Tim Burton: Wickedly Funny, Grotesquely Humorous “There’s a naughtiness in Tim that’s similar to Roald Dahl. A little bit of wickedness, a little bit of teasing, a subversiveness. Both of them never lost the gift of knowing what it’s like to be a child—a very rare gift . . .” —Felicity ‘Liccy’ Dahl  

Biography Birth: Burbank, CA 1958 School: Majored in Animation from California Institute of the Arts Career: Started working for Disney as an apprentice in animation Desire: Wanted to create films that included more of the grotesque and dark side of stories (especially children's fables)

Genre: dark, gothic, and fantasy Popular Burton Films: Frankenweenie The Nightmare Before Christmas Corpse Bride Beetle Juice Edward Scissorhands Alice in Wonderland Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Big Eyes Dark Shadows Sweeney Todd --The list goes on!

Influences: Dr. Suess Children’s Author Traits: powerful morals told through rhyme and illustrations Most notable works: The Cat in the Hat How the Grinch Stole Christmas Fox in Socks Horton Hears a Who etc. etc. etc.

Influences contd. Roald Dahl: Children’s author Traits: silly, fun stories that have a deeper struggle of good vs. evil (with good always winning out in the end) Most notable books: The BFG Matilda James and the Giant Peach Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Fantastic Mr. Fox

Influences contd. American Gothic Writer poems short stories Traits: unusually creepy and dark stories Wrote in allegorical style (which are stories or tales that have deeper meanings) Most notable works are: "The Raven" "A Tell-tale Heart"

Vincent Price: "The Master of Menace": One of Burton’s favorite actors He worked in films, cartoons, narration, and television (over 200 acting credits on IMDb!!) His ominous voice is the narration in Michael Jackson's "Thriller.“ He narrated Burton’s first film “Vincent” & played ‘The Inventor’ in Edward Scissorhands Burton often says that working with Price, his hero, was a dream come true.

Cinematic Techniques: Authors have words that help paint a picture in a reader’s mind, but director’s use images and sound to create an understanding of the story and its characters. Shots and Framing: Establishing Shot: Often a long shot or a series of shots that sets the scene, this technique is used to establish setting and to show transitions between locations. Long Shot (LS): A shot from some distance. If the shot is a person, the full body is shown. The long shot may show the isolation or vulnerability of a character. Medium Shot (MS): The most common shot. The camera seems to be a medium distance from the object being filmed. A medium shot shows a person from wait up. The effect is to ground the story. Camera Angles: High Angle: The camera is above the subject. This angle usually has the effect of making the subject look smaller than normal, and thus looking weak, powerless, and/or trapped. Low Angle: The camera films the subject from below. The angle usually has the effect of making the subject look larger than normal, giving the character the appearance of being strong, powerful, and/or threatening.

Cinematic Techniques contd. Editing Techniques: Flashback: When the film cuts or dissolves to an action that happened in the past Eye-line Match: A cut from an object to a person. This technique shows what a person seems to be looking at and can help reveal a character’s thoughts. Sound: Diegetic: This type of sound could logically be heard by the characters in the film. Non-diegetic: This type of sound cannot be heard by the characters. It is designed for audience reaction only. An example might be ominous music to foreshadow an event.

Cinematic Techniques contd. Lighting: High Key: The scene is flooded with light, creating a bright and open-looking scene. Low Key: The scene is flooded with shadows and darkness, creating suspense or suspicion. Bottom or Side Lighting: Direct lighting comes from below or the side, which often makes the subject look dangerous or evil. Front or Back Lightning: Soft lighting on an actor’s face or from behind gives the appearance of innocence or goodness—a halo effect.

Vincent (1982) Burton's 1st film as an apprentice working at Disney. The film is an award winning short that pays tribute to his idols actor, Vincent Price and author, Edgar Allen Poe (and also includes the child-like whimsy of Seuss and Dahl) 1st Viewing: Pay attention to parts of the film that reflect the light and dark aspects of Tim Burton’s style 2nd Viewing: Identify examples of two cinematic techniques and analyze their impact on the film.