Who Influences Me

Wes Anderson is one of my biggest influences. His films are very beautiful. One of my favorites is "The Life Acquatic with Steve Zissou". Wes has a knack for making very emotional yet dryly sarcastic comedies. He's made such films as "Rushmore", "The Royal Tennebaums", and "The Darjeeling Limited".

There's a great use of CONTRAST when we see the exterior establishing shot of the submarine underwater. The yellow versus the dark, black abyss of the ocean provides for an interesting SUBJECTIVE interpretation of this scene. The dark of the ocean represents the unknown in life. The yellow of the submarine and the brightness inside it contatining all of our main characters representing the people we have around us. The AFFINITY of how all the characters are dressed also supports this notion. This scene suggests that we cannot take on life alone. We must not isolate ourselves from those around us. We need our family, friends, loved ones, or any other support system to tackle the obstacles life hands us.

Led Zeppelin is probably one of my favorite bands. They revolutionized rock and roll and influenced almost every band that has come after them. The song "Black Dog" is a great example of the band utilizing TENSION and RELEASE.

Tension is built up very fast by the initial a capella sung by Robert Plant. Once he says the word, "groove", the rest of the band comes in and Jimmy Page's heavy guitar riff help release that tension with a jam that you can't help, but bob your head too.

Todd Haynes is another filmmaker who is very influential to me. His film "I'm not there." is in my top ten favorite movie lists for sure. Check out this trailer.

This film uses TEXT and SUBTEXT. The obvious text is each individual plot line that unfolds in a non-linear fashion onscreen. The subtext is what explains this non-linear storytelling. There are literally hundreds of references in this movie to Bob Dylan and his career. Whether the audience catches on to them is solely left up to the individual viewers knowledge of Dylan's career. However, understanding the subtext makes the text much more relelvant. It also explains the 6 different interweaving plot lines. This movie attempts to understand the projected persona of Bob Dylan and maybe provide some insight into who the real Bob Dylan is by examining that outward persona.