How to shoot a movie like Wes Anderson
You know when you’re watching a Wes Anderson movie. The director’s style is incredibly distinctive, boasting bold colour schemes, portrait-esque compositions and a strong sense of symmetry. All of these features are immediately recognisable, but how does one actually go about applying his techniques? Let’s take a closer look.
Before we start, a bit of clarification. This article will not turn you into Wes Anderson. Sorry, but Anderson spent years honing his craft, and much of his style is actually rooted in the way he writes: his characters, themes and dialogue. What we’ll be doing here is identifying some of the technical aspects that make Wed Anderson’s movies look, well, Wes Anderson-like.
If you want to make movies exactly like Wes Anderson, you’re best off asking what the hell that actually means. If you mean you’d like to craft something unique, kooky and idiosyncratic, you’re better off forging your own path by telling the stories you think are important in your own way. If, on the other hand, you’re interested in learning more about Anderson’s craft, then you’re in the right place.
To begin, let’s look at the way Anderson composes a shot, which is to say, how his DOP Robert Yeoman composes a shot. Yeoman’s work is distinctive due to its flatness. Wes Anderson’s movies often seem to take place in two-dimensional worlds, and this is because he always shoots his subjects straight on. This is known as planimetric composition, and it basically means that, instead of bending around a corner or using an awkward angle, Yeoman will create a new, equally flat composition, organising the elements of the scene as a flat plan directly in front of the camera.
That brings us to another key aspect of Anderson’s style. His use of planimetric composition means that characters often move along straight lines within a shot, creating a greater sense of symmetry. Therefore, it’s very important to use a camera with a long lens, as this will make the shot as straight as possible You definitely don’t want to be using a fish eye, for example.
To achieve symmetrical shots, it’s important to avoid angles that might mean your lines aren’t parallel. As mentioned above, you’re also going to want to shoot long shots without a fisheye curve. Finally, it’s essential that you shoot according to the rule of thirds. Divide your screen into thirds with four straight lines. Your subject should always fall at the intersection of two of these lines. Every director uses the rule slightly differently, but Anderson sets his subjects in the middle of the shot, using the rule of thirds to divide the background material on either side of the frame.
Following these rules will certainly make your films look more Wes Anderson-like, but it’s worth bearing in mind that he’s also using some pretty high-end equipment. With that in mind, Anderson shot on 40mm anamorphic film while making Grand Budapest Hotel, The Life Aquatic and The Royal Tennenbaums.
Pull all of these notions into one thread, and you give yourself a great chance at emulating one of the great auteurs of modern cinema. Happy filmmaking.
