Film Techniques In Tim Burton's Films

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Tim Burton is a director and producer for movies and TV. He attended California Institute of Arts as an animation major. He is known for creating visually unique and stunning movies that emphasize the fantastical elements of storytelling. Three techniques Burton most often uses in his films are lighting, music, and camerawork. With these elements he is able to weave together stories that are captivating for both the eyes and ears.

Tim Burton is quite good at using lighting to accentuate the tone and mood of certain scenes and characters. For example in Edward Scissorhands, during the ice angel scene the angel, Kim, and Edward are well illuminated whilst the surrounding areas are dark. The purpose of this lighting choice was to give a feeling of awe Kim felt looking at the Edward carve the massive angel. Another example in Big Fish was the lighting in the father’s room, it was dark and gloomy because he was about to die. From Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Bucket’s home was dimly lit and somber because Charlie’s family were destitute and
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Burton has mastered this art. For example in Big Fish the first shot is from a fish’s point of view as it swims in a river, as a person narrates. This is a good way to establish a feel for a movie. In Edward Scissorhands, a lot of the shots were through windows as if from an outsider’s perspective, which was exactly how the story of Edward was told. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory many shots in and of the factory were long shots to show how unbelievable the factory actually was. Tim Burton undoubtedly shows off his camera work in his stop motion features as well. In Frankenweenie when Victor’s dog was hit we only saw a close up on Victor’s face but we still knew the dog was dead. The closeup ensured that we could see his facial expressions. Mr. Burton uses this type of shot a lot in his movies. He is truly an ace behind the