Aims and Context

Aims and Context for Creative Project

The genre of my film is a surrealistic experimental film. I have chosen to make this a short film rather then a sequence from a larger film, such as the opening or closing sequences. This is because we felt that the short film made it more experimental, by denying conventional "opening, middle and ending".

Target Audience - Arthouse

Key stylistic elements of the short film - 

Some of the issues that were raised in our AS filming was the fact that we lost the tension build up because of shots that were too long, so this time we've avoided this through shorter clips and faster transitions from one shot to another

Role in Production - Editor (trying out new editing techniques in the style of .....)

Urban Stories Essay Question

To what extent are the characters in the Urban Stories you have viewed victims of a more dominant social and political ideology?

One of the films that I have studied in this topic is La Haine (1995), directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, a French cultural film which points fingers at problems which cultural policies and social issues that revolve around Paris and '"La Banlieu's" or "Projects" - areas of housing built by the government to attract foreign migrants from ex colonies of France, this was called "Assimilation".  Social Realism is a theme that runs throughout La Haine, by revealing how divided Paris actually is despite the 'camouflage' 
I have also studied Princesas (2005), by Spanish director Fernando Leon de Aranoa, and City of God (2002), directed by Fernando Meirelles.

All of these Urban films are situated in the 'underbelly' of the cities, the slums - In La Haine it's the La Banlieu's, in City of God it's the Cidade de Deus, and in Princesas it's the suburb of Madrid. This dictates what the community in the area is almost 'forced' to do, they cannot get out of the area which leads to their inevitable death. This results characters being forced into situations which are shown as being wrong in society - which is backed up by the common recurring theme of the directors using the camera in a way in which makes the movie feel like a documentary, or news report. 

In La Haine, we're 
http://notthecriticschoice.wordpress.com/2014/09/24/1-la-haine-1995-mathieu-kassovitz-2/

Presentation Script

Does the constant use of predominantly gothic elements throughout Tim Burtons films make him an auteur?

Speaker: An Auteur is"A film maker who's individual style and complete control over all elements of production give a film it's personal and unique stamp" [Item 14]. I will discuss if Tim Burton's films display similar recurring themes, such as Gothicism in the mise-en-scene and explain how his choice of non-diegetic and diegetic music provide evidence for Burton being an auteur. [Item 12]

Projector: Show film posters of each focus film; Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Batman Returns. [Item 1,2 & 3]

Speaker: I believe Tim Burton is an auteur as he fits the definition. In many of Burton's films we see gothic, dark scenes commonly using gothic techniques such as chiaroscuro lighting, inspired by German Expressionism and Film Noir. Burton also displays recurring visuals of a gothic mise-en-scene. For all of a directors films to have similar elements is rare. A good example of a scene that many elements are used is in Beetlejuice (1998) such as when we're first introduced to the character Beetlejuice.

Projector: Show clip of Beetlejuice: Mise-en-scene. Timescale-> 00:45:05 [Item 3]

Speaker: Beetlejuice "in retrospect, is quintessential Burton material; ghoulish, bizarre, highly imaginative with the potential for outrageous set design and innovative special effects" [Item 10] The mise-en-scene Burton uses in Beetlejuice in itself shows themes of gothic nature - such as the costume and makeup design. This can be seen when we first see Beetlejuice in the clip you've just seen. The scene is set in a graveyard - a typical setting for a gothic genre, but to add to this the graveyard is a model which is in an attic - also a setting associated with 'gothism', ghosts and demons. "Beetlejuice features a number of visual references that resurface in Burton's work: these include a model town, characters patterned with black and white stripes, and a graveyard setting" [Item 10] - The idea of this graveyard comes from his childhood memories, as a distinct graveyard that was next door to where he lived was an area he used to play in. Burton's obsession with gothic themes and death is projected from his childhood; "I was obsessed with death, like a lot of children" [Item 10] which explains the child-like nightmarish characteristics of his films especially Beetlejuice [Item 6 & 17].
Burton uses elements from German Expressionism to enhance the gothic style in his films. Dead trees paired with low key lighting all add to the effect of the gothic style of Beetlejuice and his auteur style.

