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Index
Post A: Brief
Post B: Creative Investigation Details
Post C: Creative Investigation- Stage 1
Post D: Creative Investigation- Stage 2
Post E: Creative Investigation- Stage 3
Post F: Creative Investigation- Stage 4
Post G: Creative Investigation- Stage 5
Post H: Film Genre
Post I: Story Board/ Animatic
Post J: Initial Ideas
Post K: Recce Report/ Risk Assessment/ Release Forms
Post L: Synopsis & Script
Post M: Screen Tests
Post N: Shooting/ Editing Schedules
Post O: Rough Edit
Post P: Final Edit
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Post N: Shooting/ Editing Schedules
Shooting Schedule:
Editing Schedule:
As I don’t have to software at home to edit my short film together I am going to edit it at college on an iMac using software Final Cut Pro. The dates I am going to edit are as follows;
3rd April- 12.40 PM-1.15 PM
4th April- 12.40 PM- 1.15 PM
5th April- 12.40 PM- 1.15 PM
6th April- 12.40 PM- 1.15 PM
7th April- 12.40 PM- 1.15 PM
(If more needed I am going to edit the following week on days, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th if necessary)
AFTER EDITING MY SHORT FILM- THOSE DAYS WITHIN THE BRACKETS WERE NOT NEEDED AND I MANAGED TO EDIT WITH ONLY THE WEEK THAT I PREVIOUSLY STATED
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Post M: Screen Tests
Jasmin Shepard
26/01/2017
Shot 1
THE UNDERTAKING
Jasmin Shepard
26/01/2017
Shot 2
THE UNDERTAKING
This actor had the beautiful face which I would like my protagonist to have however she has a young looking face therefore would be difficult to make her look older. For this reason I have decided to not choose her for my protagonist.
Luke Uglow
26/01/2017
Shot 1
THE UNDERTAKING
Luke Uglow
26/01/2017
Shot 2
THE UNDERTAKING
I thought I’d audition a male to be my protagonist to see what he looked like in the screen tests because Tim Burton’s protagonists are usually male however after consideration I have decided to not cast him as the role because I feel like a female protagonist can portray the feelings and emotion that I want my protagonist to have.
Jasmine Williamson
29/01/2017
Shot 1
THE UNDERTAKING
Jasmine Williamson
26/01/2017
Shot 2
THE UNDERTAKING
I chose to audition Jasmine because she has very dark features which look would look effective within the narrative of my short film.She looks mature in the face but also very innocent therefore I think this would create an overall good effect of the character. Because of these reasons I have chosen to use Jasmine as the main actor/ protagonist within my short film.
youtube
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Post L: Synopsis & Script
COMPLETE A SCENE BY SCENE IN DEPTH DESCRIPTION INCLUDING MICROS
For my short film I want there to be a theme of man vs society/ himself for this I want to have my main protagonist as a witch because this fits in with the genre of dark fantasy. I want her to walk around some different locations being sad that she doesn’t fit in with the normality of society.
Scene 1:
Begin the film in forest with the witch looking sad then beginning her journey.
Cinematography to include:
Close ups of her face to highlight the emotions that she portrays.
Long shots to show the location of the actor because the forest shows the genre (a dismal, creepy looking forest is stereotypical for the dark fantasy genre).
Medium shot to show the body language of the actor which will help further to show the emotions.
Editing to include:
Continuity editing because although the genre doesn’t necessarily need to have a realistic narrative personally I think realism within films is highly effective and therefore want to include continuity editing to create realism.
Eye-line match towards the mirror.
Mise- en Scene to include:
The costume I want my actor to wear is something dark so it will contrast with the colourful nature but dismal location (for example colourful grass but dismal and ran down train tracks).
I want the make-up to be dark as well to enhance the fact that she’s a witch without giving her a pointy hat.
The first location I want to be in the forest because this provides a feeling of fantasy for the audience as well as slight horror as an isolated location is a stereotypical location for a horror which fits into the dark part of the dark fantasy.
Include the prop of a mirror.
Sound to include:
I want to include realistic sounds so sounds of the witches surroundings.
Scene 2:
Cinematography to include:
Over the shoulder shot so can see the mirror.
Medium- long shot so the audience can see the body language.
Close up therefore to see the emotions of the witch.
Two shot when seeing someone walk past.
Medium close up when admiring the flowers.
