Wes Anderson interviewed on The Treatment

(Behind the scenes of Moonrise Kingdom. Wes walks with actors and main actress Kara Hayward who plays Suzy Bishop.)

 Cannes Film Festival nominated director and screenwriter, Wes Anderson, was interviewed by Elvis Mitchell from KCRW's podcast called, The Treatment. Elvis, being in Santa Monica still managed to chat with Wes, who was in London at the time on June 13, 2012. Wes has worked on films such as Rushmoore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and has recently released his latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel on March 7, 2014. 

   Anderson discussed about his seventh film Moonrise Kingdom and the process of creating characters. He mentions that this movie specifically reminds him of his childhood, with all of the certain outfits and scenery. It was interesting to hear that he doesn't plan themes, which is strange, because his films are unique and have a distinguishing look to them. He says he sees (the character) Suzy's point of view more than the boys for this movie. I got a great impression from him as he spoke about the use of saturation in his films. I think he did a magnificent job in capturing that 1965 era, full of beautiful colors.

    Wes talks about the way he writes about woman in his films. "I feel like she's kinda trying to-...as a 12 year old, to branch out into the world on her own and become not just an adult but to be her fantasy version of an adult." As a female, I am engaged  in this part of the screenwriting. He says Suzy is advanced like most 12 year old girls compared to (the boy) Sam, who has a more childlike thinking. I definitely agree on this, girls tend to develop the brain faster than boys at that age, so they have wiser decisions. In the film Suzy carries books with her most of the time, which let's the viewer know that she loves to read, and that all shows that this girl character, is an actual example of  what a real life 12 year old girl would do.

        I think the story board of Moonrise Kingdom can relate to many people. Both of the characters want to run away from home and go a direction where they can do things on their own. Wes says, "They are both lonely, and they're both sorta misfits in their way, but they both-...they are the only characters in the story who sorta know what they want." I can relate to this, I think we all go through that situation when we don't want to be home and we think nobody understands us. He explains that the girl wears a lot of make up, so that really shows what her thoughts are, which is probably her blossoming into the older woman she wants to be. What do you guys think, do you guys relate to this? 

     Elvis curiously asks Wes about the old Polaroid looking color scheme for this film. Wes answers by saying, "The colors that we chose for costumes and the sets and all those things were all coming from references from the 60's." Wes adds that the film was shot in 16 mm film to make the film look grainy. They actually did comparisons with the slow 16 mm and the fast 35 mm, in the end the 16 mm had that grain they wanted for this film to give it that overall 60's time. They also did experiments, such as, taking out all of the color and adding blue only. One of the reasons I love Wes Anderson movies, is honestly for the color scheme he uses. The cinematography itself is amazing, but the color choice gives it that extra spark.

(Behind the scenes: Wes Anderson and Bill Murray who plays Steve Zissou in The Life Aquatic)

      Wes tells the story of how he met Bill Murray, and I think I might have fallen in love with him a little more. He's such a creative person and his films have a comic yet serious feel going on. Wes Anderson is my favorite director and I'm so happy that he creates something that is so similar to the style that I love. In a way, his films reflect how he is as a person, especially his hard work that is put into it. If you guys haven't set your eyes for a Wes Anderson film, don't wait any longer! There is definitely something about his films.

I've included the interview below for those who would like to take a listen:

KCRW's podcast The Treatment: Wes Anderson