{"id":19071,"date":"2021-10-21T09:38:58","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T13:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=19071"},"modified":"2021-10-21T09:38:58","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T13:38:58","slug":"wes-anderson-color-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/wes-anderson-color-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Coloring Outside the Lines: How Wes Anderson Uses Tones to Shape Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<p>An oceanographer on a vengeful quest sails his boat into troubled waters. Danger awaits, of course, and he soon falls into the hands of an armed pirate crew. The pirates board the ship, hog tie its crew, steal its money, and take a hostage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat a f*ckin\u2019 nightmare,\u201d the hopeless captain grumbles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Annnnnd CUT!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, now picture this pirate scene in your head. What did it look like? If you\u2019ve ever seen a pirate movie (or somehow witnessed <em>real <\/em>pirates), you\u2019re probably imagining dark, stormy skies; a battle-tested ship; worn and tattered clothing; frenetic action and bloody violence. But did you picture a setting dominated by\u2026 soothing baby blues and pinks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou | Search and Destroy | Fighting Pirates\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XQbhuxiyv5c?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is Wes Anderson\u2019s <em>The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou<\/em> from 2004. The skies are perfectly clear, and Bill Murray\u2019s terry cloth robe looks comfy enough to sleep in, but clearly, this scene isn\u2019t one that\u2019s meant to spark comfort. That\u2019s what those soothing blues do, however, and the juxtaposition creates an interesting sort of tension. Anderson is an expert at creating that tension: \u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dtLBMBs_S9E&amp;t=1s\">sad characters in colorful worlds<\/a>,\u201d according to an analysis from StudioBinder, a project management app for filmmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of stylistic choices make Wes Anderson\u2019s movies look so unique\u2014his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oL0DseCrqfU\">symmetrical<\/a> cinematography, his <a href=\"https:\/\/eyeondesign.aiga.org\/how-wes-andersons-creative-team-designed-the-beautiful-and-bizarre-magazine-for-his-latest-film-the-french-dispatch\/\">detailed props<\/a>, his signature interiors, his deadpan scripts. But it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/wes-anderson-color-quiz\/\">his use of color<\/a> that really helps his work stand out from the pack. Here\u2019s how Wes Anderson shapes his stories, characters, and whimsical little worlds with distinctive color.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Wes Anderson Flips Traditional Color Theory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most filmmakers tend to follow the industry\u2019s color theory\u2014the idea that certain colors elicit certain emotions, and thus they should be present in scenes that correspond to those emotions. Typically, bright and warm colors are associated with joyful, happy scenes. If you\u2019re seeing lots of yellows, oranges, pinks, or light blues, logic follows that the scene is one that\u2019s generally pleasant or comforting. On the other hand, dark colors can represent discomfort or uncertainty. If a scene has a dark color palette, it\u2019s more likely to make us feel nervous, fearful, anxious, or sad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Anderson flips the theory on its head. His films frequently depict unfortunate events in \u201chappy\u201d colors. Anderson loves discord\u2014he relishes opportunities to depict sad scenes in comforting hues, often with high saturation (a term that refers to the intensity of the color in the image).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <em>Moonrise Kingdom<\/em>\u2019s representative from Social Services\u2014the film\u2019s primary antagonist\u2014is defined by her matching royal blue hat and coat. Her dominant color is one that exudes trust and security, but Anderson has associated it with a character that represents authority, danger, and division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/tilda-swinton-moonrise-kingdom.jpg?w=800\" alt=\"Moonrise Kingdom Tilda Swinton's Most Terrifying Roles\"\/><figcaption>Tilda Swinton as Social Services in <em>Moonrise Kingdom<\/em>, via <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/gallery\/tilda-swintons-most-terrifying-roles\/tilda-swinton-moonrise-kingdom\/\"><em>Variety<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>Seeing Red: Anderson\u2019s House of Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We can dig a bit deeper into the way that Wes Anderson intentionally chooses clothing