Editing to include:
Continuity editing.
Eye-line match towards the person walking past.
Eye-line match to the ripped page of a magazine.
Eye-line match towards the flowers.
Mise-en Scene to include:
Props: Mirror/ magazine page/ flowers.
Location: Forest, different part to the first scene.
Set design: The colour contrast between the costume for the witch and the brightly coloured flowers.
Sound to include:
Include sounds of nature such as birds therefore making the shot realistic.
Scene 3:
Cinematography to include:
Extreme long shot whilst watching the trains go past.
Medium close-up to show her body language and how sad she feels.
Editing to include:
Possible slow motion (undecided).
Keep the camera still in the same place.
Mise-en Scene to include:
Props: Trains
Location: Sit on the wall next to the rail way lines.
Go on the opposite side and walk down the side.
Sound to include:
Wait until filmed to see how the train sounds like on the camera- if not good use sound clip.
Scene 4:
Cinematography to include:
Long shot- from behind when she’s walking up the stairs.
Medium long shot- from in front when she’s walking up the stairs.
Medium close- up- when searching around.
SCRIPT:
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Post K: Recce Report/ Risk Assessment / Release Forms
Recce Report:
RISK ASSESSMENT FORM
TALENT RELEASE FORM
REECE REPORT
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Post J: Initial Ideas
Narrative: For my short film I would like to begin my piece with my main protagonist looking sad amongst the decayed gravestones. I would like her to have quite dark makeup with a dark dress. She see’s beauty in the flowers that she’s carrying and wishes that she could be just as beautiful. She then goes on a long walk to find beauty and on the walk goes through man different locations stopping to look at the beauty among the nature. She then see’s people looking beautiful and wishes that she could be like them. No matter what she tries she cannot seem to make herself feel beautiful. She gets so angry that she cannot be what she wants to be therefore she gets angry. She then kills herself, when she’s dead I want there to be a handful of different shots of a close up clearing the dark makeup from her face and revealing that she was always beautiful but it’s too late now (battle with herself for insanity/ acceptance).
Theme: A key theme within Burtons films that I have studied is man vs himself/ society which is what I want to include in my short film this is because I think it can be portrayed effectively with only one main protagonist. I will watch all of my three focal films before filming my own short film to remind myself of the common conventions that Burton used in regards to micro-technical effects. A common theme within all of my chosen films is an inner battle with themselves for normality and acceptance. I think this is a very powerful idea and can be portrayed in a strong way when taking into consideration my own short film.
Genre: Because my focal films are by the director Tim Burton this means that my short film will fall into the genre of dark fantasy I’d like to include multiple locations which all are common within the dark fantasy genre. I would like to take ideas from all of my focal films.
Representation: The representations confirm to the genre. The gender roles within my short film show the ‘crazy witch’ which is a very stereotypical role for a woman to play within a horror/ fantasy film. Therefore my short film is following on with the stereotypical conventions.
Style: When creating my Creative Investigation I learnt a lot about the stylistic choices that Tim Burton uses within his film in particular the three focal film I have listed these below in categories relating to the micro technical features. These stylistic choices are used within Burton’s films and are very noticeable therefore I want to include most if not all of the features to make my film as Burtonesque as possible.
Editing:
A dark background then brightly coloured writing for the title sequence of the film.
Continuity editing.
Mise-en scene:
Basic locations/ nothing going on there apart from the narrative.
Dark setting.
Contrasting colour design (location and costume).
Cinematography:
Close-ups.
Point-of-view shot.
Sound:
Little to no sound unless needed other than a flowing soundtrack in the back. Only small bits of dialogue if necessary.
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Post H: Film Genre
iIconography
Iconography is the use of images/ symbols that can be used to portray a subject.
Location:
In regards to my short film I began to look into my specific genre which is gothic fantasy. Whilst looking at this in relation to my short film I have decided to look at the visual, stereotypical locations for my genre to give me an idea on what to base the narrative of my short film on and whether the location will be a main aspect. Therefore, I created a moodboard to give me ideas of places which are reachable for me to film in. When creating this I discovered that the majority of stereotypical locations in regards to the gothic fantasy genre are usually dark, which gives the aesthetic feel of the image to be sinister. I have come to discover that the stereotypical location for a fantasy film is somewhere like a wood or a city somewhere believable but also includes a slight ‘magical’ feel. Woods and forests are a good location to have due to them being around through history and them having a creepy feel due to the unknowingness of past they have.
