A Pathfinder to the Artistic Collaboration of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp

+++++++ "One person`s crazyness is another person`s reality." Tim Burton +++++++

Pathfinder Created for LIBR 220: Film and Media Collections

Based on Resources Available
at the Los Angeles Public Library
& On The World Wide Web

By: Courtney B. Lerner
Professor Nancy Goldman
San Jose State University
School of Library and Information Science
Summer 2009

INTRODUCTIONS: Welcome to 'Til Depp Do Us Part!

A Tim Burton & Johnny Depp Film Pathfinder! Whether you are a film student, an art student, a film lover, or a patron looking for more Burton & Depp, this Pathfinder will set you off into the wonderful, dreamy world of Burton and the films he creates while working side by side in what is swiftly becoming an artistic collaboration like no other! Sometimes dark & sometimes quirky, something romantic and other time poetic, one thing is for sure: it's very nearly never like anything else you've seen. Both Johnny Depp & Tim Burton are a source of inspiration to film students, actors, and fine artists alike but beginning to research them and/or narrow down information to just the film collaborations with Depp is a unique challenge. Surely the collaboration between the two is edging show a large niche out in the history of films that it is our goal with this pathfinder to give you a place to explore and a way to start from scratch locating materials from films & periodicals to reference books & the internet. Keep in mind, with all our selections, it is only selected materials and we are in no way a source for ALL information Depp & Burton, but rather a stepping stone to get you started with basic resources. Please take a moment to read the scope as it will help you maneuvor this pathfinder, otherwise you're late for a very important date! Or in this case a date with a film librarian! Thanks for dropping down the Burton & Depp Hole, Signed, The UnLibrarian (Who is anticipating both Alice in Wonderland & Dark Shadows) Visit the other UnLibrarian Sites (And have a very merry Unbirthday)! UnLibrarian Book Blog Steampunk Pathfinder Add me as a fan at the UnLibrarian on facebook Book Trailers on YouTube by The UnLibrarian

The Golden Ticket Into the Pathfinder

The Golden Ticket Into The Pathfinder
Til Depp do us Part is a specific film-related pathfinder on the collaboration of Johnny Depp & Tim Burton.
  • This pathfinder is for educational purposes and all images are used under the principles and philosophies of Fair Use: criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. This pathfinders is meant as a reference tool to get one started in their research at a very basic level.
  • Offered here are a cross-section of materials based on items that can be rented and/or accessed through The Los Angeles Public Library or the World Wide Web. Because it is directed for use by either a patron or a librarian with access to LAPL and it is a only a tool to get your research started this pathfinder not a complete reference to all things Burton & Depp.
Helpful navigation hints to note before going forward:
  • The pathfinder map at the top of the page is your gateway to the entire pathfinder. Click on the link you want to explore and the page will redirect you. The Introduction and scope will be ever present. Please note that the link in will be below them.
  • The labels on the left hand column on the pathfinder function as an alternative for searching and as a tag function. Example: One looking for Sweeny Todd can click on the label "Sweeny Todd" and the site will redirect you to the posts that are related to your choice.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Maleficent. A New Burton Film?



The Evil Fairy

The evil fairy Maleficent is responsible for all misfortune that befalls Stefan's kingdom; even the merest killing frost bears her mark. So when only the good fairies are invited to bestow gifts upon the newborn princess Aurora, the slighted sorceress arrives in a thunderclap to bestow her own "gift." "Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die." For 16 years, the Forbidden Mountains thunder with wrath and frustration as the meddling good fairies keep Aurora hidden from Maleficent's searching minions. Beyond a matter of honor, this has become a matter of ego. Her pride, her evil will not be denied. So Maleficent sends her beloved raven to search for Aurora. Just as the curse is about to expire, Maleficent finds her quarry and strikes. Savoring her victory over the weeping good fairies, she gloats, "You poor simple fools, thinking you could defeat me, me! The mistress of all evil." But Maleficent had best not underestimate her virtuous adversaries. Before the day is done, she'll have to assume her most fearsome guise, as a fire-breathing dragon, to defend all she's won.

The Wind of a New Burton Film:

Burton: From Alice to Sleeping Beauty?
Wonderland helmer rumored for another Disney retelling.

by Jim Vejvoda
January 19, 2010
- "Rumor has it that Alice in Wonderland isn't the only classic that director Tim Burton may re-imagine as a feature film.

