Over the years, Anderson has worked with the same music supervisor, Randall Poster, who works with the director to choose the songs that will be used in his films as well as determining the overall direction of the film's music. I caught up with Randall to find out what his job entails.
“Wes Anderson likes music to be part of the narrative of his films,” says composer Alexandre Desplat. As the musician who has worked with Wes Anderson consistently since the film Fantastic Mr.
Anderson's approach to music ultimately hinges on timing. If the sound is not working precisely together with the image, nothing else matters. He accomplishes his seamless timing in three distinct ways: in the use of montage, slow motion and by always connecting a theme in his story directly to a song.
A Man Alone The Most Watched Movie Of İts Time Mary Murphy 1955 Ray Milland
Who decides a movie soundtrack?
But as diverse as scoring is today; it's ultimately up to the director to decide how music should best serve the film. But the ability to make informed decisions about music should come from strong points of reference and study.
An apprenticeship is one way to break into the industry. Get an internship with a big Music Supervisor and work your way up to becoming an Assistant, then Coordinator, and finally a Music Supervisor. Usually, the leap from Coordinator to Music Supervisor is difficult and can take some time.
Anderson's work has been classified as postmodern, on account of his nostalgic attention to detail, his subversion of mainstream conventions of narrative, his references to different genres in the same film, and his love for eccentric characters with complex sexual identities.
A tracking shot is a shot in which the camera moves off its axis, linearly, forwards, backward, or to both sides. It is undoubtedly a dynamic element that gives a lot of movement to the visual style. In Anderson's cinema, it has much more importance than that superficial stylistic virtuosity.
Randall Poster has served as music supervisor for all of Anderson's films since Rushmore. His films have often been financed by Steven Rales through his production company Indian Paintbrush.
Schwartzman has also worked on the scripts for three of Anderson's films, with a screenplay credit on The Darjeeling Limited (2007), and story credits on Isle of Dogs (2018) and The French Dispatch (2021). Bill Murray has starred in more Wes Anderson films than any other actor, a whopping nine in total.
Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch. With the exception of Anderson's debut film Bottle Rocket, Bill Murray has appeared in every film Anderson has made to date.
How to spot a Wes Anderson film. There are a few obvious visual elements that define the Wes Anderson style: ubiquitous symmetry, tableau-style compositions, sparse and deliberate color pallets and the preference for long takes.
The Wes Anderson aesthetic requires a healthy dose of twee: think bobby socks, Oxford shoes, and mismatched plaids. One user's TikTok nailed it on the head with a L'école Des Femmes Ecoliere dress over a white blouse with a Peter Pan collar and a pair of Mary Janes.
Symmetry is a hallmark of Wes Anderson's visual style. Aim for balanced compositions, with centered or evenly distributed subjects. Pay attention to the lines and structures within your frame, such as architecture, landscapes, or even props, and utilize them to create a sense of harmony and order.
Anderson's work often features symmetry but utilizes non-traditional camera angles and framing techniques. You can incorporate this style into your videos by playing with high or low camera angles, using Dutch angles, and choosing unique framing options to add visual appeal and a playful element.
What typography does Wes Anderson use in his movies?
Anderson's typographic choices, including Futura alternatives, art deco style fonts, decorative serifs, and intriguing blackletters, are as integral to his films' identities as their iconic characters and meticulously crafted scenes.
The director/producer will discuss their vision for the project with the music supervisor, and how they expect the music to enhance this vision. The visual media will then be spotted by the supervisor – a process of choosing where selected music will be inserted.
A prime-time network TV show might pay a license of $500 - $5000 for an unknown artist - same for the smaller films. Major studio pictures pay well-known artists in the tens of thousands of dollars. Performance income is determined by the number of people estimated to have seen the show and therefore heard the music.
You can do the research yourself and try to build connections without any extra help, you could submit your work to music libraries in hopes that your songs will get picked for different projects, or you could sign a publishing deal and have a publisher handle the process for you.