Conventions of a dark fantasy film:
A dark fantasy film has the same stereotypical conventions as a regular fantasy film however they also include features from the horror and thriller genre.
Often has a simplistic story line/ script.
Common themes such as Man vs Evil or Man vs Himself.
Secondary Worlds.
I have found when researching the dark fantasy genre that it often either has conventions from horror of fantasy therefore a list of horror conventions include:
Isolated locations.
Dark iconography.
Common objects/props (knives/ weapons/ religious icons)
Themes- madness, insanity.
Films with the same genre include:
Coraline
Maleficent
The Lord of the Rings
The Hobbit
Harry Potter
Snow White and the Huntsman
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Pan’s Labyrinth
Beetlejuice
Links to Creative Investigation:
Within my creative investigation it talks about the theme chooses Tim Burton uses which are all spoken about in relation to stereotypical horror and fantasy conventions. Burton also has a stereo typically dark and isolated convention. Burton follows a lot of the stereotypical conventions of both the fantasy and horror genres which are spoken about in depth within my creative investigation.
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Post G: Creative Investigation- Stage 5
CREATIVE INVESTIGATION
For my Creative Investigation, I will be exploring to what extent Tim Burton can be considered an auteur. I aim to investigate whether Burton could be suggested an auteur through being the director and producer. Key frame works that will underpin my study are style, theme and collaborations. I will look into Andrew Sarris’ theory of three premises of excellence, which are technical competence, distinguishable personality and interior meaning. I will be looking into all three aspects and seeing how Burton merges these within his style and whether he could interpret ‘Interior Meaning’ as having ‘reoccurring themes. Many film critics point out that filmmaking is part of a system Andre Bazin’s theory states that an auteur is “the genius of the system”, I will be further looking into this and coming to the conclusion of whether Burton can be considered that ‘genius’. I will focus my study on the following key texts; A Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993), Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990) and Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton, 2010). In this essay, I specifically aim to answer the question as to whether or not Tim Burton can deem the true auteur for his films. I chose this question because many people involved within the creation of a film can deem the title as auteur and I aim to find out whether Burton himself can deem the title for his films.
I intend to study into the depths of three specific sectors within Burton’s films, those being:
Style: How does Burton ‘write with the camera’ which is a theory from Alexandra Astruc and whether or not Burton has pioneered any specific techniques used within his films?
Theme: What are Burton’s key themes that he uses commonly throughout his bodies of work?
Collaborations: How he acknowledges the importance of other roles involves within the making of his films.
The main question of which I am going to address is:
To what extent can Tim Burton be considered an auteur, as both a director and a producer?
Primary Research Texts
Filmography:
Item 1: A Nightmare Before Christmas: Henry Selick (1993: Touchstone Pictures)
I chose this to be one of my main texts as Henry Selick was the director of the film and Burton was the producer and I aim to answer the question of the acknowledgments of the film and why it is considered to be more of a Burton film rather than Selick’s.
Item 2: Edward Scissorhands: Tim Burton (1990: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporations)
I chose this as a main text within my Investigation as from this I want to investigate whether Burton follows Sarris’s theory of ‘Distinguishable Personality’ in relation to style and ‘Interior Meaning’ in relation to theme.
Item 3: Alice in Wonderland: Tim Burton (2010: Walt Disney Pictures)
I chose this film as a main text as I thought it would be interesting as it is an adaptation and I wanted to investigate whether he can claim authorship or not due to the film not being an original.
Secondary Research Texts
Item 4: Blanc, M, L & Odell, C. (2010) Tim Burton: The pocket essential: Other Skellingtons in the Closet- Burton as Producer, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). London: Pocket Essentials.
I found this useful to include in my essay because specifically, it gives a quote from Henry Selick in which he states that he’s upset with the credit that Burton got from the film and the lack of credit he got as a director.
Item 5: Raphael, A. (2016) Tim Burton: ‘Alice is a very annoying, odd little girl’. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/mar/06/tim-burton-alice-wonderland-guardian
I think this article will be useful to include into my essay as it talks about collaborations (Johnny Depp) and it also talks about the theme of loneliness which is a key sub-topic.
