The Tim Burton Aesthetic
an independent study by: angela frugone
In my independent study, the first director I chose to study was Tim Burton. His films seemed to be shot through a lense that evidently made the weird- fascinating and engaging. This unconventional formula Burton utilizes helps him gain a mainstream popularity for his films. Weird and different works in this case shouldn’t have that and that’s what makes me so interested to figure out why. This essay will explore not only what techniques in cinematography, editing, and overall stylistic choices Tim Burton made in his films; but also his implications in doing so. In turn, one can further their understanding in what makes Tim Burton singular in his craft.
My objective was to watch two of Burton’s films and analyze what defines his stylistic look. I chose the films, Corpse Bride (2005) and Vincent (1982) . To give context, “Corpse Bride explores the idea that the dead are more free from oppression than the living. Victor and Victoria’s families have arranged their marriage. Though they like each other, Victor is nervous about the ceremony. While he’s in a forest practicing his lines for the wedding, a tree branch becomes a hand that drags him to the land of the dead. It belongs to Emily, who was murdered after eloping with her love and wants to marry Victor. Victor must get back aboveground before Victoria marries the villainous Barkis Bittern”. Additionally, in Tim Burton’s short film Vincent, “… is a humorous look at a suburban boy named Vincent who reads Edgar Allan Poe and identifies with horror film star Vincent Price.” After analyzing each of the films, it is apparent there are overlaps in cinematography techniques and stylistic choices. “The horror film genre is part of the foundation of Tim Burton’s personality and body of work. His philosophy of life and film is partly shaped by the possibilities he has long seen in the realm of dark cinematic fantasy.”
Tim Burton’s stylistic choices are consistent within his line of work. To start, color is extremely pertinent in his means of storytelling. Whether it is the stark contrast of color between two scenes shown in the Corpse Bride, or the lack of color all together, as seen in Vincent. Corpse Bride is monochromatic with a slight hue of blue only when in the living world. However, when the viewer is presented with the underworld, it’s eccentric, and vibrant with neon colors. Additionally, Corpse Bride utilizes lighting to enhance its ambiance. Light, fog, and shadow are frequently used to help heighten a pivotal moment in the plot and add mystery. The transition between shadows being cast on the floor to shadows being cast on the wall, increases drama and adds to the scene. The juxtaposition of color emphasizes the tone and mood of each “world,” because they are so much different with one another.
Additionally, in Tim Burton’s Vincent, it is monochromatic. Tim Burton utilizes black and white with a heavy underpinning on shadows and hard lighting. The juxtaposition in the short film is primarily involving the different identities Vincent embodies and is conflicted between rather than a shift between eccentric colors and monochromatic visuals like the Corpse Bride.
Furthermore, there is an architecture that is almost branded to be of his signature. The use of color and architecture can highlight the themes or symbols that are constant in his movies as well. They all surround pain and being an outcast of sorts; being out of the ordinary. In Corpse Bride, Emily feels pain because of a broken heart and Victor is an outcast and awkward when he is in the living world and the underworld. As the story progresses and the characters begin to develop, Victor is no longer awkward and Emily tosses blue roses towards Victoria. In Vincent, he feels differently from the actual reality surrounding him. Vincent is a seven-year-old boy who is not troubled by his family and live an ordinary life. However, in his head, Vincent Malloy is Vincent Price — a troubled man who smokes, performs experiments on his dog and found out his wife was buried alive. Visually in the short film there is a harsh juxtaposition of the double life he lives in. For example, when Vincent finds out that his wife has been buried alive, he goes to dig up her grave to see if it is true. However, the scene dramatically changes from his “wife’s” grave to her mother’s innocent flower bead. In terms of visual appeal, this is something Tim Burton values greatly.
Additionally, Tim Burton’s fastidious nature towards his representation of his characters should be noted. Additionally, as I learned in my IB Theater class, there is a very precise way his characters are contoured (makeup-wise) in the films. There is a rough contouring on the face. The dark contour is dark red. Purple, blue and black pigments are used for underneath the eyes. The title character usually has very thin, small lips and is played down with a white face. Both Vincent and Victor have a teardrop shaped face, with a thin nose and black hair that seems to represent their personality. In respect to how the characters relate to the story, Tim Burton wanted his characters to be understandable. The stories he tells are fables and he defines that as something the audience would probably not believe, but the could understand and empathize with. That was his primary objective. In his cinematography, Tim Burton loved close up shots of the face. I think he did that to put an increased focus on the raw emotions of the face as shown in both Corpse Bride and Vincent- which should definitely be taken note of. Here is a dramatic close- up of Vincent’s eyes, relaying his emotion.
After analyzing the Burton style of storytelling, there are certain things that I can pick out to become a better filmmaker and incorporate into my “Burton” short film. I need to put an outcast in a vulnerable situation and make it weird. I learned that you must make the audience care and one can do that by making either the character or the situation appealing. I must make a large emphasis in the contrast of color and how that affects the story. I also know I should put a large emphasis on the emotions of the human face and how there can be an absence of dialogue. With this basis of criteria within his work, it’ll help me make a short film utilizing his techniques.
