Movies are often considered works of art and are recognized with awards for each category and subcategory of work on the film. Filmmakers are artists. They are meticulous with their work and everything they include is planned. Each film shot is determined and developed ahead of time. Wes Anderson, a well-known American film director, producer, and screenwriter, has a distinct visual and narrative style to his films. This style consists of the important use of color, symmetry, and recurring characters. One of Anderson’s more famous films to include his very particular stylistic approach is The Royal Tenenbaums. Through Anderson’s strategic use of color, symmetry, and familiar characters, he is able to create thought provoking and purposeful meaning, all while exploring the true art of film. 

Anderson’s work on the film The Royal Tenenbaums, a comedic drama, includes his usual yet also unusual narrative styles. Anderson uses deliberate color to portray each scene and invoke emotion. The scene is both visually pleasing to the eye and an actual work of art in the sense other than the film itself. It is as if Anderson has captured a painting and put it into a moving work of art. Anderson’s deliberate use of color raises the question of what each colorfully balanced scene represents. He keeps the colors of each scene consistent with a certain primary color and what mood he is trying to set. If a scene is set in warm tones it includes reds, oranges, and shades of yellow, if the scene is meant to include cooler tones he uses colors of the blue family and greens. His approach considers every aspect of the scene from clothing, to accessories, objects in the room, and the room setting itself. Colors often provoke emotion and have certain connotations. In scenes using reds or warm hues, aggression, passion, or hostility fill the film environment. Blue cooler tones provoke a sense of calmness or aloofness. A specific example of this is in the scene when one of the main characters in shaving in the bathroom. There is a blue hue throughout the room and suggests sadness and an eerie setting. The scene is when the character actually commits suicide. It is interesting that Anderson would foreshadow sadness through the repetitive use of blue shades. Although he is the film director and an artist in that sense, with the use of his vivid colors, he becomes an artist in the way he paints a scene. 

One of the biggest flaws in photography is shooting a picture symmetrically and in the direct center. There is a concept called the rule of thirds that splits the photo into six equal sections, there are four points in the middle of the photo that target where your subject should be positioned on. This helps the photo be more eye appealing and attracts the viewer on the subject in a less harsh way. However, Anderson repeated choices to ignore this rule and centers his shots directly in the middle. Anderson is careful in making sure that not only the character or subject is centered but that the background is symmetric, no one side has more going on than the other, they remain proportional. It is obvious to the viewer what they should be focusing on and what is most important of the scene. Anderson sometimes choses to fill the scene with negative space to further draw the eye to the scenes significance. There are countless examples of Anderson’s use of symmetry in the film. They are easily recognized because they are so harshly centered. When Margot is introduced, she is put directly center of the still with a green bus in the background to frame it. It is important to understand the repetitive use of symmetry and how its dramatic presence effects the overall composition of the film. 

Finally, Anderson’s use of recurring characters throughout his films shows the importance of his craft. Over time he has established the theme of using balanced colors, creating dramatic symmetry, and using the same successful characters for different films. Fans of his films see familiar faces in his films over the span of many years. Actors such as Bill Murray and Owen Wilson star in multiple films and major or minor characters. It familiarizes his audience with faces and roles they play. It has almost a whimsical effect on his films because viewers can recognize actors and their roles in the film. Sometimes an actor can play a egotistical self-obsessed character or an easy going quiet one, he does not constrain them to one role and show his favorite actors wide range of talent thought out his array of films. It also creates the role of family among his films. With recurring characters the films are rightfully viewed as an Anderson film and the actors belonging to that family of work. 

Anderson has developed a distinct set of motifs that appear in each of his films and are easily placed with his name. His scenes are created with predetermined goals and strategies. His use of bright colors and balanced style choices allow for a greater appreciation for colors, textures, and patterns in the film world. Anderson even challenges the status quo of filmmaking and goes against what is advised when shooting, such as following the rule of thirds. He places what is most important directly in the middle of the shot so the viewer can make no mistake. Lastly, he takes into consideration the faces the viewer sees, many of which are of his recognizable pool of actors and actresses, all of which further the depths of his films. Wes Anderson not only is an artist for being a filmmaker, he is a true artist because he takes into consideration the purpose and style of each scene he creates. His work is equally a visual art as it is a film.
