Here is a a very basic version of a presentation script: 'C grade'
It should only be regarded as a guideline; (references are incomplete: argument is relatively sound: structure is sound)
Presentation Script
How far can the gothic elements used in Tim Burton films classify him as an auteur?
Projector: Display a picture of Tim Burton (item 6)
Speaker:
For any audience that watches a Tim Burton film, it is easy to spot that his personal life is integrated into his films, especially if you know a bit about his biographical past. This can easily describe Burton as an auteur; an auteur is used to distinguish and evaluate good directors from bad ones, and also reflects the director’s personal vision which is easily shown in many of Burtons films. For example, when he was younger he’d draw monsters; “It’s weird, but the only experiences I remember from my childhood are the one which had a major impact,’ Burton claimed. ‘Fearful things, like from a scary movie.” [7] If you know what Burton looks like/dresses like, you can easily see that this is integrated into his films. In ‘Edward Scissorhands’ [1] the similarities in how both Burton and Edward look is quite obvious, for example they both have dark, messy hair; “spiky hands aside, Edward even looks a bit like him,” [7] he also adapts his own personal environment that he grew up in into the film – the suburban town. Even Alice in Wonderland [2] manages to relate to Burton’s personal childhood, and we could even possibly relate him to the Mad Hatter – again based more on the appearance and maybe even some psychological aspects.
Projector: Display clip from Edward Scissorhands - Flashback to being created [1] – 2:06mins.
Speaker:
Edward Scissorhands is a well-known film made by Burton in 1990. Burton easily managed to show some of his own personal life through this film such as the fact he himself was quite socially isolated. Edward was made by his ‘father’ and given scissors for hands, however eventually his father died and so Edward was left in the mansion on his own, isolated from the world around him. To cope with his isolation, he would cut bushes into shapes that showed how he was feeling. “Scissorhands is arguably Burton’s most personal film, a moving portrait of an artistic outsider who cannot touch what he desires without destroying it.” [8] Edward would end up cutting his face and hurting other people and eventually he learnt that he couldn’t get close to anybody; this didn’t help the fact that he was socially unacceptable and maybe even unexplainable.
Projector: Display clip for Edward Scissorhands - entering the mansion [1] – 1:42mins.
Speaker:
This clip shows the mansion for what it used to be and what it is in the present part of the film, even though it hadn’t actually changed that much. The fact that he lives in a dark mansion can immediately show something gothic about the film; it’s dark, empty, isolated and has the simple mise-en-scene such as cobwebs and old, wooden, dusty furniture, along with the lighting which is obviously low key. The slow pan around the room with the light wind blowing the curtains creates an eerie feeling, which is showed well by the cinematography. In the roof of the mansion, there is a slow zoom as Edward comes out of a dark corner, the only lighting shown is that through a hole in the roof which again is a typical convention used by many ‘horror’ films. The use of the shadow on his face as he’s coming out of the corner is usually used to portray a character as ‘bad’ however, as Edward comes into the light the expression on his face tells a completely different story and we soon grasp that Edward is not that of a ‘bad’ character, yet a character that just wants some warmth and comfort. “Johnny Depp brings a feeling of tortured emotion to his almost silent character that lingers long in the memory.” [8] Tortured emotion is a well-known and well-used convention amongst many gothic films; the fact that the definition of a ‘goth’ would be strange, emotionally and socially inapt and even artistic.
This clip also shows the contrast between the mansion that sat on top of a pastel-coloured suburban town. At first Edward is isolated and withdrawn from society, which is greatly shown by the cinematography. For example, the fact he has scissors for hands suggests the fact that he is ‘strange’ compared to societies norms. “Taken from his gothic castle to a colourful and romanticised suburban neighbourhood he changes the lives of the townsfolk forever.” [8]
Throughout many ‘gothic’ films, at least one of the characters is usually socially impaired and find it difficult to ‘fit in’ which is exactly what Edward found when making the transition from the mansion to the suburban town.