Ain't It Cool News claims that Burton is developing a live-action take on Sleeping Beauty, based on the 1959 Walt Disney animated classic. According to AICN, Burton is "going to tell the story from Maleficent's point of view. In fact, it'll be called Maleficent. She was always the most interesting character in that story, but we never knew why she hated those three little fairy wenches... or what indignity she suffered at the hands of Aurora's parents." Sounds sort of like what Wicked is to The Wizard of Oz.

Disney's official bio of the evil fairy Maleficent can be found here."

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Depp & Burton Contact Information


Biography & Contact Information




Tim Burton Contact Information

HIS AGENT:

Tim Burton
c/o Mike Simpson, William Morris Agency
One William Morris Plaza
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

HIS PRODUCTION COMPANY:
Tim Burton Productions
7175 Willoughby Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90046

Collected from The Tim Burton Collective

http://www.timburtoncollective.com/bio.html


Johnny Depp Contact Information:

Currently No Contact Info Can Be Confirmed; Check Back for Update.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++


Biographical Info Courtesy of Wikipedia


Tim Burton:

Timothy Walter "Tim" Burton (born August 25, 1958) is a Golden Globe Award-winning American film director, producer, writer and artist. He is famed for his dark and quirky films, such as Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas, which he co-wrote and produced. He is also famous for directing blockbusters including Batman and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Since directing his first feature (Pee-wee's Big Adventure) in 1985, he has gone on to direct and produce numerous films, many of which have won Academy Awards. He frequently works with close friend Johnny Depp, musician Danny Elfman and partner Helena Bonham Carter.

Burton's most recent film was 2007's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. His upcoming projects include the animated sci-fi fantasy 9, due for release September 9, 2009 and Alice in Wonderland, due for release March 10, 2010.


Johnny Depp

John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II[1] (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Sam in Benny & Joon.

Depp rose to prominence in a lead role on the television series 21 Jump Street and quickly became regarded as a teen idol. Uncomfortable with that characterization, he turned his focus to film roles that he felt were right. He initially came to film prominence as the titular character of Edward Scissorhands, and later found box office success in roles such as Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and his role as the quirky Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

He has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, the most recent of which include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and the upcoming Alice in Wonderland. Depp has garnered acclaim for his portrayals of real life figures such as Edward Wood, Jr., in Ed Wood, Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco and George Jung in Blow (2001). He plays John Dillinger in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.

Films featuring Depp have grossed over $2.3 billion at the United States box office and over $4.8 billion worldwide.[2] Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, Screen Actors Guild Awards four times and Golden Globe Awards eight times, Depp won the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for his role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.



Articles & Dual Interviews

Interviews and Articles:








Dorothy Hernandez. (2009, June 26). Power couple: Who says relationships in Hollywood can't last? Depp, Burton know how to make it work. Chicago Tribune,p. 62. Retrieved August 4, 2009, from Chicago Tribune. (Document ID: 1763584121).

Reader's Annotation: True to the title this article is about the artistic relationship of Depp and Burton and the impact their collaboration has had on the evolution of their work. It is in reference to their latest film Alice in Wonderland. This article is commentary and not an interview.



















Fussman, C. (January 2008). The continuing adventures of Tim & Johnny: Burton and Depp are known as two of the strangest, quietest geniuses ever to work in movies. Turns out they're not that strange. Or quiet. Esquire, 149(1), 60-68.

Reader's Annonation: A magazine dedicated to the contemporary man primarily surrounding arts, culture, fashion, and sophisticated male mentality. The article is an artist on artist, dual interview style article released around Sweeney Todd publicity.






Scholarly Reviewed Film Commentary:















Arnold, D L (Jan 2003). Fearful pleasures, or "I am twice the man": the re-gendering of Icabod Crane. Literature-Film Quarterly. , 31, 1. p.33-38. Retrieved August 04, 2009, from General OneFile via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=ITOF&docId=A102722952&source=gale&userGroupName=lapl&version=1.0


Reader's Annotation: This scholarly reviewed article from the Literature-Film Quarterly is a academic look at gender roles in the Depp-Burton Ccllaboration Sleepy Hollow. It compares the original story by Crane with Depp and Burton's character interpretation. It also looks at the film itself juxtaposed with the classic literature.




