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Tim Burton is an incredibly talented director, writer, artist, and animator. His unique artistic ability has enabled him to influence unforgettable films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and more. In fact, because his artistic influence is so powerful, Burton is often cited as a proof for the existence of the auteur principle, which suggests that one person is the driving force behind the style, treatment, and content of the film. Although some critics may deny the auteur theory, Burton's overpowering use of recurrent stylistic themes in the mise-en-scene elements, character quirks, and cinematography clearly add credibility to auteur theory.

One notable stylistic theme in Burton's films is the unique use of mise-en-scene. Burton uses distinct color contrasts in his films, and this is certainly evident in these three films. In Edward Scissorhands, Burton portrayed Edward's mansion by using low-key lighting and grayscale colors, yet the suburban town was depicted in vibrant pastels. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton portrayed Charlie Bucket's house in similar grayscale colors, yet the Wonka factory was filled with bright and imaginative colors. Sleepy Hollow also shared this unique color contrast: much of the film was depicted in low-key lighting and gray colors, whereas Ichabod's dreams of his parents were often richly colored with impressive visual effects.

Even the costumes reflected the same goth-styled themes. Tim Burton likes to use black and white contrasts in many of his costumes. Edward Scissorhand's main outfit was a black jumpsuit that contrasted with his pale face. In Sleepy Hollow, Katrina, portrayed by Christina Ricci, wore Burton's trademark black and white stripes in a dress in the final scene. In addition, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also reflected this unique pattern in the Oompa Loompa's socks and sleeves, as well as Wonka's cane topper.

These costume schemes worked well with Burton's frequent use of religious, occult, and/or gothic themes. In fact, the use of such themes is almost a trademark of Burton films. In Sleepy Hollow, the entire plot circulated around the occult and witchcraft, especially since it was the method used to summon the Headless Horseman. In Edward Scissorhands, Esmeralda was a character portrayed as overly religious, and this was emphasized by showing her religious decorations in her house, as well as her accusations of Edward's arrival as having something to do with Satan. And while Charlie and the Chocolate Factory didn't address religion directly, Burton's gothic black and white stripes appeared in many of the wardrobe elements.

Besides the recurrent costume and religious/occult themes, Burton's films also feature themes of wealth vs. poverty. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Veruca Salt was a spoiled brat who had the blessings of wealth, but Charlie Bucket's humble family lived in extreme poverty. In Sleepy Hollow, Van Tassel was a wealthy farmer, and this wealth served as an important part of the plot. Likewise, in Edward Scissorhands, Edward lived in a mansion, while the people below lived in the suburbs. These differences in classes or status often appear in Burton's films.

In addition to the "rich vs. poor" theme, Burton also likes to open his films using similar techniques. All three films opened with eerie or dramatic music, along with flashes of scenes of machinery or some other interesting process taking place. In fact, complex gadgets and manufacturing machinery are common in Burton's films, and he almost always uses these imaginative gadgets as a backdrop of the story. Long shots are often used in the beginning as well, and they help to establish the context of the town.

Another evidence of auteur theory in Burton's films is that he often works with the same actors and film professionals. For example, Johnny Depp is the star in all three of these films. Burton's trend of reusing actors is also present in his other films. He is also known to work with actors such as Vincent Price, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Helena Carter. By forming an ongoing working relationship with these actors, Burton is able to communicate and incorporate his visions and unique style into every film.

Furthermore, the main character in all three of these films has this one thing in common: He has a quirky, "misfit" personality, yet he also possesses a certain level of genius. Edward Scissorhands does not fit in well with society, yet he sculpts incredible landscapes and cuts hair like a seasoned professional. Wonka is very socially awkward and must rely on index cards when addressing a crowd, yet he is clearly a business and manufacturing genius when it comes to his chocolate empire. Ichabod Crane's character also follows this trend: He is a "by the book" guy who doesn't follow the norm, yet he is incredibly inventive with gadgets, and has an impeccable sense of intuition when solving crimes.

Finally, when developing each of these main characters' background stories, Burton often employs the same editing technique: the flashback. Burton uses this technique to tell the parental conflicts or tragedies that likely led to some of the personality quirks in his characters, and this is noteworthy in all three films. In Edward Scissorhands, Edward witnessed the tragic death of his "creator." In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, flashback editing revealed that Wonka had an overbearing father who demanded abstinence from all junk food. And in Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod had flashbacks of his father's brutal killing of his mother.

In conclusion, Tim Burton's rare talent as a director, writer, artist, and animator has led to an overwhelming and unmistakable influence in each of his films. Burton has consistently used stylistic elements that even novice film fans can easily recognize, including contrasting colors and gothic apparel. His frequent use of themes such as religion and wealth add to his unmistakable style. Finally, characters in Burton's films exhibit both quirks and brilliance, and Burton relies on familiar actors to give these peculiar performances. All of these elements combine to create an unmistakable brand on Tim Burton's films-so much so that auteur theory becomes essentially provable. Because of Burton's unique artistic influence, many of his films have stood the test of time, and they will likely be relevant for decades to come. Although some critics may deny the auteur theory, Burton's overpowering use of recurrent stylistic themes in the mise-en-scene elements, character quirks, and cinematography clearly demand its existence.

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Tim Burton is an incredibly talented director, writer, artist, and animator. His unique artistic ability has enabled him to influence unforgettable films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and more.

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Tim Burton spent the majority of his childhood as an outsider. He grew up in suburbia (Burbank, California) and because he wasn’t like everyone else, he was often misunderstood. His childhood experiences living in the suburbs left him with the belief that society tries to stifle anything that makes people individual. His anti-society views started early on.

Burton spent a lot of his time as a child watching horror films (especially monster movies) and drawing. He enjoyed watching films with monsters who were misunderstood by those around them. The films that moved him were mainly stop-motion animations and films that reflected German Expressionism. Before he started directing his own films, he enjoyed the conceptual work he was able to do for Disney studios.

He was very introspective, looking at things in a symbolic and very poetic way. While he was not an avid reader, he did identify with the work of Edgar Allan Poe, Dr Seuss and Roald Dahl for its imagery and symbolism.

His experiences as a child helped give him a distinct point of view that now shapes his films in adult life. It’s these beliefs that give his work their own distinct style.

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The auteur theory was first developed by New Wave directors, including Jean-Luc Goddard, as a way of distinguishing those who merely follow scripts and stick to the limitations placed on them by studios from those who impose their own vision onto their projects.

This theory has its fair share of critics. There are those who see film-making as a collective effort, and therefore it is unfair to see the final product as the sole work of the director. There are also actors, lighting and sound engineers, set designers, makeup artists, cinematographers, composers, screenwriters and film editors involved in the process who contribute a great deal to the project. While most of these artists contribute to the overall mise-en-scene (set design, character's behaviour,...), auteur critics do acknowledge that it is the mise-en-shot (camera positioning, duration of each shot, framing) that make the difference between films and can distinguish certain directors from everyone else.

Films made by Tim Burton are easily identifiable. They incorporate his beliefs and values. They feature actors and crew members that are frequently a part of his team. Furthermore, the stories are told from his perceptive, both in terms of themes and the style ( mise-en-shot).

Keeping genre, themes, mise-en-scene, and mise-en-shot in mind, these notes will analyse a number of Tim Burton films to prove that he is, in fact, an auteur in every sense of the word.

Burton's Point of View

Tim Burton spent the majority of his childhood as an outsider. He grew up in suburbia (Burbank, California) and because he wasn't like everyone else, he was often misunderstood. His childhood experiences living in the suburbs left him with the belief that society tries to stifle anything that makes people individual. His anti-society views started early on.

Burton spent a lot of his time as a child watching horror films (especially monster movies) and drawing. He enjoyed watching films with monsters who were misunderstood by those around them. The films that moved him were mainly stop-motion animations and films that reflected German Expressionism. Before he started directing his own films, he enjoyed the conceptual work he was able to do for Disney studios.

