“If you've ever had that feeling of loneliness, of being an outsider, it never quite leaves you. You can be happy or successful or whatever, but that thing still stays within you.” Tim Burton.
Good Morning Teachers and students. Today I will be exploring Tim Burton’s creative world, and how he looks closely at the outsider character to deepen our understanding of the world. You might wonder why it is that Burton so consistently portrays outsider characters in his films. As an Auteur, he strives to show us the outsider in a more familiar and close up way, and comments on the way that conformity can often lead to unhappiness. Burton chooses to show the outsider to us using a mixture of Gothic and German Expressionistic elements, such as the
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duality of characters and settings, and pathetic fallacy, in a way that is now known as ‘Burtonesque’. Today I will be speaking about two of his most well-known films, Frankenweenie (2012) and Batman Returns (1992). As a child, Burton himself was the outsider. This could be a key reason as to why he so often uses them in his movies to deepen our understanding of our world. . The Movie Frankenweenie is a story about a boy and his dead dog, who is eventually brought back to life. It is unknown whether Burton had a dog who was his best friend, similar to the movie, but did you know that the character Victor was loosely based on himself? Burton uses many techniques in the movie to show that Victor is an outsider. One scene where he has made the outsider character evident is the ‘Re-animation scene’. In this scene, Burton has used a combination of Gothic elements and German Expressionism. He uses the idea of split worlds, with the boring outside society of New Holland, contrasted against the dark attic where he crosses the line between life and death. The actual mise en scène alludes to his outsider status, with thunder and lightning outside, using pathetic fallacy to show that something is wrong, and electric sparks, a German expressionist technique, creating a dark scary atmosphere. The use of these techniques all add up to create an ominous scene, showing that while Vincent is doing bad things, it’s all for the love of his dog. This helps to deepen our understanding of the world by giving us this idea of the outsider, that although they might seem strange and weird to us, they are happy. Another scene in Frankenweenie where the outsider is portrayed is in the ‘Fair attack scene’. This scene involves a number of monstrous creatures attacking the bland town of New Holland during the annual fair. Burton has once again used pathetic fallacy, having a big storm crashing the fairground with thunder, lightning and heavy rain, to give us the idea that something is wrong again. Burton also uses a miss-match of other horror movies as inspiration for his monsters, for example the sea monkeys are based off The Gremlins, Nassor is a Mummy, and Shelly the turtle is Godzilla. The pathetic fallacy and the reused monsters all show us Burtons message, which in this case is that although being an outsider is good, straying too far from mainstream society can be a bad thing, in this case leading to an attack. This scene also helps us to develop an understanding of our world. Another movie in which Tim Burton strives to deepen our understanding of the world through the outsider character is Batman Returns.
Did you know this film features three different outsiders? The Penguin, Batman and Catwoman are all characters who do not fit into the society of Gotham City. Burton particularly works with The Penguin to bring across his point of teaching us about the outsider. The scene of his birth occurs at night time, as all good gothic tales do. The baby is put into a black basket to be thrown into the river, as compared to the white one of the other couple the parents pass. This suggests that while other babies are pure and clean, The Penguin is bad news, and is a dark being. As the basket travels further into the sewers, big sharp shadows of the basket are cast up onto the walls, creating a chiaroscuro effect of light and dark. This effect makes The penguin seem sinister, as his dark scary shadow is making its way through the sewers. This prologue sets us up with ideas of evil things. Later on in the film, The Mayor of Gotham is helping The Penguin to become the new mayor. In order to be welcomed by the town, people try to give him makeovers, and change who he actually is. People give him a new name, Oswald Cobblepot, to help him fit in. While for a little while he goes along with it, he eventually becomes unhappy and rejects his name. Here, Burton is particularly interested in the idea that trying to fit into a society you don’t belong in will only make you upset. These techniques help him to deepen the understanding we have of our world and the
outsider. Tim Burton is able to deepen our understanding of our world by showing us the outsider, through different gothic and German Expressionist elements. He does this in many of his movies, such as Vincent, Edward Scissorhands, and of course Frankenweenie and Batman Returns. If an audience were to study Tim Burton’s films to learn about the outsider, they would learn a lot. Tim Burton teaches us that the outsider may be weird to some, but they are happy, and they shouldn’t change who they are to make others happy, but straying too far from mainstream society is also a bad thing, as you can get hurt. As Tim Burton has said, “I love extreme characters who totally believe in themselves.” Whether you think Burtons movies are good or bad, it’s hard to deny that he does a great job of teaching us about the outsider and deepening our understanding of the world.
