Wes Anderson – One Of The Most Prominent Figures Of American Indie Cinema

Wes Anderson is an American film director, producer, screenwriter as well as an actor. His movies are best know for the distinctive visual characteristics along with his quirky and humor. Among the most popular ones are “Grand Hotel Budapest”, “The Royal Tenenbaums”, “Fantastic Mr.Fox” “Moonrise Kingdom”, “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and other. All of his films have a very distinctive visual aesthetic and are often described with the term “immaculate composition”. The most distinctive features are the limiting color palette, tracking camera angles, subtle comedy and films with all-star line-ups. All of the movies are separate one from another but still always recognizable as a style. The most recognizable features that are always present in his movies are the flat space camera moves, snap-zooms, slow-motion walking shots and the limited color palette. An element that always strikes the public is the perfectly arrange setting, pristine interior, most of the time symmetrical compositions, have crystallized into a genre of production design itself. All of his movies have also retro, vintage style and deliberately conjuring of nostalgia, which does not always fit easily into contemporary academic debates and therefore he is hardly classified. Sometimes, he is evoking of old Hollywood of the 1930s and 1940s, or police dramas from the 70s is sometimes viewed as racist or anti-feminist. However, his films always connect in the past when those phenomenons were not rare. Wes Anderson is one of the most recognizable figures of American indie cinema, his feature-length films are part of the independent cinema and he has won many awards such as: the Academy Award, he got nominated for it three times, He doesn't usually collaborate with fashion designers but his unique style has been an inspiration for many designers and stylist. One of the most recognizable looks he has created are the one in Life Aquatic, by the Adidas Team Zissou, the chunky socks, he usually sticks to beige, grey and brown.

Biography

Wesley Wales Anderson was born in Houston, Texas. His mom was an archaeologist and his father worked in advertising and PR. The most critical part of his childhood was when his parents got divorced. During his childhood, Anderson began to write plays and to make super 8 movies after he got his first camera from his dad. When we has living in Houston he joined a cable-access channel so he could use the equipment to make short videos. Even though, Anderson admits in an interview that he spent most of his time thinking about movies and scripts, he wanted to be a writer and it wasn't until he went to college when he realize he wanted to make movies. He attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he majored in philosophy and this was a crucial period of his life, when he met Owen Wilson. They became friends and started making movies. In 1994 they made the short movie Bottle Rocket where starred Owen and Luke Wilson. It was screened at the Sundance Film Festival where it was so successful that it received funding to be shot in a feature-length version. In 1996 Bottle Rocket was not a commercial success but it gained high-profile fans which included Martin Scorsese. His major works later on in life include “The Royal Tenebaums” which was the movie which established him as a successful filmmaker. The screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award and the movie earned more than 50$ million. Another very big success for him is “The Grand Budapest Hotel” which was an American-German-British co-production. The movie won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture. In 1999 he won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay for “Rushmore” and Independent Spirit Award for Best Director for the same movie.

A key feature in Wes Anderson’s films is that they are overtly staged: the director is clearly creating a unique world, an enclosed cosmos and the characters are operating within the rules of the world. For example in The Royal Tenenbaums, the film is divided into chapter breaks with illustrated book pages appearing on the screen. Similarly, in The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson deliberately employs obviously miniature model of the hotel which becomes a visual signifier of a past world, he also uses pointedly outdated filming techniques that emphasize this artificially, and thus the ephemeral appearance of the hotel in the past. He prefers the handmade look of miniatures and cutaways because it communicates an old-fashioned. deliberately handcrafted atmosphere that brings the viewer beyond “reality” to a place of postmodernist nostalgia. Anderson’s visual style is also often self-reflexive, drawing attention the very act of looking. He is renowned for using perfectly centered shots and symmetrical compositions. Anderson often uses miniatures and matte-painted backdrops. For instance, the matte-painted mountaintop in Grand Budapest Hotel. His movies also use replete primary-colored palettes that soaked wash objects, textures, fabrics, building and environments so that they become like a living canvass. In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Anderson employs Ektachrome reversal oil stock to create high contrast, as a result they become like living canvas. Another very often used palette is the “sunflower” aesthetic where there is also some degree of nostalgia in it. It is symbolizing connections between the sun, fire and warmth since Anderson looks to the past to fill the anomic present with core human values such as kindness, respect truth and balance. The use of colors is also heavily reliant to convey his message and the psychology of the characters.

