Notes on Big Fish (2003)
Directed by: Tim Burton
This is a Southern story, full of lies and fabrications,
but truer for their inclusion.
About the film

Considered a __________________________ drama film.

Based on a 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace called Big Fish:
____________________________________________________________. John August adapted
Wallace’s manuscript into the _________________________________.

Shot in Alabama in order to give it a _______________________________________ feel.

_________________________ in a series of fairytale _______________________ (short scenes
that focus on one moment and give us a clear __________________________________ of that
character, setting, idea, or object).

The film’s primary ______________________ is about the _______________________________
between father and son and how storytelling can be used as a way to _____________________
facing ____________________ about ourselves.

The film received award nominations in multiple categories.
About the director

________________________________ was supposed to direct Big Fish, but backed out in order
to focus on Catch Me If You Can. _______________________________ took over as director
after this.

Tim Burton is a director, producer, artist, writer, and ____________________________.

He was born in Burbank, California, and as a child he often made _________________________
short films ________________________________________________.

He was not a particularly good student in high school, but he loved ____________________,
_______________________, and watching movies.

Burton attended the California Institute of the Arts to study ____________________________
_______________________________. He soon received an ____________________________
with Walt Disney Productions’ animation department, who noticed Burton’s short film, Stalk of
the Celery Monster.

Today, Tim Burton is known for his ______________ and ____________________ style. Some of
his other films include BeetleJuice, _______________________, Edward Scissorhands, The
Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

_____________________ is said to be significant to Burton because both his _______________
and his mother died in the year leading up to the film.
Film techniques

Burton often employs the ___________________________________ in his films--much more
frequently than other directors. This tilted shot creates a sense of ______________________.

___________________________________ shots are a favorite of Burton’s. In his films, the
audience is often forced to see things from one character’s ____________________________.

Notice the play with ________________ in Burton films. He uses oversaturated and
undersaturated color to create _____________________ atmospheres in almost all of his
movies. In Big Fish he used __________________________________________ techniques,
although he tried to limit the amount of digital effects in the movie.
Things to consider

First, while you watch, pay attention to the ___________________________________________
listed above! How does Burton ______________ dreamlike scenes in Big Fish? What affect does
this surrealism have on us as an audience? What ______________ does it create?

How is the _____________________________________ embedded in this movie? What
_______________________________________ do you notice? What is being ______________
____________ throughout the film, and why?

How are extravagant ______________ and mythological characters used in this movie? What
are we, as an audience, most ____________________________________? How does the
______________________ form make the story stand out?

How do we, along with the characters, explore ideas of ________________, reality,
__________________________, and identity in this movie? Is fiction ever truer than reality?
Does _____________________________ offer insight beyond what is __________________?