Tim Burton has enthralled the people of today with his movies such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, and Big Fish. By just looking at one scene in any of Burton’s films, one can see that Burton makes films more than just a film. Burton not only makes the movies thought provoking and interesting, but he connects the strangest of things into real life. In these weird and amazing worlds Burton’s films create, Tim Burton uses shots and framing, lighting, and camera angles to prove that life is different in every new spark, and one shouldn’t put out that spark.
To begin, Burton uses shots and framing to create a feeling of mystery and suspense. One way he obtains this feeling of suspense and allusion is when in Edward Scissorhands, Edward says “I’m not finished. ” At this point Peg saw Edward and is questioning him. The viewer is shocked to see this man with scissors for hands, and Burton grounds the scene as soon as possible. In this cut of Edward saying ” I’m not finished. ” the scene is in a medium shot. Medium shots are usually used to ” ground the story ” and this scene does.
But the scene also makes Edward seem like something not stable, and this unstable part, the shock of seeing Edward up close in this a medium shot makes the viewer scream why, what, when, and most importantly how. This unique feature about Edward will be what is his greatest treasure and his greatest curse. Being a curse also, the town will try to snuff out Edward’s spark, but in the end, the town will fail. In another movie, with an entirely different plot, Burton again uses shots and framing to get the point across that everyone is unique.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tim Burton uses a long shot when Charlie is looking at the enormous factory to make the factory seem imposing and in surmountable. This long shot also makes makes Charlie seem small and easily thrown aside. These emotions created in a single shot, add allusion and mystery to the plot line. How will Charlie be granted access into the factory and how will he make a difference? Yet in the end, Charlie does make a difference and is only one who is not already snuffed out.
This whole point of the movie is that Charlie is the “normal” child, but in reality he is the most special. Burton’s films have a multitude of meanings and themes, and Burton also uses lighting to further connect that differences are great, and shouldn’t be put down or tossed into the garbage can. A scene in Edward Scissorhands perfectly demonstrates Burton’s use of low key lighting. In Edward’s flashback of the inventor making cookies -when the inventor realizes he wants to make Edward- the factory is draped in low key lighting.
This is a contradiction to the warm, friendly inventor. In this dark and gloomy setting there is joy and happy memories. Solidifying the fact that not everything is as it appears, this low key lighting confirms that everyone is not alike. Diving into a film, in the beginning of Big Fish, the son is working in a bright white office surrounded by paperwork. Clearly this is where the son works, and the high key lighting amplifies that this job is the most boring of boring jobs. Burton is trying to show that a predictable life is not going to make you happy.
The son, in this shot, is showing that the world overcame him, and now the son has killed the beautiful spark inside of him. Burton’s use of high key lighting in this scene shows that following the stream is not going to be an enjoyable one. The way to go is to go against the current and be your own person. Last but not least, Tim Burton uses camera angles to show that each person is a challenge in their own way. In story where a golden ticket is the greatest prize, Burton uses a low angle to show how important the money on the ground is.
The whole movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is based around money, money, what makes a person happy in this movie. Money in this movie, is the current in Big Fish. Charlie and his family have no money. What they do have though, is love. Love is what keeps a person unique and special in the world ruled by something you can find everywhere. Charlie is almost snuffed out by his love, fortunately though, Charlie’s spark is saved from the very ones he loves. At the end of the movie, Charlie has his love, and his unique personality, and his crazy ideas. He is not ruined by the money-driven world.
Going into a world where you almost cannot tell what is real and what is not, Big Fish portrays a story where a father is dying, and a son wants the truth about his life. When the son of the father first sees his father dying, a high angle shows how weak the father is. Although his appearance is looking fragile, when the father speaks his story, his voice is strong. As the father’s life story continues, the viewer is torn between disbelief and wonder. The son and the viewer eventually understand that with every story there was truth behind it. The father lived a full life, he did not lose his park like many others before him. The father changed the son.
The son lost his spark, his flame, but with the father’s stories, he was lit again. This shows that even within the last moments of a person’s life, one can change another’s life forever. The father was never weak, nor fragile. The father was instead strong and courageous and kind. That was the kind of spark the father had, and now the son will follow in his footsteps. Walking out of the theater, anyone can agree Tim Burton uses shots and framing, lighting, and camera angles to prove that a person’s diversity is valuable.
People can take their own take on life, and how they see things is what makes them who they are. Burton impeccably blends opposites such as darkness and happiness. Burton films go the extra mile, in the sense of entertainment. Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, are just some of Tim Burton’s collection of movies. Throughout these films though, one interpretation, one theme, that shines through is that everyone is perfect in their own way. And those who try to diminish that light are the ones who are already broken inside.
