An exploration into Tim Burton's recurring use of alienated, outcast characters, and how it applies to Auteur theory.
Films:Item 1- Edward Scissorhands (1990)
I chose this as my focus film because it shows a clear presence of Tim Burton as an auteur. There are many elements that show Edward as a lonely character. For example, in the opening sequence, where his home is far away from society and is all black and gothic-style. It also looks at his other auteur traits, like the highly saturated settings. This makes it a successful resource, as it portrays Tim Burton's style the most.
Item 2- Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (2005)
I chose this film, again because it shows a Tim Burton's eccentric, unique and lonely character (in the form of Willy Wonka), thus showing him as an auteur. A main example is in the scene where the children meet Wonka, and his costume is very different to the social norm. It also portrays the theme that appearances can be deceiving, which is another common element in Tim Burton films. I found this as a successful research item.
Item 3- Sweeney Todd (2007)
This film also has the type of character that Tim Burton always creates (eccentric, unique and lonely), in the form of Sweeney, showing Tim Burton as an auteur. This film also has highly saturated settings, again, showing Tim Burton as an Auteur, but in a different way to the topic I am focusing on. This is a good film to put into my research.
Interviews:
Item 4 - Johnny Depp, Tim Burton at Arsenio Hall's talk show 1990
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4ClVG10TYg - specifically moment 1:30)
The interview shows Johnny Depp talking about how he approached the character of Edward Scissorhands. This showed that Tim Burton creates characters in such a specific way (eccentric, lonely, outcasts), and follows his director style, making him an Auteur. This has been a really useful thing to include into my resource.
Item 5 - http://uk.ign.com/articles/2005/07/09/interview-tim-burton
There is a quote in this interview where Tim Burton explains slightly where his character ideas came from, giving his films an autobiographical sense to them. He creates his characters to be lonely and eccentric, as that is what he was like as a child. From this, I know that all of his films have elements of him in each of them, making him even more of an Auteur. This makes it a really good quote to put into my research.
Item 6 - CATCF Interview, Johnny Depp (2004)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_T6HRf8_Y - 0:46)
In this interview, Johnny Depp talks about how he approached the character of Willy Wonka. He describes the type of character that Tim Burton uses in most of his films, showing Tim Burton as an auteur again. Interviews are reliable resources as the people in them tend to speak the truth. This made it a really good thing to include into my research.
Books:
Item 7 - Andrew M. Butler - Film Studies - Chapter 3
This book describes the Auteur theory, so I used it to explain what it actually was. I chose this book specifically, as it gave the best description of Auteur theory that I could find. It also meant I had different types of media in my research catalogue. I also find books a really reliable source. I will be using multiple quotes from the book, making it a really useful piece of research.
Item 8 - Burton on Burton by Tim Burton -
This book talked about how Tim Burton creates his characters and how he bases them on himself. I chose it so I could give reasoning towards why he makes his characters the way he does. It also shows that even with Hollywood money and influences, he doesn't change the way he makes films. This proved to be a really useful source.
Item 13 - Tim Burton: The Pocket Essential Guide By Michelle Le Blanc, Colin Odell -
This book discusses Tim Burton in general; his lifestyle, his past, his directing style. I was able to find a quote that talks about the types of characters he creates (eccentric, lonely). This proved to be an extremely useful quote, so I used it in my research project.
Magazines:
Item 9 - Empire Issue 223
This interview about Sweeney Todd also talks about how Johnny Depp saw the character of Sweeney Todd. The quote I used implies that Sweeney was lonely, and shows Tim Burton as an auteur (in the form of this lonely character) once again. This was a successful resource.
Item 14 - totalDVD Issue 62 (The Mad World of Tim Burton)
The magazine discusses Tim Burton's character types. It also discusses the autobiographical sense in all of Burton's films (another part of the auteur theory that I have briefly discussed). I found the quote that supports the auteur theory and so it has been really useful to use in my research project.
Item 15 - Telegraph Magazine Feb 2010
In the magazine, they refer to Tim Burton's distinct way of directing. It refers to the idea that Burton and Depp work together to make very similar, identifiable and good films. The quote I have used portrays the Auteur idea well, and so has been a really useful resource for my research project.
Articles/Websites:
Item 10 - The Guardian Film Blog October 2016 (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/18/tim-burton-diversity-artistic-genius)
In this interview, the Guardian talk about Tim Burton's actors. I chose this article, because it references Tim Burton to being seen as a great artist, which supports the Auteur theory. This makes it a good resource to use.
Item 11 - Tim Burton: I Love All Monsters 2012
(http://ukscreen.com/articles/interviews/tim-burton-i-love-all-monsters/)
In this article, it talks about Tim Burton's personality and directing style. I found it's opening quote useful, as it enclosed my whole auteur theory ideology into one quote, and something that I wanted to use as part of my research. It shows Tim Burton as an Auteur, as it talks about his distinct style, making it a good resource to use.
Reviews:
Item 12 - Edward Scissorhands Review - The Telegraph 2014 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11298442/Edward-Scissorhands-review-a-true-fairytale.html)
In this review, the Telegraph start by giving a brief overview of Edward Scissorhands, and it's characters. I chose the article, as it perfectly describes the type of character that is in all Tim Burton films, thus supporting the Auteur Theory. This makes it a really good resource, and because it's an review, it shows the true feeling of the audience.
Item 16 - https://letterboxd.com/dragonknight/film/edward-scissorhands/
In this review of Edward Scissorhands, the writer discusses the themes and emotions that are portrayed in the film. It gives a brief overview of the film. I chose to use a quote from it, as it perfectly fit with what I was trying to argue, and it describes an ongoing theme in all Tim Burton characters, thus supporting my argument that Tim Burton is indeed an Auteur.
Rejected Resources
Films: Alice in Wonderland (2010) - I didn't use it because all the characters have relationships (between families and friends), and there isn't a clear character that is unique or lonely, and so doesn't fit with my auteur theory. It wasn't useful at all.
Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iog0HTVutW0 - The interview didn't talk about characterisation or directing, but instead spoke about the process of making films, and the relationship between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. This makes it an unsuccessful resource to use.
Review: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/tim_burton/ - I didn't use this resource because there wasn't any clear quotes or paragraphs about Tim Burton's characters. It was more a profile on Tim Burton himself. This wasn't a good resource for me to use.
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