2. Orson Welles
Orson Welles changed the movies. Period. With one genius stroke, his first film, CITIZEN KANE, inaugurated a new depth — both visually and emotionally. He created a sprawling, epic masterpiece; a quasi-biopic of one of the most influential newsmen of the century, William Randolph Hearst, morphing him into what is today regarded as the greatest character ever portrayed on screen– Charles Foster Kane.
Unlike the innovators before him, the techniques employed by Welles and his team (including DP Gregg Toland) seem contemporary even by today’s standards. The film’s unique cinematography accomplished using a “deep focus” lens, created by Toland specifically for the film, reevaluated the impact a single image could have. Though a pariah in Hollywood for the larger part of his post- Kane career, Welles has continued to influence each new crop of moviemakers, regardless of genre.
Image Source: Variety