Ever wonder why there’s so much symmetry in Wes Anderson’s films?
Or did you perhaps know it’s a Wes Anderson style when you see one? That’s such a branding to establish. Your name, your market.
Wes Anderson has become notorious for using the same set of stylistic techniques over and over in his films: smooth camera moves that stay in a single flat space; slow-motion shots (often depicting one or more people walking) set to vintage pop songs; highly detailed sets that look like life-size dollhouses. However, if there’s one visual aspect of his movies that stands out above all else, it’s perhaps their symmetrical compositions.
Anderson’s love of symmetry, like his other favorite stylistic choices, reflects his preference for formalism over realism in the movies he directs. In the context of his filmography, his formalist methods work together to serve a simple function: to remind those who are watching one of his movies that they are, well, watching a movie that was crafted by real people.
Here are some of the most symmetrical shots from some of his films that really gave us mind-blowing visual aesthetics:
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
MOONRISE KINGDOM
THE DARJEELING LIMITED
This is what makes him The Wes Anderson.
He has managed to use symmetry in his composition to make his quirky universe feel more natural. Most of the visuals in Anderson’s films feel staged and he emphasizes it by often converting these shots into two dimensional diagrams.
