Tim Burton is known for his distinctive visual style and recurring themes in his films. Some key elements that define his style include expressionism, Gothic settings, and unique costumes and production design. His films often explore themes of outsiders and non-conformity. Burton frequently collaborates with actors like Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Christopher Lee. Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride, and Dark Shadows showcase Burton's style through their expressionistic designs and themes of angst and outsiders, while also featuring regular collaborators in lead roles.

1. HYPOTHEIS:
Is Tim Burton a true auteur or does he
rely on other features to produce his
work: Style, Themes, Collaborations

2. Focal Films
Edward Scissorhands
1990
Corpse Bride
2005
Dark Shadows
2012

3. Style – Edward Scissorhands
• Tim Burton a pocket essential: Stylistically Burton is undeniably Hollywood’s most distinctive mainstream director. Every film
is designed to within an inch of its life with the mise en scene and visual motifs providing so much of what should be
considered typical burton.
• Expressionism is fundamental to the Burton ethos and many of the classics of early German Cinema seem to have had an
effect on his work, perhaps because of the saturation of images that came from these influential films.
• The director Tim Burton wages a valiant battle to show us new and wonderful things. In a Hollywood that placidly recycles
the same old images, Burton uses special effects and visual tricks to create sights that have never been seen before. –Robert
Ebert
The movie takes place in an entirely artificial world, where a haunting gothic castle crouches on a
mountaintop high above a storybook suburb, a goofy sitcom neighbourhood where all of the houses are
shades of pastels and all of the inhabitants seem to be emotional clones of the Jetsons.- Robert Ebtert
Comment: For anyone captivated by Edward Scissorhands words are inadequate to convey the
magic of the film. Ostensibly a romantic faerie tale, the whole piece works like a gothic version
of It’s a wonderful life (1946) for outcasts and the disenfranchised. – Tim Burton pocket
essential.
Edward’s origin is told in a series of flashbacks featuring his loving ‘father the inventor
Edward Scissorhands is a fable, a simple tale of unquestioning love, a moving film of
elegance and beauty. It is modern Hollywood’s finest film, a peerless, perfect example of
the bend between art, emotion and commercial that will remain as one of the select classics
of cinema.
Style and Score: Stylistically Edward Scissorhands represents a continuation of the design
ethics and Beetlejuice and Pee-wee Big Adventure in its marrying of the twee and mundane
with the gothic and disjointed.

4. Style- Corpse Bride
• The plot is set in a fictional Victorian era village in Europe.
• Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride “Is not the massacre horror story the title suggests but a sweet and visually lovely tale of love lost.
In an era when most animated files look relentlessly bright and colourful, “Corpse Bride”, creates two palettes, and not the
ones we expect.
• The world of the living is a drab and overcast place with much of the colour drained from it and the remaining grays and
purples and greens so muted they seem apologetic.
Another style feature Tim Burton is known
for is his use of 19th centre like type of
costumes that’s clearly evident in this film
but as well as Dark shadows. Which fits well
in corpse bride, but dark shadows does not
contrast well to the current time period.
Here’s an image from the
film showing its gothic side.

5. Style-Dark Shadows
• Nomnally based on the cult favourite 1960s daytime soap opera, this film has much more to do with what goes on inside
director Tim Burton’s head than any TV Show, no matter how beloved.
• Tim Burton is known for his flashback stylistic features such as the flashback of the explanation of how Baranabs Collins
became a vampire. Which is similar to Edward Scissorhands when Edward has a flashback to when the mad inventor was
creating Edward. Both flashbacks connate to the male characters having a sad dramatic past.
• As a result, the film turns out to be an uncertain combination of elements that unsuccessfully tries to be half-scary, half-
funny and all strange, a project that offers examples of the three Ws that make up the Way of Tim.
• Tim Burton’s Gothic suburbia is revisited again in ‘Dark shadows’ the gothic mansion owened by the Collins Family in hidden
back in the trees above the fishing port of Collinsport.
Tim Burton is famous for his
gothic approach to his
cinematic point of view and
you can see this here in this
two screen grabs.

