(up to 2 minutes)
The Dark Knight was directed by Christopher Nolan and was produced in 2008. The story line follows Batman, and other people trying to serve justice as they are faced with an anarchist causing trouble throughout Gotham City.
Editing
There is many uses of editing throughout the opening of the The Dark Knight, this helps create tension for the audience. The first shot of the production company logo, DC Comics is black and dark, it is followed my what looks like an explosion but instead of being orange like fire it is also black and grey, which creates a feeling to that audience about darkness, it also links to the title. Many cuts are used throughout the opening scene. The quick cuts make the audience feel like there is a lot of things happening all at one time. The cuts switch from different locations, starting at the building where the window is smashed then the floor then back to the multi-store building, followed by the car. It builds up tension for the audience as they know that everything is going to merge together making one ultimate climax, however the audience are unsure what that is going to be.
Camera shots, movement and positioning
The camera work is very important in helping build tension in the beginning of a film. In this film there are many different camera shots,, movement and positioning which help build tension for the film. The first shot is an establishing shot of the roof of a building, surrounded by other tall buildings, instantly setting the scene for the audience is in a city. However it makes the audience question why they are on the roof and not on the ground. The camera pan forward slowly zooming in on one particular building, the audience then questions what is important about this building. Then when the window suddenly breaks it becomes obvious to the audience that something unexpected is going on inside of the building. When the shot has been cut onto the inside of the building the camera pans left around the back of the man, this allows the audience to see that there is two men wearing masks, which automatically makes the audience think that there is a crime. As there are two men it makes the crime seem bigger than just one person, this creates tension for the audience as they are in suspense about what the crime is. An over the shoulder shot is used of the man shooting the wire across each of the buildings, the over the shoulder shot also allows the audience to see some of the room which he is in. This makes it clear to the audience what is happening. It also makes the audience realise they have some high-tech equipment suggesting that this is an important action. Also suggests to the audience that they are not amateurs and using the equipment easily suggests they have done it before. The shot then cuts from the room to somebody standing on the ground, the camera is behind them, his face is totally hidden and gives no clues to the audience, this creates mystery for the audience as they begin to question who he is, his relevance and why he is there. The mask which the camera zooms in on which is in the persons hand leads the audience to make a link, therefore them knowing that he is a part of the crime. An example of when a long shot is used includes when the two people are using a sky wire between the two buildings. The long shot allows that audience to see the height of where they are, making the audience see that the people are not afraid of danger as they can see its high up and dangerous.
Mise en scene
Mise en scene creates the atmosphere for what the audience can see in the opening of the film. In the thriller genre it often helps to build tension and suspense for the audience. The most noticeable and important piece of costume used throughout this scene is the clown mask. It straight away implies to the audience that they are the criminals as they are trying to hide their faces. It gives a clear impression that the people are going to commit a crime, the gloves also imply the same thing. The car which pulls up to pick up the man who is on the ground seems like quite a big car, this suggests that there is more people involved that the three people we have already seen. The car does not seem expensive which could reflect the people involved's wealth, or that they are trying to fit in. When the people are in the car the light is low lit, and more natural light, this creates shadows over the peoples faces making their identity even more hidden. However you can see that they have a small hand gun which showing wherever they are traveling to may involve violence. This creates tension for the audience as they are eager to know where they are going. Also when the camera changes the audience can see that the man in the front seat is also preparing a gun, this suggests that it may be soon when they are going to need it building suspense for the audience.
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