colors. Watch just one of two of his movies, and you\u2019ll come to a quick conclusion\u2014Wes loves red. More specifically, he loves to use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.studiobinder.com\/blog\/wes-anderson-color-palette\/\">red to visualize pain<\/a>, anguish, and anger in his troubled characters. It\u2019s a constant on-screen reminder of the character\u2019s burden\u2014yes, this world might look bright and lively, but things aren\u2019t all sunshine and rainbows here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take Steve Zissou. The aging oceanographer is struggling with the fact that much of his audience considers him a has-been, and he\u2019s clearly still grieving the loss of his partner, Esteban, who was eaten by a jaguar shark. Though he desperately wants to be back on top, he doubts his abilities and remains skeptical of himself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>What happened to me?<\/em>\u201d he asks himself. \u201c<em>Did I lose my talent? Am I ever going to be good again?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zissou carries around a tremendous amount of anguish. Anderson visualizes the internal struggle with a bold red beanie hat, part of the uniform for every member of the ship\u2019s crew.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are other examples of troubled characters defined by red clothing, too. Chas from <em>The Royal Tenenbaums<\/em> dresses in a red Adidas tracksuit every day\u2014that\u2019s meant to convey the pain he carries over the lack of relationship he has with his father and the loss of his wife. Anderson takes it even further by showing Chas\u2019s sons dressed in identical outfits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/criterion-production\/images\/4239-6ff192c0084a552f1451ccd137757445\/Tenebaums_Current__medium.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption>Ben Stiller in <em>The Royal Tenenbaums<\/em>, via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/214-the-royal-tenenbaums-faded-glories\">Criterion<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>Playing with Brightness &amp; Saturation&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s revisit that pirate scene from <em>The Life Aquatic <\/em>for a moment. When Zissou decides he\u2019s had enough of the pirates and forces his bonded hands free, a major change occurs on-screen\u2014the entire color palette of the scene suddenly shifts. As Zissou single handedly bludgeons the pirates into retreat, we don\u2019t see those sleepy, cozy blues anymore; in comes yellow and orange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Moonrise Kingdom <\/em>is shot almost entirely with a bright color palette; a muted yellow filter seems to pervade the entire movie, with just a few exceptions. When the big thunderstorm rumbles in at the movie\u2019s climax, the scenes become notably darker. The heavy rain transforms the Khaki Scouts\u2019 uniforms from a lighter tan to a much deeper brown, and the murky floodwaters don\u2019t bear any resemblance to the idyllic lake from earlier scenes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Color Coded&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Anderson\u2019s latest film, <em>The French Dispatch<\/em>, appears to have all the classic hallmarks of a Wes Anderson joint: symmetry, detailed props, and Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton, naturally. But pay attention to the colors of his sets, the styling of the characters\u2019 clothing, and the way those colors make you feel\u2014there\u2019s an entire world of depth and meaning underneath the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style='position: relative;width: auto;padding: 0 0 62.16%;height: 0;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;border: 0 none' id=\"experience-5f2c7bc26c2c1\" data-aspectRatio=\"1.60869565\" data-mobile-aspectRatio=\"0.97560976\"><iframe allowfullscreen src='\/\/view.ceros.com\/ceros-marketing\/get-industry-report?heightOverride=460' style='position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;bottom: 0;right: 0;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: 0 none;height: 1px;width: 1px;min-height: 100%;min-width: 100%' frameborder='0' class='ceros-experience' title='Industry Report' scrolling='no'><\/iframe><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/view.ceros.com\/scroll-proxy.min.js\" data-ceros-origin-domains=\"view.ceros.com\"><\/script>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"myclass\">Acclaimed director Wes Anderson colors outside the lines. Here\u2019s how Anderson shapes his stories, characters, and whimsical worlds with distinctive color.<\/div>\n<p><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":19081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Wes Anderson Uses Color to Shape His Stories - Ceros Inspire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Director Wes Anderson colors outside the lines. 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