The Cinematic Techniques In Tim Burton's Film

films, Tim Burton uses framing and angles, music and sound, and lighting to control the

Burton uses lighting to show fantasy and reality in his movies. In the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory high key lighting represents fantasy. The lighting is used in Willy Wonka’s factory showing that it is every kid’s dream to visit it. Although it is his fantasy, Charlie knows that a fantasy is all it ever will be. To represent this low key lighting is used in Charlie’s home to show that the reality of his life is there living in poverty. This pattern continues in the cult classic Edward Scissorhands. The town that Edward is welcomed into is in high lighting to signify that it is the life that he never had. He wants to be accepted and loved and this is the place that his wish comes true. Unfortunately we know that his fantasy is unrealistic and there is no way he can live normally. His sad life he must live is inside an empty mansion which is shot in low lighting signifying the lonely reality of his home. Lighting gives you an idea of what is real and what is only a fantasy. Burton uses angles to show the level of power of characters. A good example is in the movie Edward Scissorhands during the scene where Edward is making an ice sculpture Kim is shot in a high angle. This signifies that she is truly happy and on top of the world. At the moment she feels nothing can bring her down. All of Tim Burton movies have a lot of things in common. His unique style and ability to create meaning out of cinematic techniques like these are what makes Tim Burton a genius and one of the most well-known American directors in recent

All directors have the unique ability to manipulate their thoughts and ideas and make it a reality. Tim Burton, an award-winning director, is one such person who’s abnormal ideas find their way onto the big screen. With the use of stylistic techniques, Tim Burton crafts dark and intriguing movies. In the films Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton uses low camera angles to intimidate the audience, and close up shots to make them experience what the characters are feeling.

Furthermore, the shot styles between the films are reflective of each other. The extreme close-ups, slow moving camera, and mis-en-scene are impactful in creating atmosphere. In the third film, the slow moving camera takes on a presence rather than a character, which embodies the omens that are essential to the films

In Tim Burton’s films, he uses various techniques to demonstrate different moods and tones. Tim Burton’s films include Edward Scissorhands, a drama film where a scientist dies before he can finish building Edward, leaving him with a freakish appearance by the scissor blades that the scientist has replaced hands for, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a adventure film where a small group of contest winners get to tour the magical Wonka factory and get a lifetime supply of chocolates, candies, and sweets. In the films mentioned before Tim Burton uses low-key and high-key lighting to create a gloomy and bright effect, and a long shot to create the distance of how far you are away from an object or a place.

Before climbing to fame in the film industry, Tim Burton was a filming reject who was dropped by Walt Disney for his unique style which included dark elements. As a young boy, Tim found inspiration in Dr. Seuss’s playful and innocent imagination. However, later on in life Tim became inspired by Roald Dahl, Edgar Allan Poe, and Grimm’s Fairy Tales. In result, his films became characterized by their dark twists on children’s stories and their grotesque sensibility. These characterizations are clearly shown in some of his more popular works: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, and Big Fish. In all three films, Tim Burton’s use of Flashback, Music, and Lighting help viewers form connections and establish a

Tim Burton uses lighting to convey his unique gothic cinematic style in his films. In some of his past movies, such as Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton uses a variety of lighting techniques to indicate the mood of his movies. High key lighting creates a bright open-looking scene such as when a scene is flooded with light, allowing it to look bright and cheerful in the town in Edward Scissorhands. In Edward’s mansion, low-key lighting is utilized, flooding the scene with shadows and darkness, creating a dark tone to the scene to evoke sadness and such depressed emotions. Low-key lighting is also used in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where in the beginning of the film it demonstrates Charlie’s humble home and dark lighting is used to show the family's state of debt and depression. Tim Burton’s lighting techniques is a way of conveying emotions and certain tones to the audience. Tim Burton has a very unique lighting aspect of his films, but he also uses costuming to create a uniqueness to his films as

