American Cinematographer - December 1999 - 59

Walker

and

Kevin

Yagher, and
polished by Tom Stoppard]. What
excited you most about the material?
Was it the story itself, or the inherent
visual possibilities?
Tim Burton: Both, really. I was
familiar with the original story
because I'd seen the [1958] Disney
cartoon The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
I didn't actually read the source
novel until after I'd seen the script.

Opposite:
Burton gives
actor Johnny
Depp some tips
on

proper

Proving the
point that love
can be painful,
Burton applies
some

seem to know
Headless Horseman.

wounds"to
real-life

never

paramour

plays
Burton: I love the

A

saw

Black

Sunday at

imagery. I
of those

one

those old Hammer horror films. It

horror-film festivals that last

had

weekend.

the

a

fresh take, but it also

source

respected

material, which has

a

very

Germanic tone. I

always like a good
fairy tale, or any story that has
symbolic meaning. This script had a
good, strong folktale vibe that I liked
very much. I was particularly drawn
to

the idea that Ichabod Crane is this

guy

who lives inside his

while his nemesis has

no

own

head,

head

at

all!

That juxtaposition was
me;

interesting to
it really worked on a symbolic,

almost subconscious level.

a

whole

The

people who stay
through all of the continuous show¬
ings start to drift in and out of
consciousness a bit [laughs], and
certain films really have an impact
when you're in that state of mind!
Out of all the films they showed that
particular weekend, Black Sunday
really stood out for me, because it
had very lurid, vivid and stark
images, which is what you want from
a
good horror movie. Some of the
old Mexican horror films have that

When

you're reading a script,
seeing the
story in pictorial form?
Burton: I think more visually
than not, so I'd have to say yes to that
question. I don't rely completely on
that process for my eventual
approach to a movie, because a lot of
other things come into play later on
when you start casting people, build¬
ing sets, and so forth. But this script
did get my mind going in a very
visual direction. That type of strong
visual response happens more often
when a story really speaks to you
personally.
do you immediately begin

quality

as well. They're so strange
and strong that they become almost
like a dreamscape when you're

watching them. The best movies in
the horror genre have a good mix of
imagery and subject matter, and they
just dive right into your subcon¬
scious.

Did you

have any other visual
inspirations, such as paintings or
sculptures? Did you discuss your
various influences at length with
cameraman Emmanuel ["Chivo"]

things I like about Chivo is that he
that - he understands that
when we're talking about a potential
influence, it's not literal. I might like
to draw a certain feeling or flavor out
of an older movie, but I'm not trying
to make a Xerox copy of it. In actual

gets

Burton: To be

comes

down to whether or not I click

with him

her. When

emulate

exam¬

film

ple, the influence of the Hammer

had to wait for him. The collabora¬

demonio]. What
specifically do you like about that

films didn't result in

tion

film?

films that

Black

Maschera

Sunday

del

[a.k.a.

La

try not to draw too
those types of influences,
then you're just trying to
something as opposed to

on

creating something

scheme; it was

more

inspired

new.

a

For

rigid visual

the idea of those
us.

One of the

device,

the Iron
Maiden.

honest, I wasn't

you were partially inspired by the
look of Mario Bava's 1960 horror

heavily

torture

overly familiar with Chivo's previous
films, but I knew a few people who
had worked with him. I don't analyze
or look too
deeply into a camera¬
man's body of work, but I certainly
was aware that he was
good. I don't
necessarily base my decisions entirely
upon a person's resume; it really

because

Burton: I

victim

quite different than the reality. Those
films weren't necessarily technically
superior, but people love them
anyway. They're often more intense
in your memory than they are when
you actually watch them again.
What inspired you to hire
Lubezki as your director of photog¬
raphy? Were you familiar with his
previous work?

the set that

on

Lubezki?

a

of that triedand-true

fact, the idea of what Hammer was is

you're work¬
ing on a film and standing right next
to someone every day, you want to
make sure you're both on the same
general wavelength. Chivo is a great
guy, and I felt a real connection with
him. He also works very fast; I never

You mentioned

Lisa

Marie, who

about the

big reason that I liked the
script was that it reminded of one of

faux

"puncture

read the book either, but somehow

they all

a

autopsy.

This page:

-

Most kids in America have

how to

perform

was

Chivo is

or

a
a

who is able

real

pleasure, because
thoughtful person
understand and enjoy

very
to

American

Cinematographer 55
American Cinematographer - December 1999

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