Color Theory

Color psychology is the study of hues as a determent human behavior. It is proven that different colors evoke different emotions in our brains. Unquestionably the most laborious efforts in Anderson’s lms lie with the production and scenic designer. From the lavish hotel in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014) to the unassumingly intricate submarine in “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' (2004), his production design is unmitigated extravagance. Anderson, working closely with designer Adam Stockhausen, comes into a production with a specific color palette in mind and they work off of what colors work well in contrasting the presence of these colors. Studies show that audiences have poor color memory when reflecting on short-term memory associated with digital media. By intensifying certain colors, Anderson creates an immediate association with his films. For example: pink, purple and red are associated with “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. This plays on contrast and affinity, on similarity of tone, this makes his movies easily recognizable. Also the pastel-hued sea creature in “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” Anderson gives audience a glimpse of a seemingly perfect “dollhouse perfectionism”. As an example, this famous shot from “Royal Tenenbaum”, the colors are very consistent, focusing on the warm colors of the spectrum, the stripes shirt of Margot go well with the couch, lampshade indwells. We can see that Anderson considers every detail, from the costume, to the accessories, props and scenery, but at the same time the color palette is not too limited in the same color, so it is visually pleasing. In his movies Wes Anderson takes references from different places, mixing high and low culture, going from highbrow vintage masterpieces to Charlie Brown and 70s musicals. In some cases he is also inspired by other film directors such as: Hitchcock in the movie “The 39 Steps” and “Vertigo” are clearly a reference to “The Grand Budapest hotel” movie. Other times from David Lean’s movie “Lawrence of Arabia” has again visually very similar reference to The Grand Budapest Hotel. In other cases, the reference is not in a single shot but relates to the whole story, “Fantastic Mr.Fox” is a modern recreation of “Fantastic Mr.Fox” by Donald Chaffin shot in 1970, which was also a point of inspiration for the shots themselves. Anderson is known for the recognizable bright colors and limited color palette in the shot below from “Fantastic Mr. Fox” it is a clear point of reference but made from his own point of view.

Other times he refers to actors in other movies as in “The Darjeeling Limited” which is inspired by “Pather PAnchali” by Satyajit Ray, 1955. This shows that his points of socio-cultural points of reference very widely and could be taken from any type of movie, from 70 years ago and take inspiration from it just by the color, the shot, the name or anything. As his movies are always in a vintage style he is giving a more obvious nod to previous cinema legends, as it appears various times, we could say that is a fan of Orson Walles and “Citizen Kane” in particular. In other points of reference there is just the feeling that rings a bell to an older movie (“Rushmore” and “The Graduate”) .In emotional point of view, all the cultural references that he uses evoke the same emotion in the public. Melancholy is one of the strongest sentiments Anderson focuses on his filmography. The pool scene in particular is both narrative and visually similar telling a store of despondency and betrayal. The main character Rushmore has a keen resemblance with 1967s Dustin Hoffman. Much of Anderson’s lms, in keeping with the auteur theory, is a self reaction of his childhood. His stylistic choices and thematic elements of his original screenplays are portrayed through his lens as if he were a character. The Social structure is one such large focus, as well as familial structures and intergenerational bonds and rivalries. Much of his work focuses on parents’ relationships with their children. “Mayshark' (2007) also remarks that Anderson tends to portray a specific social niche of eccentric affluence. These characters are precocious and immature, “but not, on the whole, badly intentioned”. Another repetitive theme in his works is the one of Problematic fathers s work as a whole, while mothers are less of a presence (in fact, many have died as a precursor to his lms). Wes Anderson’s movies often focus around a broken or unorthodox family circle. This is evident in the case of Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Royal Tenenbaum, and Herman Blume (Bill Murray) in Rushmore (1998). On the topic of fatherhood, Zissou says to his illegitimate son, Ned: “I hate fathers and I never wanted to be one.” In the film “The Life Aquatic” the songs were translated and arranged for guitar by jorge himself, maintaining David Bowie’s melody and style.

The Outsiders

His movies always have at least one “Outsider” character that usually is a grown up man desperately looking the approval of one of his parents, which could be related to his own life and the way he was seeking for an approval of his parents. His characters are either struggling to come to terms with adulthood longing for a past that can’t be recuperated or trapped in a liminal space where they can fit. In Moonrise Kingdom, Captain Duffy is trapped by obligation and conformity admitting how unsuccessful he is with women. Another very recognizable sign of Wes Anderson Characters is that they are heavy and expressive with their body language. Their postures are so strong that you cannot forget them as.

Artist’s Fandom

Wales Anderson is a male American director, producer and actor born on May 1, 1969 in Houston, Texas. At the moment he is 48 years old. In person he is described as very reserved and polite and he has an “uncommon way” of speaking. When interviewed, Anderson doesn't like talking about himself or the way he works, so interviewers by The Guardian describe him as “intimidated” when asked about his works. Austin, the future director made an immediate impression. 'He walked in wearing L.L. Bean duck-hunting boots and shorts,' Wilson recalled, 'Which I thought was kind of obnoxious.” His personal style is also very particular, in some photos wearing 4 shirts, but always staying classy with corduroy, a lot times with brown, a lot shirts, costumes and almost always with a signature bows.

