Formal Film Study #2: Tim Burton

Tim Burton was born on August 25, 1958. He is known for making dark, creepy, and quirky-themed movies. He was born in Burbank, California. As a young child Burton would make short films in his backyard with crude stop motion animation techniques. Burton loves to make very dark and creepy films because they stand out and that's what he represents. One of his idols was Edgar Allen Poe because Burton loved to paint dark things. Edgar Allen Poe was a famous poet and he was known for his dark words which inspired Burton to turn those words into drawings. Burton has chosen one specific actor that has been the leading role in most of his movies. That actor is Johnny Depp. Burton and Depp became close friends a while back when they made Edward scissorhands together. Johnny Depp played the leading role and it was a strong movie made back in the 90's. The three movies that I am going to talk about are Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse Bride, and Sleepy Hollow. Johnny Depp has a leading role in each of these movies. I will start with Edward Scissorhands. Edward Scissorhands(1990) was the fifth movie that Burton had directed. Starring Johnny Depp this movie had a huge impact on viewers. Tampa Bay, Florida was where most of this movie was filmed. Many people say that this movie was an autobiography of Burton's childhood. It made a total of $6 million for the local economy. It was a financial success. The Corpse Bride(2005) was Burton's first full-length stop-motion film as a director. Burton was able again to use his familiar styles and trademarks, such as the complex interaction between light and darkness, and of being caught between two irreconcilable worlds. Johnny Depp led an all-star cast as the voice of Victor. The film was a financial success, making $53,359,111 domestically and $117,195,061 worldwide. The third movie that I will talk about is Sleep Hollow(1999) had a supernatural setting and made a huge impact on movie viewers. Johnny Depp was also the leading role in this movie and he did a fantastic job. It was loosely inspired by the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Burton chose to go with Paramount Pictures as his studio. Sleepy Hollow was released to generally favorable reviews from critics, and grossed approximately $207 million worldwide. It won the best art direction award. It was filmed in Tarry town, New York. The cinematography was fantastic. It helped the viewer realize how powerful the headless horseman was. All three of these movies were huge in the movie market place. I loved learning about Tim Burton throughout this entire project. He is into very dark, gloomy films because that's is how he wants audiences and viewers to describe and view him. Tim Burton has made many films and he will continue to do so. He is one of my favorite directors and I will continue to watch and love his films.