JJ Abrams
J.J. Abrams by Jesse Allen
After directing several movies, many directors begin to develop their own signature style. Whether it be in visual effects, a certain movie genre, a particular color scheme, or even certain actors, many directors begin to create movies that use recurring key elements in their films that help result in creating their own style. Since it can be a difficult task to identify his style, one must delve deeper than the surface of the obvious to analyze his works to replicate the style of director J.J. Abrams.
To understand the very basics of the style of J.J. Abrams, one should look at the portfolio of the director. Abrams has not directed very many feature films, but he has made quite a name for himself with the few films he has directed. His current portfolio consists of Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Super 8, and Star Trek Into Darkness, and Abrams has also directed well known television series, including Lost and Alias (“J.J. Abrams”). Due to such a short list of films, it is difficult to find a specific style to copy that is consistent throughout all of his films. With the exception of Super 8, his films are usually a continuation of series that are already in place, limiting his level of uniqueness and creativity. He is even on schedule to direct the next Star Wars films and then film Half-Life, which is based on a popular video game series (“J.J. Abrams”). Looking at Abrams’s list of works, one can see that he prefers the sci-fi and action genres.
J.J. Abrams is very good at adjusting his style to the genre of film, but one should look further into the stories and plot as directors can tend to stick to similar plot lines. As with many directors, there are some recurring themes that show up across his films. With Abrams, he tends to prefer films with a male lead character with an attractive yet aggressive female supporting character, such as in Mission: Impossible III and in his Star Trek films. In his films, the main characters tend to have issues with authority or have parents who have passed away, like in Super 8 and Star Trek. In Super 8, the main character’s mother had just passed away at the start of the film. In Star Trek, Captain Kirk’s father dies at the beginning. The plots to his films tend to be mysterious and have an intense twist which is often hinted at by a preview forward near the beginning of the film. In Mission: Impossible III, the film starts out with a flash forward to an intense scene that intentionally confuses the viewer. In Star Trek, the character development quickly goes through introducing Kirk’s early life and then throughout deals with time travel. By digging a little deeper into the technique, his visual style can become more defined.
The way a director simply composes their shots and uses special effects can give their film a unique feel. J.J. Abrams is simply very good at creating a balance between the characters in a way that is pleasing to the eye and to portray the mood and pace of the scene. Most camera movement is smooth and flowing, even in the fast paced shots there is fluid motion and easy to follow, unless intentionally confusing the viewer. His shots are very fitting for the setting of the times, such as clearly portraying the late 70s in Super 8 with props that are identifiable to the times and fitting color schemes and then a futuristic space age in Star Trek with visual effects and a simple color scheme. This shows that Abrams’s is able to give the feeling of realness in the sci-fi genre of his films. He really seems to enjoy using the lens flare effect almost to the point of abusing it, but it definitely adds an interesting feel to Star Trek that increases the level of realisticness to the film. However, he also uses the effect quite often in Super 8, but it is not used nearly as often. The lens flare has definitely stuck to Abrams as his signature special effect.
With a limited portfolio to examine, it is difficult to pinpoint an exact signature style of directing that would simulate that of J.J. Abrams. He seems to just be a very good director at continuing a series that is already in place, limiting him from developing a more unique style of directing. However, it is still possible to direct a film with a feel quite like one directed by Abrams. To best do this, stick with the sci-fi genre, choose a mysterious plot with twists and flashforwards and flashbacks, kill the main character’s parents, have an attractive female character, and abuse the lens flares.
Works Cited
“J.J. Abrams.” IMDb. IMDb, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013
Abrams’s films, including his upcoming works, tend to fall in the Sci-fi and Action genres:
Mission: Impossible III – Spy, Action, Thriller
Star Trek – Sci-fi, Action, Adventure
Super 8 – Sci-fi, Mystery, Thriller
Star Trek Into Darkness – Sci-fi, Action, Adventure
Star Wars: Episode VII (2015) – Sci-fi, Action, Adventure
Storyboard Class 