The director of Fantastic Mr Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson has cultivated a unique filmmaking style that even casual filmgoers will recognise. Characterised by a symmetrical and flat composition adding to the 'storybook motif', and a limited colour palette, the worlds shown have a doll house-esque quality to the viewer. The distinctive style has been subject to many video essays and even a parody Saturday Night Live sketch a few years ago.
Credit for this unique aesthetic however goes to Robert Yeoman, the cinematographer that has worked with Anderson nine times. Without Yeoman, Anderson's distinctive style might not have worked; their ongoing collaboration allowing the style to stay consistent across films. Yeoman is the cinematographer for the two Wes Anderson films expected to release in 2023: Asteroid City, and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
Wes Anderson-esque videos are not by any means a recent trend on TikTok. The platform is personalised with a For You Page that shows the user videos they may like based off previous searches and likes, allowing niches to flourish such as the huge BookTok hashtag which cultivates a community of readers and in turn has many sub sections. Users trying to recreate Anderson's style has previously been limited to FilmTok but has recently seen a wider range of people participate in it. This follows a widespread trend of romanticising every aspect of life from studying to more mundane tasks such as going to the supermarket.
The new wave of Wes Anderson style videos appears to be more travel-focused, beginning with the phrase "You better not act like you're in a Wes Anderson film ..." as if an invisible companion has told them to behave normally. These videos have been filmed everywhere from Lake Como, Italy to Newcastle itself, the latter of which was shared as a reel on Newcastle University's Instagram page (found here).
However, watching the trend it becomes clear that some of those who hop on the trend do so by mimicking the style found in videos, rather than based off Wes Anderson films themselves. Many lack the key symmetry found in his style and are comprised of quick second long clips angled to get the corner of buildings or the sky in.
Amid the ongoing debate about AI generated art, YouTube channel 'The Galactic Menagerie' created a 'Star Wars by Wes Anderson' video, which has cropped up on Twitter and TikTok sparking further discussions around AI and ethics. Whilst an impressive interpretation, AI generated art feels a bit too lifeless for me.