Projector: Show clip of Beetlejuice: Mise-en-scene, use of dead trees and low key lighting Timescale -> 00:46:00 [Item 3]

Speaker: Other characters linking to the gothic genre include Lydia Deetz, who's clothes have connotations of being gothic, these come from Lydia wearing the colour black and a 'choker' around her neck. Lydia Deetz at a glance can also be seen as a witch in the style she dresses, as she is seen wearing a pointed black hat. "Sweet but morbid daughter (Winona Ryder) who dresses like a witch to express her inner weirdness" [Item 11] This character is played by Winona Ryder, who is a common actress through many of Burtons films - She is an actress in Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and was the voice in Frankenweenie. This is another aspect of being an auteur, a director who reuses the same/similar actors and actresses multiple times, in Burtons case this is Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Winona Ryder - this is due to how well these actors and actresses represent Burtons dark toned style of film. 

Projector: Show image of Lydia Deetz [Item 3]

Speaker: Another case is Danny Elfman, who composed the music for all of my focus films. Danny Elfman is reused by Burton throughout his films as Elfman heavily influences the tone and mood that Burtons vision sets - making the theme 'gothic'. Elfman uses non diegetic sound in Buton's films to reflect on the current mood of the film and which creates it's own story. Danny Elfman understands Burton's thoughts and visions, and the repetitive use of individuals for parts of different film's is a trait in an auteur, suggesting that Burton is an auteur.
"The most remarkable aspect of the Edward Scissorhands score is it's ability to tell Burton's story without the visuals." [Item 5]
In the other focus films, Burton also uses mise-en-scene to represent gothic themes, for example in Batman Returns (1992) the beginning sequence is predominantly set in the sewers under the city, following a black victorian pram. Burton's choice of using victorian era props in his mise-en-scene whilst being set in the late 1940's also aids in answering our question of whether Tim Burton is an auteur or not, as he chose to use old victorian props such as the pram and clothing that the parents of 'The Penguin' wore to paint a gothic, dark scene. His choice of weather also resembles gothic style, as the lighting is low key and snow resembles the coldness of 'The Penguin'. A word often used to describe this kind of scene, along with Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands is "Burtonesque", this term suggests that Tim Burton has a style of film thats recognised - this aids in an argument for Burton being an auteur [Item 20]. "Theses films are characteristically surreal, avant-garde and expressionistic, the tone of which is commonly described as 'dark' and 'gothic' owing to Burton's romanticism and fascination with the macabre. Burton approaches uncomfortable topics with great wit and humour - as if laughing at the world for taking itself too seriously." [Item 9]

Projector: Show opening clip of Batman Returns and Edward Scissorhands: Timescale -> 00:00:00 [Item 2 & 3]

Speaker: Comparing the opening scene of Batman Returns and Edward Scissorhands (1990), you can see similarities in the low key lighting and cinematic techniques used - this whole opening sequence of Batman Returns and Edward Scissorhands is predominantly made up of shades of grey and are tinted with blue 'coolness' from the snow, with non diegetic music similar to both Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. These similar themes that run throughout his films would suggest that his is an auteur. 

Projector: Show clip of Batman Returns; focus on non diegetic sound Timescale: 00:00:32 [Item 2]

Speaker: The non diegetic music in all three films holds a similar mysterious, jumpy feel to it, as seen in the clip shown. This could be due to the scores being all made by Danny Elfman, making the audience feel on edge, this is a convention of the gothic genre, and the fact that there are similarities between the non diegetic sound would support Burton being an auteur [Item 4 & 5].
My third focus film, Edward Scissorhands [Item 1] can be compared with Mary Shelley's gothic book Frankenstein, both of the narratives focus on the creation of a 'monster' that falls in love and rejected by society. As Shelley's Frankenstein is a gothic novel, we can say that Edward Scissorhands includes many gothic elements, one gothic theme to run throughout Scissorhands is a setting in an abandoned castle, which sets the scene for mystery and suspense - all conventions of horror [Item 7].

