Close Analysis of Film Opening- The Dark Knight;

The Dark Knight

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Written by: Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan

Staring: Christan Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Certification: 15

• The dark, blue/black clouds correlate with the title of the film, "The Dark Knight" to suggest that the title is shown at night time due to the darkness effect. The clouds zoom to form the Batman logo and this then becomes clear why they decided to film the title sequence in the darkness of time. Also, Batman has always appeared to be a sinister character in The Dark Knights given plot therefore the choice of colors connote this.
• The cut zoom into the city defines the location of the film and also suggest the Gotham city is full of crime due to the given name which is similar to Gothic. In result this implies the perfect setting for the enigma to begin.
• The zoom into the mirrored building shows no reflection which implies there could be no hope for the city.
• The first showing of violence is the windows exploding. The broken glass is small but lethal and could be used as weapons which could show the film is bound to break laws and be full of action scenes.
• The shot then cuts to medium close ups of characters in masks. The childish form of identity is ironic because they are shown to be holding guns. Children are usually seen as sweet and innocent but The Dark Knight destroys this stereotype and takes a new role to make audience believe that anyone can be evil. The masks are different clown faces.
• In the banks building, the shot cuts to a high-angled shot of two clown characters dealing with weaponry. These characters are hiding behind childish masks to suggest they wont do no harm but there given guns makes the audience feel uneasy and prepares them for any violent scenes ahead.
• The scene juxtaposes with a cut to the lower ground outside where one character is filmed from behind holding his mask in his left hand and reveals his identity with no hesitation. The broad shoulder tell us that the character is male and his greasy, slick hair and big bag stereotype him as a typical bank robber. The shot is then zoomed in to gather extra detail of the character.
• The zoom focuses on the mask of the single character which shows he isnt wearing it due to the significance that his identity doesnt involve a mask and maybe his indentity will be revealed further into the plot.
• The pace of the opening building up quickly once the villians car turns up and the non-diegetic music starts with an upbeat, heavy tone. The single character puts his mask on, gets in the door and the robbery begins. We know this because the constant reminders of masks, slammed doors and quick pace of shots.
• The medium shot cuts to juxapose the the two clown characters and car in different places. This highlights the planning of the robbery and that it was well planned in order to be successful. A tracking shot follows the two clowns down the zip wire then intakes a high angled shot of the busy city which makes the scene more intense because of the close call situation the villains have put themselves in.
• The shot then cuts to the clowns within the car and a medium close up of the clowns conversation puts the other clown out of focus's either to suggest he isn't important or throwing the audience off so he can reappear as a significant character.
• The robbers are ALL wearing clown masks however they all have different emotions on them and create an individual effect which suggests "every man for themselves". This saying unravels after the shot cuts to upon the rooftop where talk of the Joker causes one clown to shoot the other in order to make more money in the pot. The roof is the high point avaliable on location and the sorting through weapon gives that extra boost of power to the villains.
• The sound bridge is continued as the scene continues with its montage of shots to the lower ground. The music has a fast pace beat which forces the robbery to its peak and makes the audience be on the edge of their seats as they continue to attempt to unravel the indentities of the clowns.
• The shot then cuts to pans from outside the bank and inside to follow the characters every movement and grasp the other characters reactions to the situation they were unaware of. Inside the bank is the first time we get a point of view shot from a banker to show the victims side of the story. This helps viewer understand the feelings and actions from people other than the villians.
• The zoom out, tracking shot of the mayhem within the building builds pace into the scene and continues to help the scene peak to its enigma. The diegetic sounds of screams from the innocent characters puts pressure onto the villians showing their plan is working but they may be caught due to the attention risen by the screams.
• The montage of shots makes sequence faster and parallels actions within the film.
• Innocent characters hidden under the tables makes the audience see they are insecure and feel terroised. These actions make the audience see both sides of the story and develops emotions to feel sorry for the innocent.
• A long shot of the bank shows one clown aggressively pulling a banker over the counter. This clown is showing authority and showing aggravation to scare the victims who surround him.
• However, the victims in this scene fight back such as an over shoulder shot of a blonde, female banker shouting "NO" to one of the clown to take a brave stand against giving them their desire (money). These actions make the shot more intense because its unable to determine how the clowns may react to this act of rebellion.
• The shot cuts to the roof where the clowns are shown to be clever by hacking the electricity in order to make the banks vaults easier to rob. This is clever and classic action of robbers and is also a sign of determination to shown that no matter what education you have you still can fall into the wrong hands of the law.
• At the same moment where the two robbers were cutting the electricity, the over the shoulder shot shows a clown drawing a gun to the electrician robbers head but still continuing normal conversation whilst the electrician robber is unaware he is about to be killed. This action shows theres nothing normal in illegal activity and friend is a word that doesn't exist in criminal activity.
• The music by now is much heavier as the pressure and tension rises as the bank robbery gets deeper and more intense. The plot thickens and one brave banker prepare his gun to fight back which shows pride and concludes the scene into a war between victims and villains rather than a crime itself.