Edward Scissorhands

469 Words2 Pages
“Step out of the dark and into the light”, the proverb says. This quote portrays society’s idea to surround yourself in promising environments. Director Tim Burton places a twist on this concept by creating unique and extraordinary films. In Tim Burton’s films, he emphasizes low key lighting, high key lighting, and a contrast in color to indicate a shift of perspective from a gloomy to energetic setting. In Burton’s film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he stresses the importance of low and high key lighting. In the beginning scene of the movie, the scene was filled with bulky machines in the factory that were covered in shadows. The scene created a haunting mood by adding low key lighting and portrayed the factory as ominous and fearsome.…show more content…
Towards the beginning of the film, when Peg enters the mansion driveway, it is engulfed in low key lighting embedded with various silhouettes. The lighting created a spooky mood that made the mansion appear abandoned. However, when Peg entered the front yard of the mansion, it was covered in lively, high key lighting. The front yard portrayed a welcoming, dynamic environment to which the viewer is surprised at how alive everything seems. The difference of lighting portrays the different perspectives of Edward’s environment from unappealing to appealing. As well as lighting, Burton also uses contrast in color to address a shift in mood. In Corpse Bride, in the opening scene the director zooms out the window of Victor’s room to introduce the setting. The setting resembled a small town drowned in low lighting with dark value shades to emphasize the gloominess in the town. Although, when Victor is dragged into the “Land of the Dead” it is filled with bright colors to show the vivid, lively emotions the people there expressed. By analyzing both examples, one can spot the irony created between the two scenes of how the “Land of the Dead” can be so energetic while the “Land of the Living”
Open Document