Hidden Meaning In Tim Burton's Movies

Have you ever wondered why a person in a negative situation such as a villain or less fortunate is seen in dim lighting or dark colors? Or have you ever wondered why a character in a positive situation such as a person accepted by society or a wealthy person is seen in high lighting wearing in bright colors? Director Tim Burton uses contrasting colors and lighting to foreshadow people in his movies. I will show examples of these in “Edward Scissorhand” and “Charlie and Chocolate Factory”.
In Tim Burton’s film “Edward Scissorhands”, Burton shows Edward in dark clothing and dark lighting for the beginning and ending of the movie. When his house is shown up on the mountain the shadows and dark lighting have drowned out all other colors. When

Peg walks in his house she is almost flooded out of the frame by the intense darkness. These uses of darkness don’t foreshadow Edward as a person, but of how everyone else sees him. Peg walking up the stairs in complete darkness only gives the feeling of suspense and anxiety. When Peg returns back to her neighborhood, it shows the neighborhood and neighbors being a bright, happy, friendly place. But instead the people judge Edward just because he doesn’t appear to be like everyone else.
In “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, Charlie’s family is shown living in the bare necessities of their mostly brown cottage. Their negative situation is dimly lit in. When the newspapers start interviewing the winners of the golden ticket all of the children and their parents are seen in high lighting with heavily saturated colors. Charlie and his town are still seen in washed out shades of brown and gray.
Tim Burton manipulates the viewers perception of characters using contrasting colors and lighting in “Edward Scissorhands” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”