Task 1: Watch at least one other film directed by Tim Burton (Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissor Hands, Alice In Wonderland).
I watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Task 2: Complete an online scrapbook - using Mixbook or Tumblr - of images and stories of Tim Burton and the films that he has made.
My online scrapbook can be found here - www.burtonbook.tumblr.com.
Task 3: What similarities do you notice in Burton's films? Write a personal response to at least two films, commenting on the similarities that you notice.
The Tim Burton films that I have watched are Dark Shadows, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. In all three films, Burton has included characters who are outcasts, contrasting lighting and colour schemes, and a gothic theme.
Tim Burton tends to include characters who are social outcasts, often as the main characters of his films. Dark Shadows' main character is Barnabus Collins, a stereotypically traditional vampire, who is an outcast in the 1972 town of Collinsport. He is different in the way he dresses and speaks, and has different ideas of what is acceptable within society, and what is not. This is because of the period detail Burton has included: Barnabus is from the late 1700s. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mr Wonka himself is quite eccentric and different - we learn that he, essentially, has no family, after running away from home as a child. His ideas and expertise set him apart from everyone else in the town. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory features flashbacks of Willy Wonka's childhood, leaving his father to become a chocolatier. Without this information, we might not be able to relate to Wonka as much; it gives us a reason for his quirks, eccentricity and inability to talk about family. It also presents Wonka as someone who is quite lonely, and unwilling to admit it; something the audience may be able to relate to. Jack Skellington - in the Nightmare Before Christmas - is, in some ways, quite different from the rest of Halloween Town, as he gets tired of the idea of Halloween and wants to partake in Christmas celebrations instead; something the rest of the town aren't overjoyed at having to do.
Burton also chooses to use two highly contrasting forms of lighting: dark and shadowy, and over exaggerated colours. Usually, the 'normal' world in Burton's films are based around dark, menacing settings - examples include the gothic mansion in Dark Shadows, and Halloween Town in The Nightmare Before Christmas. These often provide the home of the main characters. In contrast, Burton's films always include a parallel reality, the complete opposite of the twisted 'normal' world. In Dark Shadows, there is not a parallel reality, as such, but the home of Barnabus is an 18th century gothic mansion, full of shadows, secret passages and original features, often set in dark lighting, whereas the port and town of Collinsport is shot in almost blindingly bright sunlight; these settings juxtapose dramatically. In Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Charlie and his family live in a run-down, broken cottage. Contrastingly, Willy Wonka's factory is packed full of overly-bright colours, artificial lighting and unnatural shapes. This is almost like entering another world, and stresses the huge difference between the two main settings. The Nightmare Before Christmas is set in Halloween town, which, as the name suggests, is shadowy, full of monsters, and is frequently presented during the night. Christmas Town, however, contains flashing lights, snow, and bright colours, and gives off happy vibes in general. The fact that the main characters often reside in the 'bad' places, though, emphasises the twisted elements of each film.
Burton's films are infamous for being gothic, macabre and twisted. In Dark Shadows, the gothic architecture of the mansion suggests paranormal happenings, dungeons and secrets waiting to be discovered. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, however, doesn't have these features - it is one of Burton's happier films, going against almost everything that he, as a director, represents. The Nightmare Before Christmas is very macabre, as the main theme is Halloween, a night famed for ghouls, ghosts and monsters, all quite negative and scary characters. The majority of Burton's films, however, remain suitable for children, although they take an alternative route from the stereotypes of happy endings and realistic issues commonly found in modern film.
Thursday 13 December 2012
Friday 19 October 2012
Friday 21 September 2012
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Tuesday 3 July 2012
Thursday 28 June 2012
Wednesday 15 February 2012
News Homework Project
My Homework Project about News. Due in 24/2/12.
Media Studies GCSE - News Website Project
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Sunday 22 January 2012
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