking shots (a notoriously difficult shot to perfect) which is why he has been dubbed by some as the King of the Tracking Shot

Frequently uses music by The Rolling Stones ("Mean Streets", "Goodfellas", "Casino", "The Departed"), especially the song "Gimme Shelter"

Often begins his movies with the childhood of his main characters (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Goodfellas, Kundun, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed)