Tim Burton Movie Analysis

Sade Adu, a singer and songwriter, said, “I think you only really feel like an outsider if you’ve been an insider.” Her quote sinks deep with people everywhere because of its relatable meaning. Like many people in the world, growing up, Tim Burton felt that he was an outsider attempting to fit in with normal people. His troubles with being different and his childhood make large impacts on his style and the way he directs his movies. He uses a variety of cinematic techniques to portray ideas about being different through his dark, yet childlike, style. Burton’s plots ring with child fantasies and bedtime stories, but he is no Walt Disney. Instead of happy endings and songs about wishing on stars, Burton horrifies his audience with darkness, …show more content…
While the color changes from black and white to a dizzying array of rainbows, the light changes from a fake, unnatural brightness to a nerve-wracking low, monotonous light. An example of the light difference occurs in Beetle Juice, a popular Burton film. The beginning of the movie is a crane shot of what looks like a perfect city. The light is high-key, and the audience is meant to assume that this is where the main characters live. With a lift of the camera, it reveals that the city is actually just a model, and disturbing parts of the plot occur inside the model later, dispelling the idea of a perfect city. When the two main characters die in Beetle Juice, the light inside their house and where other dead people go is significantly darker. As they move around the building, the light is monotonous, full of dark tones. The contrast is prominent and creates a distinction between worlds, similarly to how color creates the difference between life and death in Corpse Bride. A second example of contrast in Beetle Juice is character light. Lydia is unique from her parents and family, for she wears dark black which clashes against the colorful clothes that her mother wears. Lighting overall is lower when Lydia is in the frame, and her mother's face is always aglow in an unnaturally bright light. Though Lydia is good, she is cast in dark light, and though her parents are bad, they are cast in bright light. On the other hand, in Edward Scissorhands, there is a bright light on those who are good, and dark light on those who are bad. Edward, Peg, and Kim are always lit up unless they are amid character change. Jim’s character is always dark. Even though whether the “good” or “bad” people are lit up changes, it is still obvious to the audience. The contrast in Tim Burton films create distinct differences between characters and worlds, therefore showing more about the difference between good and bad in