Tim Burton Article

My latest article in its original, unedited format which will be published (presumably in an edited format) in the fifth issue of my college publication:

(*Picture source below)

The Curious Art of Tim Burton

It would be considered both an impossible task and unique experience for one to have the opportunity to get inside the mind of one of the most imaginative and creative directors of the 21^st century. In the past this would certainly have been impossible for us ordinary members of the public, however thanks to a new exhibition launched by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, (ACMI) we are finally able to get a glimpse into the creative mindset of legendary director Tim Burton.

From June to October 2010, ACMI hosts a unique exhibition direct from The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. An Australian exclusive, Tim Burton: The Exhibition is a landmark exhibition charting Tim Burton's creative vision and process from his earliest work to his latest spectacular Alice in Wonderland.

It’s a must for all Burton fans alike. We see material from his early days as an animator at Disney and figurines from his classic short film ‘Vincent’ as well as many never-before-seen drawings and sketches from his personal collection.

Designed in three parts - all revolving around, escaping or depicting the suburb of Burbank - the exhibition contains over 700 objects from Burton's personal collection.

Unforgettable props and set pieces from his films pop out from stairwells or at corners to act as way finding systems announcing the exhibition. There's the low menace of the black mask-style Batmobile at the top of the stairs, the Luna Park-like entrance, and the topiary deer from Edward Scissorhands.

Early drawings depict the "outsiders, oddballs and aliens" that populate his films. While the imagery can be derivative and a little lame in its literalness (a couple holding hands is actually a couple holding sawn off hands), others, such as the elephant sitting on the ringmaster and thinking ''Ta da'', are quite funny. Premonitions of later work are here too, such as the gardener who will become Edward Scissorhands.

Scattered throughout are maquettes (preliminary models) and sculptures: consider Edward Scissorhands' outfits and his cookie-making machine.

Burton has said himself how he always felt “outside of society” and this is a theme in the exhibition and a large bulk of his work. Think of one of his most personal movies ‘Edward Sissorhands’: the moving portrayal of an artistic outsider who cannot touch what he desires without destroying it. Or the under rated gem that is ‘Ed Wood’, again a somewhat tragic story of the worst director of all time, a man who had vision but not talent. (It was not a hit at the box office, but won Burton the best reviews of his career, as well as two Oscars).

Burton’s unique artistic vision means that he has put his own distinctive mark on his work and given the often bland and repetitive films of today a run for their money. He has had critical and commercial success with films such as ‘Batman’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and the gothic musical ‘Sweeney Todd’ as well as the now cult ‘Mars Attacks’, quirky ‘Beetlejuice’ and forgotten ‘Sleepy Hollow.’ He is now moving into animation again with a rumoured Addams Family project and has adapted his early short film ‘Frankenweenie’ for the big screen.

Going back to the exhibition, it's the drawings that dominate. These represent Burton’s “thought process”: “I always think that drawings come from a much more comfortable place for me and that they say more than my intellectual mind can.” Hence ACMI's massive space is brimful of them, all with certain motifs that recur: the scarred misunderstood protagonists, caricatured heads and chequerboard with op art effects. The grotesque figures with their angular lines, gaping mouths and sharp teeth are classic Burton-type drawings and fit right in to the slightly bizarre exhibition.

But that is of course, the charm of the event itself; its odd, touchingly weird and according to Burton represents the “chaos of my mind.” The exhibition never fails to remind us why Burton and his imagination touch many people. It’s a reminder that there is nothing wrong with being a little different to everyone else, just look at Tim Burton. It can only be considered a good thing.

*Sources:

Sydney Morning Herald (Includes Picture Credit)

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image

The Tim Burton Collective

Rihanna's 'Rockstar 101' and it's place in Popular Culture

MTV.com talks about all the popular culture references in the latest Rihanna video for 'Rockstar 101' in this very well written and interesting article:

'Rockstar 101' - A Pop Culture Cheat Sheet

Rihanna's just-released "Rockstar 101" video is arty and sexy and all of that, but it's perhaps most notable for the questions it poses. Like, how does one affix giant horns to their head? Is there a proper technique for smashing a guitar? Or, most importantly, since when did Slash become a total babe?

