Baz Luhrmanns contribution to the art of film, brings about a flamboyant and revitalizing side to the industry. Through the use of cinematic language, his story telling techniques and belief in the theatrical cinema come to life.
Baz Luhrmann has a very distinctive directing approach with particular techniques that define his style. He presents his films as if he were telling a story, which he invites you into. His stories are simple and he tends to give away the ending at the beginning of the film, which intrigues you to find out more about what had taken place. For example Romeo and Juliet starts with a news flash on a television screen describing city brawls that have taken place and later in the film there are more fights that occurs. Strictly ballroom starts off with Scott dancing his own steps which is the result of the story and The Great Gatsby starts off with youngish narrator, apprentice bond trader Nick Carraway, in rehab, brought about by the story Luhrmann illustrates throughout the film.
All of Baz Luhrmanns films are set in the closed, confined, isolated little worlds. Strictly ballroom is set in the isolated, specialized world of ballroom dancing, and nearly the entire film is shot in either the ballroom or the dance studio. The only time it goes off this is to visit Frans house where the shot is totally devoid of colour. Romeo and Juliet is et in the confined gun culture of Los Angeles, which we are constantly reminded of, with gun shots throughout the