He was very introspective, looking at things in a symbolic and very poetic way. While he was not an avid reader, he did identify with the work of Edgar Allan Poe, Dr Seuss and Roald Dahl for its imagery and symbolism.

His experiences as a child helped give him a distinct point of view that now shapes his films in adult life. It's these beliefs that give his work their own distinct style.

His Signature

Genre

Due to his love for the unconventional, his films fit quite comfortably in the fantasy genre. They incorporate characters that one would not usually find, in situations that would never occur in the real world. For example, you would not find a ghost who wants to marry a human in real life. Nor would you come across a resurrected dog or someone who is able to chop hedges with his Scissorhands.

His films are characteristically quirky; they explore concepts that could never exist in the real world. Since his films are so typically 'fantasy', audiences come to expect quirky, unusual stories when a film is associated with him. However, even though they feature things that do not really exist, the films are centred around themes that are very human and relatable.

Themes

Since he is inspired by his childhood, his films his work has an element of whimsy, wonder and naivety. His heroines are usually kind-hearted and naive in a childlike manner, just like Victor in Frankenweenie or Edward in Edward Scissorhands. Along with the childlike innocence, he also explores dark themes, like Death in Beetlejuice or resurrection in Frankenweenie. He appreciates the fact that everyone has two sides to his or her personality and so, all of his films explore this delicate, contrasting balance of innocence/darkness and good/bad.

In accordance with the genre and his personal experiences, his heroines are usually different from other people in some way. They are misunderstood by those around them and as a result, they are alienated from others. This is exactly the case in Edward Scissorhands. When forced out of his house and into the centre of town, he is met with hostility because he is different from everyone else. People assume he is mean, violent and dangerous because of his hands when he actually the complete opposite.

His films also explore social issues such as peer pressure and conformity. Once again Edward Scissorhands is a good example of this. Society tries to force Edward to conform to their rules, by making him look like them, getting him to go to school and get a job and forcing him to behave the way they do. When he is unable to conform to their rules, he is rejected by nearly everyone in the town and forced back to the outskirts of town (and society).

Even when he is remaking a classic film, the original story is weaved around these themes in such a way that even though he didn't originally create the story, his version is very true to who he is and recognisable as his own. For example, both of his Batman films are darker than the rest and they explore social breakdown.

However, it is important to understand that a 'Tim Burton' film isn't merely a fantasy film or a film that includes the themes mentioned. His films add an extra element. It is his treatment of these things that makes his work distinct and establishes him as an auteur.

Filmmaking

This auteur has complete control over how his films look and feel. He has a say in everything present in each scene, from the actors to the symbols ever present in his films that help tell the narrative and reach audiences on a sub-conscious level.

As shown in original sketches he does during the process of making every one of his films, he envisioned the way the characters were supposed to look and feel and translated this vision to those working with him, who were then able to capture this vision on screen. What we see on screen is, in fact, a representation of the thoughts and ideas spilling out of his head.

He uses the set and the characters movements as instruments to send a message that he personally believes in. In a scene from Edward Scissorhands, Burton shows suburbia as being a mass of houses (in varying colours yet all exactly the same) with green hedges and cars parked neatly in the driveway. Everything is so stripped of individuality, yet the people are convinced that they are 'unique'. This setting is significant and created for a reason to further the audience's understanding of the narrative. Burton uses it to make a point about how conforming society is and how very little originality exists within it. These are his own beliefs coming through, and they are important in order to appreciate the character of Edward and to understand why his very unique abilities are looked down upon.

It is also important to mention the recurrent symbols present in his films. They are images that mean something to him and show up in all of his work in one way or another. The most common symbols include bats, dogs, skeletons, spiders, topiaries, black and white stripes, a model town and a graveyard setting. Most of these references stem back from his love of horror films and his upbringing. Big Fish features spiders and topiaries. Beetlejuice features a model town, a graveyard, a dog, and black and white stripes. The Nightmare before Christmas features bats, skeletons, and skulls. These symbols help make up Tim Burton's signature.