6. Theme- Edward Scissorshands
• It normally doesn’t take more than a few seconds of screen time to realise that you’re watching a Burton’s movie. This is
because he employs a number of recurring themes and motifs that create a cohesive and personal vision. In some senses
you are not watching a Tim Burton film, but entering his world.
• Angst and the outsider: In many respects Tim Burton film are about not fitting into society, about people who don’t conform
with the attitudes and mores of the day. – This is massively conveyed in Edward Scissorshand as Edward literally doesn’t fit
into society because commercially he has scissors for hands.
• Genre subversion: They key to Burton’s approach with his films lies in the way he takes an establish genre and twists it.
Edward Scissorshands sees the teen romance film twisted by having the main romantic lead an automata with more heart
than one human.
• Characters origin's: the origins of the character, particularly concerning their parents (or lack of them), form a significant
contribution to their psyche. Edward Scissorhands inventor (father like figure) died contributing to Edwards confused , alone
persona.
• Disrespect of Authority: Figures of authority rarely get a good time. They are symbolic of the status quo and thus not to be
trusted. Edward Scissorhands is the expectation of this because the police officer is one of the few people who realises the
extent of Edwards Problems and attempts to protect him from the angry mob.
• Weird Sciences And Domestic Applications: Gadgets are part of every super-hero arsenal and every boys dream. E.g Edward
Scissorhands machinery plays a large part in shaping not only the characters but their relationships with the outside world.
• The grotesque: The death of the young boys inventor before he could get his hands. His films deal with sinister and macabre
but somehow manage to be uplifting examples of entertainment

7. Theme- Corpse Bride
• Angst and the outsider: Both Victoria and Victor have different attitudes to arranged marriages to their parents and also
society meaning they don’t fit and feel like outcasts.
• Genre subversion: The corpse bride being a stop-motion-animated musical fantasy film. Which feature’s a tale of love and
thinking that Victor would end up with the corpse bride and not Victoria. “Tim Burton’s Corpse Brice “Is not the macabre
horror story the title suggests, but a sweet and visually lovely tale of love lost. In an era when most animated films look
relentlessly bright and colourful” Corpse Bride, created two palettes, and not the ones we expect.
• The grotesque: The plot being that in this film that Emily’s killer is Barkis the man who just married Victoria.
• Stripes and Styles: Burton’s films are remarkable visual, which comes as no surprise with the factor his origins are as an
animator and artist. Such as seen in both Victoria and Victor’s outfits have stripes featured on them.

8. Theme-Dark Shadows
• Genre subversion: Dark shadows is a horror comedy film which has elements of a love twist and is quoted from Los Angeles
times, film critic to ‘With Depp on board as Collins, the director was free to construct his own versions of “Dark Shadow”,
which plays much more fang in cheek, so to speak, than the more straight-head original. As a result, the films turn out to be
uncertain combinations of elements that unsuccessfully tries to be half-scary, half-funny and all strange”
• Angst and the outsider: In retro respect I believe that all the family are outcasts to society because of Angelique's influence
and character who places the family as social outcasts. Each family member having their own difficult issues.
• Disrespect of Authority: Baranbas often disrespects the police officers authority in the sense that they can easily arrested for
his crimes and try to near to the end of the film but fail.
• Classic Horror and B-flicks: Many of Burton’s films use the look of classic science fiction and horror movies, particularly those
of 1950s and 1960s, as a template for his visual style. Dark shadows had the combination of being a horror film and set in
1960s-70s.
• The grotesque: The use of the vampire and witch, then the surprise twist being Carolyn Stoddard is a werewolf.

9. Collaborations- Edward Scissorhands
Winona Ryder co-
star of the film
playing Kim:
worked with Tim
Burton 3 times.
Johnny Depp star of
film playing Edward :
Worked with Burton 9
times
Tim burtons and Johnny Collaboration has been
compared to a danger of becoming a mondo
bizarre version of John Ford and John Wayne.

10. Collaborations- Corpse Bride
Johnny Depp is lead
role again
Helena Bonham Carter is
co-star lead playing Emily
(the corpse): worked with
Burton on 8 times.
Emily Watson co
star laying Victoria:
Worked with
Burton once.
Christopher Lee
plays Pastor
Gallswells:
worked with
burton 4 times.
Michael Gough
played Elder
Gutknecht: Worked
with Burton 5
times.

11. Collaborations- Dark Shadows
Johnny Depp is lead role of this movie, like he is most of Tim Burton’s films. As well as Helena Bonham
Carter making another appearance. Christopher Lee also makes an appearance in this film
Michelle Pfeiffer as
Elizabeth Collins
Stoddard:
Has worked with
Burton’s twice
Eva green who plays
Angelique: Has
worked with burton
twice
The rest of the cast appearing only once.
Note: Derek Frey an associate producer of his films and running the production of his films
since 2001.

12. Sources
• Edward Scissorhands- Tim Burton (1990)
• Corpse Bride- Tim Burton (2005)
• Dark Shadows- Tim Burton (2012)
• Robert Ebert Edward Scissorhands review (1990)
• Tim Burton-Pocket essential Tim Burton Colin Odell and Michelle le
blanc (2001)
• Robert Ebert-TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE (2005)
• Auteurs and Authorship: A Film Reader, edited by Barry Keith Grant.
Maldwell, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008
• Goofy `Corpse Bride' has lots of extras: Heartwarming flick by Tim
Burton includes documentary of movie. George M. Thomas- 2006
• Filming Begins on Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows“. Trade journals-
2011.