Edward Scissorhands

Batman Returns

Music & Lighting for Edward Scissorhands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvOmlRkKRgQ&playnext_from=TL&videos=IxztDzxq-QQ

Music & Lighting for Batman Returns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuMZHOHlpws&playnext_from=TL&videos=zUfhrhgvxrg

A Nightmare on Elm Street vs. Edward Scissorhands

Costume in Edward Scissorhands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObM-v-eGDSI&playnext_from=TL&videos=IxztDzxq-QQ

Selina Kyle from Batman Returns

Costume in Batman Returns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H75_xFqk774&playnext_from=TL&videos=IxztDzxq-QQ

Beginning my Seminar...

Started to collate all my notes into a seminar... running out of time!

Director's Commentary

Watched director's commentary for Edward Scissorhands to see whether there would be anything to add to my notes on my 3 distinctive elements - Music, Lighting or Costume and Make Up.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Watched about half of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory during a movie night with my friends and realised that I could possibly study this film for Task 2 and write from a sociological point of view about Charlie's lower class living and how that affects his actions in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. But I will need to finish watching it to find out more. Also since the dvd is a friend's I won't have to rent it out.

Big Fish

Returned Batman, Batman Returns and Sleepy Hollow.
Watched Big Fish and took notes on possible readings.

Task 2...

I have now decided on my Task 1 Films: Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns.
Now I need to decide on my Task 2 Film which is writing about two different readings. For this task I am going to decide from Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish or Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Watched Sleepy Hollow for the first time after renting it out twice already!
Mr Ussher thinks I should study Big Fish because of the pschological reading.

Renewed Edward Scissorhands from the school library for the school holidays!

Batman Returns

Watched Batman Returns and took notes on my chosen techiniques - Music, Lighting and Costume and Make-up

Danny Elfman's commentary on Edward Scissorhands

Watched all of Edward Scissorhands with Danny Elfman's commentary for assistance with my analysis of music for Task 1.
So far my definite stylistic elements will be Music and Lighting, the third one with either be Character Actors or Costume and Make Up.

Decision Time

Renewed Film Analysis Handbook
Rewatched Beetlejuice to make a final decision on whether it could be one of my Task 1 films. I am leaning towards studying Edwards Scissorhands and Batman Returns.

Edward Scissorhands...

Borrowed Edward Scissorhands from the Burnside High School Library and it's due back on Monday, which is only 5 days, but nevertheless, its free of charge!
Also recorded a documentary on Sky Movies Greats called Hollywood Backstories: Edward Scissorhands.

The Cost of Living

Today I borrowed Beetlejuice from Mr Ussher so that I can work out which of the three films he recommended I would like to study.
I worked out whether it would be more cost effective to keep renting my chosen films or buy them... I have decided to continue renting and borrowing them if possible as my Dad already rents them cheaper than normal and I can borrow Edward Scissorhands from the school library.

Checkpoint 1

Today I talked to Mr Ussher about possible elements of Burton's style that I could write about.

These included Special Effects - smoke & explosions, Lighting - blue tones, dark, low-lighting, key-lighting, Music - Danny Elfman, orchestoral, Opening Scene often featuring a mini model of the setting, Costume - eccentric, gothic, Make Up and Acting Style - outsider, Johnny Depp, Tim Burton represented in the outsider character, Character Actors - Johnny Depp as the misunderstood outsider in Edward Scissorhands or Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Batman.

Mr Ussher told me that I should steer away from Acting Style and Special Effects.

Mars Attacks!

Watched Mars Attacks! and took notes

Jonathan Ross Show

Watched Ed Wood and took notes

Recorded an interview with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp on the Jonathan Ross Show on UKTV for some possible background to the duo's collaborations.

Batman Returns

Watched Batman Returns and took down general notes

Cinema Viewing

Went to see Burton's latest film, Alice in Wonderland. I have never considered studying this particular film for this assignment as I would prefer to view it more than once, which could become costly, considering it cost me $19 to see it in 3D!

Week 7

• Rewatched Batman and Edward Scissorhands to take down notes (as first time round I decided I wouldn't - bad idea!) and so that Dad can return them along with Beetlejuice tomorrow
• I am still undecided on which movies I am going to study, so I got Dad to rent out Batman Returns, Ed Wood, Mars Atttacks! and Sleepy Hollow (for $5) to see whether they will have any possibilities for the Task 1 comparison
• A friend lent me Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Batman and Edward Scissorhands

Watched Batman and Edward Scissorhands for the first time ever!

Burton Books

Got my older sister to borrow Tim Burton by Jum Smith and J Clive Matthews and Burton on Burton edited by Mark Salisbury from the Central Canterbury University Library

Begin film viewing.... NOW!

Watched Beetlejuice and took general notes on stylistic characteristics that stood out, so that once I have watched several of Tim Burton's movies I can look back over them and see which films are similar stylistically.

From Studio Portraits documentary, Johnny Depp: Under His Skin

Interesting facts:
Depp is part Cherokee (Native American); as a child he dreamed of being Bruce Lee or the first white Harlem Globetrotter; was in a band called The Kids where he was a bassist; married make-up artist Lori-Ann Allison in 1983, was engaged to Winona Ryder in 1989, dated supermodel, Kate Moss and is currently in a relationship with French singer, Vanessa Paradis with whom he has two children.

Johnny Depp, the "unpredictable/outcast/misfit/eccentric/fiercely imaginative/misunderstood/sexy/charismatic/marvellous to look at/creatively adventurous risk-taker":
Depp has said

"I have a strange allergy to conformity"

- identified with the outcast and the musunderstood ever since his difficult childhood moving from place to place

"always been attracted to things on the darker side, especially when I was very young"

- Depp had a strange fascination with 19th Century serial killer, Jack the Ripper;
- his older brother introduced him to non-conformist writers which built the eccentric cool guy

The Beginnings of Johnny Depp's Acting Career:
- met Nicolas Cage (Francis Ford Coppola's nephew), who persuaded him to take a "stab at acting"

- Depp's first film audition (he was currently star and pretty-boy teen idol of Fox's crime drama series 21 Jump Street) was for Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. Craven said that there

"was something totally different about Johnny..."

- but he didn't cast him until during one casting session, Craven's 13 year old daughter convinced him to cast Depp, despite Craven saying to her...

"...doesn't he look rather sickly, kinda pale..."

and the 13 year old fighting back...

"No. He's dreamy."

Johnny Depp to Edward Scissorhands to mainstream hit...
1989 - At 26, Depp met 17 year old Winona Ryder at a film premiere. They both worked on Burton's Edward Scissorhands, where they were not only real life lovers, but on-screen as well!

On casting Depp as Edward, producer Denise Di Novi said that when Depp walked into the casting she saw those...

"Big gentle doe eyes, shy.."

- perfect for Edward! Depp kept thinking of the faces of dogs he had owned. "The eyes of new-born babies. Dogs have that unconditional love. If you scold a dog, he cowers in a corner. As soon as you call him back, he's there, and all is forgotten."

Johnny Depp through another's eyes:

"They [Depp and Burton] are both unique visualists who seem to like very much of the same stuff
and see the world which is skewed in very much the same way."...

"He's [Depp] like Marlon [Brando], in that he's different, unique,
intelligent and makes choices interestingly."

- Martin Landau (who starred in Burton's Ed Wood (1994)

"They have the same sense of humour, contempt for fame and refusal to take
themselves seriously."

- Faye Dunaway, on both Depp and Brando whom she starred with in Jeremy Leven's Don Juan de Marco

"It's very much a cliché, but every director's leading man is a handsomer
version of themselves. I think Johnny Depp is that for Tim."

- director of Nightmare Before Christmas, Henry Selik

Tim Burton and I

I have only ever seen Tim Burton's latest films: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005) and Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)but never his earlier work. So in order to decide on the three films I will be studying and get a feel for his style, I must view more of his body of work.

Today I:

• Got my Dad to rent out Burton's Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989) and Edward Scissorhands (1990) from Video Ezy New Brighton, where he got them out for $6
  
• Went to the Central City Library and borrowed The Films of Tim Burton: animating live action in contemperary Hollywood by film scholar, Alison McMahan. Which is a book covering Burton's entire body of work explaining how his films fit into contemporary Hollywood and why McMahan calls his work "pataphysical" ("films that are full of intertextual references and blatant special effects, and that have in many ways abandoned the classical Hollywood narrative style.")


• Also recorded a documentary on Sky Movies Greats called Johnny Depp: Under His Skin, as I know Depp has collaborated with Burton many times (six to be exact).

Week 6

Today I decided to change my director from Martin Scorsese (The Aviator, The Departed, Gangs of New York) to Tim Burton.

Week 4

Today I borrowed two books from the Burnside High School Library called Film Analysis Handbook by Thomas Caldwell and Moviemakers: 50 Iconic Directors from Chaplin to the Coen Brothers by Ian Freer to help me choose my director and prepare to watch their films.

I am still deciding on which director I want to study, my short list consists of: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Copppola, M. Night Shyamalan, David Lynch, Roman Polanski, Tim Burton and Ridley Scott.