Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2008) directed by Tim

Burton
Camerawork:
Within the first snippet of the film, a
panning, establishing shot of the
location is used to set the scene, as
well as the mood, for the film. This use
of motion within the film not only
makes the audience feel like they are
within the location, but it could also be
conveying the idea that the audience
are watching and judging the situation
for its realism. This could be a link to
the way in which we see the secretive
nature of Mrs Lovetts pie shop for what it really is, therefore, using a panning shot rather
than a single shot implies that we will see the realistic nature of this location and its people
since single establishing shots are seen as more planned or rehearsed. The use of a panning
shot could also resemble a lost spirit or ghost which may be a link to the way that death is
drawn to this place; by creating this idea, it then sets a darker mood and tone for the film
which is idealistic for a gothic film. Establishing shots are also very useful for providing
context for the viewer as to where the location is so that they have a deeper understanding
of the area this takes place and how this affects the
story. It can also identify aspects that help to see
the mood such as the use of pathetic fallacy
through the storm which creates an unsettling
atmosphere as well as linking to ideas of evil and
darkness that pose strong links to the murder
present in this film. The use of motion continues
throughout the first part of the extract when the
audience follows the blood in a tracking motion shot. Using this sort of motion makes it feel
like a POV sequence to the audience which causes them to feel like they are present in the
scene witnessing what occurs; this symbolises the way in which the audience will witness
the creation of the bloodshed throughout the film. Also, using these sort of shots almost
puts the audience in perspective of
the victims within the film which
not only introduces the idea of
fear and death (which are key
components in the film) but also
showcases the main events that
occur in the film in a sense that it
causes intrigue and curiosity for
the audience. Camera shots are
also used as a way of suggesting

how different characters factor within the film. For example, when introducing two of the
main characters, Tobias Ragg and Sweeney Todd, a close up is used to convey that we will
investigate the hidden emotional depths within these characters as well as highlighting
them as important characters in the film. This makes the audience aware of their
importance and it makes the audience feel closer to them by almost invading their personal
space. The close up also emphasises the facial expressions the characters have and what this
conveys about their characteristics. Sweeney Todd, for example, seems to have a
determined yet emotionless facial expression which causes curiosity as to what his motive is
and it also gives the audience an insight into the inner hatred the character carries.
Moreover, the close up highlights the darker aspects of Todds face which connotes evil but
also the bitterness of the character due to the harder aspects of his life which could help the
audience to maybe feel sympathy and a sense of closeness to his character. This shot also
uses selective focus to emphasise how the main focus of the film will be on Sweeney Todd
as well as to show him as being a main character.
Editing: Notably within the top shot, there is a clear use of editing through the use of rain to
create a tense atmosphere. Interestingly, some parts of the rain are red to resemble the
bloodshed that the audience will encounter and to exaggerate how death covers the beauty
of this city. Furthermore, it draws the audiences attention by making them question how
this factors into the film and it makes them want to carry on watching for longer. The rain
could also represent the tears or mourning created as a result of the bloodshed. As well as
the rain, the editing pace is also used as a link to death as it is quite slow which could link to
the idea of death or a ghostly presence which helps introduce the theme of death. Also, a
slow editing pace could link to the idea of the false town being portrayed at the beginning or
it could represent the secrecy of the killings and the way that they are carefully planned as
faster paced editing is usually associated with chaos.
Sound: The non-diegetic sound of the music presented during this opening has quite a slow
pace but a deep, menacing tone
to it which connotes the idea of
secrecy and an evil, nature
within. This could be
commenting on the evil within
humanity that Sweeney Todd
mentions when he says that all
humans deserve to die.
Moreover, it also resembles the
secret killings that take place
within London and the way that
the slow, lifeless appearance of the city presented is a faade to the evil that occurs there.
The diegetic sound of the rain and storm makes the scene more realistic and it also make
the scene more dramatic which has a large influence on the audience. As the opening
continues, the non-diegetic music gets louder and faster as the audience delves below the
chair which represents the death and evil and the way that it shocks the audience as well as
representing how the fear the victims suffer as they drop below the chair. The contrast in

