One of the most prolific directors of our generation is Zack Snyder. The man behind 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel, and Justice League is a polarizing figure to the masses. That’s because most film fans consider that the filmmaker chooses style over substance. That terms essentially means Snyder focuses more on the cinematography and fight choreography of his films than the story itself. Sometimes it works. And sometimes movies like Sucker Punch come out.
Nevertheless, Zack Snyder isn’t the first filmmaker to event the style over substance concept. However, there’s debate on whether these types of films add value to the movie going experience. While it may sound crazy that a filmmaker would choose to put more focus on the visual aspects of a film over it’s story, style over substance can actually be a great thing if done properly.
How Style Over Substance Can Work
I want to be clear about style over substance; it doesn’t matter how stylish a film is, if the story is bad then there’s no good justification for it. There’s a different between telling a simple story and a bad one. Not ever film never needs to be some complex and thought-provoking master piece that challenges your worldview. Even those types of a movie can be horrendous bad. A GOOD story is a must. Heck, even a decent story can work if the style is too good to overlook.
At the end of the day, movies are a visual medium. Long gone are the days where people are gathered around the radio to listen to compelling narratives. Though you can make a great film field look ugly, a movie that isn’t visually appealing isn’t going to attach as many fans. This isn’t to say that movie need to be some crazy spectacle that dazzles you every minute. You can have small independent stories that revolve around one location and zero action set pieces.
But the visual cues such as lighting, color palette, character designs and styling, or even time period play a huge factor on the overall look of every film. A movie can be so visual dazzling because the image speaks and relates to us in some way. 300 is a rather simple story of an army of men taking the battle to King Xerxes.
What Snyder does so well is that he doesn’t try to sit and explain every little detail about this world. He gives us enough story to understand the conflict between Greece and Persia, does just enough character development to us to root for King Leonida’s small army, and drenches the film with so much visual flare that it’s hard to not like it. Style over substance doesn’t mean that the story gets a pass if the visuals are incredible. It just means that the story doesn’t have the weight or depth of something like Citizen Kane.
How Style Can Elevate A Decent Story Into Something Great
I make it clear above that a bad script can’t be elevated by incredible visuals. But the statement above also highlights the importance of style and how it can impact a story. Some of the best eras in Hollywood have relied on the visual concept to really sell a movie. Take Film Noir. That that brief period of filmmaking relied on Black and White lighting, the way filmmakers used the cinematography to showcase (or even conceal) the shady and corrupt world that it’s characters lived in made the films so special.
Using style can be a powerful storytelling device that can silently add dimensions and to the world itself. It can also be used as MacGuffin that can lead the protagonist to their wants and desires. Style in filmmaking isn’t about just making something look cool. A talented filmmaker understands the value of visual medium and makes sure that it aids in the narrative that they’ll trying to tell. Even if it’s a simple action flick like John Wick, where the distinct lighting and style exemplifies the high profile world of the continental and the assassins that reside within.
Say what you will about Zack Snyder (and he can be hit or miss), but he’s managed to stand out from the numerous filmmakers that have come and gone because of his distinct quality of filmmaking. He may not be the best when it comes to writing stories, but he does just enough not insult the intelligence of his audience. Style over substance films are just like blockbusters, they serve a purpose to a target audience and provide a unique genre that keeps the market from going stale.
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