The Wes Anderson Effect: art direction’s importance in big films

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Art Director: Gerald Sullivan
Set Decorator: Anna Pinnock

The Academy Award-winning film The Grand Budapest got Anderson some of the most critical and commercial recognition he has received throughout his career. The glossy, ethereal production design delivers a distinctive flavour, resembling a painting that has come to life. Before any characters have a chance to direct your attention, the trailed shots and saturated colour schemes represent the various emotions of each significant stage of the story. More notably, the costumes or “character uniforms” in proper Anderson style clearly deliver an idea of what to expect from each character. Like cartoon characters, each outfit is intentionally designed to create a two-dimensional being to better the overall story flow. Zero, the newly recruited lobby boy, and his unmistakably plum character uniform keep his role fresh in the viewer’s minds.

Furthermore, the playfulness and artificially stylised production add a childlike innocence to the story. It draws attention to itself. The Grand Budapest is a near-perfect demonstration of Wes Anderson’s brand of storytelling, self-conscious and deliberately against naturalism.

The Grand Budapest – The Police Are Here Scene

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