volume in these two parts is symbolic of the innocence of the barber shop in comparison to
the horrors that occur there. Throughout these parts there is a use of a sound bridge which
could imply that the cycle shown through the trail of blood is continuous which makes the
death and bloodshed seem more shocking to the audience. Also, there is a slight use of
synchronous sound in the river flowing scene as although the river contains blood, which
the music emphasises through its altering pitch to create the idea of horror, the river is
flowing quite slowly so the faster pace of music has a distinct contrast which makes the
audience feel uneasy; it may also represent that while life takes on its slow course, death
intervenes with its tranquillity.
Mise-en-scene: Interestingly, the city presented at the beginning seems almost cartoon-like
which could suggest the idea that the
London presented here is false and
unrealistic which links to the idea of the
faade that the town as well as the main
characters such as the Mayor, who is
supposed to represent the fairness of the
town but is, in reality, an unjust individual.
It also links to the idea that the audience
have both a view of the false image the
town presents but will delve into the
darker secrets of it which is suggested by
the red rain showering on top to show
how the secrets uncovered will cover the fake image that we first witness. The use of
colours in this image immediately communicates the genre as it uses dark black colours
which are associated
with the gothic genre.
It also uses the colour
red in its rain to link to
death and bloodshed
which increases the
audiences interest in
the film by implying
that violence is present
within the film. There is
also a use of symbolism
within the first extract
through some of the props in
the opening that link heavily
with the story. For example,
the barbers chair is first shown
in a mid-shot looking through a
window which not only
represents its secrecy since we

are watching it from the window, but it also conveys that we as an audience will see the
characters for who they really are behind closed doors. Moreover, the way in which the
chair is presented on its own in this image could connote the idea of loneliness and may
imply that bloodshed and violence isolates you from the real world as shown by the blood
splatter by the chair. Another example of symbolism through props are the pies shown in a
mid-shot as they are commonly associated with hospitality and kindness but then blood
presented by it links to the killings that occur in this film. It may also imply that nothing is as
it appears to be and it warns the audience this which may make them anticipate what
occurs in this film and it could create suspense.
Lighting: Within this extract, lighting is used as a symbolic element, especially in this shot, in
which we see the blood drop on the lighter part of the wheel, however, it then runs towards
the darker side which could resemble the way that the bloodshed originally had more fair
intentions (to get revenge), whereas, due to greed, the killings begin to possess more
darkness. It could also connote how bloodshed eradicates the innocence within people,
especially in the character of Sweeney Todd. The fact that Burton includes this in the
opening could be his way of summarising Todds character development or possibly the
moral of the story that killing others dehumanises yourself and others. The lighting is also
interesting in the representation of London at the beginning of the extract as the colours
consist of a monotone grey and black which hold a strong link to the idea of death and
mourning which may symbolise the way that Todd associates the town with losing his wife
and child or it may link to the deaths we as an audience will witness later. It also
corresponds eloquently with the gothic style through its colours which helps introduce the
genre as well as appealing to those who prefer the gothic genre. Also, these dark colours are
heavily associated with
London as England is
stereotypically known as
having rainy weather and a
less vibrant culture so it helps
to set the scene for the
audience. Darker lighting is
also associated with evil and
darkness which may
represent how the evilness
within Sweeney Todd is
present within the town and
that we as an audience are heading towards it.
Use of titles: Within the
opening, the main title is
used in order to convey the
main themes within the film
through its colours. As you
can see in the image, red is
used to write Sweeney