Item 6: Bradshaw, P. (2016) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children review- amiable Tim Burton fantasy. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/29/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children-review-tim-burton-ransom-riggs
This source is from an online interview, which, mainly talks about the film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Although it isn’t related to my essay, it talks about Burton’s personality concerning filming such as; how he relates his films to photographs, he also talks about themes within his films and how he likes to film in England because he likes the texture of the country. This video interview can relate to my text through my sub-topic of theme.
Item 7: Blanc, M, L & Odell, C. (2010) Edward Scissorhands (1990). London: Pocket Essentials.
In the text, there is a brief overview about the crew involved with the film Edward Scissorhands; it then gives an author’s comment in which he talks about stylistic choices for the film and collaborators.
Item 8: Depp, J & Burton, T (2006) A Nightmare Before Christmas. Mark Salisbury (ed) Burton on Burton. London, Faber and Faber.
In this text Burton talks about how the idea of making A Nightmare Before Christmas originally nobody wanted to make it when the first idea for it came around. He talks about his influences and about the characters levels of realism. Also included is why he likes making stop motion, about collaborators involved and the process of making the film and his involvement. Also about the financial aspects and why it was called ‘Tim Burtons A Nightmare Before Christmas’ although he was not producer. Including the sub-topics collaborators and style.
Item 9: Depp, J & Burton, T (2006) Edward Scissorhands. Mark Salisbury (ed) Burton on Burton. London, Faber and Faber.
In this text, Burton discusses the making of the film and the choices behind the visuals of the location, which can relate to my sub-topic of style.
Item 10: Mills, T. (2006) How German Expressionism influenced Tim Burton: A video essay. Available online http://www.openculture.com/2015/06/how-german-expressionism-influenced-tim-burton-a-video-essay.html
This text is a video essay which shows the similarities Burton’s films shares with German expressionism films such as Metropolis (Fritz Lang:2003) . This source will be a helpful to use within my piece as it shows the stylistic choices Burton uses within his films and his possible influences he had from German expressionism.
Item 11: Table of collaborators on all of Tim Burton’s films- All information found on Imdb.
Does Tim Burton have a distinguishable style to his films, how can you tell?
Alexandra Astruc is known for his notion of “Camera Stylo” which translates into the idea that a director should write with the camera just as a writer should with his pen. Tim Burton clearly has a recognisable style throughout all of his films, this can be shown through the mise-en scene such as the chosen costumes for the main protagonist within his films usually wear black and the locations are usually very shadowed. The dark and gothic take on all of his films means Burton can be easily identified regardless of the form of the film whether it be live action or stop-motion animation.
Even within the first few seconds of the each of my chosen films (items 1, 2 and 3) being shown, it holds a great Burtonesque feel through the editing. The title of the films are all in a distinguishable font which is clearly a creative choice by Burton as they have a great sense of gothic and dark features about them. A Nightmare before Christmas (1993), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Alice in Wonderland (2010) titles are all very similar. All of them have a dark if not black background therefore making the title itself be clearer. Most of his titles are in a bold colour. The colour choice for these titles is no coincidence and makes them distinguishable to Burton.
In Colin Odell’s text, it talks about Burton’s distinctive style of gothic and disjointed “Stylistically Edward Scissorhands represents a continuation of the design ethics of Beetlejuice and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure in its marrying of the twee and mundane with gothic and disjointed” (item7). As previously talked about gothic is very much shown through the mise-en scene of Burton’s films through costumes and locations of Burtons films. In all three of my primary sources, this is shown. In Edward Scissorhands (1990), Edward’s original house was the key location in the film this was very gothic looking. This is shown through a point of view shot and an eye-line match of the house from Peg’s car window. There is a juxtaposition of stylistic choices shown within the scene so as around the window there is perfectly cut grass and brightly painted houses and in contrast to this what is shown in the mirror is very dark and colourless, this suggests a dark reflection of a seemingly perfect world – this is a central concept to the gothic and to psychoanalytic film theory. This colour design choice really helps the audience to identify the key location, which will have the biggest impact on the film. In this case the big, the dark house will introduce the protagonist of the film.
In Alice in Wonderland, the main location is the Queen of Heart’s palace. This location is different to Edward Scissorhands as the actual location itself is dark and desolate however, the palace is white and red. The editing of the scene where the audience first see the Queen’s palace has made the surrounding area filled with darkness; the special effects included are clouds, dead trees and wasteland. This again shows a clear Burtonesque style as it is very dark, gloomy and sinister looking.