While it does take a team of professionals to create a film and therefore it could be argued that it could never be entirely according to the director's vision, Burton's use of particular actors and crew members who understand his vision allows him to create art that is quite true to him.

Johnny Depp has been in a number of his film, along with Helena Bonham Carter, Winona Rider, Conchata Ferrell, Martin Landou, Catherine O' Hara and Micheal Keaton just to name a few. These actors are able to take Burton's direction on who their characters are and how they behave and portray his characters exactly the way he would like them to be.

Tim Burton has also worked with composer Danny Elfman quite frequently. He creates the music for nearly all of Burton's films, taking the director's notes and translating it into music that matches his vision of how the film must be. When he is working on an animated film, he frequently works with Tim Allen. He knows that collaborating with people who understand what he wants out of his films produces work that audiences can easily identify.

As explained in his book, he doesn't include people in his films because he believes they will make the film commercially successful. He chooses them because they connect with his material. Just like he understands and relates to it, he makes the active choice to cast people who can relate to his films on a deeper level. At times, his choices have been criticised by the media and the Hollywood studios he was working with, but he always remains true himself and what feels right to him.

His influence is also apparent in the way the films are put together. Coming from an animation background, his style is very visual. He likes to incorporate a number of special effects, including stop-motion animation. Inspired by Super 8 films from the past, he has used this effect in Beetlejuice, The Nightmare before Christmas and Frankenweenie.

Conclusion

... an auteur is able to maintain a consistency of style and theme by working against the constraints of the Hollywood mode of production."

- Warren Buckland

The Batman films proved to be very difficult for Tim Burton. He was under severe pressure from the studio and media on all of the choices he made. Despite all of the opposition, he made the films the way he thought they should be. His versions treated the material in a way that remained true to his aesthetic. While the films were not well received by the public, he still looks back on the film proudly because he made the film he wanted to make.

Tim Burton has done many things in his career, but there is an underlying link between all of his work that makes it very clearly a Burton creation. His films are deeply personal; they come from his own feelings and beliefs which he translates onto the screen. A 'Tim Burton' film is about more than the storyline, or even the characters, but about the overall feeling, it sends to its audience that is relatable and identifiable.

He makes films that are true to who he is. When pressured to conform to studio rules or to what is 'marketable', he puts his own vision above all else and ironically, it has made him quite successful. He is a true auteur because, in every possible sense, he makes films his way.

More from Auteurs

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Keeping themes, mise-en-scene, and more in mind, these notes analysis Tim Burton films to prove that he is in fact an auteur in every sense of the word. This theory has its fair share of critics. There are those who see film-making as a collective effort, and therefore it is unfair to see the final product as the sole work of the director.

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On Monday we had to do a presentation about a director who fits in with auteur theory. Auteur theory is the belief that the most successful films are successful due to the directors distinct style. I...

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As a child Tim’s parents had a turbulent relationship, leaving him shy and reserved. His father, was slightly neglective of Burton and this affected his relationship with his parents. This type of alienated relationship between parents can be reflected in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, whereas, Willie Wonka has a bad relationship with his controlling, careless father. Willie is clearly upset by their relationship and this could be contextual to his childhood, growing up with his dad.

Tim’s school life showed little promise with his work not being ‘exceptional’ or of high standards. He was an outcast at school, he dressed different from the other kids and being more shy and reserved than others, struggled to make friends and soon become isolated from society. This can be hugely reflected in all his movies whereas the main characters go against the hegemonic ideal (mainstream characters such as jocks, and cool kids), and are usually estranged and alienated from society. This type of reflection is dramatised however in his movie interpretations, especially in Edward Scissorhands, where not only is he completely different, mentally and physically, from the surrounding public, but he physically cannot make contact with people because of the sharp fingers her owns, this type of separation and lust to fit into society is obviously exemplified… This misunderstood character is stereotyped and questioned constantly by the perfect surrounding suburban society, convenient considering that the outcast Tim Burton lived in a suburban town in Burbank, California, a shiny conventional town in which Burton did not fit into.

