Fantastic Mr. Anderson
"Redemption? Sure. But in the end, he's just another dead rat in a garbage pail behind a Chinese restaurant." - Fantastic Mr. Fox in Fantastic Mr. Fox
"I hope the roof flies off and I get sucked up into space." - Walt Bishop in Moonrise Kingdom
"He's a ruthless adventurer and a con artist who preys on mentally feeble, sick, old ladies. And he probably fucks them too!" - Dmitri Desgoffe und Taxis in The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson wrote and directed three of my favorite films of the twenty-first century: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. His dialogue and mise-en-scène are quick to get noticed. Rightfully so. However, his masterful blocking and cutting aren't extolled enough.
Of course, Anderson's films aren't for everyone. From the quirky one-liners to the ostensible camera work, Anderson makes no efforts to conceal his craft; the form is substance. Artifice is merely a means of sincere expression. Notwithstanding, his brilliance in conveying emotion through style sometimes backfires with some viewers.
Essentially, whether someone enjoys a Wes Anderson picture boils down to taste. However, the craft itself is impeccable. Today, we'll look at two moments in Moonrise Kingdom that showcase Wes Anderson's consummate craftsmanship.
Moment 1: "What kind of bird are you?"
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| Frame 1: "What kind of bird are you?" |
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| Frame 2 |
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| Frame 3: "What kind of bird are you?" |
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| Frame 4: "I'm a raven." |
Scene link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Zu8mumg-M&t=93s
There are a million ways to shoot and cut a scene. (David Fincher once stated: "People will say, 'There are a million ways to shoot a scene.' But I don't think so. I think there're two, maybe. And the other one is wrong." Fincher, I'm positive, is referring to perspective in the hyperbole, which is to say: his quote is irrelevant to the discussion at hand. We will revisit Fincher at a later time.) Put another way, a great scene is a series a million great decisions.
One great decision in the scene that stands out -- and is one of Wes Anderson's greatest strengths -- is the rhythm of the cutting. Anderson cuts from Frame 1 to Frame 2 quite quickly after Sam -- the boy in yellow -- utters the "you" in "what kind of bird are you?". This makes Sam's urgency palpable. The kind of urgency with which we spit out a string of words to a guy or girl we've just met but desperately want.
Nonetheless, it must be noted that the camera does linger on Sam for a split second. This minute moment makes Sam come off as urgent yet shy and awkward. Had Anderson cut instantly, Sam wouldn't appear so cute and innocent. In fact, we would perceive him as being overly forward and perhaps even sinister.
When Anderson cuts from Frame 3 to Frame 4, he lingers the camera on Sam for quite a bit after the "you" in "what kind of bird are you?" By staying an extra moment on Sam, Anderson underscores Sam's nervousness and vulnerability. After asking the question a second time, Sam is thinking, 'Oh Sam, what if she just laughs at you? That would be pretty embarrassing. I really hope she doesn't.' In other words, that extra moment on Sam prompts us to enter Sam's mind and feel with him.
The magic of the scene lies in the surgical precision of Anderson's cutting. Even one hundredth of a second can make all the difference. To experience just how much of a difference a split second can make, compare the original with a student reenactment:
Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Zu8mumg-M&t=103s
Student: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBjIQoocZns
Granted, we're comparing apples to oranges; the student actors are much older. That said, because the student director cuts immediately after the line is finished, our older Sam has none of the shyness or the innocence. In fact, older Sam looks like he's about to sexually assault those three young women. The intensity is amped up too high with the instant cutting. But to be fair, Wes Anderson belongs to the top pantheon of directors.
Moment 2: "It feels hard."
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| Frame 1 |
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| Frame 2: "It feels hard." |
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| Frame 3: "Do you mind?" |
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| Frame 4: "I like it." |
Scene link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1UFLj_5s0k
Blocking is all about emphasis. It's about identifying an element -- whether it's mood, character, perspective, action, dynamic, or object -- you want to resonate with the audience and applying the right emphasis. In this game of emphasis, every "little" decision counts. And with this particular scene, who's on the right and who's on the left is key.
Too many directors fail to place their actors on the operative side for emphasis.
In Frame 1, we see Suzy on the left and Sam on the right. Just looking at the image, does it look like Suzy is leading Sam or Sam is leading Suzy? That is, which of the two appears to be in pursuit while the other engages the chase? It's Suzy. (Her arms play a part, but that's not the whole story.)
It's because we read images a certain way: from left to right. In that direction, we seek momentum. Try moving all the icons on your desktop to the right. It'll feel very open and light. Then try moving all the icons to the left. It'll feel rather closed and heavy. We perceive the left as the start, a figurative center. In other words, if an image shows two people with lips touching from a side view, we'll perceive the person on the left as kissing the person on the right.
