Wes Anderson is exceptionally well known for his quirky, atmospheric films with their elaborate score (usually composed by Alexandre Desplat), cozy editing, odd story-lines, and general understanding of capturing the time period the film is set in. The entire film’s aesthetic can be conveyed through a title sequence alone, as displayed in his 2012 piece Moonrise Kingdom. Everything here pulls the sequence together from the choice of font to Benjamin Britten’s classical piece to the costumes to the editing. But it is almost odd, as Benjamin Britten’s piece “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34” is powerful and almost menacing, and the opening scene is very mundane. We see an average house, average games being played, average chores being completed, but a constant: a girl – Suzy – looking out of the average house with binoculars. It is left unclear, purposefully, what exactly she is looking for, as it ensures the audience wants to keep watching.
I personally love how silent the film starts, with only a distant, muffled sound of rain and then a few footsteps. It’s something I want to do for my own film, start with silence and then have some sound and then cue music and a voiceover. Anderson knows that a story needs style to complete it, which is how he accomplishes such atmospheric works. Moonrise Kingdom in particular inspires me, not because I am trying to create something from a different time period or a time sequence, but because it shows me all the aspects I must consider when constructing my own film. I want to choose the right music to convey a tone, I want to have the right voice to set a feeling, I want to edit the colors to match the product and message, the words to make sense. It all must come together cohesively. As Anderson proves, words can be useful but aren’t necessary to get attention.