Youtube: Additonal Visual Research Options

YouTube: Currently Owned by Google was "Founded in February 2005, YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email." -About YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/t/about

Site Annotation: As a resource, YouTube can be a great place outside of the library to access free content online: interviews (as you will note below), trailers, visualettes, and in this case even Official Burton Uploads. It was originally created for everyday filmmakers to upload original content and has grown to a massive stature of popularity since it's inception in 2005. Currently the site is faced with piracy issues, copyright infringement problems, and multimedia sharing issues, but until these issues are resolved it remains a wonderful, free database for finding video content online.


Reader's Annotation:

Official Tim Burton on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialTimBurton

Burton Poetry On YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztOMoHTeigQ

Depp on Ed Wood





A Playlist of Johnny Depp & Tim Burton

Scissorhands Dual Interview Burton & Depp



Corpse Bride Interview Johnny Depp





London Interview Dual Depp & Burton-Sweeny Todd





Sleepy Hollow Interview Depp



Making of Sleepy Hollow



Depp: Inside the Actor's Studio





Comic Con San Diego Panel for Alice in Wonderland Depp & Burton





Trailer Shown @ Comic Con 2009 Alice in Wonderland




Burton at MoMa: http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/313

Finding and Viewing The Films: Library, Databases, & Purchasing Options

Below are visuals from film all of which are available at at either LAPL, IMDb, Amazon, and/or Netflix. Please read the annotations for further information on each so as to better suit your viewing needs and clarify any questions you may have. Links are provided for all three databases below. You can access the home page for The Los Angeles Public Library Catalog here as well as throughout this pathfinder.





FAQs:

Why Retailers When I have Library Resources for Free?
If a particular title is not availble from your library it is always good to understand how to navigate through your backup plan. Then again, maybe you want to add it to your personl library.















Navigation Tips For Amazon & Other Retailers:
Look for the compatiliblity (ex. blu-ray, VHS, DVD), look at Widescreen/Full-Screen ratios (Preference vs. Home Viewing Systems such as Widescreen Televisions), Formats available (Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC), Identifying Serial Numbers such as ISSN, ISBN (for books), ASIN (Amazon Serial Identification Number). Amazon also inlcudes sales ranks, like title suggestions, release dates, and a wealth of other information.








Searching on Amazon or Netflix
is fairly general. An advanced mode is not neccessary unless you want to cut out browsing. In a single line search bar it is perfectly acceptable to enter Burton AND Depp or any variation you may want to play with. If you want to search DVD's only you must select it from the drop down menu.













Reader's Annotations


IMDb: Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/
Type: Database
Reader's Annotation: The Internet Movie Database is a free resource unaffliated with a library in which the user can look up actors, films, directors, producers, and other film related details. It is extensive and updated perpetually. Along with film stats, dates, synopsis, and all other mandatory/basic film stats, the site includes movie quotes, pictures, and trivia.


Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/
Type: Retail
Reader's Annotation: Quite literally the online marketplace of the 21st Century, Amazon.com
is also a great place for research. Easy searches yield serial numbers, similar product suggestions, and a wealth of links to more product. It also carries much more then books and films, a researcher looking to see what memorabilia is available would be off to a great start!







Netflix: http://www.netflix.com/Default?loms=abcd&mqso=80001347
Type: Online/Mail Rental Service
Reader's Annotation: Fast becoming the replacement to the physical rental store, the foremost leader in film viewing, this service is your best bet for fast delivery of items that may not be available from your local library. Aside from Amazon, Netflix has a vast selection. Membership is needed in the form of a monthly payment (as of August 2009) starting at $4.99 a month.




Free Resources On the Web


Resources for Your Hands:

The Art of Typing Your Way Through the Web
With Scissorhands


From "No Results Found" to Topiary Style Digs!





The Official Tim Burton Website http://www.timburton.com/




Reader's Annotation: This is an Official Tim B Burton Website. It is uniquelly Tim Burton's Style. It houses a public and private gallery and is interactive. The user will use Stain Boy to navigate and view the site.









Navigation Notes: In order to see the entire site you must sign up for the free email contact list. Once you do this you will ave access to both the private and public galleries.















Here is a mini guide to show you how to operate Stain Boy:


























World Cat: "WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web, where most people start their search for information." ~WorldCat.com


Reader's Annotation:
World Cat is an Online Database of library holdings across the World. Using World Cat can help you find almost any item anywhere, however it is important to note that it is not always completely accurate nor updated perfectly. Holdings and libraries are constantly being added, updates, and improved by design. Currently the newest addition to World Cat is its availability as a iPhone Application.

