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Directors have gained worldwide acclaim and/or dedicated cult followings due to some specific stylistic characteristics they bring to their films, and Wes Anderson is no different. Known for stop-motion films featuring ensemble casts of anthropomorphic characters, such as Fantastic Mr Fox and The Isle of Dogs, to internationally acclaimed stories like The Grand Budapest, Wes Anderson quickly shot to fame in the early 2000s and 2010s.
Dedicated viewers of Wes Anderson would recognize the striking quality of his films in their use of symmetrical composition, colour palettes, use of planimetric camera movements, a retro style tinged with nostalgia, and eccentric characters.
His stories often delve into stories of poignant human relationships, with themes of loss of innocence, grief, and pathos. As such, there are key visual elements helping a Wes Anderson film stand out.
Symmetrical composition and color palettes
Symmetry has been a long utilized tool in the domain of film making, with Wes Anderson being one of the directors using this facet of a movie to raise his storytelling style to new heights. This is most evident in the story he tried to tell in Asteroid City, where every shot that Anderson arranges is meticulously symmetrical.
However, this use of symmetry is not only a stylistic choice. Every piece of furniture and decorative gear is done in a way to reinforce the recurrent motif of a Wes Anderson film. In Asteroid City, it speaks of the consistent attempts to maintain order in a world of chaos, thereby holding up a mirror to the real world, by using this very symmetry to paradoxically draw attention to the differences and irregularities between entities.
This symmetry is coupled with a vivid and vibrant colour palette to create a unique feel, in an attempt to communicate the ideas and moods of the respective film. For instance, The Isle of Dogs uses muted yellows and sharp greys of technology to portray a post-fallout world.
Contrarily, the world of Asteroid City is made up of light blues, soft pinks, deep purples, striking greens and yellows to convey a sense of melancholy and sentimentality.
On the other hand, Fantastic Mr Fox mixes delicate sandy and chrome/brown shades with vibrant green and orange hues. However, that works for only the main cast aka the woodland creatures.
The wolf that appears lacks anthropomorphism and is a mythified deity symbolizing the wildness in animals, and this wolf's monochromatic color palette posed a visual contrast to the other characters, thereby creating a sense of unease.
Detailed art direction coupled with a retro and nostalgic aesthetic
As viewers tune in to the stop-motion film Fantastic Mr. Fox, a suburban aesthetic of the 1960s and 70s jumps out at them, offering a sneak peek into the world of anthropomorphic woodland creatures.
With psychedelic scenes, intentionally jarring sequences and a rustic ambience throughout, the story has the classic retro nostalgic feel that Wes Anderson films have become well-known for.
To do so, he draws inspiration from different eras and their artistic movements and vintage graphics. There are various instances which incorporate the architecture and design elements from the middle of the 19th century, while handcrafted aspects abound throughout. This distinctive retro and nostalgic aesthetic makes a Wes Anderson film easily recognizable.
Flat space camera moves
Wes Anderson frequently uses planimetric compositions and camera movements, where the camera moves along a single plane. This creates a unique sense of space within his films. This kind of camera movement is not the first thing that comes to mind while thinking of a Wes Anderson film, but it is the secret device that accounts for much of his stylistic choices.
In this setup, Wes Anderson has a member or multiple members of his crew push and pull a camera; this camera is set up on a dolly setup that often weighs at least nine hundred pounds.
Moving this is an arduous task, as creating a single-line movement is often done along several hundreds of track that have been constructed into the scene. According to Anderson:
"It means the actors can stay in real time, and you can create something that really exists, in front of the camera.”
This dolly is set to move on either side and increase or decrease in its speed to keep pace with the film's shooting. This was most relevant in Asteroid City, one of Wes Anderson's prototypical works, where the dolly was positioned and moved across a theater space that is set up in a choreography of props, sets, walls, and cast and crew.
Unique typography
Typography in his films is often carefully selected to match the overall aesthetic. This only goes on to add another layer of visual consistency and style that is characteristic of a Wes Anderson film.
Anderson's films feature illustrations and fonts which remain true and faithful to the overall theme, tone, and plot of the movie which are present in both opening and closing sequences.
These typographical choices are mostly custom-made and do contribute to the movie's overall identity. Wes Anderson uses the Futura typeface mostly, with the typeface's geometry aligning with the directorial design to use symmetry and precision.
The font Wes Anderson uses, seems to have been inspired by the visual style of Bauhaus, which was designed in 1927 by the German, Paul Renner.
Quirky and stylized characters
The appearance of characters in his films, including their clothing and accessories, often reflects the film's overall style and contributes to the visual storytelling.
This charm in the characters, dubbed as Andersonian, features a characteristic wit and sense of humour that they showcase despite the loneliness and alienation they often feel.
For instance, Fantastic Mr Fox offers a deadpan sense of humour combined with zaniness that is typical of George Clooney, who voices him.
Peter from The Darjeeling Limited, on the other hand, portrays the typical eccentric characteristics that is expected of middle children in films, although here, his shenanigans are amped up to eleven.
Other characters like Steve Zissou from The Aquatic Life of Steve Zissou bring another sort of humour to life as the rugged oceanographer hellbent on getting revenge on an animal for a personal loss.
Other memorable characters remain Scout Master Ward from Moonrise Kingdom, the cast of Asteroid City and the canine brothers from The Isle of Dogs.
Wes Anderson and his plethora of works appeal to different generations and can both be looked upon fondly as first-time watches or nostalgic rewatches.
The merit of his style lies in the numerous accolades he has been showered with while the man himself is a beacon of talent who has gone beyond directorial roles to star as a voice actors in films like Sing and Sing 2.