Editing is one of the techniques Burton uses to create emotion and suspense in the audience. One way Burton does this is by using fade in Big Fish, Edward crosses paths with Karl who was waiting for him on the longer road. The scene fades out and transitions to the main story where the family sits together at a table, the fading technique gives off a good backstory for the main event, to explain all of the childhood bedtime stories that Edward told to Will when he was a child. Towards the end of the story, Edward and Will are at the hospital, Edward is slowly dying and insists this (Edward in the hospital) isn’t the way he

“Movies are like an expensive form of therapy for me”(Burton). Tim Burton, a very mysterious and dark director, had produced many unsettling but fantastic movies. Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are two very well produced movies from him, which feature common themes shown with appropriate cinematic elements. Tim Burton uses tilt, low key lighting, and non-diegetic sounds in Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to convey how creepiness can lead to curiosity.

Tim Burton’s distinct style became evident in his very first films and stayed clear in his later film, while the plot of Burton’s films vary greatly his style stays pronounced. This can be seen across his many movies from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, “Vincent”, and “Frankenweenie”. In all of these films his distinct style is developed through the use of a strong contrast of high and low key lighting to show contrast between characters and circumstances, a recurring motif of mobs antagonizing the antagonist, and the frequent use of shot reverse shots to show the development of the relationship between the outsider and the people on the inside. With the use of a contrast between high and low-key lighting, a recurring mob motif, and the use of shot-reverse-shots Tim Burton develops his hopelessly bleak style.

In the movie, Edward Scissorhands, Tim burton uses low-key lighting when Peg meets Edward for the first time in a castle. Edward was sitting in a dark corner and there was just enough light to see his face but not his clothes. This shows the amount of loneliness of Edward and that he was sad and frightened but also willing to make a friend when he approaches Peg. Also, in the movie, Charlie in the

“True contentment comes with empathy.” (Big Fish) Tim Burton is known for creating films with dark and whimsical undertones. Most of his movies are inspired by influences such as Edgar Allan Poe, Vincent Price, and Dr. Seuss. Burton’s film are characterized by notorious plotlines and heartfelt moments. Tim Burton uses lighting, sound, and camera angles to portray the joy and sadness each of his characters experience to capture the empathy of the audience.

Tim Burton was influenced by Dr. Seuss and Grimm’s fairy tales, his films are characterized by dark stories and rhymes. Dr. Seuss influenced one of Burton's films, The Nightmare Before Christmas. “It is easy to see the influence of Dr. Seuss's imagination in Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Grimm’s fairy tales have been described as “violent and grisly,” even Walt Disney Studios adaptations underestimate it’s sinister elements. Burton didn’t intend to fade away it’’s dark elements. “Burton, however, embraces the dark elements.” As the reader can see, Burton’s inspiration comes from Grimm’s fairy tales and Dr. Seuss. In many of his films, Tim Burton, uses music and sound, lighting, and types of shots to set the setting and tone of his films.

Tim Burton’s unique style grabs many movie watchers attention. When he was a child he always enjoyed monsters because he always felt like an outsider. His early inspirations and influences were Vincent Price who played in many horror movies,and the author Roald Dahl. He displays his character and setting in non conventional way giving him a unique style. He gives off this unique unorthodox dark style and theme of everything is not what it seems,or don’t judge a book by it’s cover. He uses lighting and editing techniques in his scenes to give you movies that shed a new light on the way we perceive the characters and scenes.

Tim Burton is a man praised for his cinematic style and contributions into the world of film. Tim Burton is influenced by his fascination with children’s stories and fairy tales. An article states, “Burton stories encourage escapism into worlds of fantasy and supernatural.” Some of his children’s movies are rather dark but delightful.Tim Burton was influenced by Roald Dahl along with other well-known authors such as Dr. Suess. The plot of a story is only half of the battle. The other half is grabbing the viewers attention and making them interested and anxious about what happens next. Burton does that by using his skills and technique.