Director Trademarks

Begins his films with segments taken from the middle or end of the story. Examples include Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Last Waltz.

Frequent use of slow motion, e.g. Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980). Also known for using freeze frame, such as the opening credits of The King of Comedy (1983), and throughout GoodFellas (1990).
His lead characters are often sociopaths and/or want to be accepted in society or a society.

His blonde leading ladies are usually seen through the eyes of the protagonist as angelic and ethereal; they wear white in their first scene and are photographed in slow-motion (Cybill Shepherd in Taxi Driver; Cathy Moriarty's white bikini in Raging Bull; Sharon Stone's white mini dress in Casino). This may possibly be a nod to director Alfred Hitchcock.

Often uses long tracking shots.

Use of MOS sequences set to popular music or voice over, often involving aggressive camera movement and/or rapid editing.

Often has a quick cameo in his films (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, After Hours, The Last Temptation of Christ (albeit hidden under a hood), Casino,The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York). Also, often contributes his voice to a film without showing his face on screen. He provides the opening voice-over narration in Mean Streets and The Colour of Money; plays the off-screen dressing room attendant in the final scene of Raging Bull; provides the voice of the unseen ambulance dispatcher in Bringing out the Dead.

Frequently uses New York City as the main setting in his films, e.g. Gangs of New York, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Age of Innocence, After Hours, New York, New York.

Sometimes highlights characters in a scene with an iris, an homage to 1920s silent film cinema (as most scenes at the time used this transition). This effect can be seen in Casino (it is used on Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci), Life Lessons, and The Departed (on Matt Damon). Iris is also the name of Jodie Foster's character in Taxi Driver.

Some of his films include references/allusions to classic Westerns, particularly Shane and The Searchers.

More recently, his films have featured corrupt authority figures, such as policemen in The Departed and politicians in Gangs of New York and The Aviator.

Guilt is a prominent theme in many of his films, as is the role of Catholicism in creating and dealing with guilt (Raging Bull, GoodFellas, Bringing Out the Dead, Mean Streets, Who's That Knocking at My Door, Shutter Island, etc.)

Slow motion flashbulbs and accented camera/flash/shutter sounds

Scorsese has been known to cast the same actors in his films, particularly Robert De Niro, who collaborated with Scorsese for nine films. Included are the three films that made the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies list.

Before their deaths, Scorsese's parents, Charles and Catherine, would be given bit parts, walk-ons, or supporting roles.