Top 10 Wes Anderson Signature Tropes

Wes Anderson is considered as the modern-day example of a filmmaking auteur. His signature bravura is reflected in every film.

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Wes Anderson is considered as the modern-day example of a filmmaking auteur. His signature bravura is reflected in every film. Anderson was inspired by the narratives of François Truffaut, the aesthetics of Stanley Kubrick, the dialogue of Mike Nichols, the tempo of Martin Scorsese, and the grandness of Orson Welles. Thanks to that, he formulated his well-known style.

Admirers of his work would easily identify with his thematic storytelling, his visual style and his eclectic characters. There could be no other genre that define Wes Anderson besides Wes Anderson. Here are ten filmmaking tropes that are Wes Anderson’s signature.

10 Use of Puppets and Practical Models

Anderson is one of the filmmakers who still relies on practical effects. So, he would employ scale models, stop-motion animation and neat puppetry for elaborate set pieces. (Yes, including the ski chase scene in The Grand Budapest Hotel.) It is the logical step, since his protagonists would tend to rely on their practical instincts to assist them away in tensed situations.

Anderson’s reliance on practical effects started with The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou with the shipyard sets and the tiger shark. He used his knack for these effects to make feature-length stop-motion films with Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs.

9 Aspect Ratios

An aspect ratio determines the height and width of a film image. With innovation of film technology, many ratios are developed, and not all motion pictures are filmed with the same aspect ratio. And they can only be applied in the appropriate period or film aesthetic.

Wes Anderson took full advantage of using different aspect ratios to magnify the scale of his visuals and period impression. This is apparent in The Grand Budapest Hotel, where he used three different aspect ratios to distinguish the different time periods; with the 1930’s in 1.37:1, the 1960s in 2.35:1 and the 1980s, in 1.85:1.

8 Eloquent Names

Anderson’s films would incorporate an elaborate world-building with clearly defined cultures and anthropology. Whether it may be an amalgamation of any Central European country or a dystopian imperialist-like Japan, he would expand his settings and characters intricately. This is evident on the names of his characters.

The Royal Tenenbaums has Etheline Tenenbaum and Raleigh St. Clair to name a few. Grand Budapest has names like Jopling, Kovacs, Henckels and Clotilde as inspirations for the Central European culture. The main dogs of Isle of Dogs are Chief, Rex, King, Duke and Boss. And the upcoming French Dispatch have more elaborate names.

7 Hipster Fashion

Some of Wes Anderson’s films received a cult following among film buffs and even fashion trendsetters who are enamored by the filmmaker’s unique style. Anderson spoke to vintage fashion fans and counter-culture styles that are active.

While each live-action Anderson film had its distinctive fashion design (four of which are by Milena Canonero), the film with the most reception on its fashion statement is The Royal Tenenbaums. The crew took inspiration from 1960’s trends and the JD Salinger book Franny and Zoey to create each of the Tenenbaum’s unique look. Thus, Margo’s and Chas’ fashion stood the test of time.

6 Eclectic Soundtrack

Like any filmmaker with a distinctive style, Anderson would incorporate his own taste of music to his films. Except for Grand Budapest, each film has its eclectic soundtrack and one standout song.

This is first evidenced on Bottle Rocket, where the Rolling Stones’ “2000 Man” and Love’s “Alone Again Or”. In Rushmore, it was a Kinks tribute. In Royal Tenenbums, Van Morrison’s “Everyone” and Nico’s “These Days” are played in two iconic scenes. In Life Aquatic, Sigur Rós’s “Starálfur” was played in an emotional moment. And in Moonrise Kingdom, Benjamin Britten’s scores haunt throughout. It proves the importance of soundtracks.

5 Dysfunctional Characters

Anderson would always have the same types of characters in each of his films. Yet, most of them are unique on their own rights. However, the most common theme they have are their dysfunctional relationships and their eventual resolution.

In Bottle Rocket, it is between Anthony and Bob versus Dignan. In Rushmore, it is Max versus Mr. Blume. In The Royal Tenenbaums, it is mainly on Royal versus his family. In The Darjeeling Limited, it is between the Whitman brothers. And in Moonrise Kingdom, it is Sam and Suzie versus New Penzance. One could easily pick up a relational conflict.

4 Playful Camera Movement

What makes Anderson stand out is his playful techniques on the camera. This is an extension of his storytelling techniques to make his stories distinctive, enhance the narrative, illustrate the tone and create subtle notches about his characters.

Thus, there would be overhead shots of any object. There would be zoom-ins and zoom-outs to either intensify the situation or magnify the setting. There would be camera pans to put pivotal emphasis on a character’s actions, either for humor or plot sake. There would also be frequent medium shots to feature each character, like the iconic opening of The Royal Tenenbaums.

3 Symmetrical Composition of Scenes

Anderson is always noted for his obsession for symmetry. As an auteur, his perfectionist attention to detail requires him to intricately construct every scene with finesse and originality. Only few filmmakers like Anderson can pull off this idiosyncratic visual storytelling. While it can be debated if symmetry is necessary for his films, it is justifiable for Anderson’s narrative to “self-contained worlds” like flipping a storybook. (Thus, the chapters motif.)

His symmetrical aesthetic is very obvious from Rushmore on establishing the extracurricular clubs of Rushmore Academy, Life Aquatic in the submersible shots and Moonrise Kingdom from Sam and Suzie’s first meeting.

2 Deadpan Line Delivery

Anderson has a unique taste of humor. It is pretty that his films have touches of black comedy, mixed with physical antics and sight gags. So, every performer has to deliver lines as deadpan as possible. No one is as loud or as splendid as the other. Everyone delivers the humor in a straight face. The deadpan line delivery fits well with Anderson’s heavy themes of death, existentialism, family feuds and human nature.

Consider this from The Grand Budapest Hotel when Monsieur Gustave delivers his “glimmers of civilization” monologue; he straightly dictates till the cussing end. That is funny delivery.

1 Father-Child Connections

Apart from his matchless visual aesthetic, the Wes Anderson trope that has been overlooked by others is his subtle father-child arcs. Every film established the thematic goal that the main characters wanted to secretly attain: a fatherly connection that was not of their blood.

This was in full glow in Rushmore with Mr. Blume and Max, in The Royal Tenenbaums with Royal and Chas/Richie/Margot, in Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Ned, in Fantastic Mr. Fox with Mr. Fox and Ash, in Moonrise Kingdom with Captain Sharp and Sam, in The Grand Budapest Hotel with M. Gustave and Zero, and in Isle of Dogs with Chief and Atari. It is either those characters gained those connections or lost them in the end. The important thing is it has been fulfilled at some point. That is an effective story tool by Wes Anderson.

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