A) Discussion Questions (Vincent)
1. Why might Tim Burton have been attracted to Corman’s films as a kid growing up in the suburbs in the 1960s?
2. Do you think these films would have the same sort of appeal to today’s teenagers? Why or why not?
3. Why do you think the suburbs could be considered to be a scary place for artistic people?
4. What other Burton films can you name that feature misunderstood creative characters?
Answers:
1. I think Tim Burton could have been attracted to his kind of movies because of the way he sees things. Tim Burton sees his artwork different than others which is why his art is so abstract. So because of this I think he liked Corman’s films because of the new type of animations that were coming out and that might have interested Tim Burton and the fact that his favourite actor was in the wizard battle movie.
2.I do not think it would have the same appeal it might gets some laughs because of the poor graphics and animations. Teenagers today may not like these things because in todays society the animations have improved so much because it does not look real enough for our brain to be interested. I like all action movies with like lasers and everything shoooting and i like how real it is and if it didnt look real I wouldnt think it was that cool.
3.I think the suburbs could be a scary place for artist because everyone is trying to be the same and the point of the artist is to be different and show who they are in their artwork. If you live in the suburbs they may try to change you because you are trying to be different from everyone else. This is scary because they want to express themselves but can not.
4.Edward scissorhands, beetlejuice, batman, alice in wonderland, charlie and the chocolate factory.
(B) Discussion Questions (Frankenweenie)
1) How is the neighbourhood where Victor lives depicted? Contrast the setting with the people who inhabit this neighbourhood. What comment is Burton making about suburbia?
2) List some of the typical horror film conventions (e.g., digging up dead bodies) that Burton uses in the film.  How does he manipulate these conventions to humorous effect?
3) Frankenweenie was given a PG rating, making it impossible for Disney to release it as a short film accompanying the re-release of the animated classic Pinocchio.  The problem, according to Disney, was the “tone” of Frankenweenie rather than its content.  What do you think they meant by this?  Do you agree that the film is not suitable for younger children?  Why or why not?
Answers:
1. It is depicted to be a suburb, and that everyone knows each other and like their daily routines and don’t like change. the neighbour all seem nice and friendly and care about the effects of Victor after his dog dies? I think TIm Burton is trying to show us that suburbs are boring and they are very original they all look the same and that bad things come from suburbs because all the neighbours with form together to solve problems they don’t like and want changed.
2.He uses Lightning Storms, digging up the dog, The creepy attic, the graveyard, the broken down windmill, the broken down amusement park, shot in black and white scare effect, scary scientist, the villagers teaming against the villain.  He makes them humorous by the effect that it is a little boy and his dog and bringing him back to life, this is more funny than scary because no one is scared of this kid brining his dog back to life unless it started killing people.
3.They meant that this should not be released because it should not go out to the kid audience cause it could be too scary for little kids who watch disney movies. Another thing they meant by that was that the mood of it was bringing your pet back to life could be a scary topic and could make kids believe it is possible and kids might try and attempt on their animals. I agree that this film would be too scary for children because it was filmed in black and white and all the loud and scary thing that pop at the screen might give children nightmares.
(C) Discussion Questions: Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories
Read the following 2 short stories from his short stories and answer the questions below:
i) Toxic Boyii) Mummy  Boy

1) What theme do these stories explore?  Are they linked at all?
2) How do the illustrations convey the mood and theme of each story?
3) What does Burton seem to be suggesting about society in general through these characters?
4)  How does Burton create sympathy toward these misfits and outcasts?

Answers:

1.The theme of Toxic Boy was about a boy who was different and did different things. The theme of Mummy Boy was about a boy who was different and couldn’t make friends. I think that the stories were similar that each of them were different and they were outcasts, they were also liked because they both died in the end.

2.The Illustrations help show what kind of things are happening in the story and what the characters looked like in Tim Burtons eyes. They also show the emotion of how the character is feeling that you sometimes can not read in the poem.

3.For the Toxic boy i think he is trying to say that because of all our pollution we might be creating a population who can live in this situation and that they will be effected by all the household toxins we have and they will like to absorb them.  He says this because he is showing us how many harmful things we keep in our house that could effect children. In the Mummy story I think he was showing that it is hard to make friends if your different and that kids may harm other kids for being different and that they usually make friends with dogs.

4.I think he gives them sympathy by saying that toxic boy went to heaven even after he died and that for the mummy character, he showed sympathy by giving him a friend who was the dog.

(D) Discussion Questions Introducing Mise en Scène Edward Scissorhands

1) What kinds of differences do you notice between the first 5 minutes of the clip and the 5 minutes after that?  Specifically, discuss the lighting and colour differences of the 2 scenes.

2) What was a camera point of view that was of interest to you in one of the scenes?  Why?  What did the point of view bring to the character or background?
3) What themes are introduced in these scenes?  How are the themes explored?
4) How do the settings and props serve the overall function of the narrative? How does the setting relate to the themes explored in the film?

Answers:

1.In the first Five minutes of the film the lighting is Dark and blue. This makes everything seem mysterious and creepy and it is to show that it is night time to help tell a bed time story about this misunderstood person created by an inventor in the mansion which is supposedly haunted.  In the last five minutes everything is colourful and full of life and very sunny and happy.

2.The favourite camera point of view I liked was during the opening credit when the camera climbs the stairs as if it was an animal going through the house or someone running up the stairs. It also gave a foreshadowing of later in the film the long walk the avon lady took going up the stairs looking for someone. the shot helped make the background of the haunted mansion feeling because of the climbing of the stairs and the cobwebs all over everything with the dark and blue colours.

3. A theme that was explored in the the first ten minutes is remembrance of when the grandmother is talking about this person she met with scissor hands and that he was a great man and that the mansion was not haunted but had an incredible man iside it.

4.The setting of the mansion showed that it was a dark place and maybe who ever lived their was dark or going through some troubling times and the props helped this by his hands being scissors and the cuts on his face. The setting helped with the themes because edward never had any friends case he was troubled and he resized that he couldn’t be in society and needed to stay up in his mountain and just remember his time down in the town.