Directors’ cuts: a stock footage tribute to Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Malick and more

Niko Brown is a New York-based video editor and filmmaker focused on creating entertaining and profound stories, accented by beautiful images. You can see his work at vimeo.com/nikobrown. This post was originally published on the Shutterstock blog and has been reprinted with permission.

There are few things more important to film directors than visual style. While story and performance are always given the utmost attention, the look and feel of a film can be just as influential.

Visual style gives directors a unique voice that can make their work recognizable without a word being uttered. And with recognition comes reputation: Legendary filmmakers such as Francois Truffaut, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock had such distinctive styles that their names became synonymous with their singular aesthetics.

Today, this is more important than ever. Modern directors have to find new ways to tell stories that will set them apart from the pack, and a select few do it in a way that speaks to their unique sensibilities while resonating with a wide audience.

In the video below, we pay homage to the visual style of five present-day legends. Check it out, then click on any of the links below to view the clips viewed in each tribute, along with more selections inspired by each of these acclaimed auteurs.

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Click on any of the images below to explore the clips that were used to create the video segment, plus additional videos that reflect each director’s style.

Which other directors do you think have styles unique enough to pay tribute to? Tell us in the comments — or better yet, show us by putting together your own video using Sequence, a new in-browser editing tool.

Soundtrack links:

Wes Anderson tribute: Summer by Van Doom

David Fincher tribute: Interference by Ewan McArthur

Quentin Tarantino tribute: Cannonball by Los Twang! Marvels

Alfonso Cuarón tribute: Another Sunrise Peel by Rob Simonsen

Terrence Malick tribute: A Threat Of Snow by Simon Robinson