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Tim Burton is one of those directors who has an easily identifiable visual style. Almost all of his films revel in gothic imagery. From the characters themselves, to the props, to the houses and cities where the films take place are sculpted in an an exaggerated, almost cartoonish way to emphasize “goth” features. One the most obvious and famous examples of this type of style is the costume and makeup for Edward Scissorhands, who looks like he belongs in some sort of creepy goth punk rock band. Not only is the character himself gothic, but he lives in an old gothic mansion. This is similar to the visuals in Beetlejuice. Not only is the main character’s presentation very punk rock, but the entire film takes place in a creepy old haunted Victorian home. Another great example is Burton’s Batman where the gloomy, almost industrial streets of Gotham City are strewn with ornate details. Not to mention Burton’s Batmobile, which mimicked the sweeping lines and elaborated details of classic 30’s custom coach designs. In his later films, Burton uses CGI to expand the impact of his visuals even more. Alice and Wonderland features multiple characters generated by CGI so that their proportions are exaggerated to emphasize their gothic stylings.

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The latest in movie, gaming, and all things geek related.

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In Tim burton's films his characters are created colourfully and dramatically, and more often than not the characters are dressed in costumes that are considered to be weird, eccentric and even grotesque. An example of this is willy wonka as Burton gives willy wonka a swishy hair cut which is comical in appearance as well as crazy which matches how Burton wanted the character to act as Burton’s personality is often crazy and he likes to put this in to his movies. The umpa lumpas can also be seen wearing strange bright shiny red costumes in some of the songs.

Similar in Alice in wonderland the mad hatter can be seen with a bright red crazy hair cut that extends so far out on each side that it come out from under his top hat which is also made to look like a mad man made it which one did. The mad hatter is given light green eyes which stand out with the pale face and the pink eye shadow with pink blush on the cheekbones to make them more prominent as well as red lipstick. It seems like Burton looks at a character and tries to take it to the extreme as well as more mysterious and dramatic while also making each thing compliment each other. This can also been seen with the white queen as she wears a white dress has white skin and hair and has black lipstick and black eyebrows this is done so that she is beautiful but in a haunting sort of way.

This is also supported by Edward scissor hands as he has a dark black bodysuit, scissors for hands, crazy black hair, pale skin, cuts all over his skin and dark eye shadow around his eyes. The village is where Tim Burton then puts all of the colourfulness.

All this supports the type of Mise-en-scene that Tim Burton has and that is dark, mysterious, freaky and weird.

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With cinematography an example of this is Tim Burton’s the nightmare before christmas. As cinematography is telling stories through camera work them the nightmare before christmas is a good example as it takes a lot to tell the story as the movie shows jack speaking a lot and he has a different face for a, e, i, o and u and thy same for many letters of the alphabet so they must be changed a lot. All the hard work to do so will be for nothing if they dont show it off so they get jack's face a lt in different angles and because he has so many faces they can give him any expression they want. Because it is stop motion every single frame must have a purpose as it is very difficult and time consuming to create a stop motion movie and a lot of it is to show off the costumes and the gruesome expressions which he can make his creations make.

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Tim Burton uses a lot of gothic sound as well as dark mysterious sounds and some scary. Like the sound of thunder. Sound is actually the main cinematic technique Tim Burton uses in his movies, and there are two types of sound diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic is a sound where the character in a film can hear as well as the audience like thunder in frankenweenie, bones shaking in the corpse bride and the sound of objects hitting the flour which is in a lot of the films. Non-diegetic is sound not for the character but only for the audience to hear and this can be the music playing over some scenes which happens a lot in Burton films and sound made for suspense as well as gothic sounds for the audience to get the feel of the film. A example of non-diegetic is edward scissorhands where he is taken to the house for the first time and a upbeat happy sound is heard by the audience to show that he is happy about what he can see and in the same movie when the women went into his house and a dark mooded song plays to match the setting.

