Tim Burton Directer and Genus
Today’s world is filled with many writers with amazing talent, but Tim Burton’s breathtaking adventures and dark atmospheres are one of a kind in modern society. Tim’s style allows him to give the audience a gothic or twisted story, addingelements of passion and emotion that people wouldn’t receive from any normal director.
Throughout most, if not all, of his works, Tim has shown his style is one that uses imagery, camera work, and sounds to isolate the emotion that the audience should feel. Tim Burton uses imagery throughout his films to impact the overall emotion that should be received. Considering this, it becomes most clear in his film, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and , “Nightmare before Christmas.” In these films the music, lighting, and camera work is done in a way that is unique in today’s society. Having all these interact with each other makes for an interesting scene that perfectly isolates the apparent emotion. For instance, the scene, “Boat Ride,”(Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) had the group of characters start to enter the tunnel.
The tunnel was filled with shadows and the water was a dark brown. In addition to that, the head Oompa Loompa bangs his drum and the sound has a curdling echo. Furthermore, it is shown in “Nightmare Before Christmas” , another one of Burtons crafts. Tim’s skills are shown in bold during the scene “This is Halloween” (Nightmare Before Christmas). In that scene the camera twists and spins through a gothic atmosphere showing us more spooky characters. The camera work is amazing by itself but what steals the show is the orchestra.
In the end all of his work that is has been shown clearly “pushes” the audience to feel a certain way. While Tim does use imagery, his camera work is what really leaves a big impact on the audience member. Burton’s brilliant camera work is done marvelously in, “Batman.”There are many moments in the film in which the camera pans and tilts. He does in a way that truly isolates the emotion.
For instance, in the scene, “Bruce’s Origin” (Batman), Bruce and his family are walking down an alley. The camera moves itself slowly towards the family revealing two shadows of mysterious men. The scene not only creates tension and suspense for the viewer but also it makes the audience more invested thanks to the gothic elements. Tim is not always serious, he characterized the Joker to be the polar opposite of Batman. Batman is well organized, plans thoroughly, and predictable. The Joker however, is like a kid left at Walmart, you don’t know what is going to happen. No scene does it better than the scene, “Joker Museum Dance.” In the scene Joker enters an art museum, one of the goons plays music while the Joker and the rest of them dance and vandalize the art (Batman). That scene gives a clear example of what Tim is capable of. It evidently proves how Tim makes his characters, the Joker is the main antagonist and in that scene it makes the audience wonder why and what he is doing.
These examples evidently have an impact on audience and makes them filled with questions and suspense. Throughout most of the films I have presented the camera work and imagery are the main focus, but by far the best in all of his films is the orchestra and sound. For instance, in the scene “Origin of the Joker”(Batman), the orchestra steals the show. Jack is hanging on to Batman’s hand, while very loud and eerie violin music play, when jack can’t hold on any longer he slips and the ensemble of trumpets burst in building a climatic and suspenseful moment (Batman). Few directors can create such a suspenseful environment with no words just the twidle of a violin.
The orchestra added the element of suspense by being loud and shaky, which isolated the suspense and tension in the moment. Another example would be in the song, “Oogie Boogie Man”(Nightmare Before Christmas), in the song Oogie Boogie stands menacingly above Santa Claus, while that is happening a loud sound of Saxophone comes in every three seconds. Oogie Boogie is the main antagonist so Tim Burton clearly wants to highlight the importance of the character by having him be assisted by long looming music. Tim needed the audience to have an impact on this character and that’s what they received. All in all Tim can find a way to make an impressionable emotion, to isolate, while using a layer of gothic instrument.
Tim’s style has been presented in all of these examples and have extreme results when you look at the audience’s emotion. It is evident through his imagery, camera work, and sound that he can create emotion. Whether it is in gothic atmosphere or a simple funny moment it is evident that Tim can characterize in his image. He has done so by keeping to his style and using gothic undertones in all of his work. From all of his work I have gotten that he is a man of gothic film and he clearly wants to display a story by his image.
All in all Tim Burton uses imagery, sound, and camera work to tell a story, characterize, and isolate the emotion.
