Burton's own aesthetic reflects German Expressionism more than any other style. Expressionism began as a modern art movement and quickly expanded to influence art across Europe in the 1920s.
Much of this style is heavily influenced by German expressionist artists and filmmakers in the early 20th century (LACMA). Distortion, spooking shadows, heavy makeup, dreamlike settings, and some overarching feelings of dismay are characteristics of both Burton's work and German expressionism.
Even in those early shorts, Burton's gothic style is clear to see. Take a look at Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride and Dark Shadows, for instance, and you'll see shades of his horror-tinged formative work spring to life in big budget features.
Burton, as the director auteur, is comparable to other such directors as Eisenstein and Rossellini, but his style of filmmaking is intrinsically different for its focus on animation and the idea of the fairytale. To elaborate in simple terms; he is not just the author of the film, but the illustrator.
With a style so distinct the adjective 'Burtonesque' was coined, Tim Burton has written, directed, and produced numerous iconic films - encompassing cult favorites, box office smashes and inventive adaptations.
Tim Burton's Eccentric Set Design and Art Direction Explained
What cinematic techniques does Tim Burton use?
In many of his films, Tim Burton uses framing and angles, music and sound, and lighting to control the mood of the scene. To begin, director Tim Burton manipulates lighting to create a feeling of fear and suspense in the audience.
Frankenweenie is a 2012 American 3D stop-motion animated science fiction horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by John August, and starring Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, and Winona Ryder.
Burton loves using black and white stripes to create a striking contrast amidst his darker color palette. And you can do the same! Stripes get a bad reputation because of their visual impact. Horizontal stripes, for example, can have a widening effect that can make you look broader than you are.
Tim Burton's visual style is often influenced by the artistic movement known as expressionism. Expressionism emerged in the early 20th century as a reaction to the realism of the time, focusing on expressing emotions and subjective experiences through distorted and exaggerated forms.
In 1985, following his departure from the Disney studios, he created his first feature film: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. This was followed by Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Burton is 65 years old and was born on August 25, 1958, in Burbank, California. He attended the California Institute of the Arts, studying character animation. He was an animator's apprentice with Walt Disney Animation Studios. Vincent was his first film – a six-minute black and white stop-motion short.
The theory says that first is Frankenweenie, following Victor's childhood years and his relationship with his dog, and then comes Corpse Bride, with an older Victor whose dog has died (for good this time), though he reunites with him now as a skeleton.
Despite those similarities, Tim Burton actually had nothing whatsoever to do with Coraline's production. The filmmaker behind Coraline is Wendell & Wild director Henry Selick, but this hasn't stopped the beloved adaptation of the Neil Gaiman comic from being falsely attributed to Burton by far too many people.
Has Tim Burton ever made a movie without Johnny Depp?
Frankenweenie Was Tim Burton's First Movie Without Johnny Depp Since Big Fish. Despite the fact that Johnny Depp held an impressive film streak with Tim Burton, the director ultimately did not cast the actor in Frankenweenie.
What time period is Nightmare Before Christmas set in?
The movie takes place during the time between Halloween and Christmas, meaning most of the action actually occurs during November (a fact some contrarians have latched on to and used to declare it… wait for it…a Thanksgiving movie). I mean, there's even a countdown to Christmas Day!
Which is set back in the late 1800s in a Victorian village, where a man and woman by the names of Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot are suddenly betrothed to each other even though they have never met...
The American suburbia Tim Burton aesthetic is defined by bright and bold colors, as well as 1960s architecture and cars. It stands in stark contrast to Burton's theatrical side, which is defined by Gothic overtones and mechanical machinations and heavily inspired by German Expressionism.
He quickly struck out on his own and became known for creating visually striking films that blend themes of fantasy and horror, including Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Burton was compelled to utilize stop-motion animation because it could bring something purely imagined to vivid life in a way that 2-D animation couldn't.
