Why Did Tim Burton Use Low Angles In Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton done this to help the movie have a dark twist or to help the movie take a serious turn. In the movie Edward Scissorhands you see low key lighting when they show the castle. Nightmare Before Christmas shows a lot of low key lighting too. When Jack sings his song about taking Christmas away. They use low key lighting to show his song is dark and scary.

In ES he uses low key lighting Edward in the Big dark castle when the lady first encounters him. This shows how isolated and lonely he was. And him coming away from that darkness signified him trying to really come out. In CACF he uses low key lighting to a similar effect. He uses this on Willy Wonka. When he puts the low key lighting on Willy’s face this shows how in his factory he was very alone and had a troubled past. Which caused him to be more distant when the time came to actually socialize with the kids that came to the factory. In the Corpse Bride he uses this as well. When Victor sits down and plays this piano we get a shot of him and the piano surrounded by low key lighting. This shows how isolated and lonely Victor was. That when he plays his music or paint his painting that he actually comes out of his shell. This shows that lighting that he uses really has a effect on his

Ct 1 camera angle Low When Charlie walks up to the factory they give a low angle to show the massiveness of the factory, giving the effect of how small the children and their parents are compared to what Willy Wonka has done. In Edward Scissorhands during the aftermath of the movie Tim Burton uses a low angle while Edward is sculpting to show the snow that falls from it. He does to show that Edward is the reason that snow is able to fall just as when it did when Kim had danced in the snow before, he uses his talent to make something beautiful instead of something Evil. In Big Fish Burton uses low angle as Edward walks up to the giant to show how big he is compared to Edward, giving the effect of how as amazing as he seems Edward is still

The same cinematic technique is utilized in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the inception of the film, darker and paler shades of colors are emphasized in the scenery. Especially inside Charlie’s home. However, once inside the chocolate factory, conspicuous colors are introduced. Even though the factory seemed like an exuberant center, there was still a profound void inside the hearts of Wonka, the obnoxious children, and non-proficient parents, not including Charlie and his grandfather. They were lacking the warmth of family unity and self content amid impecuniosity, that Charlie and his grandfather possessed. One can discern that Burton’s style is highly influenced by his lighting effects which in turn affects the tone, mood, and imagery of the film. The sharp contrast of coloration, establishes symbolism, tone, mood, and imagery. Another apparent effect of lighting is the mood it synthesizes. During the scenes in which the figures are pale or low key, the viewer feels uncomfortable. The reverse occurs during the high key scenes. Without the implementation of high key and low key, Burton’s message would have never been fully apprehended in both of the films.

Tim Burton has directed movies like Charlie and the chocolate factory, Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, and many more. He is known for his unique style which is dark humor. He uses many techniques to create different moods or feelings you wouldn't usually feel .Tim Burton uses flashback, shot'reverse'shot, and camera movements to create different types of mood.

From Edward Scissorhands to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Big Fish, Tim Burton uses cinematic techniques in order to intrigue his watchers to have them become more engrossed in his movies. Tim Burton's past is strange for his techniques. An example of this could be that he worked at Disney, which is a place filled of happy things with no dark meaning at all. In Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton uses flashbacks, lighting, and high angles to prove that mood can change in the blink of an eye.

Another example of Burton’s use of low key lighting is expressed in his short film Vincent. As Vincent and his zombie dog search for victims through the night, dim lighting is used to give him a mischievous appearance. This gives the audience the impression that there is something wrong with Vincent because he does not act like a normal kid. This displays importance to the story because the audience judges him by the way he appears, only to find out later that he just prefers to live in his dramatic imagination. The use of low key lighting assists the audience in believing that Vincent is aberrant until his mother explains that he is not insane, but living in a fantasy

Tim Burton, renowned for his incorporation of gothic styling into many of his films, throughs characters and themes to establish his noticeable signature in his films. In, Frankenweenie and Edward Scissorhands, the use of socially incompatible characters, unique identity traits, and juxtaposition to express the gothic identity with a sense of german expressionism, which he learnt while studying in film school, associated with Tim burton therefore revealing him as an auteur. This is done in order to communicate burton’s societal concerns of identity and non-conformity. The Statement, “When you direct a film, that’s more of your signature than writing”, is closely related to both films as revealed with Burton’s distinguishable gothic style.

