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Directors are considered to be the authors of the movie industry according to the auteur theory. In the director’s eyes, the movie is not just a movie, but an art which they have created. What all directors have in common is their passion for making films. The difference is the individual style a filmmaker has while creating their films. Tim Burton is one of the few directors who has a unique style. His style in directing movies is quite noticeable throughout audiences worldwide.
Burton’s movies have been established as interesting and not like any other director. Dark and quirky elements are composed in every detail of his imagination process, which causes Burton to have an edge to him in the movies.
In the city of Burbank, California, Tim Burton was born on August 25, 1958. He began taking interest in filmmaking and drawing at a young age. After graduating from California Institute of the Art, Burton got his first job at Disney productions working as an animator.
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He started his career as a director by working on a series of short films and Frankenweenie (1984). His first feature full length film was a success, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985). After directing the film, he received major popularity but wanted to search for something new. In the following years, Burton directs multiple films and develops his ‘gothic’ style.
The subjects that Burton selects to use in his story telling has created an image for his movies as well as himself. He gravitates toward subjects dealing with a mythical, strange, and terror world.
With his unique genera choices, he tends to create a heroic outcast with unexpected whimsical elements. The objective of his films then flourishes as light-hearted horror. Yet, the creepy and playfulness feelings Burton stirs up in his audiences, are what makes his subjects unique. Burton has grown into a persona characterized by the movies he directs; therefore, audiences know what to expect from him. To all the future films of Tim Burton, without a doubt, he will be able to add a dark magical twist to an ever-darling story. Burton’s ghoulish subjects will continue to entertain viewers around the world.
Themes associated with Tim Burton’s pictures are usually repeated. He emphasizes in most of his films the contrast between dark and light. His balance between them constructs the overall message he is portraying. The message he consistently puts across is that dark and light coexists with each other. Also meaning that there is good in the things that seem dark, the life lesson of his pictures. In doing so, the audience has to learn to live with them both. Another theme Burton has going, is the long for belonging. In Burton’s movies, the characters he creates are on a path to discover where they belong and who they are meant to be in their created world. Furthermore, they demonstrate a desire of being a part of a society they are not accepted in. In this society there are a group of individuals who support the main hero and their journey, and together they help find his/her/it’s purpose. Burton’s themes are the perfect twist to a sometimes happily ever after.
Burton’s techniques involve camera work, lighting, and sound to build and create certain effects and moods. He fulfills his style of directing by highlighting the misfit character’s strengths and weakness. In doing so, he uses low-angle shots to show their power and gracefulness. The audience is in awe with the impressive looks the camera is showing off. In long shots, Burton presents the environment as great and massive compared to the ordinary character. High-angle shots expose the character who is different from the rest. It reveals their insecurities, making it known how sensitive they truly are. Lighting is where Burton corresponds dark and light with happiness and sadness. Low-key lighting displays the effect of shadowy and dysfunctional, communicating the feelings of being gloomy. The high-key lighting correlates with bright, gleeful feelings of the story. At the center of Burton’s created world lies black components surrounded by a world full of color and delightfulness. Sound can set a mood in Burton’s pictures in a variety of ways. There are moods of intensity, suspense, thrills, purity, and wittiness. Whenever the sounds are coming from the music, dialogue, or sound effects, it is the reactor for the mood Burton intends for his audience. Techniques are what make certain details stand out and it is important information for the audience to process and include as part of Burton’s world.
The staging of the scene serves its purpose by surrounding the overall tale. It gives more in depth details about the world Tim Burton wants to portray. Every prop and environment links to the characters personality or situation. Many of the props fall into the norm category, while others are unconventional. It is the unusual props such as (scrapes of metal, sweets, bones, etc.) that bring to life Burton’s strange world. The characters in his films often use small objects in a setting to build an extravagant scene. Burton plays with the sizes of his props as well. He likes to manipulate the original forms, making them larger or smaller in their created world. Sometimes a prop has a meaning to the story, becoming a part of the character. A character can constantly be found bonding with this object. Burton’s style also affects the setting of the scene. Like most of Burton’s dark/light images, the setting sets itself up to what he wants to show for that specific moment. It is either dark or light, never both. The setting is arranged to fit into the scene, to benefit those in it. The audience is left with an impression of what to expect after they have experienced the setting he has created. This impression lets the audience know what to focus their attention to throughout the film.
