How does Tim Burton's repetetive theme of loneliness/isolation influence his work, and does this make him an auteur?
Auteur Theory-
The word auteur refers from France and translates as author which means that a directors film reflects their creative vision, which also means they have control over things such as lighting,camerawork,staging and editing to succeed in getting their overall vision.The Auteur Theory was introduced in the 1950's by French film directors like Francois Truffaut. An auto is a film maker whose style is distinctive and personal which then creates a signature auteur status for them.
Annotated Catalogue
Films:
Item 1-Edward Scissorhands (1988)
This movie is suitable too use due to the theme of lonliness being used throughout the movie and more specifically the main character who is not accepted for who he is. By delving into the subject of isolation,Burton is using personal experience which adds an element of personality to his work.
Item 2-Beetlejuice (1988)
This film is useful for my topic by fitting the recurring theme of isolation through the main couple in the house that is featured in the movie. The movie itself addresses it in a spectacular way that can only be viewed as Burtons signature style ,giving it that spin that makes the movie appear to clearly be a Burton production.
Item 3-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
This film is eligible to use as a example as by expressing the isolation of Willy Wonka in such a unique fashion it very strongly has that Burton splash of creativity on it and not only addresses the fact that an adult is experiencing this and not a child like Burton himself was when going through his loneliness. Therefore this shows the unique form of Burtons creative projects.
Item 4:
In this behind the scenes clip of Burton talking about Edward Scissorhands, Burton discusses one of this themes of being different. He uses the phrase "I was looking for somebody who got the idea of that sadness of being perceived" when talking about casting Johhny Depp for the role. It shows hat Burton clearly has an important message that he not only wants conveyed but conveyed in a way that will strike people to know they are watching a project by Burton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=WLxWKVOI6hc
Item 5:
This clip can be helpful for my work as Burton discusses the idea of his work and people pursuing the question of how he's doing the things he wants too do and Burton talks about how he creates projects based on his experiences in life, especially growing up, which him being isolated was a huge part of his younger years, this makes Burton's work have that personal quality too it which helps develop his signature as auteur. He also talks about how he uses his experience to create things and make the most out of situations that are perceived as bad by the world which gives a piece of work that Burton quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bRaaIcmbvI
Item 6:
This biography of Burton touches upon Burton as a child and how his childhood of being an outcast which later came to influence his works in life, this is a good source to use as it uses burtons back ground to delve into his inspiration which subsequently helps me to answer my question of the recurring theme of isolation/loneliness;which he got inspired by his childhood and upbringing which later allows him to delve into the theme in a majority of his movies to convey certain messages to the audience.
Item 7:
This interview with Catherine O'Hara is a good source too use as it gives a behind the scenes of what its like too work on the set of one of Burton's films ,giving an insight to the process behind his signature way of working which people view as his auteurism;showing he is just like anybody else but has the influence to create personal projects and spread messages to a mass audience.
http://catherine_ohara_fan.tripod.com/gueststar.html
Item 8:
This review by the New York times is a good source too use as it talks about Burtons style and how his films"unmistakeably stamp his sensibility onto every frame" therefore straight away providing proof that burtons style is individual to him and his experiences and his style that would be considered auteur. It also talks about Burtons peculiar gift to show bizarre concepts with everyday problems ,that kind of spectacle and how his movies essentially scream Burton.
http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9f0ceeda1539f93aa35753c1a965958260
Item 9:
This article touches upon the auteur theory and even quotes the necessary parts needed in projects to be considered an auteur by an audience ,which Burton fits. It also discusses Burtons use of conventional characters and archetypes with animation and a child like vibe to discuss sensitive topics; which shows a portion of the person Burton is and how he relates to these things and how it adds too his projects which help define his style to be that of an auteur.
http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/the-imagination-of-tim-burton/
Item 10:
This article is a useful source as it discusses Burtons defining characteristics of what is considered to be his auteur signature. It also talks about Burtons props in Charlie and the chocolate factory, deeply showing that despite having basically everything the main character is alone and has nothing, and even though Burton went with the classic archetype of the main character meeting a character that changes there look on life it is done in a way where even after that happening loneliness/isolation still plays a big part in his life.
Item 11:
I am using this as one of my items as it discusses all of Burtons most loved and individual qualities on both him and his work that make him appear as a well loved auteur. It goes into detail about different aspects of Burtons work and contains an interview with Burton himself where he discusses various things including his childhood; and his isolation from other people in his younger years, and the affect it had on him as a person and later on how it affected his projects and gave him his definitive style and the repetitive theme that allows a movie to help be identified as Burtons work.
Item 12:
This item discusses the casting of Burtons movie and how just like his other movies he uses the same actors a majority of the time with one of them being Johnny Depp tho surprisingly when you look at Burtons most popular films only two of them contain Johnny Depp. This shows the true impact from Burtons films is the message they convey through experience or the emotional pull of relatable stories ,including ones of isolation and loneliness as a lot of people will have experienced that in there life and therefore be emotionally invested which is what Burtons work is truly about.
Book: Burton on Burton-Page 138
Rejected Items:
The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993):
I am not using this as an item as despite the fact that it fits in with the them of loneliness on Jack's behalf and his style,it is not directed by Tim Burton, only written, and therefore cannot be used as a film to answer the question about Burtons recurring theme and how his style makes him an auteur .
Batman(1989):
Even though this film is directed by Tim Burton and contains one of his common themes of loneliness; shown when the main character of the movie parents die, the production idea of the movie was not invented by Burton himself and he was just directing someone else's idea, This movie would not be useful as Burtons true creativity and his own free will to have more control of what happens is best when it is an original idea of his; hence why I am using Edward Scissorhands
Corpse Bride(2005):
I am not going too use this film as an item as it is an animation and therefore feel like it will not touch upon Burtons theme of loneliness/isolation as these are heavy topics and considering the movie is aimed at children there is a limit on what can be done and children cannot see certain content;which may be needed to portray the direness of the situation of isolation but cannot be used due to the expected happiness from children's films.