Tim Burton's Directing Style

Movies viewed: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - directed by Tim Burton
                        Midnight in Paris - directed by Woody Allen
                        Marie Antoinette - directed by Sofia Coppola

All three of these were wonderful films. I had never seen Midnight in Paris or Marie Antoinette before, and I thought that they were lovely. It was interesting watching them back to back, because it was three and a half hours set in Paris in four different time periods. However, "beautiful" is not exactly my film style. My director of choice was Tim Burton. I also watched his film Alice in Wonderland - another I had not seen before.

Tim Burton's directing style:
First of all, his films are almost always creepy, without being scary. Their not even quite thrillers. Probably his most disturbing film is Mars Attacks, which also happens to be his most comedic. Even Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a fairly light story, has dark elements - especially in the Oompa Loompas songs. Alice in Wonderland is another example of a light-hearted story which he made darker.

He almost never answers practical questions like "where?" or "when?" Just look at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - it seems to be set in London; however, they spend dollars, not pounds. It is also not clear what time period it is set in. These could be seen as holes in the plot, but I believe that Tim Burton wishes for the audience to cast off all preconceptions and just get lost in the magic.

It is very obvious that Tim Burton is obsessed with the Romantic era. It can be seen in the themes and dress of many of his movies.

I find strong parallels between Edward Scissorhands and Frankenstein. He even parodies Frankenstein with Frankenweenie. It is no surprise that there are so many beautiful yet dark images in his movies.

In all of his films, there is a generous amount of whimsy - which seems like a weird constant since all of his films are pretty creepy. It really works, though. A lot of the whimsy he achieves by animation. It can be found in all of his films - especially in the beginning. It might be the whimsy that keeps his films from approaching the point of horror.

These are just a few of the constants that can be found in his films. It will be fun to emulate his directing style.