Belonging – Folio, Oral and Writing Task Part 1: Folio Task Visual Text: Film Title: Edward Scissorhands Release Date: 21 March 1991 (Australia) Director: Tim Burton The Film Edward Scissorhands tells a story of an isolated individual and his migration into a suburban neighbourhood. Edward’s ownership of scissors as hands has proven to be a great adversity, in his struggle to achieve acceptance and a true sense of belonging. Director Tim Burton has highlighted the idea of rejection faced by individuals possessing strange physical characteristics in modern society, and its direct link it has to immediate judgement of that person. This text develops an understanding to Edward not belonging with his lifestyle as he’s living in a distinctly separate world. In the opening scenes of the film, Burton utilizes the effect of colour combined with an aerial shot to represent separation between Edward Scissorhands and the rest of the neighbourhood. The single shadowy gothic house present at the end of the street is contrasted with the symmetrical and brightly coloured houses of the neighbourhood, illustrates that there is a severance between Edward and the neighbours. In the aftermath of being rejected by the community, the use of flashbacks is employed to depict the comforting emotions of belonging Edward has experienced in his previous life. The use of such comforting flashbacks evokes emotion and compels the audience to feel sympathetic towards Edward. Symbolism is also used to emphasize Edward’s “Scissorhands” as being the greatest obstacle, preventing his acceptance into the society. To find true belonging is a difficulty within itself, when this difficulty is amplified with further complications in Edwards case “Scissorhands” the task seems almost impossible. The ideas presented in ‘Edward Scissorhands’ are similar to Peter Skrzynecki’s Migrant Hostel. In migrant hostel the simile “like a homing pigeon, Circling to get it ...