Tim Burton's Cinematic Techniques

Sitting in a comfortable seat watching a film creates emotions in the viewer from happiness to sympathy to fear. Tim Burton directed films that create all these different emotions within only two hours. Some of Burton’s films are Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and each have the same theme of horror with comedy and a moral lesson. Tim Burton's style encompasses cinematic techniques such as flashbacks, shot-reverse-shots, and front lighting to make the viewers feel connected and involved with the characters in his films. Burton uses the cinematic technique flashback in his films Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in which Burton uses to help the audience reach an understanding

Front lighting is soft lighting on an actor's face which gives an appearance of goodness, innocence, or a halo effect. The first example of front lighting is in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where throughout the movie Charlie and his family are displayed in soft lighting. This front lighting shows that Charlie are like angels similar to the way that they are kind and selfless. The halo effect that Charlie and his family are displayed makes the audience grow to like the Bucket family because the angelic effect makes them more likeable. Another example is from Edward Scissorhands when Edward is first introduced and his face is in front lighting. This front lighting shows Edward’s child-like innocence and his kind selfless ways, which the audience makes connect to Edward where they become attached because they want to protect him. The last example of front lighting is in Big Fish, when young adult Ed Bloom meets his future wife Sandra Bloom. This front lighting shows how Ed views Sandra as an angel and since angels are often described as beautiful he also thinks she has the beauty of an angel. The angelic lighting makes the audience want to trust Sandra because angels are trustworthy and could never do a person