Directed by Tim Burton (2003)

About the film ● Considered a fantasy drama film. ● Based on a 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace called Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions. John August adapted Wallace’s manuscript into the screenplay. ● Shot in Alabama in order to give it a Southern Gothic feel.

About the film ● Organized in a series of fairytale vignettes (short scenes that focus on one moment and give us a clear impression of that character, setting, idea, or object). ● The film’s primary theme is about the reconciliation between father and son and how storytelling can be used as a way to avoid facing truths about ourselves. ● The film received award nominations in multiple categories.

About the director ● Steven Spielberg was supposed to direct Big Fish, but backed out in order to focus on Catch Me If You Can. Tim Burton took over as director after this. ● Tim Burton is a director, producer, artist, writer, and animator.

● He was born in Burbank, California, and as a child he often made stop- animation short films in his backyard. ● He was not a particularly good student in high school, but he loved painting, drawing, and watching movies.

Burton attended the California Institute of the Arts to study character animation. He soon received an apprenticeship with Walt Disney Productions’ animation department, who noticed Burton’s short film, Stalk of the Celery Monster.

Today, Tim Burton is known for his dark and quirky style. Some of his other films include BeetleJuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Big Fish is said to be significant to Burton because both his father and his mother died in the year leading up to the film.

Film Techniques ● Burton often employs the dutch angle in his films--much more frequently than other directors. This tilted shot creates a sense of tension. ● Point-of-view shots are a favorite of Burton’s. In his films, the audience is often forced to see things from one character’s perspective.

Notice the play with color in Burton films. He uses oversaturated and undersaturated color to create surreal atmospheres in almost all of his movies. In Big Fish he used color-grading techniques, although he tried to limit the amount of digital effects in the movie.

Things to consider How does Burton create dreamlike scenes in Big Fish? What affect does this surrealism have on us as an audience? What tone does it create? ● How is the quest motif embedded in this movie? ● What thematic patterns do you notice? ● What is being searched for throughout the film, and why? While you watch, pay attention to the film techniques listed in the previous slide!

How are extravagant myths and mythological characters used in this movie? What are we, as an audience, most curious about? How does the vignette form make the story stand out? ● How do we, along with the characters, explore ideas of truth, reality, memory, and identity in this movie? ● Is fiction ever truer than reality? ● Does hyperbole offer insight beyond what is literal?