Essay on Tim Burton Cinematic Techniques

Robbie Schwartz 3/12/13 English 1H Tim Burton uses many cinematic techniques in his movies such as lighting and camera angles throughout his movies in order to create effects and moods. Cinematic techniques He uses both lighting and camera angles in Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory numerous times. He uses them very effectively to portray different ideas such as showing strengths, weaknesses, or size in a character or setting, or revealing a depressing or cheerful surrounding.

Tim Burton is a successful film maker and has inspired many to get into the movie making business due to his cinematic techniques. In many of his films, Tim Burton uses lighting successfully to show happiness or sadness. He is known for having very low key beginning credits. Low key lighting can be used to show a sad, mysterious or scary environment. For example, the beginning credits of the movies Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Edward Scissorhands are very dark cloudy scenes. They both have a solid black background and obscure objects appearing.

Also, Burton used lighting perfectly in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when the lucky children who obtain the golden tickets enter the huge room where the chocolate was made. It is a bright and colorful room filled with tasty goods. High key lighting is used to create a happy, exciting, or fun atmosphere. The lighting on the kids faces as they walk in the factory was very high key because they were bright and full of joy. Burton also uses a high key effect on the town in Edward Scissorhands; it is filled with brightly painted houses with beautifully cut bushes.

Also the clothes that people wear in Edward Scissorhands are very brightly colored because people would wear a single colored outfit of much color. As a result, lighting is used effectively throughout his movies to show different effects. Camera angles were very important in the films Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the scene of Willy Wonka walking in the jungle is a great example of camera angles. As the big bug zeroes in on Wonka, a low angle camera is used to show the bug is big and strong.

Then, it cut to Wonka with a high angle shot showing he is helpless and small. After Wonka successfully kills the bug, it gives him a low angle shot showing he is the victor and that he is more powerful. In Edward Scissorhands, low angle shots are used many times while Edward is cutting things. For example, while Edward is constructing his first ice sculpture in Kims lawn the camera is low angle and makes him look very powerful while he sculpts the big angel. It makes him seem as if he is on top of the world and can do anything.

There are also low angle shots while he cuts all of the housewives hair. There is a very effective long shot in the beginning of the movie while Peg strolls into Edwards house, when she finally gets into Edwards room there is a long shot which shows how big the house actually is by making Peg look very short due to the height of the ceiling. As a result, Tim Burton uses low angle, high angle, and long shots to represent strength, weakness, and to show a large scene and many things occurring at once.

Tim Burton is a very skilled film maker who uses many cinematic techniques to make his movies enjoyable to watch. He efficiently uses lighting and camera angles in two of his major pieces, Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He uses these two techniques very well and a handful of others that make his movies very well known and watched by many people. In conclusion, Tim Burton is able to use cinematic techniques an important part of his movies by using lighting and camera angles.