The One and Only Style of Tim Burton
Tim Burton uses his style of horror and fantasy in the movies that we know and love today. He has directed the movies; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Beetlejuice, Frankenweenie, Batman, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and many more. These movies are some of the most cherished and favorited around the world. He uses fantasy and the supernatural to create a twist on childhood stories.
A lot of his films are usually characterized as dark and delightful. In order to produce his most famous works, he uses a ghoulish and horror style. When Tim Burton was a child he was obsessed with the horror films created by Roger Corman. This director influenced Burton to create his own films. Starting his career, in 1984, he created his own of version of Frankenstein called Frankenweenie.Following his success on the comedy Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1985, he directed the movie Beetlejuice.
He then directed the production of Batman in 1989. This was the movie that skyrocketed his career. The was the first movie to sell $100 million within the first 10 days of the release date (Tim Burton Biography). These movies that he has directed have put on huge impact on his career path. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, released in 2005, Tim Burton uses different types of cinematic techniques to express his unique style. He uses shots & framing, camera angles, camera movements, and imagery to characterize the different characters in the movie.
An example of an extreme close-up is used when the reporters are interviewing Violet about the Golden Ticket. This clip shows how alike her and her mother are and how they resemble each other. This clip also shows what her personality is like. An example of an high angle is used when the camera shows Veruca Salt’s father ordering his workers to search for the Golden Ticket. This scene is an representation of how wealthy her family is and how she is able to get what she asks for.
Lastly, this shows her personality. When the camera zooms in on Violet doing karate, this is an example of an camera movement. This shows what Violet’s favorite thing to do is. The type of imagery used in the movie is sound. The sound in the movie clip is used to show the different character’s reactions to them finding the Golden Ticket (Charlie).
These different cinematic techniques are also used in many of his other cinematic productions. Another way Tim Burton exemplifies his style, is through music and sound in his movies and movie trailers. He uses these techniques in the movies; Corpse Bride and Alice in Wonderland. In Corpse Bride he suses suspenseful music to portray the characters and to let the audience know that this movie might be found scary. An example of this is when Victor first meets the Corpse Bride and the music starts to become even more suspenseful (Tim Burton). .
In the movie trailer for Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton uses sound and music to explain the genre of the movie. For example, when Alice runs away from the man who proposes to her, she falls into a hole. There is a dramatic pause in the clip and the music used is fantasy-like music (Tim Burton). These two movies are both examples of how music and sound also plays a role to his grotesque style. Tim Burton has many different skills and techniques that play a role into his own unique style.
All in all, he uses the cinematic techniques of shots & framing, camera angles, camera movements, and imagery to characterize many of the movies he has produced and created. In the future, he will hopefully continue to create movies that demonstrate his uniquely grotesque style. The movies that he have created have had such an huge impact on the world, that they will always expect the best horror and supernatural movies. Works Cited (2016, October 24). Tim Burton Biography. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Directed by Tim Burton, Warner Bros., 2005. Corpse Bride. Directed by Tim Burton, Warner Bros., 2005. Alice in Wonderland.
Directed by Tim Burton, Walt Disney Pictures., 2010.
