Research- Tim Burton- Short Films, Illustration and German Expressionism

Tim Burton is arguably debated as one of the most influental film and animation directors in the past century. His strange, bug eyed characters, grim topics and dark sense of humour given him a large cult reputation and fanbase.

He has also been recognised as one of the only modern film-makers who lifts their style heavily from german expressionism. I have talked about german expressionism before, but I think it is relevant in terms of my project and the themes I wish to discuss. Expressionism as an art form is painting/portraying the world from a subjective perspective, mainly how you as an artist emotionally re-interpret what you see as opposed to completely replicating it.

German expressionism is the same however it ties more into a movement started before the first world war. In the 1920’s to be more accurate.

The characteristics of what defines german expressionism is the use of heavy shadows to evoke strong atmosphere, Unreal shapes contrasted by fine detail and an exaggerated perspective on people and environments. This tends to go hand in hand with themes of the uncanny and gothic horror. Which is what led to their recurrent use in early cinema, Nosferatu, Metropolis, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. These give us exclusive glimpses into uncanny worlds and exaggerated characters which roamed about in a gloomy, dreamlike setting.

It’s no wonder from Tim Burton’s animated short Vincent; that the child’s imagination heavily reflects these grim outlooks and fantasies of dipping his aunt in wax or turning his dog into a mutant zombie for his delight. It could even be debated we never truly see what the titular character is like in reality, as the whole story is told from his perspective. Vincent is essentially a stand in for Tim Burton himself.

Tim Burton’s style blends the exaggerated comedy of cartoon animation with german expressionism to create a dark humourous style that’s favoured both his live action and animated projects alike.