How to do the Wes Anderson TikTok trend

Wes Anderson’s distinctive cinematic style has been getting the TikTok treatment, with social media users turning their own lives into 20-second movies.

Anderson’s instantly recognisable whimsy has inspired people to create short homages to his work, taking inspiration from the director’s particular cinematography, colour design and composition.

It all started when TikToker @avawillyums decided to film her mundane train journey in the style of The Royal Tenenbaums or The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The user added quirky music to her video, which consisted of symmetrical shots designed in Anderson’s fanciful – some would say mawkish – style.

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Since then, the trend has been copied by many TikTok users, with millions watching videos tagged with #wesandersontrend.

Even Labour MP Emily Thornberry got in on the trend, imagining what her day of campaigning would look like as one of the auter’s films.

But how do you replicate the style? Thankfully, the TikTok account @tipsforcreators has the answers.

It turns out technical things like specific colour gradings are very important – watch the video below to discover the right settings for your video using the editing tool CapCut.

Other things are more obvious – like the colourful title cards, which replicate the feel of Anderson’s precise structure, as well as vintage clothing and warm colours.

There’s also the nature of the camera direction, which @esno.art created a video detailing. According to them, users looking to capture the right look should emphasise the creation of straight lines – and the camera should be as static as possible when filming.

“Never film at an angle, but point the camera straight at the subject so all lines are straight,” they said.

It’s also advised that people add music by French film composer and Anderson collaborator Alexandre Desplat. The original video posted by @avawillyums uses the piece ‘Obituary’ from The French Dispatch.

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