Session 6: “Wes Anderson’s Elaborate Archaeology of Moving Pictures,” taught by Will Davis, MA
June 30 and 2; July 7 and 9
10am – 12pm

Like his films, Texas-born Wes Anderson exists in a world all his own, somewhere between independent filmmaker, mainstream arthouse director and surprising cultural figure. In this course students will explore Anderson’s cinematic evolution via feature-length films and stop-motion animation as well as through shorts, commercial and music video works. Blending his own lived experiences with a recurring cast of characters, students will discover filmmakers, photographers and writers in conversation with Anderson’s works. Scanning characters donned in pastel uniforms captured with angular precision, the course will get to the core of Anderson’s singular, methodical style blending dry humor and melancholic longing into worlds that carefully exist between childlike wonder and disillusionment.

​Meet your instructor: William Stephen Davis is an educator, filmmaker, multimedia artist and musician from the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina. He has taught in the Film Studies Program at UNC Charlotte since 2008. His works have been screened in festivals and galleries including TS1 Gallery (Beijing, China), KIT Museum (Düsseldorf, Germany), Yale University, Hollyshorts, NewFilmmakers NY and Sidewalk Film Festival among others. He is a Sundance Screenwriting Fellow, multiple grant recipient from the Knight Foundation and Arts & Science Council and a Goodyear Arts collective member. He is Founder + Creative Director of production company Small Creatures and performs music under the moniker Rasmus Leon. More can be found at williamstephendavis.com.