Of course, you can compose an image with a leftward momentum. However, the viewer's first subconscious impulse is to spot a rightward momentum if there is any. As a result, action is emphasized from left to right whereas conversely, reaction is emphasized from right to left.
For example, let's say you're shooting a car scene where two characters named Jesse and Celine are talking. And you want to emphasize two things. One, Jesse trying to see if Celine still believes in the love that entwined them nine years ago and making her want him back (action). And two, Celine having her walls up and fiercely fending off Jesse (reaction). What you would do is put Jesse on the left and Celine on the right.
I was actually talking about a scene from Richard Linklater's Before Sunset. Let's see what he did:
On the other hand, if your emphasis was on Celine going off on Jesse while Jesse desperately attempts to soothe her, you'd put Celine on the left and Jesse on the right like this:
All of this is to say: action is amplified from left to right and it works the other way around for reaction. Now let's go back to Moonrise Kingdom and reexamine the frames.
In Frame 1, we have Suzy on the left and Sam on the right. This blocking echoes the dynamic leading up to the kiss: Suzy wanting to French kiss Sam and asking "do you know how to French kiss?" with Sam responding positively and replying "let's try it." Moreover, the blocking underscores that this is Suzy's moment; she wanted to French kiss Sam and now she got it.
After Suzy and Sam kiss, Suzy embraces Sam (Frame 2). And to Sam's embarrassment, Suzy notices that Sam has an erection and says, "It feels hard." With Suzy on the left, the frame reinforces her forwardness. You normally don't expect a fictional twelve-year-old girl to point out her boyfriend's erection during a hug.
Also notice that Anderson is shooting Suzy from the side. When a character looks to the right, it can come off as being bold, forward, or determined depending on the context -- the previous shots, the dialogue, the lighting, the composition, etc. (There's a reason why Aurens in Lawrence of Arabia always faces right as he leads the Arabian army.) And in this particular context, the frame is shot to underscore Suzy's forwardness.
With Frame 3, Anderson places Sam to the left of Suzy so that we perceive the image as Sam being hugged by Suzy as opposed to Suzy hugging Sam. Let's compare the two:
Dialogue-wise, Sam is the "protagonist" of Frame 3; Suzy just told him she can tell he's erect -- "It feels hard" -- and now he is worried if that bothers her or even worse. Since Sam's vulnerability is the focus here, the decision to put the emphasis on Sam by placing him on the left was well called for.
In addition, Sam is facing the camera unlike Suzy who faces to the side in Frame 2. When a character faces the camera in a moment of vulnerability, the audience feels vulnerable with the character instead of perceiving the character as vulnerable. A frontal view also plays up a specific type of vulnerability: when you've just become extremely vulnerable, and you don't know what to do or feel other than to just sink into that vulnerability. In other words, you're caught in an emotional stalemate. And in Frame 3, that's exactly where Sam is at.
Yet another decision to notice in Frame 3 is just how far up right Sam and Suzy are. The effect is an impression of Suzy pulling Sam into her world. Placed at the edge, Suzy appears anchored while Sam appears to have been "pulled" all the way to the middle from the left end. Of course, other factors contribute to this emotional reality of Suzy pulling Sam into her world. Things can be tweaked to convey a different emotional reality -- character on left being forward with character on right -- through similar blocking. That's what Todd Haynes does in his most recent work Carol.
As you can see above, the blonde appears to be entering the brunette's world as opposed to the brunette pulling the blonde into her world.
Unlike Frame 2, Frame 4 shows Suzy's face from the front but with a slight angle. In this frame, Suzy also becomes vulnerable like Sam was in Frame 3 as she reveals her feelings, saying she likes it that Sam is hard. As vulnerable as the admission is for Suzy, it also is quite forward a remark for a fictional twelve-year-old. That's why there is a slight slant.
Again a great scene is a million artistic choices echoing each other. In a blog post, only a tiny minority of them can be examined. And the minority that does get examined has to be done so "out of context" for the sake of brevity. Then there is also the intuitive, aesthetic aspect of filmmaking which can only be felt and not intellectualized.
François Truffaut once said, "Film is an auteur's medium. Full stop." And there's no dispute that film is Wes Anderson's medium. Full stop.
In Frame 1, we see Suzy on the left and Sam on the right. Just looking at the image, does it look like Suzy is leading Sam or Sam is leading Suzy? That is, which of the two appears to be in pursuit while the other engages the chase? It's Suzy. (Her arms play a part, but that's not the whole story.)