Projector: Show clip of Edward Scissorhands: Gothic setting, Timescale -> 00:11:03

Speaker: As you can see in this scene, the whole feel of the clip is gothic, with the lighting, mise-en-scene and almost every other cinematic technique. The mood of the clip is very dark and mysterious due to the low key lighting. Not only all the cinematic techniques, but also due to the fact that Burton decided to film in an attic again, which are associated with the gothic genre. We see Burton's choice to film in an attic in all three of my focus films, seen again in this scene in Batman Returns, when 'Catwoman' visits 'The Penguin'.

Projector: Show clip of Batman Returns: attic, Timescale -> 01:03:34

Speaker: Burton is known for pairing his gothic style with satire and irony to create a more 'laughing at the world' dark film, in Beetlejuice this can be seen in the non-diegetic sound in this scene, the playful and witty nature of the character Beetlejuice is replicated in the sound. All of this backs up Burton being an auteur, as many of these themes are replicated in his other films. As described by the writer Mcdowell, "a feel good movie about death" [Item 10] all three tales generally deal with the darker aspects of life. Overall, Burton tends to dwell upon these themes throughout his work, which is what makes me believe that he is an auteur. His distinct style is well known and loved, with his name being used to describe his type of themes that are found in his work. Burton reuses similar people throughout his work, such as actors/actresses and musicians as they represent his visual representation well. The mies-en-scene in Burton's films is another recurring point to make, as we see similar settings across most of Burtons films, such as attics, castles, and sewers - all associated with dark, and all portrayed in low key lighting to exaggerate the gothic style in his films.

La Haine Essay

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?

One of the films i've studied in this topic is La Haine, a french film following the life of three youths living in the 'projects' of paris, called La Banlieu's, a low social class area made to attract people from the colonies of France, this cultural policy was called 'assimilation'.

In La Haine, a film technique of cinematography and framing throughout the film allows to quickly show conflict, such as separating characters from others dividing characters using mise-en-scene. An example of this is after Vinz shows the gun to Hubert and Said, and the camera purposely separates Hubert from the other two to show us that he's not happy with Vinz carrying a gun, and that he disagrees it. 

Whilst the media portray the people living in La Banlieu's as being in gangs and stereotypically accepting of guns and violence, this shows that the stereotypes are not always correct, as Hubert is clearly against the idea of violence and Vinz having a weapon.

In another case, the camera can frame two characters directly opposite each other to represent opposition and disagreement, rather then separating them from the group, an example of this is when Vinz states that he would enjoy going to prison and getting "banged up", which from the framing we can distinctively tell that Hubert disagrees with him and thinks that he's being silly.

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Annotated Catalogue

Annotated Catalogue


Does the constant use of predominately gothic elements throughout Tim Burtons films make him an auteur?

Films:
Item 1 - 'Edward Scissorhands' (1990)
This source is very useful, which is why i've chosen it as Item 1. It's the most well known film that Tim Burton has created, and is a great example of one of his films using gothic-styled mise-en-scene. Edward Scissorhands also is a great example of Tim Burton using styles of German Expressionism, which is another regular style throughout his other films, such as using chiaroscuro lighting. 
The main protagonist in Burton's films is often separated from society due to being abnormal and different to everyone else - In Edward Scissorhands this idea is taken to the very extreme: the main character cannot even touch another person. He is also known for reusing actors and actresses, in particular Johnny Depp, who is the main protagonist in this film. It could also be considered that Edward Scissorhands represents Tim Burton, and that his mise-en-scene is similar to Tim Burton in the way that he looked and felt as a child.

Item 2 - 'Batman Returns' (1992)
I've chosen 'Batman Returns' as my second film item as not only does it clearly display the recurring theme throughout Burton's films of isolation and seclusion of the protagonist in the community and separation of society, but it also continues the gothic styled mise-en-scene, with the protagonist's costume being again in black, and the continuation of shadows and 'dark tone'. In Batman Returns, 'Batman' is secluded from society, and is pushed aside and forced to witness villains take the spotlight and heroic titles. We see this in the very first shot of the newspaper article, where the villain is the headline. Batman Returns will aid in answering my presentation script question because it includes many scenes of gothic mis-en-scene, which is a recurring theme for Burton which will lead me to discuss whether this is evidence for him being an auteur.

