THE DARK KNIGHT 9 SHOT ANALYSIS

Written by Joe Bradbury

LONG WIDE SHOT

The shot which the audience is introduced to is a long wide shot of a stereotypical modern city. This shot is used to establish the location of the scene and in this case, also shows where the whole film is based. This aerial view of several large and high-class buildings connotes to the audience that this specific location has a lot of wealth and belongs to a wealthy, successful society. The fact that this location is seemingly very wealthy also slightly hints to the audience of what is going to happen in this opening sequence (a bank robbery). We can also see from the lighting that it is early afternoon, which gives the shot a relaxing atmosphere. However, this is contrasted with the sound during this shot, which is a slow, tense music track with a rising volume level. This creates a high level of suspense and hints again to the audience of what is to come.

This shot introduces some of the key narrative enigma’s of this opening sequence as well as introducing some of the key themes of the film. This shot provides the suggestion that the character which is shown is one of the villains of the film as the smashed window and the use of props (gun and mask) leads us to the assumption that he is a criminal. The mask prop is key in this suggestion as it shows that he is trying to hide his real identity, which is a typical criminal-like trait. The sound of the gun being loaded is also emphasised to outline its presence and make it a main focus of the shot. This also raises questions of who this man is, what is he trying to do and what would that accomplish. The high angle on this over the shoulder shot allows us to see clearly the props which are being used as well as the opposite building which was seen in the shot beforehand.

HIGH ANGLE OVER THE SHOULDER

SHOT

LONG SHOT

In this shot, a man who is dressed in all dark coloured clothing is shown standing on an ordinary city street with no unusual activities being hinted. The mans normal standing posture also does not suggest any type of strange behaviour unlike the last shot which was shown. However, the mask which the man is holding suggests that he is somehow involved in the criminal activity which was shown by the character in the previous shot as he was wearing a similar mask. The difference in this shot however, is that the mask, which gives a sense of horror to the shot, is used to foreshadow future events in the scene and gives an indication that this man is also a villain. Due to this indication, it allows the audience to question what the man is carrying in the bag, which we soon find out in the next shot that it is full with several weapons which confirms the audiences speculation of whether he is a villain or not. The fact that this man is standing alone also suggests that he might be the main antagonist of the film.

MEDIUM

CLOSE UP

This shot provides a much clearer and closer image of the masks which the villains are using, this emphasises the horror qualities which the masks bring to the sequence and creates a reoccurring motif in all of the shots. This also confirms one of the sub-genres of the film which is horror. The medium close up shot allows the audience to see both the characters and more specifically the character in the background who appears to be attacking his accomplice. This raises questions of whether this man is a villain or hero in this opening sequence. The design on the masks are also very ironic because the mask of the man in the foreground (who is shot) shows a very unhappy emotion while the attacker’s mask is a very devious looking one. This also foreshadows the outcome of the character in the foreground before he is even attacked.

MEDIUM

CLOSE UP

This medium close up shot focuses on the hands of a hostage who is holding an active grenade, this brings attention to the massive danger which the masked villains are bringing to this opening scene. The hands and the grenade are not blurred unlike the rest of the shot so that they are the main focus of the shot and so the audience immediately gives their attention towards it. The hands are also positioned in the corner of the shot so that the masked man which can be seen in the left side of shot is still visible and so the audience is still aware of his presence, but not to the extent that he overpowers the shot.

WIDE SHOT

This wide shot allows to the audience to see one of the villains taking cover to protect himself from the pursuing attacker who can be seen in the top right part of the shot. Several hostages can also be seen in between the two main characters of this shot, this adds to the general theme of danger in this opening sequence. This shot makes the once powerful villain look very vulnerable and weak which is a massive change to how he was previously presented to the audience. This may be a suggestion that the villains, who we now know are bank robbers, will not be successful in their attempted crime. We also see in this shot that the character who was standing alone in one of the earlier shots is also dressed in a slightly different colour to the other bank robbers. The clothes which he is wearing contain a dark purple colour pallet which is a very iconic colour for batman's famous arch-enemy ‘the Joker’ which further hints to this audience that this character is the main antagonist of the film.

MEDIUM

CLOSE UP

This medium close up shot was shown in a very small period of time which is why the gun is shown out of focus, as it was raised and shot with a very quick pace. The quickness of this makes the murder much less dramatic and creates a somewhat normality to a very extreme action. The mask, like most other shots, is highlighted in this shot. The masks mischievous design contrasts with the seriousness of the characters body language and what he is about to do. This shot is also shown in low key lighting which is very different from the other shots which were shown in a normal daylight effect. This low key lighting could be highlighting the murder which is about to take place and how such actions implement a very dark, horrific mood on the on the film.

WIDE SHOT

This shot allows us to see the large amount of money which is being stored in the bank, which confirms the earlier assumption that the city where the film is based is very wealthy. The wide shot simply shows us the length of the room which underlines the amount of money which is being stored. The position of the man stealing the money is very central which directs most of the attention of the shot to him; This makes it much easier for the audience to understand what he is doing. Again in this shot we see the low key lighting which could be highlighting what the man is doing (stealing money) and the dark intentions which it brings.

OVER THE

SHOULDER SHOT

The use of the this over the shoulder shot is useful because it allows us to see that the man is pointing his gun at one of his accomplices. This shot is different from the previous over the shoulder shot because its being used to show danger of life which is a very common theme in this film opening. The masks, which have been used as a key prop to show certain outcomes in previous shots, are also used to show similar effects in this shot. The design of the mask (which the man who can be seen front on is wearing) suggests that he does not feel threatened by the other character who is pointing a gun towards him. This is used to foreshadow that the man will not be shot. This is also suggested through the mans body language, which is shown in a very relaxed standing posture, further suggesting that he doesn’t feel threatened.