Mise-en-scène

Mise-en-scène is used throughout the opening to evoke different emotions in the viewer, and to introduce several of the film's main themes, such as betrayal, abandonment and the loss of innocence.

Most notably, images such as a close-up on the dead inventor introduce the viewer to Edward's grief at the loss of his creator and the first human he felt an emotional attachment to. This helps the viewer to have an emotional attachment to Edward, which makes the rest of the film more compelling for them. The image of the dead inventor also relates to the film's themes of loss and abandonment. Edward feels abandoned by the inventor when he dies, and this is his first experience with loss. This is important because it marks the beginning of Edward's loss of innocence and also shows how effected he was by this, furthering the viewer's understanding of his character.

The recurring images of snow introduce a motif used throughout the film. At the very beginning, Kim's granddaughter asks the question, "where does snow come from?" In a way, the rest of the film is spent exploring this question, eventually revealing that in the case of the town, the snow is created by Edward carving ice statues, his way of expressing his love for Kim. The use of snow in the opening introduces this theme and shows how Edward has difficulty expressing his emotions conventionally, both because of his physical disability and because of his differences from 'normal' society.

Frequently, images of disused machinery and statues covered in cobwebs are used to convey the film's recurring theme of abandonment. Much like the house he inhabits, Edward is abandoned by the townsfolk for being outside the norm, and left to gather dust and be forgotten. The use of disused machinery represents this visually, helping the viewer to clearly understand one of the film's main themes, and also the film's main character.

This image, of a ghoulish statue covered in cobwebs, is shown along with the name of the actor who plays the titular character. The statue, like Edward, has been abandoned and left alone. This visual display of isolation helps the viewer to become emotionally invested in the film in the opening seconds, and to begin to understand the main character before he is even introduced.

Burton uses this technique in the openings of some of his other films, such as The Nightmare Before Christmas, in which different parts of Halloween Town are explored during the opening to give the viewer a visual sense of the world Jack Skellington inhabits. This helps the viewer to understand Jack's character and why he is so fascinated by the concept of Christmas Town, which becomes the main plot of the film. This use of Mise-en-scène in the opening is used to great effect by Burton in both films to give greater understanding to the viewer about the nature of the film, important themes and emotions, and an introduction to main characters and what drives them.

Transitions/Editing

Edward Scissorhands uses fade transitions to create flow within the opening and to give the opening a dreamlike quality which fits with the rest of the movie. The opening is comprised of numerous pan shots and close ups of different objects which represent themes in the film such as the betrayal of Edward by the townspeople and Edward's loss of innocence. By using fade transitions between them, Tim Burton has created a whimsical, flowing scene which draws the viewer into the fairytale feel which the film has.


The use of the fade transition and montage effect makes the opening feel dreamlike and gives the viewer the impression that they are drifting through Edward's thoughts. This gives the viewer an insight and introduction to Edward's character. Images used in the opening seem unrelated to each other, such as a shot of a staircase being followed immediately afterwards by a shot of some machinery such as a large pair of scissors, but are tied together and given meaning by the use of fade transitions. Other aspects of the opening such as a POV shot used with the staircase help to show the reader that the opening is from Edward's point of view, and shows his emotions and his mindset. The use of a montage gives the opening a fairytale feel which relates to the childlike manner of Edward at the beginning of the film.


Other editing techniques are used in the opening, such as the 'scissoring' effect on the titles of the film. This is an reference to the recurring motif of scissors used throughout the film. Edward's scissorhands are used as a metaphor for his differences from regular society, a theme which is explored in the film through his rejection by the townspeople out of their fear of his differences. The use of a scissoring effect on the film's title helps to introduce this motif within the first few seconds of the film and help tie the opening visually with the rest of the film.

By introducing this theme early on in the film, Burton allows the viewer to identify more deeply with the emotions it stirs in Edward, such as his grief at finding acceptance and then losing it again just as quickly, and the isolation he feels as a result of his differences. Through this theme, the viewer can identify more with Edward, which makes the whole film more emotionally compelling.