Wes Anderson

Wes AndersonJohn Rasimus [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]Cigarettes and Inspiration

   "I guess you've just gotta find something you love to do and then... do it for the rest of your life." This inspiring quote is from the highly acclaimed film, "Rushmore". This film, directed by Wes Anderson, is an inspiration to many people. Director Wes Anderson was born Wesley Wales Anderson in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 1969. Wes Anderson is a hardworking individual that did all he could to not conform to the norms of film making, and that hard work has inspired many young directors to follow in his footsteps to become directors themselves.

Promotional movie poster for The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) [Fair use] via Amazon.com

Anderson has made eight full length feature films that have all be different than the normal blockbusters we see in the film industry today. When Anderson was just starting out, he received a large amount of negative criticism for his first film "Bottle Rocket". Even with the criticism, he was still able to make money from that film and was able to make a second film titled "Rushmore". This is the film that really started his career. He powered through the bad reviews of his first film and made a film that most critics loved. He used his hard working determination to create a masterpiece that is considered one of the best films by many different critics. Anderson was able to use his criticisms to make him a better director. He used them to show the critics what he could become as well as what he could make. Anderson shows a large amount of effort and hard work when it comes to attention to detail in his films. "For Trans-Alpine Yodel, Zubrowka's local newspaper, Atkins designed almost 40 variations before the final was selected. Each issue had to be typeset with different stories, dates, and the correct weather forecast following the plot. Anderson wrote all the articles for the paper" (Quito). This shows his dedication to his work and craft. Wes Anderson is an extremely hardworking individual.

Promotional movie poster for Rushmore (1998) [Fair use] via Wikimedia Commons

Wes Anderson has been an inspiration to many new and upcoming directors such as Jared Hess who directed movies such as Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, and Gentlemen Broncos. Wes Anderson's unique style and impression can be seen in many situations throughout these three films. "Wes Anderson has never really made a major commercial hit. The closest he's come is Napoleon Dynamite, a pale imitation of Anderson's most obvious mannerisms, co-written and directed by Jared Hess" (Hyden). Anderson has a unique sense of style that no other director has. This style is very influential and inspires many to use it while designing their own films.

Wes Anderson has been a huge inspiration to me along with many others. In my life I have made a couple of short films and commercials that contain traces of Anderson's style within them. I was recently nominated for the Del Norte Film Festival for a 5 minute short I made that used some of that style. Because of Anderson I have been able to do what I love most, as well, as excel at it as well. I really hope that in the future I will continue to be inspired by Wes Anderson and because of his heroic qualities; many others will continue to be inspired too.