Voice and Intonational Dimension of Characters in Tim Burton’s Film Batman Returns

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine the speech-intonational dimension of the characters in T. Burton’s ‘Batman Returns’ and to identify the principles by which the actors employ vocal and speech techniques to construct the outsider figure within the director’s gothic aesthetic. The research methodology is based on the interpretation of audiovisual sources, which enables the analysis of the characters’ speech patterns through the available material; the method of role analysis allows an exploration of vocal and intonational design in relation to character psychology and physicality; the analysis of the director’s creative approach provides an in-depth understanding of vocal expressiveness through the lens of Burton’s aesthetic and his concept of the outsider. The scientific novelty lies in clarifying the role of voice and intonation as markers of otherness and marginality within Burton’s cinematic worlds, as well as in a comprehensive examination of vocal strategies (register and voice dynamic shifts, vocal attacks, vocal fry, and other speech-intonational devices) that shape the gothic aural aesthetic of ‘Batman Returns’. Conclusions. The study establishes that vocal and intonational choices in ‘Batman Returns’ are central to articulating outsider identity in Burton’s aesthetic; it identifies the specific intonational features of the principal characters and their dependence on dramaturgic function; it demonstrates that Burton’s gothic vision directly influences speech manner and vocal-intonational technique; and it confirms that his characters are marked by a distinctly theatrical grotesque, manifested, among other elements, through their vocal performance.