Much like both previous films A Nightmare before Christmas (1993) too has a main building that is a key location in the film. This one is Jack Skellington’s house, which looks much like the castle in Edward Scissorhands (1990). This too is very dark in relation to its surrounding; it also has an unconventional shape to it, a design which doesn’t seem viable for a ‘real house’ which is more easily done due to it being an animation however this specific mise-en scene still is distinguishable to Burton’s style. Almost like an M. C Escher drawing this may be artistic inspiration regarding the gothic and German Expressionism in Ted Mill’s video which shows how Burton is very stylistically similar to that of early German cinema such as Metropolis as it is similar to the tower of Bebel. Whether he is directly influenced has not been confirmed.
Throughout all of my primary sources, Burton uses continuity editing and mainly follows a linear narrative (apart from Edward Scissorhands which is a flash back on Kim’s life). This editing technique makes the film run smoother and become more realistic, especially in A Nightmare Before Christmas because it is filmed in stop-motion, by using continuity editing it makes the film include realism which is a key feature to Burton’s films. The continuity editing adds verisimilitude to unlikely/ impossible scenarios.
Not only did the mise-en scene of Burton’s films including the location and the colour design create a distinguishable stylistic effect of Burton’s films, but it could be argued that the characters are unique to Burton too and the costume/s which they wear. This was stated in item 9 when Burton said, “In typical Burtonesque fashion, the houses in this particular suburbia were slightly removed from reality by being painted various pastel shades”. In Edward Scissorhands there is a clear difference between what the protagonist is wearing compared to the rest of the cast this is because Burton wanted to
ensure that Edward was an outsider in the film. From the houses the gothic house was completely the opposite, much like Edward, they were both dark and gothic, which is a very typical style for Burton. This is shown clearly from the screenshots above as the ‘normal’ street and inside are very bright whereas Edwards’s house is very dark. Burton’s props very much followed the same rule when considering Edward Scissorhands. The props from within the mansion of which Edward was created was very much the opposite to the props in the house of Kim. It is clear to see within the screenshots as in Kim’s room (the top left screenshot) she has brightly coloured decorations on her mirror. On the other hand (top right screenshot) Edward had near to no props within the mansion of which he came from however it difficult to distinguish because of the dark colour design which was added to the location.
Burton repeatedly uses specific cinematography, which is noticeable throughout his films. An example of one is a point-of-view shot, Burton uses this shot in each of my primary sources, this shows how Burton ‘writes with the camera’ (Astruc). This is effective as by using the perspective of the protagonist it allows the audience to feel a lot more involved in the narrative which is important because the protagonists are unique/ outsider (forcing us to take a nontrade view). It also shows the location, which shows the stylistic effects Burton includes in set design.
Does Tim Burton have a reoccurring theme within his films if so what are they?
Andrew Sarris states that a film is made up of a three premises of excellence, one of them being Interior Meaning relating to reoccurring themes within Burton’s films I concluded that within Burton’s films there is clear themes of isolation, loneliness. Peter Bradshaw Burton talks about his idea of the theme in relation to his films, “The theme fantasy vs reality those feelings as a teenager when you don’t feel connected to the world” (item 6). Burton talks about this a lot especially in regards to Edward Scissorhands.
Alice is an outsider because she is interested in going to Wonderland and everybody else calls her crazy. It is shown clearly at the engagement and is shown visually that Alice is isolated, this is through a key piece of dialogue “what an odd thing to say,” Hamish’s mum says to Alice. Words such as odd and mad are used frequently throughout the film this highlights the theme of being isolated from society and being different to everyone around you she is very different in Wonderland too. The mise-en scene in the engagement scene also shows how Alice differently to everyone else using make-up, she is very pale and therefore makes her look unique, not like anybody else in the scene. This effect is also used on Edward in Edward Scissorhands and is clearly used within Burton’s films to distinguish and separate the protagonist carrying the isolated and lonely theme as it makes both seem quire delicate and fragile.
The cinematography also helps to highlight Alice as being isolated, as due to her makeup being so pale the lighting upon Alice is commonly also brighter making her look slightly ethereal and therefore enhancing her inability to fit in.