Item 3 - 'Beetlejuice' (1988)
Beetlejuice is another of my focus films as it clearly represents themes that are seen throughout Burton's films, and also aids me in answering my question, if Burton is an auteur or not. Beetlejuice is obviously a Burton film, being ghoulish, bizarre, highly imaginative and a feel good movie about death. Beetlejuice carries on Burtons recurring theme about death and again uses gothic themed mise-en-scene. Although the characters aren't exactly secluded like in Batman and Edward Scissorhands, the whole setting of the small town is secluded from the rest of society, with the main house being even more secluded from the town. I chose Beetlejuice because the gothic themes, mise-en-scene and narrative all relate to answering my question on whether Burton is an auteur or not. The music was also made by Danny Elfman, which I can mention in my presentation script.

Internet:
Item 4 - BBC Article on Auteur Theory
http://news.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lancashire/plain/A22928772
Item 4 gives a lot of useful information about the Auteur Theory, as well as giving my chosen director as an example, and going a step further to suggest films to back up why he could be considered an Auteur, using the three films I have chosen to research and a few other examples. It clearly states key themes that run throughout Burton's films and recommends reading and viewing of different books to assist researching Tim Burton. This will help in answering my question by giving me discussion points to add, such as the music from Danny Elfman.

Item 5 - Filmtracks article
http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/edward_s.html
This internet source focus mainly on Burtons consistent use of similar people throughout his films. This website focuses on Edward Scissorhands, my Item 1 Focus film. It highlights that Tim Burton uses similar people such as Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as the main starring roles in his films, and people like Danny Elfman for the soundtracks, this would explain the consistencies throughout his films in the creative style. This links to the auteur theory and suggests that he chooses collaborates that understand his style and tone, which would also back up the argument for my question that Burton is an auteur - as Burton reuses Elfman for the fact that he can portray the gothicism in soundtracks of films. 

Item 6 - Online Magazine article, Senses of cinema
http://sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/burton/
This source gives great information about the childhood of Tim Burton, as well as what impact that had on each of his films. It covers the films that I have chosen as my focus films in detail and also gives information of his other films.
It gives a link to his filmography, a bibliography and more web resources that are useful as it will allow me to reattach into other films, and see If Burton's childhood had a gothic-impact on these too.
This Internet article also gives information about public reaction to Burton's films, It will be useful to give quotes from leading film critics about his films and refer to to get a brief overview of the films.

Item 7 - Gothic themes from Edward Scissorhands
https://dissectinglanguage.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/edward-scissorhands-the-gothic-genre/
This item is useful as it compares one of my focus films, Edward Scissorhands, to another well known gothic film, Frankenstein, to back up the argument that it is a gothic film - the source also lists some gothic conventions. I could use all of this to back up my argument, whilst also using the conventions as points of discussion to answer my presentation script question. The source will help me decide if Tim Burton is an auteur or not as it entirely discusses the gothic genre. 


Item 8 - Photo of Tim Burton
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTcwNTc4NTMzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzc5ODYz._V1_SX214_CR0,0,214,317_AL_.jpg
This is a photo of Tim Burton which i'll use to begin my presentation script. This links with my question as through research i've found out that many of Tim Burtons more gothic characters appear to represent and are pictured in a similar style to Tim Burton himself. This could open the presentation script with the question of whether Tim Burton portrays himself in Edward Scissorhands and other Gothic characters in the focus films i'm researching.

Item 9 - Definition of Burtonesque
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Burtonesque
This is a definition of the term "burtonesque" which i'll use as an example of how Tim Burton's films have been recognised to all resemble a certain theme and tone that theres a common description word to describe that type of tone and satire that's found in his films. I'll use this in my presentation script to describe certain scenes and help answer my question.

Books:
Item 10 - 'Burton on Burton' - Tim Burton
This book is extremely useful as it has a separate chapter for each of his films from the directors point of view. It covers all of my focus films, allows me to see Tim Burtons view of his own films, helps me understand them, gives reasons behind why he chose settings and the meaning behind some key scenes. Burton on Burton also covers Burtons childhood in depth, explaining how it impacted his films and also goes over his own inspirations and directors he looked up to.
It also highlights why he uses a gothic theme throughout his films, and his obsession with ghosts and ghouls, then precedes to cover why he keeps using similar actors and actresses in films which is a key aspect of an auteur. Burton on Burton goes a step further, by providing contextual information of his films around the time they were being filmed and released, and giving a mix between Burtons opinion and a critics opinion. It is therefore a crucial source.