The Outsiders is a book about Greasers And Socs. The Greasers are the poor east side kids they would wear their hair long and greasy and they will dress in blue jeans, T-shirts, or wear they shirttails out and wear a leather jacket and tennis shoes or boots. The Socs are the rich west side kids that worn nice clothes, drove nice cars, and had all the pretty lady’s. They both was gangs in Oklahoma. The Socs they would jump Greasers, wreck houses, and throw beer blasts for kicks.
The Outsider characters Edward and Raphael from the movie ‘Edward Scissorhands’ and the novel ‘Trash’ change their bland and featureless environments by providing creativity and ambition to the locals. Edward is an Outsider by his appearance while Raphael is an Outsider by poverty. Their communities express kindness to them both. Both individual characters do not act in the way the inhabitants of the society or slum. This is positive for the community and the creativity of the Outsiders change their
Not a single individual is able to watch a Burton film without noticing the lighting effects and how it significantly contributes to the tone and mood of the entire film. In the movie Edward Scissorhands, one might be overwhelmed with the burst of extravagant colors in the scenery. Indeed this cinematic technique, high key, wholly influences the viewers perception and impression of the town. One can conclude that even though flamboyancy pervades the town, iniquity lurks in all directions and hypocrisy governs the minds of its inhabitants. Irony is harnessed in this film. How can an effulgent town harbor wickedness and Edward with a chilling and gothic complexion radiate innocence and righteousness? Burton uses these opposing conceptions brought about by the contrast of lighting to convey the message that materialism has been ingrained in the mentality of society (at least in the neighborhood in which Burton lived in the past), thus yearning for th...
Using the production elements of symbolism; especially hands themselves, and the use of allusion to elements from other genres; particularly those from fairytale and gothic romance/horror films, Tim Burton has directed the film in such a manner to illustrate, emphasise and ridicule the materialism and lack of imagination of society. The film however, is prominently a satire which has certain elements from fairytale, comedy and horror genres. Through the choices made by the director, the audience is invited to become aware of the inhumanity present in the way society functions, especially in its prejudiced treatment towards people who do not conform. The use of allusion in Edward Scissorhands is one of the most important choices in production that has been made by director Tim Burton. In order to fully appreciate and understand the plot, the movie is dependant on the audience being able to recognise certain references and elements emulated from other films.
Everyone has that one friend who is a complete goofball: the one who is just different from the rest and can be a little abstract. The misfit may be easy to spot in a crowd and be judged; however, Tim Burton accepts the oddball and takes the concept of character dramatization one step further. Through his movies, Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the outcast tries to break through the social barrier by reaching out to the community and trying to fit in. With Burton’s imaginative characters, Burton shows how being an outcast gives a person the potential for success.
Tim Burton’s films depict his lashing back from a tortured childhood. Somehow, his movies tell his story. His first big budget movie, Batman, was a huge hit. He then chose to make Edward Scissorhands, his most personal film. Despite the fact that Batman was a hit, movie executives were reluctant to give Burton authorization. His use of cinematic techniques displays his unique style.