Edward is different from society because he was originally isolated from it- kept away by his ‘father’ and inevitably did not even know how to fit into society’s ‘norms’. This is shown largely again the scene filmed in the car, Edward and Peg are within this scene. Edward is shown to be an outsider not only through stylistically looking the opposite to every other aspect of the film but also through his lack of knowledge about everyday life. The cinematography shows a lot of long shots of the people watch as the car drives past and each of them either stops what they’re doing or loses track because they’re staring at Edward which is shown from Edwards point of view.
Previous to the short scene in the car, the scene when Peg first meets Edward has some particularly key dialogue which suggests that Edward is a clear outsider from society, such as “Why’re you hiding back there”, this is a visual representation as to Edward physically isolating himself from the outside world, this is a key factor within the film. However Edward shows that he likes Peg and wants to please her and not be alone when she asks, “well why did you do it then?” in relation to attempt to steal from Jims house and he replies, “because you asked me to” this is similar to when a small boy doesn’t want to leave his mum. You can tell this further with a two of Edward and Peg in the car when Edward is smiling; this is the first time we see him smile in the film.
“Are you alone, do you live up here all by yourself?” is another piece of dialogue used within the scene. Alone, lonely and by yourself are terms that are used highly in the film this backs up the common theme which Burton is portraying. Also, the quote shows concern from Peg- and Edward being cared for is a sign of acceptance.
In A Nightmare Before Christmas, there is a scene in which Jack is singing the song ‘Jacks Lamnet’ which is a song about how he’s longing for something because he feels empty. Before the song begins, it shows Jack in a medium close-up showing that he looks sad; this cinematography is explained in the song.
The sound used is dialogue, which is said in song some of the lines used portrayed the theme of loneliness, an example of these are; “An emptiness began to grow”, “But who here would ever understand”, “if they only understood”. These lines clearly show that Jack feels isolated from the rest of the people within the film and that they do not understand.
Can Tim Burton be the auteur or do his collaborations within his film crew help him create his signature style and theme?
From research I have created a table showing all the collaborators Burton has worked with on not only all of my primary sources but all of his films which he has directed, this tabled helped me highly with my research (item 11)
This shows that Burton regularly works with the same crew when directing a film, mainly the same costume designer (Colleen Atwood), editor (Chris Lebenzon) and same musical score writer (Danny Elfman).
The stylistic and theme related points within my essay have all been in favour of Burton being the ‘true auteur’ however after researching Burton’s collaborations within my primary sources this is a contrary argument for this statement.
Firstly, A Nightmare Before Christmas wasn’t directed by Tim Burton, however is in fact a Henry Selick film. This confuses many of the viewers as it is known as ‘Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas’, Selick was the director of the film and Burton wrote it. Colin Odell’s text it discusses how it is more Burtonesque, “Burton’s themes are evident throughout: the misunderstood outsider who is basically good but rejected by so-called respectable society, and the love of the Gothic”, which is why it is highly mistaken. Henry said “I’m more upset about how much credit Tim Burton received on The Nightmare Before Christmas… I think his contributions cannot be denied. But I was the guy who made the film for close on three years of my life”, this suggests that Selick resented how Burton was praised upon the film’s release and was disappointed with his lack of ownership in relation to the film. Gore Vidal’s theory warned against ‘infallible directors’ meaning they are incapable of making mistakes/ being wrong this can link with the way Selick saw Burton.
Tim Burton states within his text, “There was talk of doing it as a kind of TV special, or doing it drawn. But I just didn’t want to do any of that. So, I decided to bury it, but always with that feeling I would do some time” (item 8) therefore Burton discontinued the production of A Nightmare Before Christmas. From within Item 8 the writer/ interviewer goes on to say “Despite Nightmares’ proximity to his heart, Burton passed on directing the project because of his commitment to Batman Returns and the pain-stakingly slow production period necessary to complete a project of this kind. Instead, he chose Henry Selick” meaning the original idea behind the film was Burton’s idea however, it was Selick who brought the film to life. However, In Colin Odell’s text it talks about how “He turned to scriptwriter Caroline Thompson who immediately empathised with the character and set about making a story” therefore, as Caroline wrote the story and script for the film this shows Burton needed Caroline when creating Edward Scissorhands and therefore it would not have been the same film without her.