Item 11 - 'Tim Burton: Interviews' - Kristian Fraga
Link to book
This book would be a great source to quote, as it perfectly summarises Tim Burtons films and the themes that run throughout. The introduction is the most useful part, as it links his films in different ways to other books, rather then just the use of a gothic mise-en-scene.
This book also includes brief summaries of each film, and how big they became and the public and critic reaction to the film. This book also includes context behind each film, such as the artist directors and who the film starred.
The book will help me in answering my question, not only because of the above but because it includes imagery throughout his films and what they represent, and then also relates it to Burton being an auteur. 

Item 12 - 'Teach yourself Film studies: Auteur Theory' - Warren Buckland
Chapter 3, Film Authorship: The director as auteur
This book will be used to describe what the Auteur Theory is, and then I can link it to Burton, whilst giving clear examples of other Auteurs, and ask the question if this makes Burton an Auteur. This book describes the Auteur Theory in depth, and actually names Burton giving a few examples of his films, some of which are my focus films.


Item 13: 'An Unauthorised biography of the filmmaker' - Ken Hanke
This book is useful because of its Introduction. It has a very large chapter on how the iconography of Burtons films was impacted and directly related to his childhood.
It goes in depth about Burtons upbringing and famous directors at the time, and how the directors, and films and TV programmes that Burton watched have influenced his films.
It also relates to Tim Burtons vision, and why he chose certain actors and actresses, as they fitted his vision and in some ways made the characters look like himself or other influential people in his childhood.

Item 14: 'The English Dictionary' http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/auteur
This is the official Oxford English Dictionary definition of an auteur, which I will use to quote in my presentation script and reference to in the terms of Tim Burton to relate and prove that he is defined as an auteur in the English Language, which will aid in answering my question of whether Tim Burton is an auteur or not due to his gothic styled films.

Interviews:
Item 15- Hollywood's King of Quirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1euQqXWUvE
This interview talks about how his childhood affected his characters in his film, using the fact that he grew up as a dark and mysterious person, quite lonely and an isolated person -this relates to my question as dark, mysterious and isolation are all connotation of the gothic genre..
Burton expresses how this was reflected in Edward Scissorhands exponentially, as well as his other films. This item is useful to reference to when I relate to Burton portraying himself in his characters on set, in the likes of Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, which are my focus films, visually and emotionally.

Item 16- BAFTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQW6UICoDTM
This is an interview with BAFTA talking about Burtons achievements, critic response and how successful a director he is. It talks about how Burton got to where he is, and mentions why Burton chooses to use Gothic genres throughout his films. This interview will be good to reference as it gives his point of view on the gothic genre, which is my main focus, as it will aid in answering my question.

Item 17- The New York Times, Tim Burton Interview
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/movies/tim-burton-at-home-in-his-own-head.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
This is a Q&A with Tim Burton, with an introduction covering two of my focus films, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice. This interview/article refers to the similarities between some of Burtons films and Frankenstein, talking about how Frankenstein was considered a 'freak' and cast as an outside, similar to all of Burtons films and main protagonists. This is a recurring theme which will be useful to relate back to when discussing Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. 

This Q&A also talks about Burtons childhood and upbringing, I could refer to this to answer my question. 

Magazines:
Item 18- Burton - 'Hotdog' Jan 04 

        




     
This article from 'Hotdog' is extremely useful, and packed with information, such as descriptions of my focus films, context around each film and quotes from notable people, which I can refer to when creating my presentation script to answer my question - this would refresh my mind on each of my focus films and also give some good talking points. 

It raises some good talking points, such as Burtons opinion on his own films and critics opinions, particularly on Edward Scissorhands, but also mentioning my other two focus films. This Magazine rates Edward Scissorhands and also gives a plot summary, it also provides screenshots that can act as reminders whilst i'm writing up my presentation script.

The Article provides insights from Tim Burton himself, and a very useful side article about what people say about burton and what he says about himself.

