This document provides an analysis of Wes Anderson's cinematographic style in three of his films: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). It examines Anderson's use of symmetry, color palettes, shot types like the planimetric shot, and how he was influenced by directors like Jean-Luc Godard. The goal is to better understand Anderson's signature visual style and how it can inform the document author's own film project. Research methods will include interviews, articles, and the book "The Wes Anderson Collection."
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Wes Anderson: Style
1. An exploration of Wes Anderson’s style with
specific reference to cinematography in
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ (2009), ‘Moonrise
Kingdom’ (2012) and ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’
(2001)
3. My aims of this research task are to expand on my knowledge of
the cinematography and style used within a Wes Anderson
film. I want to investigate in quite a large amount of depth the
reasons Anderson chose this style and find out his inspirations
and hopefully adapt this kind of quirky style into my own
project.
My research plan is to use as many sources as possible to find
out Anderson’s inspirations and get into his kind of mindset. I
feel using sources such as YouTube interviews, articles and
books such as ‘The Wes Anderson Collection’ will help me
achieve this.
Introduction
4. Adaptation of a Roald Dahl novel.
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ is Wes Anderson’s first and
only stop-motion animated film.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYjfaYK27
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“It’s centred on a charismatic but selfish father figure who cares more about his
own pleasures than his family’s needs.” – Matt Zoller Seitz
Real animal fur was used on the puppets, despite it
looking unnatural in different shots, but Anderson
wanted this effect.
Anderson’s trademarks are still used throughout the
animation and make it visually obvious who the director
is. Symmetry is largely used throughout along with the
side tracking shots.
The colour palette used creates the same Anderson
effect, with the trademark shades of yellow.
5. “Mr. Fox clarifies the essence of Anderson’s artistry, boiling his
themes and aesthetic down to storybook-simple moments and
gestures.” - Matt Zoller Seitz (Item 6)
“The trademark visual flourishes
are firmly in place: on-screen text,
direct overhead shots, inventive
foregrounds, elaborate side
tracking shots (both horizontal and
vertical). The classic rock cues are
present (this time, two Beach Boys
and one Stones), as is the
customary dry wit (here
augmented by occasional, bizarre,
and hilarious outbursts from his
characters that serve as sporadic
reminders that they are, in fact,
animals).” - R. Kurt Osenlund (Item
7)
6. Anderson was influenced by Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Pierrot le
Fou’ for certain aspects in ‘Moonrise Kingdom’:
• Couples on the run:
Both films consist of young couples who escape their lives to
run away, yet obviously they’re very different situations.
• Similar style for female protagonists:
The mid-60s aesthetic is commonly used for costume in both
films and reflects their youthful and innocent nature.
• Props:
Miscellaneous objects are used in both films and props are
especially meaningful in ‘Moonrise Kingdom’.
• Direct address:
Godard breaks the fourth wall and allows his characters to
directly address the audience, which Anderson allows a
narrator to do.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
“When I’m making a movie, what I have in mind, first for the visuals, is how we
can stage the scenes to bring them more to life in the most interesting way, and
then how we can make a world for the story that the audience hasn’t quite
been in before.” – Wes Anderson (Item 12)
7. The Planimetric Shot
“The most striking aspect of these shots
in which characters often face the
camera and the style pulls attention
towards itself, is their self-
consciousness.” – Lotte Philipsen
The shot is taken from the French New
Wave (the group of French filmmakers in
the 1950s/60s). E.g. Jean-Luc Godard.
This shot tends to create a deadpan
comic quality to the film, which is one of
Anderson’s features.
“Although Anderson only literally breaks the fourth wall
in Moonrise Kingdom, all these frontal shots remind the
audience of presentational performances such as plays” –
Lotte Philipsen
8. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
A common feature of any Wes
Anderson film is his larger than life
characters, and he mentions in The
Wes Anderson Collection that the
qualities he likes of Orson Welles as a
director are the fact he’s not
particularly subtle, he likes the
dramatic camera move and the larger
than life characters, which seem to
influence Anderson, especially in The
Royal Tenenbaums.
“He likes the big effect, the very dramatic camera
move” – Wes Anderson on Orson Welles
9. Needle in the Hay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pyBB7y8
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“Anderson uses rapid jump cuts to imply ellipses in time and
flashbacks to divulge to the viewer what is happening inside
Richie’s head as he seeks to end his life” – Robyn Greenfield
The over the shoulder shots allow us as an
audience to look at Richie as he sees himself.
The colour and lighting convey his despair
and when he turns the light on we are able to
see his anguished expression more clearly.
The steam in the background adds to the dark
and eery atmosphere.
The point of view shot of Richie’s bleeding
wrists emphasize the composition that
Anderson wanted in order to frame his
wrists alongside the discarded wristband
and hair.
“The light foreshadows hope and the
possibility of Richie surviving. The
darkness surrounding him coincides
with the scene’s depressing tone.” –
Robyn Greenfield
10. Symmetry
“Symmetry is a very necessary
piece of his signature” – Andy
Crump (Item 9)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFI
7_bH7E-M
