Cinemablography@gmail.com
Cinemablography
  • Home
  • About
  • Journal
    • Existentialism in Film >
      • The Existential Philosophy of Melancholia
      • The Philosophy of Camus in The Dead Don't Die
      • The Existentialist Subtext of Dear Evan Hansen
      • An Existentialist Reading of "The Turin Horse"
    • A Woman's Perspective: Gender, and Identity in the Romanian New Wave
    • Film Theory Issue 1
    • Film Theory Issue 2
    • Science Fiction
    • Science Fiction Issue 2
    • Pan's Labyrinth
    • Kathryn Bigelow >
      • Opening Scene
      • Supermarket Scene
      • Round Table Discussion
  • Blog
  • Articles by Category
  • Contributors
  • Videographic Essays
  • Our Work
    • Links

Director Profile: ROBERT ZEMECKIS

2/12/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
            Academy-Award winning director Robert Zemeckis was born on May 14, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois. His interest in film began in high school when he started making movies with an 8mm camera. After high school, he attended Northern Illinois University, then transferred to the University of Southern California School of Cinema. During his time at the film school, he shot and won a student Academy Award for Field of Honor, a film that he later showed to directors Steven Spielberg and John Milius. Impressed, Spielberg and Milius made it possible for Zemeckis and Bob Gale (Zemeckis’s USC writing partner) to write an original screenplay for the film 1941, which Spielberg directed (Tribute).

            In 1978, at age 26, Zemeckis made his directorial debut with I Wanna Hold Your Hand, a film for which he and Bob Gale again teamed up to write the screenplay. Although having a low budget, the film ended up displaying Zemeckis’ ability to integrate great live-action sequences with elaborate special effects.

            Zemeckis proceeded to direct the semi-successful films Used Cars and Romancing the Stone. However, in 1985, Zemeckis directed the film that would launch his career, Back to the Future. The film, which stars Michael J. Fox, centers on a teenager who accidentally uses a DeLorean time machine to travel back to 1955. He eventually bumps into his parents, causing a rift between the two, and thus threatens his own existence. The inspiration for the film came from co-screenwriter Bob Gale (Zemeckis also co-wrote the script), who was one day looking through his father’s high school yearbook. Gale ended up wondering if he would’ve been friends with his teenage father. The film, which one 1 Oscar for Best Effects and Sound Effects Editing, became a huge box office success, grossing close to $200 million in the US (IMDB). Because of the success, the film spawned two sequels, both directed by Zemeckis and starring most of the same actors and actresses from the first installment. The Back to the Future trilogy, for which Zemeckis is most known, is today regarded as one of the greatest trilogies to come out of the film industry. 

Picture
Christopher Lloyd (left) and Michael J. Fox (right) in Back to the Future.
            After the Back to the Future trilogy, Zemeckis’s next major film was Forrest Gump, a film about a simple, not-very-intelligent man (Tom Hanks) who accidentally becomes involved in some of the major historical events of the United States. The film was also a major box office success, garnering close to $330 million in the United States. It ended up winning 6 Oscars, with Zemeckis winning an Oscar for Best Director. For his portrayal as “Forrest Gump”, Tom Hanks also received his second Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

            A few years after Forrest Gump, Zemeckis again teamed up with Tom Hanks in Castaway, a film about a Fed-Ex executive (Hanks) who accidentally gets stranded on a remote, desert island after his plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean. The film was well-received by critics, audiences, and at the box office. The picture also received two Oscar nominations: Tom Hanks (again) for Best Leading Actor and for Best Sound.

            Four years later, Zemeckis again cast Tom Hanks in the animated feature The Polar Express, a film about a doubting boy who travels on a train headed to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. The Polar Express is most significantly known for being the first ever animated film to use motion capture, a technique that “captures” the movements of physical actors. In this case, the motion capture tracked the actors’ movements, then converted them to their animated forms. The film was mostly well-received and was nominated for 3 Oscars (Best Achievement in Music, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, and Best Achievement in Sound Editing).

TRADEMARKS

            Zemeckis loves casting Tom Hanks in his films, as is evident in Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and The Polar Express. Zemeckis also loves hiring Alan Silvestri to do the music for his pictures. Examples of this include the Back to the Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and The Polar Express. On the technical side, Zemeckis usually opens his films with long shots or long takes, as evidenced by Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, and Contact. Finally, although risky, he likes to be at the forefront and use the newest technology and special effects, which he does in Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Contact, and The Polar Express.

            In conclusion, Robert Zemeckis is a big-name director who has proven himself several times to be able to produce heartfelt films with great visual effects. Starting with Back to the Future, he has built himself a very impressive resume. Zemeckis’s greatest films may be behind him, but nonetheless it will be interesting to see what the future holds, especially with newer technologies being developed each year.

Written by Anthony Watkins

WORKS CITED
“Robert Zemeckis Biography.” Tribute.ca. 2014. 31 Jan. 2014.
            <http://www.tribute.ca/people/robert-zemeckis/4015/>. 

IMDB. 2014. 01 Jan. 2014. <http://www.imdb.com>.

4 Comments
Barbara Adams aka Lillian B. Olive
3/25/2019 09:05:13 am

Seeking out to the Industries greatest directors in order to pursue a career of internship in the fields of directing and scream riding I'll be honest I have dyslexia so I was unable to attend college to pursue my dream in the world of film but I do indeed have a mind that is continuously at works on behalf of movies music and poetry I have an idea and which I myself thank is magnificent it's called father Forrest Gump Air Force becomes a Catholic minister in a Baptist Church who has identity crisis and is suffering from post-traumatic War syndrome if you're interested in my ideas I would greatly appreciate your time to seek out my mental abilities to work with great artists such as yourself if this is something that may interest you my writing skills AR nonexistent due to dyslexia so I would have to have a scribe but the imagination for the world of screenwriting and becoming a director is sky's the limit if I fall under a great team of artist home have already proven themselves not only in books but also on the big screen looking forward to hearing to you at your earliest convenience Barbara Adams 2236693059 my physical home address is 410 Randolph Drive Apartment 2A in Vidalia Georgia 304 7 4 thanks for your time

Reply
Harry
2/22/2020 07:35:12 am

Mr zemekis please contact me as I have land development opportunities you might like. I guess your pretty burnt on contractors.and it hurts the business when people lie and dont do the right things about building.im on alignable and connected investors.the projects for development are flat rate of 29% return 10 homes.locations beverly Hills.all of my contacts would not harm the building ethics.chris wulf Brian goldberg. Anyway sorry for your misfortune about mark. Maybe you will consider being an investor for a new construction guy.

Reply
Arunas Karolis Masiulis Blandis
6/14/2020 06:11:05 pm

Brangis Ponas Zemeckis, I have written a short story of four people escaping imminent occupation of Lithuania by Soviet Russian forces in 1944. It is called "20 kilometres ahead of the Russian Front" and describes difficulties and dangers encountered by refugees walking from Kybartai to Konigsberg and finally making it to ravaged Berlin and Plauen to finally evacuating the Russian Zone in June 1945 with help from American ground forces. I would like to forward this to you. With best regards, Arunas

Reply
Jan
6/27/2020 01:18:34 pm

Hello Bob been a long time I remember hanging out in your office when you and Bob we're doing I Want to Hold Your Hand. Remember your office was across the street from uni in the motel. I had a Crush back then on your secretary Mary Ann glad to see you've done so well hope you're doing alright during these challenging times!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2023
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.