Director of 31 films or various genres, forms and styles, Tim Burton's work is easily recognised and always original. I watched 9 of his most famous films and looked into several more to see why Burton's work is so distinctive.
Genre
Although many of the films I watched appear to be of similar genres, the reality is that Tim Burton has created something in pretty much every genre. Over the years Burton has covered fantasy (The Corpse Bride, Alice in Wonderland), comedy (Dark Shadows, Beetlejuice), horror (Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) and drama (Edward Scissorhands). Furthermore, most of Burton's films would be difficult to confine to any one genre with most having elements of comedy and mild horror (even in the children's films). The signature of a Tim Burton film is usually found in the use of colour and editing (see below) or the underlying darkness to every film which makes musicals, drama, comedy and horror all appear slightly similar.
Outside of the films I watched, Burton's less easily recognisable pieces demonstrate further genre dexterity with the biography 'Big Eyes', Sci-Fy 'Planet of the Apes' and two Batman films, as well as short films and television movies.Themes
As genres change, so do themes. Whilst there are many unique themes within Burton's catalogue ideas such as loss of innocence, fear, guilt and isolation are repeatedly investigated. However, within the genres you do find similarities. For example, in the horrors 'Sleepy Hollow' and 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' depression, revenge and love are essential to the plot. Meanwhile in the fantasy's 'Edward Scissorhands' and 'Alice in Wonderland' there is a strong influence of feminism, self-empowerment and the grief for a lost father figure. However, what is noticeable with Burton's films is the subtlety of such themes, so much so they often only become apparent at the end or through narration. The main focus of a Tim Burton film are the characters and it is them you remember when looking back on any of the films.
Lighting
As can be expected of any film with one eye looking towards the macabre, the lighting in Tim Burton films tends to the darker side. Backlighting is common in order to create the shadows and silhouettes necessary for any eerie environment. Furthermore the lighting is most often kept natural as possible as the setting within a Tim Burton film often creates enough mystery itself. Articles such as 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Dark Shadows' are exceptions to this rule. They all have their moments of darkness but they are often kept lighter in order to meet the criteria for a family film. A common thread within these films is a darkening around the edges of a shot. Whilst the foreground is colourful and bright with quirky shapes and movement, the distant setting is darker or creates the impression of darkness. This effect can be seen in the posters for the aforementioned films in this post.
Colour
Apart from the black-and-white styling of 'Frankenweenie' and the subdued 'The Corpse Bride', Tim Burton films are infamous for their use of colour. As seen in the 'Dark Shadows' poster, costumes, makeup, hair styles and foreground settings are bright and bold. They use ostentatious patterns and clashing colours which contrast dramatically with the blue, purple and black hues in the backgounds and larger settings. Furthermore, characters are often made to have very pale skin with disturbingly dark eyes which builds an almost alien, deathly appearance, making the worlds of Burton films seem far further from reality than they actually are. The best uses of this form of colouring are seen in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Alice in Wonderland'.
Editing
As with any film, the editing in Tim Burton's films is unique to each one. However, there are several elements that remain in all or most of the pictures. A common example is an extended close up, often from a high angle, of one of the main characters heads. This form of shot can be seen in 'Sweeney Todd', 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Sleepy Hollow' to name a few. In these cases the shot is used to emphasise the fragility and temperamental nature of the character, often a male lead played by Johnny Depp such as Ichabod Crane in 'Sleepy Hollow'.In a more general sense, Tim Burton films tend to be edited to highlight stillness or sudden movements through a combination of short and very long shots that always keep the focus of any scene moving.
Furthermore, it can be said that many colours, shapes and images within Burton films to make them appear larger then life and as far from reality as possible, but this is only in certain films.
Casting
Tim Burton is probably most famous for his near constant casting of close friend Johnny Depp and ex-long term partner Helena Bonham-Carter. However, this works to the advantage of Burton as these two famous figures have increased his fame and fanbase as well as adding a certain amount of consistency to his films, even though these two incredible actors are virtually unrecognisable from film to film.
Distribution
Out of the nine films I studied for this post, five were distributed by Warner Bros and two by Walt Disney Pictures. These films are some of Burton's bigger budget pictures and were therefore distributed by large production companies. This means the other film distributed by them are often very popular and well known. The link between Burton's films and the hundreds of other films distributed by these companies is their entertainment value. They are aimed at a wide bounty of audiences and are of multiple different genres. Whilst Burton's films do possess their signature dark side, this doesn't subtract from the fact that they are high quality and always entertaining.
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