When Tim Burton is mentioned, movies such as the well-known Nightmare Before Christmas and the 2010 remake of Alice in Wonderland typically come to mind.  The exhibition at the LA County Museum allowed students to explore beyond the Tim Burton that they know and discover that the artist’s success is the direct result of a combination of talent, diligence and perseverance.

Tim Burton is an artist who was able to find his niche and visual language early in life and continued to pursue it despite frequent refusals in his early career.  While touring the exhibit, students became increasingly aware that Tim Burton’s unique and macabre style has remained consistent throughout his pre-career and career.  His eventual prosperity should serve as confirmation that talent isn’t everything and that diligence and perseverance play a large role in success.

Most notably during the exhibit, students were amazed at insider’s look that they were given at the concepts of Burton’s work.  While final drafts, puppets and costumed characters were also presented, a large portion of inspiration was gained from viewing hand sketches of characters, storyboards and other conceptual artwork.

That being said, a lesson to be taken from these awe-inspiring conceptual pieces is the importance of capturing ideas immediately.  At risk of losing that initial raw idea, students are encouraged to capture ideas as soon as possible, be it on paper or in a digital format.  With the introduction of tablets among other digital design tools, the ability to record ideas instantly is no longer limited to paper and a pencil.

So what is the appeal of Tim Burton’s work to our students?  Perhaps it is that students can identify with his use of creating digitally imaginative works of entertainment as an outlet and quite literally putting ideas into motion.  Perhaps it is because Burton’s style fits the era of the current generation, with the fairytale-like stories and characters of past generations sprinkled with a generous dose of eccentricity.  Burton’s on-screen characters, while unusual and typically outcast, still have a good heart, and that in itself is greatly admirable and relatable.

Tim Burton has inspired Platt College’s digital media designers to continue their creative and unique concepts using multiple mediums.  As with any opportunity that Platt College offers outside of the computer labs, the Tim Burton exhibition allowed students to explore the influence that current day artists have on the digital media design industry.  Whether it’s Graphic Design, Web Design, 3D Animation or Digital Video Production, digital media designers are encouraged to seek inspiration from the innovative and ground-breaking visionaries that came before them.

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