Research Paper On Wes Anderson

1797 Words4 Pages

In contemporary cinema, American filmmaker Wes Anderson is well known for his distinctive visual style and meticulous storytelling. Born in 1969, Anderson has been directing films since 1993, creating multiple largely successful feature and short films. Anderson has become a well-acclaimed filmmaker, directing and writing over 10 feature length films as well as many shorts. When it comes to filmmaking, Anderson is known for his unique visual style and whimsical narratives that are instantly recognisable even from a singular frame. As a celebrated director, many critics consider Anderson an ‘artist’ of his work, or more commonly known as an auteur. Auteur theory originated in France in the late 1940s, discussing the ideology in which a director …show more content…

Through the lens of auteur theory, Anderson’s success in crafting visually distinct styles and narratives solidifies his position as an auteur. This essay will delve into whether Wes Anderson can be regarded as an auteur by analysing these key principles. When referring to interior meaning within the principles of auteur theory, Anderson’s body of work consistently showcases recurring themes and a distinctive worldview throughout his films. Concurrent themes such as loss of innocence, grief and family dysfunction are woven into all of Anderson’s narratives, closely related to his own life. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) delves deeply into the complexities of a dysfunctional family, exploring themes of parental failure, sibling rivalry and eventual reconciliation as the estranged Tenenbaum family reunite under one roof when their father attempts to make amends for his past mistakes. Anderson employs these themes of family dysfunction, grief and loss of innocence through the success of characters as children contrasting to their failures as adults. The film further explores the idea of unconventional family …show more content…

Anderson’s mastery of technical elements is evident in his meticulous use of symmetrical composition and masterful camera techniques, creating a visually distinctive style that is instantly recognisable across his filmography. In his stop-motion animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Anderson demonstrates this idea of technical competence through his precise control over every aspect of the filmmaking process. Innovative camera techniques such as fast paced editing and dynamic panning shots builds the dynamic energy within the film's action sequences, such as the heist scenes orchestrated by Mr. Fox and his crew. His trademark use of wide shots are used throughout the film, engulfing the audience in the fictional dreamlike world that Anderson famously creates. Anderson’s recurrent infusion of symmetry in his filmography shines through within Fantastic Mr. Fox, with each detailed scene carefully planned out. The symmetry utilised in select scenes such as the first shots of the farmhouses and windmill are utilised to invite audiences to view the seemingly perfect world that lives outside of the Fox family home. However, Anderson strategically utilises a lack of symmetry to contrast against this striking perfection in shots of the hole that Mr. Fox and his family are living in on the outside to create a disorganised and imperfect view of the characters, effectively highlighting the

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