World Cat Blog: http://www.worldcat.org/blogs/

More About World Cat: http://www.worldcat.org/whatis/default.jsp

Navigation Notes:













Wikipedia

Reader's Annontation on Wikipedia: Wikipedia is a free web-based encyclopedia that is collaboratively written by volunteers. Anyone can add to Wikipedia, although posts are noted and analyzed for citations and marked if not cited thoroughly or accurately. It is a worldly project and available to be for multilingual use.

Tim Burton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton

Johnny Depp: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Depp#Collaboration_with_Tim_Burton

Collaboration with Tim Burton

Depp has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, beginning with his breakout role in Edward Scissorhands (1990), opposite Winona Ryder and Vincent Price. His next role with Burton was in the 1994 film, Ed Wood. Depp later said that "within 10 minutes of hearing about the project, I was committed."[39] At the time, the actor was depressed about films and filmmaking. By accepting this part it gave him a "chance to stretch out and have some fun", and working with Landau, "rejuvenated my love for acting".[39]

Producer Scott Rudin once said, "Basically Johnny Depp is playing Tim Burton in all his movies,"[40] although Burton personally disapproved of the comment. Depp, however agrees with Rudin's statement. According to Depp, Edward Scissorhands represented Burton's inability to communicate as a teenager. Ed Wood reflected Burton's relationship with Vincent Price (very similar with Edward D. Wood Jr. and Bela Lugosi).

Depp's Hollywood Walk of Fame star received on November 19, 1999.

Depp's next venture with Burton was the role of Ichabod Crane in the dark Sleepy Hollow (1999), opposite Christina Ricci. Sleepy Hollow showcased Ichabod's feelings that reflects Burton's battle with the Hollywood studio system.[41] For his performance, Depp took inspiration from Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall and Basil Rathbone.[40] Depp stated, "I always thought of Ichabod as a very delicate, fragile person who was maybe a little too in touch with his feminine side, like a frightened little girl."[42]

Depp did not work with Burton again until the 2005 release of two films, the first of which was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Depp modeled the character's hair on Anna Wintour.[43] The film was a box office success and received positive critical reaction,[44][45] although Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka in the 1971 film, initially opposed this version.[46] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released in July, followed by Corpse Bride, for which Depp voiced the character Victor Van Dort, in September.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) followed, bringing Depp his second major award win, the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Burton first gave him an original cast recording of the 1979 stage musical in 2000. Although not a fan of the genre, Depp grew to like the tale's musical treatment, commenting "How many chances do you get at a musical about a serial killer?"[47] He cited Peter Lorre in Mad Love (1935) as his main influence for the role, and practiced the songs his character would perform while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[48] Although he had performed in musical groups, Depp was initially unsure that he would be able to sustain Stephen Sondheim's lyrics.[47] Depp recorded demos of himself in West Hollywood, working with Bruce Witkin to shape his vocals without a qualified voice coach.[47] In the DVD Reviews section, EW's Chris Nashawaty gave the film an A-minus, stating, "Depp's soaring voice makes you wonder what other tricks he's been hiding... Watching Depp's barber wield his razors... it's hard not to be reminded of Edward Scissorhands frantically shaping hedges into animal topiaries 18 years ago... and all of the twisted beauty we would've missed out on had [Burton and Depp] never met."[49]

He has referred to working with Burton as "coming home", and he wrote the introduction to Burton on Burton, a book of interviews with the director, in which he called Burton "...a brother, a friend,...and [a] brave soul".[50] The next Depp-Burton collaboration is the upcoming Alice in Wonderland (2010). Depp will play the Mad Hatter alongside long time collaborator Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Alan Rickman.


Navigation Notes for Wikipedia: How to Use Video

Indexes & Reference Books


The Burton Bookcase:

All the Reference Books You Need to Begin In-Deppth Research


Here are some film and/or film specific reference books on Burton and Depp.

Happy hunting!


Burton/Depp Reference Books:

Author: Page, Edwin.
Title: Gothic fantasy : the films of Tim Burton
LAPL Call # 791.92 B974Pa

Page, E. (2007). Gothic fantasy: the films of Tim Burton. New York & London: Marion Boyars Publishers.

Reader's Annotation: Gothic Fantasy covers the film career of Tim Burton. It is written by Edwin Pagem, who holds a 1st Class Honours Degree in Film & Literary Studies. It was published in 2007 and covers his career up until this time.

















