1. Mr Everett’s not very good film power point for the very good film which we all enjoyed thoroughly, Big Fish Not to be plagiarised

2. Shot types Tim Burton used a plethora of film shots to develop both his main characters and the thematic concern of the film. There are many good themes in this film such as highlighting the father son relationship, or Tim’s negative attitude towards the American dream. To me the most obvious theme is in relation to the American dream – that love is better than anything else. That no matter what you have if you have love you will be fine. The American dream is seen to be a falsity in this film whereas love seems to be the main source of personal strength for the central characters. Love conquers all and unites people universally. Those that aspire for only the American dream are perceived as lonely and boring, falsely happy people.

3. The top shot is an over the shoulder shot. It is when Ed is trying to persuade the Siamese twins that they should help him rebuild Spectre. They are symbolic of love in this film. In the long shot below it is hard to see but they form a love heart with their arms. In the above shot their hair is also in the shape of a love heart. These two are important because they show that for happiness one must value love, and love takes compromise. When ever Ed is trying to be romantic they are there. He uses love to persuade them in the first part of the film and he uses love to convince them in the second part of the film too.

4. Why does he rebuild the American dream? This has nothing to do with the power point but is a general point of interest –He rebuilds the town because at this stage in life he realises that he has lost his relationship with his son. He realises that in some respects he needs to compromise his ideals to ensure that his family is also happy. He can’t just expect that everyone will be happy if he follows his own dreams. He rebuilds the town as a symbol of him self rebuilding the life he has with his own family. Only he finds out he has done so ‘too late’. He has already ruined what is precious to him, his relationship with his son. So in pursuing the American dream he loses his son. He is away too much trying to get more out of life when all he needed to do was be there to talk with Will. –Love does motivate all of Ed Bloom’s actions in the latter stories. At first though he is motivated by a selfish need to be a big fish. Telling the stories is even a way of showing love – sheltering Will from the harsh realities of life, trying to get him interested in a bigger greater world

5. This is a cool two shot. It shows the reactions of Don Price and Ed Bloom to Don being dumped for Ed. Don has just pummelled Ed. Ed took it because he promised he wouldn’t hurt Don. It shows the character of Ed. It shows just how much he will suffer just to get love. The flowers in the background are also important – they are what he brought for his future wife. The big smile on Ed’s face is surprising and funny. I wish that I could have this trait in my life.

6. This is a point of view shot of Spectre when Ed first arrives there. It is also an establishing shot. It shows the white picket fences and a street made out of the best grass any where. At the end of the street is a white church as the centre point of the community. This relates to the main idea of the film. The film is about the American Dream. Spectre is a haunting place that encapsulates the ideals of the dream. The films message though is that we should not be restricted by these ideals, we should make our own stories. Note the tight framing of this shot and how the street offers no escape. The only way out is death. Spectre is created to seem surreal and fake. I agree in some respects with Tim in that we should all make our own stories and not be restrained by social convention or beliefs about how we should live

7. This is a close up. I have chosen it because it scares me. This lady is the epitome of the American dream, the materialistic nature of those that aspire towards it. In the shot you can see how fake she is. Too much make up and too much hair. The clothes she is wearing are from a different age, suggesting the backward nature of living up to the American dream.

8. I am lazy You need to ensure that you complete your power point. A good student will have two examples of each technique to be used in the essay. This is a hard task designed to give you good notes to revise from on your computer. Good luck.