Wes Anderson Research Paper

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Wes Anderson-y-ness For years independent film directors have been working outside the Hollywood system to create unique films with an independent feel that cost a fraction of the typical Hollywood film budget. Wes Anderson is one such film director who is known for his quirky and humorous films. His style is marked by colorful scenes that seem to pop right out of a storybook. In recent years Anderson has become widely regarded as a filmmaker who has succeeded in setting himself apart from the directorial style of big studios to create films with a uniquely distinctive smartness. His attention to detail is fastidious and his style is unmistakable. Wes Anderson uses symmetry, a unique color palette, recurring actors, impressive sets, and family…show more content…
Details are of paramount importance to set design, which is, creating a space that fits the characters’ world and fills it with appropriate objects. Everything from paintings, books, and maps to personal items, wallpaper and music is meticulously considered. Anderson finds a way to make everything surrounding the character a portrayal of that same character. Filmmakers know they only have so much screen time to acquaint the audience with the characters. Rather than devote precious dialogue toward characterization, Anderson lets his elaborate sets add depth to his characters. The details of the set aid in defining personalities and conflicts. Anderson’s impressive sets are formulated with the assistance of production and graphic designers who have become more important over the years as Anderson’s sets become more intricate and expansive. Adam Stockhausen was Anderson’s production designer of The Grand Budapest Hotel (Lynch). Stockhausen took inspiration from the world’s greatest hotels and transformed an abandoned department building into the Grand Budapest. He used fabulous textiles, period lighting, saturated colors, and murals. “We sourced locally from Eastern Germany, and reached farther afield,” Stockhausen says when referring to the hotel’s period and vintage furnishings. “We were pulling in from Vienna, Hamburg, Munich, Prague, even London, anywhere we could.”…show more content…
Usually, Anderson portrays the families as seriously dysfunctional and detached. His characters are intriguing and puzzling and their odd behavior is so quirky it is construed as humorous. The Whitman brothers who ride the rails in The Darjeeling Limited have metaphorical and physical baggage they have carried since the death of their father and the disappearance of their mother. The Life Aquatic’s Steve Zissou chases after an elusive, glow-in-the-dark shark that killed his partner decades ago. The Squid and the Whale’s Bernard shows a detached man desperately trying to connect with his family. All these movies share the theme of family. Anderson portrays the families in his films in a post-modern manner. In the beginning the characters are lost and have flaws in need of correction. In The Royal Tenenbaums, Richie Tenenbaum attempts suicide, which results in bringing the Tenenbaum family closer together. In The Darjeeling Limited, the Whitman brothers are about to part ways when three children on a raft fall into a river. They are able to save two of them, but one of them dies. This impacts the three brothers dramatically. They attend the child’s funeral and undergo a spiritual revival of sorts. As a result, they decide to continue their spiritual quest together. In these films the main characters’ discovery of their own mortality leads to their reunion. They may be dysfunctional, but
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