Even the town can be seen to be ‘strange’ from a social view; “through visual and narrative cues, the neighbourhood is portrayed as exceptionally absurd. The odd pastel coloured houses are one such cue; as is their constant gossiping behaviour, which is taken to excess.” [9]
Although item 8 argues that it is the townsfolk that are strange and that Edward is actually the most ‘normal;’ “Edward is the most normal person in the movie and it is the twisted townsfolk who are the true monsters, resulting in his loss of innocence,” [8] item 9 argues that it is actually Edward that is strange and not the townsfolk, but only because compared to their normality, Edward is quite absurd and socially inapt.
Projector: Display clip of Alice in Wonderland - Opening scene [2]
Speaker:
Alice in Wonderland (2010) was Burton’s first 3D film and was actually a follow on from the Disney classic. The Underland “an alternate land populated by bizarre characters” [6] is again similar to Burton’s own personal life of his passion with monsters and strange goings on, some of the aspects of the film fit well into conventions of gothic films.
“Alice meets a bizarre-looking white rabbit, and consequently follows him into a hole and into Wonderland. What she finds is, says Burton, ‘a place in decline, overgrown, with a slightly haunted quality to it.” [6] When Alice first goes into the Underworld and meets teedledum and teedledee you can immediately see the simple gothic elements used such as the midst, the freaky trees and even the freaky characters. Although this is a PG rated film and a fairytale I don’t think it would take much to freak children out. Scary looking talking animals in a creepy looking forest that wouldn’t be surprising if the plants started talking gives a great sense of fear and shock to any audience watching this film.
Projector: Display clip of Alice meeting the Mad Hatter [2] -1.00min
Speaker:
This clip really does show the simple gothic elements of any horror movie. “But this 3D Underland, tricked out with curlicues, crooked branches and sad faced freaks” [5] is well showed by the tea party; the misty background with the leafless trees that are practically shadowed into the background with the leaves on the dirty ground, as where the Mad Hatter lives is practically in the middle of a forest. We also see his little house he lives in, but only in the background – the simple elements of this equal to those in Edward Scissorhands [1] as his mansion is on top of a hill, misty and gothic looking. However, the Mad Hatters house is a little wooden shack that is practically falling down, we see a bit of light out of the window – similar to when we see any gothic looking house. The simple mise-en-scene of the film like the long table is a very well used convention in many films that tend to use a big gothic mansion. The broken cups, cutlery and the horrible looking food are also well-used conventions used in films where such mansions have been abandoned or tampered with. We then see another shot of the shack that actually makes it look like an old, abandoned windmill and that actually quite a few lights are on, however it does not change the eerie feeling it gives us, added by the midst, and how gothic it does actually look.
Projector: Display clip of Corpse Bride [3]
Speaker:
Corpse Bride which is “using stop-motion animation to gorgeously ghoulish effect,” [10] Burton makes another PG film that could be out to freak the children out, who obviously would be it’s main audience seeing as it’s about the Underworld populated by the dead.
Projector: Display clip of Corpse Bride [3] – 1.18mins.
Speaker:
The simple storyline of the film about a corpse immediately can be seen as a gothic element. Then, throughout the film and because it is based on the dead, we see other simple things such as the forest with bare branches, leaves on the ground and the midst; elements similar to those in Edward Scissorhands [1] around his mansion and Alice in Wonderland [2] at the Mad Hatters party. The fact that Corpse Bride also has an ‘Underworld’ is similar to Alice in Wonderlands ‘Underland,’ however, the only difference being is that Corpse Brides Underworld is more for the dead instead of freaky beings. The fact that it is for the dead is a major convention for gothic movies.
“The contrast between the grey, drab world of the living and the colorful land of the dead works superbly.” [8] Although the land is a lot more colourful than the Underworld, as it would be in any movie, the land still has its downfalls; of course the forest is going to be dark, scary and have conventions similar to those in many other gothic movies.
Projector: Display pictures of all three films and Burton himself.(item 6,9,11)
Speaker:
In conclusion, Burton worked well as an auteur and managed to integrate a lot of his personal life into his films. Although there are many theories that the auteur theory doesn’t exist, this manages to prove that it does. He easily manages to put across the simple conventions of gothic elements and portrays a distinctive effort of this.
*This is by no means a perfect example and should be considered a 'draft' script
*Images may be included.
*More analysis would improve.
*Argument could be stronger.
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