Tim Burton Essay

439 Words2 Pages

Tim Burton is a famous director that has created many amazing movies, two of his well-known movies Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory use cinematic techniques to tell their stories, but Tim Burton’s use of lighting/colors and setting cause viewers to fall in love with his movies. In Edward Scissorhands, Burton uses bright, fun colors such as bright pink, blue, yellow and beautiful green lawns to show the “happiness” in the suburban life. In addition, Tim uses incredibly bright lighting in the chocolate factory which is opposite from the lighting in Charlie’s small, dark, dirty house. These lighting choices show that just because a place is bright/colorful it doesn’t mean it’s always a happier place. In both films …show more content…

In the beginning of each film burton uses extremely wide camera shots to capture the world his characters are living in. in Edward Scissorhands Tim contrasts this huge dark mountain to the bright energetic suburbs, while in Charlie and the Chocolate factory Tim focuses on the gloomy town that Charlie resides in. As burtons films continue he brings in each character at an eye level shot, close up, or extreme close up of just their face. This type of shot establishes the importance of each character. Burton continues each film to insert the watcher into the characters perspective as if you’re sitting at the table with Edward or looking up at Willy Wonka just as Charlie would. These shots give the watcher the same experience as the character in the film. He wants the viewers to know what it is like to be the character, and understand that each character has a different perspective. The camera shot and lighting/color have many effects on films, and they can be put into simple groups, dark, light, close up, far away. Tim is by no means simple, the way he directs is quite complex. Despite being complex he somehow makes all of his movies simple and fun. The examples I have demonstrated are just a few of Burton’s beautiful lighting and camera shot effects. Tim Burton is a very intelligent man and that is why he is able to make meaning out of cinematic techniques like these and why he is one of the most well-known directors in