Item 19 - 'The Mad World of Tim Burton Total DVD No. 62'
Although the magazine focuses on 'Big Fish', a more recent Tim Burton film, the article is still useful as it provides information about Burtons love for Gothic films and the recurring gothic themes that run throughout all of his films.
It also talks about what inspired burton for each of his films, which I could include in my Presentation catalogue by talking about where Burtons love for the gothic genre comes from.

Item 20 - 'Bat to Basics, Burton - Batman' Hotdog 03
This magazine is entirely focused on Batman Returns, and will be where I get all my information such as points of discussion for themes of gothic nature that are in this film and similarities to other Burton films, who the music and soundtracks were made by (Danny Elfman, the same person as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands) and contextual information about the film such as critics responses and public response.
This magazine will be crucial for my response to my essay question, as it will aid me in all my information about Batman Returns. 

Rejected Items:
Film: 'Planet Of The Apes'
I've rejected this film because it doesn't directly assist me in answering my question, whilst it does display similarities to other Burton films, research on the film has been harder than the three focus films that i've chosen. This film didn't have as much resources on it, and theres less gothic themes throughout the film then the three focus films that I've chosen.

Internet: http://moviecitynews.com/2010/03/tim-burton-sometimes-being-an-auteur-is-a-bad-thing/
This internet source isn't what I'm looking for. It criticises Burton and is almost the opposite to what I'm looking for - the article is reasons why Burton isn't an auteur and talks about other films that I have chosen not to look at.

Magazine: 'Burton POTA Sight and Sound' 2001
This magazine doesn't focus on my focus films at all, and only talks about Planet of the Apes. This is no use to me as it doesn't assist in answering my questions, and only talks about the critics response to the film from a one sided point of view, and doesn't explain any imagery or recurring themes, therefore it is not very useful. 

Internet: 'Biography of Tim Burton' http://www.biography.com/people/tim-burton-9542431
The Biography of Tim Burton doesn't assist me in answering the question that I have, as it doesn't talk about recurring themes and how they relate to his childhood, instead it talks more about how he became famous, and his life as a whole - such as opportunities that he has had. This doesn't aid in discussing whether Burton is an auteur or not and doesn't discuss the gothic themes, nor the focus films I have chosen. 

Internet: Prezi, presentation on Tim Burton
http://prezi.com/ktmakd_9d2qb/tim-burtons-gothic-mise-en-scene-and-the-recurring-presence/
This website, whilst the information may aid with me answering my question is an unreliable source, as the information can be uploaded by any user as it's not from a credited site much like wikipedia. This would make my presentation script wrong and a waste of time therefore will not help in answering my question legitimately. 

Essay Question; Living with Crime

How far are the circumstances and choices available to key characters in the films you have studied in this topic relative to their social class?

Both of the British independent films 'Harry Brown' and 'Wild Bill' are imbedded with social class. The British Social structure includes a "class system" which both films focus on, the extreme rich (upperclass) and extreme poor (underclass) - social classes are a convention in the genre of "Living with Crime". The choices available to the key characters due to social class is displayed through miss-en-scene and narrative. 

In the opening of Harry Brown the youths are immediately represented as stereotypical 'yobs'; by breaking the law through the use of underage drinking, and dealing/taking drugs. All of the opening sequence is filmed through the use of a handheld camera, possibly with a mobile camera. The use of a mobile camera shows how they like to document things they've done, and that this is a way of entertainment for them and self-appreciation. 

Essay Question; Lovers on the Lam

How far do the American films you have studied for this topic depend on well established narrative and genre conventions?

Badlands and Natural Born Killers are both films that fall into the 'Lovers on the lam' genre, which includes the genres, Romance, Crime and a 'on the road' film. Both show the genres through the genre conventions, which can be seen in the film narrative, such as the amount of time in both movies spent in a car driving away from police, on the run. 

Badlands is a film based on the true story of Charles Starkweather and Caril Annfuggate, and their killing spree in 1958 - they killed 10 people over a period of 8 days. In 1958 in America, where the film was based, people were poor and in a time of depression, and the 'American Dream' was big, everyone strived for fame. As the film clearly portrays Kip, who acts as Charles Starkweather was self obsessed and egoistic which you can see