Character development is a high-priority for Tim Burton’s style of directing. His characters are some of the most iconic roles Hollywood has ever seen. Each character is uniquely different and does not compare to the ordinary citizen. Burton’s main characters are usually quirky, awkward, and have a certain charm about them. They also are particularly in seclusion and withdrawn from society’s rules. They do not fit in and their goals are recognized by entering into another world. A world which they are not comfortable with and begin to be curious of what they find. The actors and actresses who have a pleasure of playing these roles, are challenged. They have to fulfill the wild imagination of Burton’s strange characters. These characters are broken down mentally. The actors have to tap into the psych of their roles, figuring out how they should talk, and behave. Other characters are loud and rambunctious. Those characters are usually the witty ones and poke fun at the other roles. Burton has an idea of his characters and what they will act like. He still always takes every opportunity to take it a step further, diving deeper to the behavior and knowledge of each character. The characters identity is what bring to life the world of Tim Burton.
Dialogue is the base of Burton’s films, creating more depth to its characters. The communication between them and the way they speak is essential to the style of Burton’s directing. Commonly known in Tim Burton’s movies are two main characters who are rather different from each other. As they interact, they’re dialogue is contradicting in a pure way. They are either enemies or friends. There is one who is over the top, confident and humorous. This dialogue consists of long sentences, non-sense words, abruptly speaking and non-stop talking. Here the character could be either a villain or a fellow good guy, or maybe both. The other character who is opposite of the pervious role just described, is low profile, a good listener, and often odd. This odd character is generally the hero of Burton’s films, and most likely used than the other extrovert character. The lone individual is soft spoken, sensible, and less talkative. The dialogue of the rest of the roles are standard and normal. These main characters dialogue is what add to Burton’s style of directing.
The look of a character depends on how their personality is presented. Wardrobe and makeup in Tim Burton pictures are meant to compliment the role. Most of the time, the men are seen wearing suits and women are wearing dresses. The suits are well made and fit to the chiasma of the characters. The dresses are long and moveable for the comfort of the female characters action. Based on persona, for the outgoing character their outfits are to be considered wacky. Their wardrobe is more costume like but in a sophisticated manner. The laidback character has a simpler wardrobe, and day to day outfits a citizen would wear in their created world. Their clothes are rather plain and one solid color. Burton’s style in makeup emphasize on the eyes of a character. The eyes are huge factor in telling the emotions of any character. A signature look is when the eyes are surrounded by dark shadow. Burton then creates an illusion by adjusting them to look smaller, or bigger. Another component of makeup that burton likes to adjust is skin tone. The skin of his character is often pale. They either are light complicated making their skin seem smooth or rough full of powder. Another version is covering their face with white paint. By doing so, no other director presents horror characters in this form. This look adds to the creepy, dark, strange world Burton creates.
Even though Tim Burton is consistent with every aspect of his directing, there is still something about him which makes all unexpected wonder come to life. His style of directing is already labeled to him. Tim Burton is a one of kind director, his movies do not compare to any other movies. Therefore, the audience excites themselves by awaiting jitters, light comedy and a peculiar world in each of his films. The audience acknowledges they won’t find it anywhere else. Though Burton’s style is expectation, his creations are unpredictable, and this is what creates extraordinary pictures.
Unique Style And Director's Personality In Tim Burtons Movies. (2024, Feb 26). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/unique-style-and-directors-personality-in-tim-burtons-movies-essay
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