Alice In Wonderland Film-making techniques

CGI - Computer generated imagery

• 3D computer graphics used for creating scenes or special effects in films.

Visual Techniques

• Visual techniques are used to progress the narrative by giving us an understanding of the characters personality as well as how they fit into their surroundings.
• Alice In Wonderland uses contrasting environment to establish that there are two sides at war with each other
• The use of primarily visual techniques progress the narrative.

Visual Techniques to progress the narrative

The tea party scene

Medium Shot

Eye level Shot

Camera Work

This is a shot that shows you a character from the top of the head to right above the waist.

Example: A scene where the mad hatter is talking to Alice showing him just from the head to the waist

It is a shot that shows you the would through the characters eyes.

Example: Burton uses this shot when Alice is falling down the rabbit hole and you see all of the items surrounding her by the point of Alice, herself

Variety of different shots incorporated into Alice in Wonderland. Some examples:

- Rack Focus

- Eye level shots

- Close ups

- Medium shots

- Wide shots

- Ariel shots

Visual Effects

Sound

Visual Effects - The Tweedles

Tea Party Scene

Wide Angle Shot

This is an establishing shot. It frequently shows the setting of where the upcoming shots take place.

Example: The scene where Alice walks out from the mouse hole and walks down the staircase.

• Tea party scene is where Alice meets the Mad Hatter.
• The audience is made aware that the characters at the tea party or not sound of mind by the way they act.
• Example: the hare pouring tea through a broken cup, the Hatter walking across the table to greet Alice.
• This introduction of new characters to the film allows the narrative to progress.
• Characters personalities are developed through visual techniques, this helps the narrative to progress - audience is learning more about the fight between the Red and White Queens.

• The clashing of light and dark enforce the fact that the creatures are at war, and therefore advances the narrative by giving the audience an insight into the fact that the Red Queen appears to be winning.
• The bright coloured environment appears chaotic and ruined.
• The characters at the table appear visibly distressed through their actions.

"The angle of a shot has a marked influence on the audience's psychological reaction to the subject matter photographed".

Alice In Wonderland

Film-Making Techniques

Focus Shot / Rack Focus

Ariel Shot

Close Up

It is usually done with a crane or with a camera attached to a special helicopter to view the large landscape.

Example: When Alice climbed out from the rabbit hole and walked away back to the party.

A shot that shows you a closer look of a character or prop in the scene.

Example: There is a close up of the Cheshire Cat's head when it appears out of thin air

This is a shot that focuses on one prop or person in the scene, while the scene goes out of focus.

Example: When Alice is kneeling down in front of the mouse hole and she noticed there is a drink of the table. The focus changed from her to the drink with the scene going out of focus.

Colour

• Colour is a large part of Burton's camera mastery. He shoots subjects in oversaturated and under saturated colour, often in order to use the colour of the scene to help add to the Gothic mystery or surreal and dreamlike states that his stories frequently find themselves in.

There is an vibrant colour palette; the bare, threatening clouds; the ever beaming White Queen (Anne Hathaway), who glows so much that she might burn your eye sockets; the gleaming, devilish eyes of the Cheshire Cat; the dull Knave of Hearts

For pure visual beauty, Burton's film is as spectacular to watch