Ambient Noise: Exploring The Use Of Sound In Wes Anderson Films [Watch]

Wes Anderson is a filmmaker obsessed with using style to to conjure up hyperrealistic locales, be it the intricate dollhouse-like construction of the brownstone in “The Royal Tenenbaums,” the enchanting New England island of “Moonrise Kingdom,” the anthropomorphic storybook world of “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” or the fully-realized world of “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” With symmetrical framing, pop-art colors, and other flourishes influenced by the French New Wave, Anderson’s films have a distinct flare that make them instantly recognizable.

While the soundtracks in Anderson’s films, heavily relying on a mix of obscure and hit pop songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s, have become the stuff that modern indie mixtapes are made of, the films’ actual sound design tends to go unnoticed. In fact, Anderson himself seems to have slowly become more accustomed to making sound design an intentional, integral part of his his filmmaking process. In an interview with Studio Daily, editor Andrew Weisblum speaks of how, while working on “Moonrise Kingdom,” Anderson wanted to start mixing the sound at an earlier stage than usual, bringing in sound editor and mixer Craig Henighan to watch early footage and begin creating “more organic” sound for the film.

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Anderson’s undervalued sound design takes center stage in Candice Drouet’s video “Wes Anderson: Sound,” which cuts clips from Anderson’s films together at breakneck speed, emphasizing the sounds used. Ocean waves from “The Life Aquatic,” Max’s bike tires from “Rushmore,” a squeaky trampoline in “Moonrise Kingdom,” and many more moments pop out into the foreground, freed from the contexts of their original scenes. Check out the video to experience the full effect.