Author: Tim Burton
Edited: Mark Salisbury
Foreword: Johnny Depp.
Title: Burton on Burton
LAPL Call # 791.92

Burton, T. (2000). Burton on Burton. London: Faber and Faber.

Reader's Annotation: Although LAPL's copy is somewhat outdated this Burton authoring his own book is a second edition going through Sleepy Hollow. The Preface is by Johnny Depp so it is a must in any reference study done on the film collaborations on the two. The book is enhanced with photos, drawings and illustrations, and story boards.










Author: Mark Salisbury
Foreword: Tim Burton
Title: Tim Burton's Corpse Bride: An Invintation to the Wedding
LAPL Call # 791.74

Salisbury, M. (2005). Tim Burton's Corpse Bride: An Invintation to the Wedding. New York, Newmarket Press.

Reader's Annotation: Film stills, sketches, paintings, and Tim Burton's own drawings make up this visually stuning look at Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. A porject that both Depp and Burton took on together and with a forward by Tim burton, LAPL offers access to this artitistic look at everything surrounding the production from characters to set of the Corpse Bride.












The Film Index

Film Indexes are a way to find data about data. A general search on Google for "film index" will give you an idea how much information there is out there for the film researcher. And with that being said, how much more information there is out there about the information itself.

Here are some good general hard copy indexes for film researchers which can help you get started in a general film search or take you further should you need more information beyond what's linked here.


Film Index International:
(Accessible remotely [from home] from LAPL Databases with Library Card)

Film Index International. [Book] UK: British Film Institute, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2009, from http://fii.chadwyck.com/home Los Angeles Public Library.

Reader's Annotation: Through "People Search" or "Film Search" the user can search both Depp or Burton with results varying from personal data to filmographies (one can click on film links for more data on an individual film within a filmography such as director, dates, actors, etc.). The site also boasts through references in which more articles pertaining to the actor or director can be found. A very useful tool offered through LAPL.
FII, a scholarly index, includes films from more then 170 countries and ranges all genres from indie to blockbuster.

Dewey & Decimal: A Gothic Love Story


The Cast of Dewey & Decimal
Melvil Dewey will be played by Johnny Depp
The Decimal will be played by Tim Burton

Search Suggestions: Either Burton, Tim OR Depp, Johnny can be used as a search KEYWORD. However, as another option by entering Burton, Tim and Depp, Johnny you can narrow your results (especially helpful in DVD search). For biographies is it better to search for both individually.

Example of DVD search within LAPL using Depp AND Burton turn 8 results and all seven films for which they worked together. All are available at various LAPL branches.





How and what to search at LAPL:

BOOKS

Dewey decimal numbers to know:

78 Sheet Music (for soundtracks in this case)

92 Biographies

790 Recreational & Performing Arts

791 Films

791.437 Screenplays

791.92 Film Biography

DVDs: All Seven of Burton & Depps film are available from the Main Branch and various other location for check out and viewing.

Results showing DVDs in a general DVD catalog search.


You can limit your search by selecting DVDs. You can do this buy starting from the home page, selecting Catalog and then Advanced Seach and then from the drop down menu, choose DVD.



Borrower Information: How to get a card, fees, and time periods for borrowing items.

Search Techniques:

http://www.lapl.org/catalog/

While searching the catalog (Library Catalog: Over 6 million books, audiobooks, videos and CDs to check out! Clink on link for more on LAPL's resources.)

Library of Congress Subject Headings & Authority Control

While searching LAPL it is best to reference the Library of Congress Authority Headings. It will improve your search returns. The LC Name Authority Heading for Tim Burton is listed below.

Burton, Tim

Burton, Tim, 1958-

Link to LC Authority for Tim Burton


The LC Name Authority Heading for Johnny Depp is listed below.

Depp, Johnny

Link to LC Authority for Johnny Depp


Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) are a better way to narrow down a search within the catalog of LAPL for materials and can also help you when searching databases along with other information retrieval systems (e.g. Google). Dual searching between Depp & Burton can pose a confusing proposition, although if searching for both together it can narrow down your search to items tagged with both authority headings. To do this enter both authority headings in a single search. But be careful because it will exclude any titles that aren't about both solely and could greatly hinder your return when looking for particular books on either figure indivually.


Wikipedia for LC Subject Headings

Library of Congress Catalog Search Link