History Main / AuteurLicense

* Literary example: KurtVonnegut used and abused his novelistic auteur license to write a novel illustrated with his own quirky line drawings in which he [[AuthorGuestSpot features as a character]] (the wonderful ''Breakfast of Champions'') and a non-novel about his abortive attempt to write a novel called ''Timequake'' (the account of the failure is also called ''Timequake'', and is pretty disappointing despite flashes of brilliance).

* StevenSpielberg after ''{{Jaws}}''.

* A trend that's becoming popular in recent years is to bring the directors of blockbusters back in exchange for agreeing to bankroll vanity projects that the directors might otherwise not get the chance to make. The vanity projects will typically be lower-budgeted, and the studios know they can eat the loss from the gross of the blockbuster sequel, so they give the director complete control. MichaelBay got this deal for Pain&Gain when he agreed to direct TransformersDarkOfTheMoon, but the REAL kind of this is ChristopherNolan, who was able to get $160 million to make [[Inception]], and then made it profitable anyway...
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* StevenSpielberg after ''{{Jaws}}''. ''[[NineteenFortyOne Never]] lost [[Film/{{Hook}} it]]'' [[SarcasmMode since]].

* WoodyAllen. He's practically had an auteur license since he started making movies forty-five years ago (his ''second'' movie was a kung-fu movie he bought and put [[GagSub gag subtitles]] on top of! And it was approved!). His big success with ''Film/AnnieHall'' in 1977 is what made him untouchable, even after he made a string of movies generally considered mediocre in the late 1980s through early 2000s, and after the "[[WifeHusbandry marrying his]] [[ParentalIncest stepdaughter]]" incident that would've ended a lesser celebrity's career. The string of movies since 2005's ''MatchPoint'' are generally considered to be a comeback for him, but if he didn't have a strong case of this trope, he wouldn't have lasted long enough to have a comeback.

[[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff And that he's popular in Europe]].

* WoodyAllen. He's practically had an auteur license since he started making movies forty-five years ago (his ''second'' movie was a kung-fu movie he bought and put [[GagSub gag subtitles]] on top of! And it was approved!). His big success with ''AnnieHall'' in 1977 is what made him untouchable, even after he made a string of movies generally considered mediocre in the late 1980s through early 2000s, and after the "[[WifeHusbandry marrying his]] [[ParentalIncest stepdaughter]]" incident that would've ended a lesser celebrity's career. The string of movies since 2005's ''MatchPoint'' are generally considered to be a comeback for him, but if he didn't have a strong case of this trope, he wouldn't have lasted long enough to have a comeback.

Fun fact: As WilliamGoldman pointed out, if you think about it, Russ Meyer fits this perfectly. He produces and writes his movies all by himself, also does the camera work and the cut, and definitely has [[GagBoobs his unique, very personal artistic vision]], [[LampshadedDoubleEntendre if you know what I mean]].

** It helps that he makes movies on relatively low budgets, and hence doesn't have to meet as many box-office needs as other movies. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff And that he's popular in Europe]].

* StevenSpielberg after ''{{Jaws}}''. ''[[NineteenFortyOne Never]] lost [[{{Hook}} it]]'' [[SarcasmMode since]].

* In the beginning of his career, MartinScorsese cranked out a number of bonafide classics, (''TaxiDriver'', ''MeanStreets'', ''RagingBull'', etc). However, these were buffered by a number of financial flops, disallowing him the kind of carte blanche enjoyed by others on this page. However, since the release of ''{{Goodfellas}}'' in 1990, he's mostly been allowed to make his movies his way. [[GangsOfNewYork Mostly.]]

* Director Terrence Malick received his AuteurLicense after ''Days of Heaven'', went into [[JDSalinger J.D. Salinger]]-esque seclusion for the next 20 years, and re-emerged to make ''TheThinRedLine'', whereupon 20 major Hollywood stars lined up to get a part in the film, seven of whom were left on the cutting room floor. The studio pulled the plug on the film, whereupon 20th Century Fox insisted Malick employ ''more'' Hollywood stars, many of whom were offering to work for free... Malick retained his big-budget AuteurLicense for his next film, ''The New World'' (2005) with Colin Farrell.

* OrsonWelles got issued his Auteur License right off the bat by RKO Pictures for his first film, ''CitizenKane'', based on his work in radio and theatre. Welles directed, wrote, produced, and starred in it. While this movie is now considered one of the greatest films ever made, the content picked a fight with media mogul William Randolph Hearst whose papers refused to carry advertisements for the film causing it to fail financially. While his contract gave him exclusive control over his next film, ''TheMagnificentAmbersons'', the result was deemed unreleasable by the executives and was hacked to pieces by the studio. Welles' Auteur License was revoked at that point and he eventually had to spend long periods of time in Europe to exercise his creative vision.