Tim Burton very regularly collaborates with Johnny Depp, specifically nine of his films. Burton and Depp became good friends therefore Depp speaks highly of Burton, specifically in Amy Raphael’s article- Depp speaks about Burton “he is an artist, a genius, an oddball, an insane, brilliant brave, hysterically funny, loyal, nonconformist, honest friend” (item 5). However this could be argued that is it Johnny Depps performance in Burton’s films that makes the film or did Burton make Depp a star.
In conclusion I believe Burton can be called the auteur of his films with also his crew therefore it isn’t only he that can be main person behind the full film. From the table of collaborators, it shows that Colleen Atwood commonly creates the costumes used within Burton’s films which can be recognised through what is thought to be a Burtoneque style however Atwood is regularly behind the costumes rather than Burton. This is much like Danny Elfman, he more often than not writes the musical score for Burtons films which have now become very commonly associated with Burton. Burtons themes are all very similar because they are initially created as drawing by Burton but are actually brought to life and made happen by the work of the collaborators which Burton regularly uses, without the crew behind him; writing the script, creating the set design and the costumes and writing the musical scores which all can now be commonly related to being a Burtoneque film. Without the crew a Tim Burton film wouldn’t be a Tim Burton film.
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Post E: Creative Investigation- Stage 3
Research Presentation:
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Post D: Creative Investigation- Stage 2
Quotes from sources (primary & secondary):
Blanc, M, L & Odell, C. (2010) Tim Burton: The pocket essential: Other Skellingtons in the Closet- Burton as Producer, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). London: Pocket Essentials.
“Burton’s themes are evident throughout: the misunderstood outsider who is basically good but rejected by so-called society, and the love of Gothic.”
Raphael, A. (2016) Tim Burton: ‘Alice is a very annoying, odd little girl’. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/mar/06/tim-burton-alice-wonderland-guardian [Accessed 03/10/2016].
“He is an artist, a genius, an oddball, an insane, brilliant brave, hysterically funny, loyal, nonconformist, honest friend”.
Bradshaw, P. (2016) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children review- amiable Tim Burton fantasy. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/29/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children-review-tim-burton-ransom-riggs
“The theme fantasy vs reality those feelings as a teenager when you don’t feel connected to the world.”
Blanc, M, L & Odell, C. (2010) Edward Scissorhands (1990). London: Pocket Essentials.
“Stylistically Edward Scissorhands represents a continuation of the design ethics of Beetlejuice and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in its marrying of the twee and mundane with Gothic and disjointed”
Depp, J & Burton, T (2006) A Nightmare Before Christmas. Mark Salisbury (ed) Burton on Burton. London, Faber and Faber.
“There was talk of doing it as a kind of TV special, or doing it drawn. But I just didn’t want to do any of that. So, I decided to bury it, but always with that feeling I would do some time.”
Depp, J & Burton, T (2006) Edward Scissorhands. Mark Salisbury (ed) Burton on Burton. London, Faber and Faber.
“In typical Burtonesque fashion, the houses in this particular suburbia were slightly removed from reality by being painted various pastel shades.”
Mills, T. (2006) How German Expressionism influenced Tim Burton: A video essay. Available online http://www.openculture.com/2015/06/how-german-expressionism-influenced-tim-burton-a-video-essay.html
“The video shows how Burton is very stylistically similar to that of German cinema, whether he was directly influenced has not been confirmed.”
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Post C: Creative Investigation- Stage 1
Hypothesis:
To what extent can Tim Burton be considered to be the true auteur for his films.
Sources (primary & secondary):
Blanc, M, L & Odell, C. (2010) Tim Burton: The pocket essential: Other Skellingtons in the Closet- Burton as Producer, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). London: Pocket Essentials.
Raphael, A. (2016) Tim Burton: ‘Alice is a very annoying, odd little girl’. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/mar/06/tim-burton-alice-wonderland-guardian [Accessed 03/10/2016].
Bradshaw, P. (2016) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children review- amiable Tim Burton fantasy. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/29/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children-review-tim-burton-ransom-riggs
Blanc, M, L & Odell, C. (2010) Edward Scissorhands (1990). London: Pocket Essentials.
Depp, J & Burton, T (2006) A Nightmare Before Christmas. Mark Salisbury (ed) Burton on Burton. London, Faber and Faber.
Depp, J & Burton, T (2006) Edward Scissorhands. Mark Salisbury (ed) Burton on Burton. London, Faber and Faber.
