Auteur Theory / Director as Auteur

An Auteur is a filmmaker whose personal influence and artistic control over a movie are so great that the filmmaker is regarded as the author of the movie’. You would expect to see the film-maker’s distinctive and original style writ large throughout the film, and it would be considered to be their film even though he or she has the assistance of many other people and skills to create the project. Famous auteur directors include Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplain and Quentin Tarantino. Their films are instantly recognisable and unique to them.

Ian Wolfson / REX ARROW FILMS

Ian Wolfson is an independent filmmaker best known for his collaborative work with independent hip hop artist, Mac Miller. Over the past three years, their collaboration has amassed 400 million views online, as well as broad exposure on the MTV, VH1 and Fuse Networks. Through his company, Rex Arrow Films, Ian has also worked with dozens of other artists including Nelly, B.o.B., Bun B and Freeway. Having already completed one feature film, Ian has several new film projects currently in development.

After graduating from Taylor Allderdice High School (in the fall of the year he left, Wiz Khalifa began his freshman year), Wolfson went to Columbia University to study film theory and creative writing. After college, he worked a year in a video store, Kim’s Mediapolis (“Textbook what you do if you want to be a filmmaker”). He returned to the ‘Burgh when the opportunity to make Invisible Cities arose. A year later, in 2009, he filmed Miller’s first video for “Cruisin’."

Jean-Luc Godard’s (a renowned French auteur) film Breathless was the first film he saw in college that inspired him, because at that time in the French film industry there were accepted film mechanisms in place. Wolfson says – “And Godard was like, screw all that, I’m going to go out with a camera with some young kids and essentially break all the rules. And that mentality is extremely influential in why Mac and I have been able to go out and do what we’ve done. When we first started, we didn’t have any money at all. We were just like, let’s go out and see what we can do”. 

Creative Vision: He is a filmmaker whose work is instantly recognisable and yet it’s his love of the music and artists he films that shines though his work. He visualizes and creates films of what he hears in the music and sees in the artist and communicates that to the audience, He says:

“I think the first half of my career was much more documentary style, sort of a day in the life. Now, because my interests have changed, I’ve sort of put the focus on trying to do things that interest me in terms of concept, visuals, or the equipment that we use. I think one answer is it’s really important to try to do a video that really doesn’t artificially force an image on the artist. That could mean if the artist isn’t naturally charismatic, interesting, or quirky, then they may not make it as an artist in the long term. I think you have to have that – whether you’re Mac or A$AP Rocky you have to have that thing that draws people to you. I’m always hesitant to sort of superimpose something on the artist. I think the artist has to be interesting. Mac for example, there were so many elements against him in the beginning, but he was accessible and didn’t take himself too seriously. He clearly was enjoying himself and I think people connected with that”.

In any shoot I have to be fair to the artist. My goal is always to try to give them as close to what they want as possible. Now, often times I feel like I’m able to say, “Ok, cool. I know what you want but I think this will be more interesting or more exciting” and usually it works. I think I’ve maybe only had one instance where I really had to go back to the editing or go back to the coloring to make them happy.

Wolfson is an auteur because his work is unique to him. His personal creative vision is communicated in all his work. The way he interprets and portrays Mac Miller's songs visually is truly creative and unique. And since he's been filming Mac since 2009, the techniques used has developed as Mac has also developed lyrically. His videos range from portraying different emotions, matching which song Mac's performing, some examples of his styles are care free, happy and brightly coloured - such as 'Senior Skip Day', then in 'Missed Calls' where Mac is talking about a lost love, a more matured and emotional narrative video. Another example of his various styles is in Mac's video 'SDS' off his latest album, the video demonstrates witty humour as well as a lot of green screen animation.