Fun fact: As WilliamGoldman pointed out, if you think about it, RussMeyer fits this perfectly. He produces and writes his movies all by himself, also does the camera work and the cut, and definitely has [[GagBoobs his unique, very personal artistic vision]], IfYouKnowWhatIMean.

* After a decade of often much-acclaimed films, both small- and large-scale (ranging from ''[[{{Film/Ptitleg61am70o3b3w}} M*A*S*H]]'' to ''{{Nashville}}'' to ''3 Women'') RobertAltman got this for 1980's ''Film/{{Popeye}}'' -- a live-action, big-budget family musical based on the comic strip and cartoon hero -- via super-producer Robert Evans. Unfortunately, the resultant film had a long, difficult shoot and got ''very'' mixed notices from critics, and couldn't gross enough money to prove profitable; Altman spent the remainder of the decade making much smaller-scale films that attracted little attention from anyone besides film critics -- and it was just getting started! He didn't make his comeback until ''ThePlayer'' in 1992.

* Truly talented director MichaelCimino got his license with ''TheDeerHunter'' and promptly lost it with ''HeavensGate''.

* Jean-Luc Godard received his auteur license after the success of his first film, Breathless, leading him to make more complex and politically-driven films which consequently diminished much of the commercial and critical acclaim that first film earned. To this day, he still grips on to that license.

* TimBurton got his after ''Film/{{Batman}}'' in 1989. ''PeeWeesBigAdventure'' and ''{{Beetlejuice}}'' had both been bigger-than-expected hits for Warner Brothers, but he still faced a good deal of ExecutiveMeddling on ''Batman''. Once it was a megahit, he became a big enough name that not only he given a good deal of creative freedom on ''EdwardScissorhands'', but it was his previous track record and now-signature style that was used to sell it to audiences. Although some of his subsequent films have been critical and/or commercial disappointments, he's had enough successes to hang on to the license.

* FrancisFordCoppola earned his license by adapting, producing, and directing the awesome one-two punch of ''TheGodfather Part II'' and ''ApocalypseNow''. He used his newfound clout and money to build his own studio, Zoetrope, where he planned to house an artistic community, turning out medium-budget passion projects. Unfortunately, his first such film, ''OneFromTheHeart'', went cataclysmically over budget. Unlike the similarly out-of-control ''ApocalypseNow'', ''Heart'' flopped mightily upon release, and Coppola pulled it from theatres after a few weeks. Zoetrope was sold, Coppola's license was revoked, and he spent a good chunk of the 80s and 90s as a director for hire, trying to forge his way back to financial solvency. He has recently taken to financing his films with the proceeds from sales of his eponymous wine.

* Jean-Luc Godard received his auteur license after the success of his first film, Breathless, leading him to make more complex and politically-driven films [[FallenCreator which consequently diminished much of the commercial and critical acclaim that first film earned]]. To this day, he still grips on to that license.

* Jean-Luc Godard took his auteur license after the success of Breathless and still grips on to it to this day.

Because the usual studio system is unequipped to deal with the Auteur's unique artistic vision, the Auteur License grants them ProtectionFromEditors and an exemption from ExecutiveMeddling. This sort of treatment may cause the previously under known director to get an [[SmallNameBigEgo inflated ego]], but an Auteur License does not imply this outcome.

* GeorgeLucas had the run-of-the-mill star power with ''AmericanGraffiti''. He basically wrote, issued, and certified his license with [[StarWars some movie about a farm boy looking for his destiny]]. [[SarcasmMode The name escapes me]] but due to its success, Lucas has made anything he wanted, anyway he wanted, since. Lucas even sets the terms for when his movies are released, at what theaters, and how the gross profits are divvied up.

* MichaelBay has became heavily associated and famous for his brain-dead, over the top action movies with huge explosions. He gained his Auteur License after ''{{Armageddon}}'' and his visual style has been heavily copied in modern action films. He even made fun of his filmmaking style in a Verizon commercial.

* MichaelBay has became heavily associated and famous for his brain-dead, over the top action movies with huge explosions. He gain his Auteur License since ''{{Armageddon}}'', his visual style has been heavily copied in modern action film. He even made fun of his filmmaking style in a Verizon commercial.

* After a decade of often much-acclaimed films, both small- and large-scale (ranging from ''{{MASH}}'' to ''{{Nashville}}'' to ''3 Women'') Robert Altman got this for 1980's ''Film/{{Popeye}}'' -- a live-action, big-budget family musical based on the comic strip and cartoon hero -- via super-producer Robert Evans. Unfortunately, the resultant film had a long, difficult shoot and got ''very'' mixed notices from critics, and couldn't gross enough money to prove profitable; Altman spent the remainder of the decade making much smaller-scale films that attracted little attention from anyone besides film critics -- and it was just getting started! He didn't make his comeback until ''The Player'' in 1992.