Analysis of the Repercussion of the Phenomenon the Media Point of View

Wes Anderson has been nominated for three Academy Awards. His movie Moonrise Kingdom made nearly $70 million world-wide. His name has become a synonym for his style. After the trailer of “Grand Budapest Hotel” cam out it was written to be “so deeply Wes Anderson” by PolicyMic; Paste chronicled “the most Wes Anderson-iest moments” from the trailer. The subtext behind those comments are that yet another Wes Anderson movie will come out with his recognizable but still repetitive signature styles. The majority of the movie critics and the masses support him. There are very directors who are as beloved by the fashion committee as Wes Anderson. The reason is that his movies always take places in a perfectly styled world with actors that are stylish dressed. He has been an inspiration numerous of times of fashion editorials. He also made a partnership with H&M for a holiday film in 2015, which is set on a train, cue “The Darjeeling Limited” callbacks in a journey that is delayed in time.Louis Vuitton also created an official animal-printed luggage for his movie in 2007. The sack wasn't made for sales purposes but later on, after the extremely positive reaction from the public, another Brand created the piece and started selling it. In 2013 Anderson made multiple collaborations with Prada. The first project was “Castello Cavalcanti”, in the movie Jason Schwartzman, trace car driver with a dangerous need for speed, has an obsession with Prada leather goods. Two years later, in 2015 Alessandro Michele designed his first Gucci collection which could be compared to the style of Margot from “The Royal Tenebaums”. As an effect, both Lacoste and Bally made collections inspired by the guys from the Tenenbaum, Richie and Chas. After eh success in 2013, Anderson partnered again with Prada in 2015 and his screenwriting partner for a short film staring Lea Seydoux for Prada’s Candy L’Eau fragrance. In the same sweet- candy spirit is made “Bar Luce” inside Fondazione Prada in Milan, with pinball machines and palette colors seats. Another very famous restaurant in “accidentally Wes Anderson style” is the restaurant “Sketch” in London. It is in pink palette colors and has a partially candy look which looks like an inspiration from “The Grand Budapest hotel” movie. Nevertheless, people are so obsessed with his style that they are various pages on Instagram that are in a search for “Accidentally Wes Anderson style”. Even though, he is widely accepted in the fashion and design industry, there certainly critics which are not that fond of his work. Most of the criticism is provoked by the fact that his films focus on “the lives of straight, white and privileged people. When he casts minorities, they are pushed on the side, as an example in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” the young concierge is the first feared non-white character, even though he is still playing with stereotypes, he is coming from a minority is coming from an uneducated poor family and he is begging the privileged white people to hire him.

Evidence of his media covering throughout the time taken into consideration. In the 2000 Wes Anderson told Esquire “A couple of years ago, I watched a film called Bottle Rocket. I knew nothing about it, and the movie really took me by surprise. Here was a picture without a trace of cynicism, that obviously grew out of its director’s affection for his characters in particular and for people in general.” And he was even named “the next Martin Scorsese by Martin Scorsese himself. Some critics adore Wes Anderson’s movie, and this is the reason why he has been nominated 3 times for Academy Awards, but at the same time, he has been parodied on pop culture platforms such as “Saturday Night Live” NBC’s Community, an American Express advertisement and more. The main reasons behind it are several, his pervasive preciousness, by the way he pins actors into the center. Another reason is that, according to critics, his characters are capable of only two emotions: “Dolorious and more dolorous”. Some highly appreciate his Gittell’s piece that elaborates on this criticism:

“Movies, of course, don’t need to be set in a world that precisely mirrors our own for them to be relatable. But reality in some form – whether it’s in the setting or in characters who behave in ways that we understand – must be present. In other words, there must be a way in, a way for us to bridge that divide between the fantasies of the screen and our recognizable realities.” A more nuanced take comes from Stephanie Zacharek’s Village Voice piece titled “I’m Trying to Love Wes Anderson, That Miniaturist Puppet Master”. His characteristics are so strong, that is hard not to have a strong opinion about them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Wes Anderson is one of the most talented and famous film directors nowadays, but his works are so implacable and recognizable thatchy have inspired many people from other industries as well. From the fashion one, where thousands of editorials have been done trying to duplicate his style, to the food industry where restaurants, bakeries are recreating the mouth-watering food from his movies, to the music one. His fans are also looking for locations around the world which are in a similar style. This is a proof that his work will also will be relevant for future generations, because they are the ones looking for a way to recreate it in their everyday life.