In my essay I am going to reference two films, Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Vincent (1982), directed by Tim Burton. Edward Scissorhands, is Tim Burton’s take on the Frankenstein story. We can clearly see the influences that have appealed to Tim Burton in the classic Frankenstein (1931) was not the character’s monstrousness appeal but the sense of sad sorrow that audiences sympathized to in Boris Karloff’s performance. Whereas in Tim Burton’s vision, we see a “Special” character as the Frankenstein Monster, in the similar way that we call people with disabilities Special. And then we have Vincent, a short stop-motion animation. The short film itself is an entertaining aspect of a suburban boy named Vincent who recites Edgar Ellen Poe and categorizes with Horror film star, Vincent Price. With similarities to Edward Scissorhands, the main character is a chance for Tim Burton to represent himself on the screen as a tortured boy, outsider and artist. I am going to discuss how cultural and psychological concerns are represented through characterization, art direction, cinematography, and sound. I will support my discussion by analyzing a reflection on both the similarities and differences between the two films, and whether a distinctive “Burton” signature (aesthetics, cultural and psychological concerns) is evident.

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tim Burton used close-ups when the kids were being introduced on television in order to get an idea of what they were like. He also applied a long shot quickly changing to a medium shot in Edward Scissorhands to introduce Edward and what he looks like. Burton uses close-ups in Big Fish as well. When the younger Edward was growing in church Burton used close-ups to give a description of what was happening to Edward during and after he was growing. Tim Burton uses shots and framing to show more detail and introduce something important to the

The film Edward Scissorhands is a contemporary archetype of the gothic genre exploring themes such as unrequited love, social rejection and human creation as defined by Tim Burton. Feature films explore different ideals that can be categorized into different genres that create expectations among audiences about characters, settings, plots and themes. Edward Scisscorhands directed by Tim Burton in the year 1990 is described as both a dark romantic fantasy and a gothic horror film. The film tells a story about Edward Scissorhands, the creation of an elderly inventor who dies before he can give Edward his normal hands in place of his scissor hands. Edward is taken from the mansion he lives in by a suburban family in an attempt to live a

Tim Burton utilizes editing to connect and amplify his story plot and present a significant and important moment with the characters. Burton accomplishes this with flashbacks. Burton uses a flashback smoothly in Edward Scissorhands. When Edward hesitates to hug Kim, but finally has the courage to do so, a flashback intrudes the scene to signal the audience the reason as to why Edward is so shy. The flashback sets a sorrowful and heartbroken mood after Edward’s father, The Inventor, dies suddenly. The audience experiences the grief Edward has, through a dark flashback and conveys Edward’s connection and affection to Kim. During the flashback, Burton also uses eye-line match when Edward looks at the broken hands on the floor after The Inventor dies. The broken hands demonstrate the damage that Edward has received. Edward’s reaction to his ruined present reveals his innocence to the tragedy. Because Edward could not comprehend what has taken place, the audience feels sympathy for Edward’s

High key lighting makes the viewer feel very happy and open, since high key lighting is usually used in bright and playful scenes. For example, in Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when the Willy Wonka is introducing the tourists to the candy room, there is a variation of colors and the lighting used was very bright. By using this type of lighting, it makes the viewer feel joyful and very positive. Also, in Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, the scene when Edward is introduced to Peg’s neighborhood, the lighting is very bright. This makes the viewers understand the differences between Edward’s deep and dark mansion, compared to Peg’s bright and colorful neighborhood. The contrast allows the readers to feel the uniqueness between the two different lifestyles of Edward and

Edward Scissorhands, written by Tim Burton, tells the tale of a young man who is lovable, childlike and sensitive, bewildered by the humanity around him, yet is terrifying- someone who has scissors, the deadly weaponry, for hands. Many viewers may read this film as a “Tim Burton” type of fairytale which includes both an alternative aspect and romance. However, through the presentation of mise-en-scene in this film, Burton drives in a much more serious subject of social criticism by establishing two different understandings of life in the movie.

Tim Burton once said, “My parents suffered from that ideal of a perfect nuclear family. They found that a difficult pressure, I think”. Tim Burton is a famous filmmaker who sometimes incorporates his life into his films. Tim was an odd child in that he liked being alone and spending his time in a graveyard. In his childhood, he was the outsider in a “perfect” world. People can judge him on his odd and different childhood. That is what he tries to teach in his films. In both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Edward Scissorhands, Burton reveals that society wrongly judges those who do not fit in.