Yes, there's much to ponder in the video — so much that it requires repeated viewings to digest. And since we've spent the majority of the day doing just that, we've also noticed a lot of things in the clip that seem familiar. So, as we've done in the past for the likes of Lady Gaga andChristina Aguilera, we decided to give "Rockstar" the "pop-culture cheat sheet" treatment. Here's a list of all the things that flashed by our eyes, alphabetized for your perusing pleasure. Oh, and though we're thorough, we're sure there's something we missed along the way — feel free to let us know about it in the comments below.

Here's what you might have missed in Rihanna's "Rockstar 101" video:

Barker, Travis: Tattooed beat-keeper for Blink-182 (and your favorite rapper, too). This one's actually pretty obvious, as Barker makes roughly a bajillion cameos in the "Rockstar" clip, playing drums with Rihanna's band. He actually taught RiRi how to play drums, too, and told MTV News about it back in March.

Björk: Icelandic ingenue. When she puts on her horned helmet, Rihanna reminds us of Björk (specially in this picture), who has spent more than two decades doing this sort of delightfully odd stuff. Of course, the helmetalso reminds us of something that Tank Girl would wear, too. So, perhaps it's more accurate to say she was equally inspired by both.

Bravery, The: New York-based synth-rock act turned Americana-obsessed rockers (no, not the Killers, they're from Las Vegas). While Barker may man the kit in Rihanna's "Rockstar" band, the rest of the group — minus the girls, of course — eerily resemble the Bravery, circa their "An Honest Mistake" video. Or maybe we think all dudes with faux-hawks, studded belts and eyeliner look that way.

Iamamiwhoami: Mysterious, supposedly Swedish Internet phenomenonwho refuses to reveal his/her true identity. There's a whole lot of "Rockstar" that reminds us of Iamami's mind-bending viral vids: the part where Rihanna is smeared in black paint, the part where she traipses around a snow-covered forest, etc. Sadly, there is no scene that depictsgratuitous tree-licking, though maybe RiRi's saving that for the next video.

Nightwing: Second-tier DC Comics superhero, best known for being "the persona Dick Grayson adopted after he got tired of being Robin." When Rihanna is fronting her rock band, she reminds us a whole lot of Nightwing, especially since her eyeliner looks like a mask (oh, and her hair is Dick Grayson-esque, too.) Batman could not be reached for comment

Nine Inch Nails: Hugely important, now-dormant industrial rock outfit masterminded by Trent Reznor. The oddest influence on "Rockstar" appears to be the videos of NIN, in particular their Downward Spiral era. The cable-laced white room Rihanna and her band perform in seems like it was rented from the "March of the Pigs" video, and the projected mushroom cloud at the end of the video reminds us of NIN's "Hurt" clip

"Russian Roulette": Debut single from Rihanna's Rated R album. In a knowing nod to the artwork for her previous single, Rihanna wraps herself in chains in the "Rockstar" video. It's not exactly the (sorta) barbed wire she dons on the cover of "Rated R," but it's close enough for us.

Slash: Top-hatted guitar legend and all-around awesome dude. OK, so the former Guns N' Roses axman doesn't actually appear in the "Rockstar" video, but Rihanna does don his trademark hat and sunglasses, "plays" guitar, and acts all kinds of sexy, something which makes us re-evaluate our prepubescent years, to be honest.

Love this song and video. It's raw, edgy and very slick and stylish. The fashion and make up are amazing and I love the fact that it's shot in black and white. All the Pop Culture references work together very seamlessly to create what I think is her best video yet.

'Rockstar 101' will be the fourth single from the hit album Rated R in stores now.

The video was directed by Melina Matsoukas who also did previous Rihanna videos 'Hard' and 'Rude Boy'.

Check it out below: