Film Lesson Plans

Mise-en-scene and Tim Burton

The cinema of Tim Burton provides an excellent starting point for teaching mise-en-scene. This lesson examines key scenes from four of Burton’s most popular films with a special focus on Edward Scissorhands. Tim Burton’s visual imagination creates a stylised mise-en-scene that continues to draw inspiration from German Expressionist classics such as the Cabinet of Doctor Caligari.

Introducing Mise-en-scene

Introduction

The meaning of this term of French origin (pronounced “meez-on-sen”) is “put into the scene” and was first used in theatre in the direction of stage plays.

In the context of the moving image, it describes both the content of what is filmed and the way in which it has been filmed and signifies the director’s control over what appears in the film frame. The use of camera is regarded by some as one aspect of mise-en-scene but we have devoted a separate section and lesson to it on this site. Similarly, we will deal in detail with cinematography.

  

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The Influence of German Expressionism: Tim Burton

Introduction

Tim Burton is the visionary director of Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow and the first two Batman movies. Burton began his film career as an animator for Disney Studios where he made the animated short film, Vincent in 1982. The horror characters and taste for the macabre that are the hallmark of Burton’s later feature films were already present in his early animated short films, Vincent and Frankenweenie (1985).

  

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Studying Edward Scissorhands

Introduction

Tim Burton really unleashed his imagination for the first time when he made the pop fairytale Edward Scissorhands in 1990. Just as Burton’s success is associated with Batman, his artistic reputation is inextricably linked to Edward Scissorhands. Modern narratives are often updated versions of timeless stories. Edward Scissorhands adapts the structure and conventions of the European fairytale to a contemporary American, suburban setting.

  

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Classroom Hand-out: Mise-en-scene in the films of Tim Burton

Introduction

Tim Burton has a very distinctive style of filmmaking. Consider the use of the different elements of mise-en-scene in his films: Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, The Nightmare before Christmas and Beetlejuice.

  

Worksheet

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