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Different lighting is used in different type of scenes to show different things for example in alice in wonderland the lighting is dark in one scene when the hatter and alice are talking about something serious and the lighting shows that it is nighttime but also how the characters are feeling it also brings out the more serious features of their faces.

Lighting is also used to demonstrate different things like an otherworldly feel like in beetlejuice when he is summoned the lighting goes dark and sometimes there is lightning the background.

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In most if not all of Tim Burton's film it represents the odd ball, weirdo or freak as the main character and/or hero to show that just because someone is like that does not mean they can’t do the same thing as other people. It also shows that being like that can make your life seem better and more enjoyable.

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In a lot of tim burton films people with a pudgy face is sometimes a weasel and should not be trusted and this could be due to when the face is pudgy the eyes look more sunken in and with the right makeup and training the actor to stair can look menacing. He also uses flashbacks a lot as they help to explain a character's backstory a lot. Tim Burton also uses a lot of the same actors as they have worked together a lot and each knows what the other wants and is looking for. Monsters are used a lot as they set boundaries and give the main character to work to get rid of.

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I will be using sweeney todd as an example of what things are used in tim burton's movies.

Mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound, lighting, representations

During the opening credits there is dark and eerie music to set the tone of the movie as it is a dark movie. The movie is also sad as the movie has many sad themes in it. There is thunder to add more to the tone as it is raining as well to show that there have been a lot of tears shed in these characters lives and many shocks as well.

The images show at the start of the movie show the location and how dark it is which shows it will be a dark movie, there are also coges in the start showing that there are many cogs working at once which will become the final piece in which the movie will take place. Then more coges will start until they all suddenly stop at the end. There is also blood dripping arpun which shows you there will be a lot of blood. The images at the beginning also show what kind of art style the movie is going for. It also show the most important objects to the movie.

The sound changes a lot once the movie properly starts as it goes from a dark melody to a nice sweet melody and this is done because sweeney todd has just arrived back to london on a bout after being released from prison also he is about to sing. There is also the sounds of wind, water and sound from the boat to make the boat itself seem more realistic. The music is nice when the sailor is on screen but when sweeny todd comes on scene the music turns to be more twisted and distorted. When sweeny is talking about wanders the music is happy but when he sing about londone it does twisted again to show how he feels about it. When sweeny sings about his wife the music all happy.

The scene itself as well as the people are quite dark from the beginning but when sweeny is having a flashback about his wife the scene as well as the characters and their costumes are very bright.

When sweeny todd is singing about lundon he says many bad things about it and there are sounds of rats and thunder that supports what he is saying. Also the one he is using is one of disgust.

The scene then speeds up and goes a twisted walk to the location that sweeny todd is going and it shows that everything is dark and disgusting.

Sound is added to show show what the character is doing and it is making pies music then starts with the same timing of her pie hitting and when she sees sweeny the music goes happy as she is happy there is a customer. Sound is also added to show how sloppy and disgusting the pie filling is. Sounds of discus are made by sweeny to show how bad the pies are.

In the music small fast notes are used to build up tension fast as the scene is moving fast as well.

Quite deep notes are used when talking about something sad and serious. Music is also used to build up some tension then slow longer notes are used to represent nostalgia and memories.  Faster long notes are used to show happy nostalgia when meeting something which sweeney todd has not seen in a long time.

The shot is dollied out as to show a lot of london and that sweeney todd as truly returned in his full self to this place and everything is put into a bigger picture also to show that the wheels of fate are in motion.

For the crazy old women twisted singing is used to show that she is crazy and wrong but also they don’t show her face and they also keep her face area dark as foreshadowing and not to show you who she is as that is a secret.

With the characters their eyes are made to look sunk in and when they want to look menacing shadows are put in the eyes sometimes blocking out the eyes so that they look more menacing.

The kettle sound is used to represent sweeney todd’s anger and when it hits max he uses the kettle to hit the other man with. Fast shots are used for each hite so that it can show how buttle the hits are and to hide the fact they the are not really fighting.