Todd which is a colour associated with violence, bloodshed and death which are key
themes that make up part of the gothic genre. This may be used to excite the audience as
well as a method of causing curiosity for the audience as to why this bloodshed occurs.
Notably, the use of red is on Sweeney Todds name which causes the audience to associate
this character with violence and bloodshed and it could also connote the anger that
Sweeney Todd feels since red is associated with anger and hatred which he feels towards
the judge. This may create a negative representation of Sweeney Todds character from the
start by using a negative colour of red to colour his name. On the other hand, the use of
white for the demon barber of fleet street could be symbolic of the purity that Sweeney
Todd hides behind when he claims to be a barber and the way that the bloodshed and
violence is hidden behind his title since white is associated with purity and innocence. It
could also represent his former self and how his bloodthirst and anger overshadowed his
purity (as shown by the difference in size
of the fonts) once he was betrayed.
Another aspect of the difference in the
size of fonts could be symbolic of how
Sweeney Todds violent nature squashes
the innocent people who went to a
barbers shop clueless of the bloodshed
that occurred there. The fact that these
two colours are put together could
symbolise the way that purity and
violence cant be the same thing which may convey the message that all murder is evil even
with good intentions (in Sweeney Todds case: revenge) or it may resemble that no matter
how pure someone is, an evil aspect will always overshadow you. The text is also used in
this opening to fill in shots that are not as visually exciting or stimulating for the audience.
This is shown in the main title which is used as a way to draw the audiences attention away
from the dark, plain background (which may have been used to emphasise the title). This is
also evident in the image of the fire where text is used to avert the audiences concentration
from the lack of stimulus in the image. One of the main conventions of a film opening is also
using text to give credit to those who helped create the film which is important and it may
emphasise the hard work and dedication shown by others which could help the audience
appreciate it more.

What are the conventions for this genre?

The typical conventions for a gothic genre firstly consist of darker colours, such as black,
which link heavily to the gothic genre as well as conveying the idea of evil which is present
in the majority of gothic films. Secondly, the use of darker lighting is a common convention
within gothic genres as this once again links to evil but it also links to death and mourning
which are themes associated with the gothic genre. Its use of dramatic music to create
atmosphere and a dramatic mood is another convention that is used in gothic genre films as
this excites the audience by creating a suspenseful mood.

The main strengths and weaknesses of this film revolve around the level of detail in the
characters and their backstories. A main strength, in my opinion, was the way in which they
fleshed out Sweeney Todds character as, despite being an antagonist main character, they
gave him relatable human emotions exposed through his guilt when he killed his wife by
accident at the end. I also think that its use of music to create atmosphere was imbedded
quite well as many musical films make the singing seem pointless but I felt like it worked
well within this film; the characterisation was also very well shown through the vocals which
was a strength for me. Moreover, his motive for murder as well as Johnny Depps display of
his anger were believable and made the film have more depth. On the other hand, the
weakness may have been the lack of backstory and character development for the other
characters, especially Mrs Lovett who I feel has no backstory or explanation for how she
came to make up her pies besides one song. Also, I felt like Joanna had a lack of personality
or any emotional depth to her character; the only aspect of her character that we learn
about is her beauty rather than her personality.

After analysing this opening, I could use its idea of using colour to convey meaning within
my main title like the use of the colour red in the title for Sweeney Todd as this makes the
title more interesting to look at and it makes it more memorable for the audience which is
important when displaying the title. Also, it adds more depth to the title and communicates
the genre of the film which would appeal more to its target audience; for example, the use
of red in the title represents bloodshed which links to its thriller and gothic genre. Also, I
could incorporate its idea of using lighting to convey events that occur which is shown
through the high-key lighting that casts a shadow as the blood runs towards it which links to
the idea that the bloodshed originally has pure intentions but becomes a more dark evil
action as the film carries on. This would make my opening more interesting and give it more
depth as well as giving the audience an idea of what certain characters in my film are like.
Also, I could include props that have a heavy link with the story, such as the chair in
Sweeney Todd, as this adds curiosity as to how this features within the film and it also helps
the opening tie in with the story more.