Mills, T. (2006) How German Expressionism influenced Tim Burton: A video essay. Available online http://www.openculture.com/2015/06/how-german-expressionism-influenced-tim-burton-a-video-essay.html
Three major keys to explore:
Style: how does Burton ‘write with the camera’, and has he pioneered any specific techniques he uses within his films.
Themes: What are Burton’s key themes that he uses commonly throughout
Collaborations: How he acknowledges the importance of other roles.
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Post B: Creative Investigation Details
Topic for Consideration:
The topic I have chosen to research is the director study. The director I have chosen to research is Tim Burton. I have chosen Tim because I have always loved the look of the films he has directed and produced, they all follow a visual theme of dark and gothic throughout, and most of his films are for a younger teenage adult however Tim makes the films look scarier through his use of mise-en scene. Whilst researching this topic I hope to be able to gain the skills to create my own look so that my films directed in the future all have a distinctive look. I hope this to happen as this becomes recognizable within the film industry therefore becoming more noticeable as a director.
How my short film will be influenced by my chosen clips:
My short film will be influenced by my clips as it will portray then theme of being unwanted, this will be shown through the use of cinematography, for example the editing will be shot with close ups, extreme close-ups and medium close-ups. The editing will be mainly shot with continuity editing assure the short film has realism included. The sound will also be influenced by my chosen clips as they are all in a low monotone therefore portraying the emotion of the protagonist which will be sad as it is throughout each of my chosen clips. Micro-technical elements will help to portray the theme through the use of a colour scheme which will highly include black as this is a stereotypical feature that Tim Burton includes in each of his films (including my chosen clips).
3 Focal Films:
FOCAL FILM 1:
Burton, Tim, 1990. Edward Scissorhands, 20th Century Fox.
I have chosen Edward Scissorhands as my first focal film because it is one of Tim’s most famous films, it is said that Burton included parts of himself within the character Edward through mise-en scene (his costume) and also through the personality. Edward Scissorhands gave Tim his distinctive look which then became very noticeable and loved throughout the film industry. Therefore I chose this film because, as well as giving an insight into Burton’s upbringing and personality (which will have a big impact on the reasons of why he chose to direct his films in the specific way that he does) it is also the beginning point of his directing career.
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Edward Scissorhands Official Poster and Trailer (1990)
FOCAL FILM 2:
Burton, Tim, 2010. Alice in Wonderland, Walt Disney Pictures.
I have chosen Alice in Wonderland as my second focal film because although it has the same dark and gothic look used in my first chosen focal film, it is portrayed in a completely different way, because of this I believe it will be a good film to study as it will help to increase my range of abilities provided within the same look. For example, Edward Scissorhands was created to be dark originally however, Alice in Wonderland was originally created light-heartedly so when Tim re-made it he included his dark and gothic features which again make his film distinctive by the way he directed it.
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Alice In Wonderland Official Poster and Trailer (2010)
FOCAL FILM 3:
Burton, Tim, 1993. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Touchstone Pictures.
I chose The Nightmare Before Christmas as my final focal film mainly for the fact it is a stop motion picture. Because of this I am interested in how Tim incorporated his look into this film. I am especially interested as to what cinematography and editing techniques he used to portray look into this film, especially as it is a PG film. Although it was Henry Selick who actually directed the film, Tim wrote the film. A lot of the films credits were to Tim as the film is often refereed to as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, says IMDb.
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This Nightmare Before Christmas Official Poster and Trailer (1993)
Which FFA am I focusing on and why?
The FFA I will be focusing on is authorship and auteur theory. I will be focusing mainly on Tim Burton and discussing whether he can be called the true auteur of his films or whether his films are so distinctively Burton’s style through the help of a commonly used crew. I am exited to study Tim Burton because I enjoy his style of gothic, fantasy films.
Micro-technical elements & analysis for key sequence within films:
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https://youtu.be/P4gTvnpO1fM
Taking into consideration all of the micro technical elements I have listed I will incorporate these into my own short film. I will do this by using the cinematography and editing that Burton normally uses. I will also base my location and costume on the basis that they fit into the stereotypical dark and gothic with contrasts of colour which is stereotypical for Burton’s films. I will also have a soundtrack within my piece that is based around violins due to all three of the scenes I have analysed being based around this theme also.
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