In the big, wide world of movies, one director finds his way to stand out. Wes Anderson has been making movies since the 1990s, always with his signature style. With his use of color grading, symmetry, and recognizable actors, Wes has made himself his own small corner of the movie world. In his films, Wes Anderson uses a variety of different techniques, one of which is his changing of aspect ratios. A prime example of this is in his 2014 film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, where he uses three different aspect ratios to represent the different time periods covered in the film. This changing of aspect ratios caught the attention of many viewers when they saw the movie. In the modern day, movie theater screens have grown way past what we thought possible 20 years ago, with better sound quality, better amenities, and more and more movies being released each year, many people flock to the theaters to get the best seat. Now imagine this: it is 2014, and you go to see the new Wes Anderson movie in IMAX. Immediately, something is off. The aspect ratio doesn’t fit the gigantic screen well enough.
Whether or not the aspect ratios will convert perfectly to the screen, they can still improve the viewing experience. Minoring in Film and Media Production, Benjamin Williams states, “Abstract aspect ratios can enhance movies to make them feel cramped or show off landscapes. It can add a lot to movies.” At times, there may be black bars surrounding the display on either side, but what’s lost in size is made up for in the emotion and feelings achieved by using abstract aspect ratios.
Many people who have been watching movies for a long time know of both Wes Anderson and the many different screen formats audiences can choose from in the modern day. Gavin Sulof, an avid movie watcher, says he tries to see a movie in a large screen format “at least half the time I go,” and the largest format he has seen a film in is IMAX. Now, would Wes Anderson work on a screen that big? Sulof says, “Bigger screens work better. If you’re sitting in the front row, I think bigger screens aren’t as good.”
It can be difficult to give one answer to the best screen format for Wes Anderson movies. The movies vary wildly in screen formats and color, as well as movie techniques. Premium formats, in general, are a sure way to enhance the movie, and Ben Williams can attest to this. When asked how he thinks screen formats affect the viewing experience, Ben said, “I’d say it can make a movie way more immersive and a better experience all around.”
Premium formats will always be better than the average theater, and even though Wes Anderson may be difficult to transfer to other screens, the experience will be enhanced nonetheless. If there were one format that would likely be most applicable to his movies, it would be Dolby Cinema. Dolby Cinema is able to display a wide array of vibrant colors that no other screen can, in addition to precise speakers playing sounds at the utmost quality. Because Wes Anderson, in all of his movies, uses a variety of colors and original scores, Dolby Cinema will be the best option for you.
