A filmmakers signature is turning a regular film of continuous events into ones own unique film with the use of camera angles and editing. Thats what we see in The Great Gatsby and The Moulin Rouge. Baz Lurhmanns unique vision depicted throughout these films.
If youve noticed these films are so similar in their visuals and the theatrical element Luhrmann is known for ,reasons being he rather have his audience interact with the movie and to do so he uses movement ,colour, narration ,and music to create a connection with the audience.
The two films have similar openings ,a narration of why they are this point of their lives. The Moulin Rouge starts with a depressed Christian telling his love story using his type writer and The Great Gatsby beginning with yet again a depressed Nick telling his story about Jay Gatsby while using a type writer but for therapeutic purposes. In these films the filmmaker has made it clear that these stories have already taken place with the use of past tense and how he uses a back and forth edit from present and future ensuring that that it is a story being told.
In the Moulin Rouge Baz Luhrmann uses an extreme close-up to include the audience into the experience as it shows the words he is typing on screen , The Great Gatsby uses a similar technique only difference is the words come on screen as he speaks in some cases like when Nick was in Tom and Myrthels apartment , looking some what 3D. He uses the same way of narrating a story but shows them differently.
The movements in these two films are what makes it a Luhrmann film. The camera actions move in such a way that you are able to experience the way Christian feels as he walks into the Moulin Rouge he is overwhelmed and the camera movements are effective because of the feeling it conveys chaos and excitement. The movements in The Great Gatsby arent as rapid and fast yet you the excitement is still shown trough the camera movements the best scene to describe this is the epic party , which is chaotic yet slow.
The use of colour in the films have different meanings , in the Moulin Rouge colour is used to depict emotions and the Great Gatsby to represent a persons personality. In the Moulin Rouge the way a character is feeling about a situation s shown through a blue or red light , with out them having to say we as audience know that if a blue light is reflecting onto Christisans face we know he is sad.
The best to describe why Baz Luhrmann used modern day music to create a new jazz age really meaning hip hop age , in an article they explained it as the film exists in a time wrap straddling two periods and creating its own little world. Thats essentially what Baz Lurhmann wanted to do put music for a way to connect with the audience in order for them to sign along.