It's because we read images a certain way: from left to right. In that direction, we seek momentum. Try moving all the icons on your desktop to the right. It'll feel very open and light. Then try moving all the icons to the left. It'll feel rather closed and heavy. We perceive the left as the start, a figurative center. In other words, if an image shows two people with lips touching from a side view, we'll perceive the person on the left as kissing the person on the right.
Of course, you can compose an image with a leftward momentum. However, the viewer's first subconscious impulse is to spot a rightward momentum if there is any. As a result, action is emphasized from left to right whereas conversely, reaction is emphasized from right to left.
For example, let's say you're shooting a car scene where two characters named Jesse and Celine are talking. And you want to emphasize two things. One, Jesse trying to see if Celine still believes in the love that entwined them nine years ago and making her want him back (action). And two, Celine having her walls up and fiercely fending off Jesse (reaction). What you would do is put Jesse on the left and Celine on the right.
I was actually talking about a scene from Richard Linklater's Before Sunset. Let's see what he did:
 |
| Jesse and Celine in Before Sunset |
On the other hand, if your emphasis was on Celine going off on Jesse while Jesse desperately attempts to soothe her, you'd put Celine on the left and Jesse on the right like this:
 |
| Flipped |
All of this is to say: action is amplified from left to right and it works the other way around for reaction. Now let's go back to Moonrise Kingdom and reexamine the frames.
In Frame 1, we have Suzy on the left and Sam on the right. This blocking echoes the dynamic leading up to the kiss: Suzy wanting to French kiss Sam and asking "do you know how to French kiss?" with Sam responding positively and replying "let's try it." Moreover, the blocking underscores that this is Suzy's moment; she wanted to French kiss Sam and now she got it.
 |
| Frame 1 |
After Suzy and Sam kiss, Suzy embraces Sam (Frame 2). And to Sam's embarrassment, Suzy notices that Sam has an erection and says, "It feels hard." With Suzy on the left, the frame reinforces her forwardness. You normally don't expect a fictional twelve-year-old girl to point out her boyfriend's erection during a hug.
 |
| Frame 2 |
Also notice that Anderson is shooting Suzy from the side. When a character looks to the right, it can come off as being bold, forward, or determined depending on the context -- the previous shots, the dialogue, the lighting, the composition, etc. (There's a reason why Aurens in Lawrence of Arabia always faces right as he leads the Arabian army.) And in this particular context, the frame is shot to underscore Suzy's forwardness.
 |
| Lawrence of Arabia |
 |
| Frame 3 |
 |
| Flipped |
Dialogue-wise, Sam is the "protagonist" of Frame 3; Suzy just told him she can tell he's erect -- "It feels hard" -- and now he is worried if that bothers her or even worse. Since Sam's vulnerability is the focus here, the decision to put the emphasis on Sam by placing him on the left was well called for.
In addition, Sam is facing the camera unlike Suzy who faces to the side in Frame 2. When a character faces the camera in a moment of vulnerability, the audience feels vulnerable with the character instead of perceiving the character as vulnerable. A frontal view also plays up a specific type of vulnerability: when you've just become extremely vulnerable, and you don't know what to do or feel other than to just sink into that vulnerability. In other words, you're caught in an emotional stalemate. And in Frame 3, that's exactly where Sam is at.
Yet another decision to notice in Frame 3 is just how far up right Sam and Suzy are. The effect is an impression of Suzy pulling Sam into her world. Placed at the edge, Suzy appears anchored while Sam appears to have been "pulled" all the way to the middle from the left end. Of course, other factors contribute to this emotional reality of Suzy pulling Sam into her world. Things can be tweaked to convey a different emotional reality -- character on left being forward with character on right -- through similar blocking. That's what Todd Haynes does in his most recent work Carol.
 |
| Carol |
As you can see above, the blonde appears to be entering the brunette's world as opposed to the brunette pulling the blonde into her world.
Unlike Frame 2, Frame 4 shows Suzy's face from the front but with a slight angle. In this frame, Suzy also becomes vulnerable like Sam was in Frame 3 as she reveals her feelings, saying she likes it that Sam is hard. As vulnerable as the admission is for Suzy, it also is quite forward a remark for a fictional twelve-year-old. That's why there is a slight slant.
 |
| Frame 4 |
Again a great scene is a million artistic choices echoing each other. In a blog post, only a tiny minority of them can be examined. And the minority that does get examined has to be done so "out of context" for the sake of brevity. Then there is also the intuitive, aesthetic aspect of filmmaking which can only be felt and not intellectualized.
François Truffaut once said, "Film is an auteur's medium. Full stop." And there's no dispute that film is Wes Anderson's medium. Full stop.
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