Out Casts with Cinematic Techniques

Out Casts with Cinematic Techniques
Tim Burton is well known for his unique style in each of his movies inspired by his unusual childhood. By using different cinematic techniques, Tim Burton is able to point out an outsider in each of his movies. Each of these unique outsiders goes through a suspenseful journey having the audience anticipating the next scene. To create this suspense, Tim Burton uses many different cinematic techniques, mostly including lighting and non-diegetic sounds.

For example, in his movie Edward Scisorhands, when Peg is seeing Edward emerge from the darkness, the non-diegetic music was creepy and mysterious having the audience suspenseful of Edward and Peg’s upcoming actions. Also, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when Willy Wonka was about to open the door to his chocolate factory, the non-diegetic music was uplifting making the audience excited to see the marvelous chocolate factory. Again, in Big Fish, Tim Burton uses non-diegetic music to enhance the mysteriousness of the creepy path he took making the audience wonder what he may stumble upon.

Tim Burton’s use of lighting helps to set the mood for the movies. Tim Burton often uses low-key lighting in many of his movies because the majority of his movies are creepy or mysterious. In Edward Scissorhands he uses high-key lighting to make the town look like a so called “perfect” society but only to find out that everybody is nosy and rude. Edward’s mansion is dark with low key lighting and really looks like it doesn’t belong in such a bright town. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tim Burton uses low-key lighting on the small house a little boy Charlie lives in. The town looks gloomy until the chocolate factory starts running again, all of a sudden the low-key lighting as brightened and Hood 2

Kristin Hood
Mr. Dietert
English 1 Honors
March 22, 2013
this dark and gloomy town looks happy. In Big Fish when the man approaches the cave low-key lighting is used to make the cave look dreary and not safe. This leaves the audience wanting to know what’s going to happen when he gets to it.

Tim Burton’s use of non-diegetic sounds and lighting create a suspenseful adventure in each of his movies giving him a unique style and an interesting look on outcasts. His unusual childhood has been seen in his movies from him not having a father and in these three movies, a certain bond between a father and son was the main point of it all. Him playing in the cemetery when he was younger most likely has to do with his inspiration for the creepy sides of these stories. In all, Tim Burton has one thing that ties together in each of his movies. Just like real life, you are already prejudged before anyone even knows you, society already labels you before-hand based off how you look and where you’re from. It just takes a single person to give you a chance before you are accepted.