‘The Outsiders’ is written by S.E. Hinton. It is set in the 1960s in a
Most people tend to look at their glass have empty then to look at their glass half full. Tim Burton on the other hand, looks at his glass over-filled with mysterious sea monsters that lurk in the deep abyss of his glass. Most people identify Burton’s movies as dark, unusual, and spine-chilling, but his movies always end with the main character earning success and gratification. Since, Burton has a well-blended twist to his movies, he is a well-known and
The most appealing films are those that keep audiences guessing, surprise them at the most unexpected times and break conventional film boundaries. Edward Scissorhands (1990) directed by Tim Burton, is a feature film that does exactly that. It blends a fairy tale story with a gothic horror film, to engage the viewer right from beginning until the resolution. It tells the tale of Edward, who was the creation of an inventor who died before he could give Edward proper hands, and was left with scissors as hands. When he was taken from his gothic mansion, into a “normal” suburban community, he was at first welcomed, but then heartbreakingly rejected when things went wrong. The character of the “monster” is an important feature to many gothic horror texts, and examining Edward and other various characters helps to bring about interesting ideas and concepts about this key role. Burton also draws on the relationship between the princess and the prince, commonly found in fairy tales. By using various features found in the gothic horror genre and the fairy tale genre, Edward Scissorhands is able to sway us to think about the consequences of judging people who are different, it influences us to question what true love is and changes the way we view who can be the prince and princess.
Edward Scissorhands, written by Tim Burton, tells the tale of a young man who is lovable, childlike and sensitive, bewildered by the humanity around him, yet is terrifying- someone who has scissors, the deadly weaponry, for hands. Many viewers may read this film as a “Tim Burton” type of fairytale which includes both an alternative aspect and romance. However, through the presentation of mise-en-scene in this film, Burton drives in a much more serious subject of social criticism by establishing two different understandings of life in the movie.
On August 25, 1958, Timothy Walter Burton was born (“Biography”). Burton had a painful childhood in which the relationship with his parents and brother was nonexistent (Morgenstern). Through his intense feeling of isolation, his visual talent began to develop. The comfort found in hobbies such as writing and drawing led him to attend the California Institute of the Arts which led him to his first job in any artistic field at the Disney Animation Studios (“Biography”). Burton has since been referred to as one of the most visually gifted writers, artists, and filmmakers that America has seen (Hanke). His short stories, poems, and film scripts are centered on an inner darkness which he has been slowly acquiring since his childhood. He throws himself into everything he writes and makes even the simplest characters have a deep, complex meaning. His famous darkness and symbolism is shown in his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. The book contains a collection of his short stories, poems, and illustrations about a variety of fictional characters that can be compared to Burton and his life. Tim Burton’s home life and previous hardships have made a significant impact on his work. In my paper, I will draw parallels to his life and work as well as prove that there is reasoning and beauty in the way he is.
“My dearest friend, if you don’t mind, I’d like to join you by your side, where we can gaze into the stars and sit together, now and forever. For it is plain to see, we’re simply meant to see.”-Tim Burton. This quote is by a famous movie director. His name is Tim Burton. This quote is from a movie he created The Nightmare Before Christmas. This movie brings a lot of traditions to a lot of families. Tim Burton created movies, he had a fear of chimpanzees, and persisted through the way and made wonderful and dark movies.
While other kids read books like “Go Jane Go”, Vincent’s favorite author is Edgar Allen Poe - Vincent Malloy. Similar to his character, Vincent Malloy, Tim Burton was quite the unusual child; Burton viewed distinctive people such as Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Edgar Allen Poe, and Chris Lee as role models. As a film director, influences like these have molded some of his productions such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, and The Corpse Bride into masterpieces with mysterious settings which contain vibrant plots and characters. Moreover, in his films, Burton uses diegetic-sound and low-key lighting in order to convey a feeling of fear to his viewers and communicate the overall
Social outcasts and misfits are often overlooked in society in daily life, however, there are some who rise to glory. Movie director Tim Burton is one of those outcasts. While many people like him are shunned for their strange, and in Burton’s case, disturbing views and ideas, Burton rose to distinction with his creative ideas and movies. In Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, some of the main characters have made strides to success, without standard social skills. In Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tim Burton uses high key lighting and long shots to show that while some people are affected by their isolation, some can emerge from it and become influential members of their
The film Edward Scissorhands shows how society rejects people who are different. This film directed by Tim Burton is about a boy named Edward who lives in an empty mansion. The film shows a community that is quick to judge but slow to distinguish the qualities of Edward. The people in the community are selfish and expect to receive from Edward without giving but regardless of this there are still some who love and care for him. By viewing this film the audience recognises how important it is to give someone a chance to prove themselves before judging them.