Tim Burton Research Paper

Tim Burton is a director and animator of films ranging from dark humor to simple family movies. Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Edward Scissorhands are all examples of Tim Burton’s films. The viewers can always tell when they are watching one of Burton’s films if there is a horror theme in the story covered with a very humorous or happy mood. The mood and theme usually come from his use of three cinematic techniques--these three techniques are sound, lighting, and camera angles. All three techniques when used by Burton help him create the dark theme underlying a humorous and happy theme we see in his movies.

Tim Burton uses sound to create a suspenseful mood. One way Burton creates the mood is with non-diegetic sound. Sound

In Big Fish Burton uses high-key lighting when time has stopped. Edward after watching the circus act meets wh will later on be his wife, Sandra. An immense amount of lighting floods the scene giving her a very angelic look. As time is stopped and the audience is staring at Sandra a feeling of suspense is created. Creating questions of what will happen next? Who is she? Pushing forward in the movie in the scene where Edward is about to open the door of Mr.Callaway’s trailer after the circus has ended. Burton uses low-key lighting, the lack of lighting gives the audience a theme of horror, which goes hand in hand with suspense, creating the suspenseful mood Edward is feeling as well as the audience. This contrasts with the happy tone the audience has been introduced to before this scene where the same suspenseful mood is created while seeing Edward’s future wife. Tim Burton also uses lighting in Edward Scissorhands to create the same suspenseful mood with a happy tone, when Edward is caught “breaking into” Jim’s house. The side/front lighting light up the males face and make his hands glisten making him look more dangerous than he actually is. The flashing colors of red and blue with the bright lights casting shadows over the house and face making the audience think something is going to happen. At the beginning of the movie where Edward is first

In the beginning of the movie when our main character Charlie Bucket is staring at the factory making it seem larger then it is. As the audience is looking from Charlie’s view(eye level) the factory seems to be looming over the small boy, this creates the suspenseful mood as the audience gets to see how large the factory truly is making the audience wonder what secrets does the factory hide? Later in the movie where a High angle is being used to show the bug chasing after Willa Wonka in Loompaland forest. The suspenseful mood is created when we see the bug chasing the male through the forest, contrasting with what suppose to be a happier flashback of how he got the Oompa Loompas. Using the same cinematic technique of camera angles Burton creates a suspenseful mood in Big Fish . A low angle is used when Edward is getting beat up in the field of bright yellow flowers( a present for Sandra), by Don a person from his past that was greatly affected by Edwards good life. The suspenseful mood is created when the audience gets to feel the dominance of Don and with out knowing Edward will be ok, the audience is on the edges of their seats waiting to see what will happen. The suspenseful mood is played along with a happy tone just before when Edward asks Sandra to be with him. Later at the end of the movie when the audience is shown a high angle of Edwards son and him being dropped into the river. Edward