THE DARK KNIGHT - BANK ROBBERY ANALYSIS

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/

A wide variety of cinematography techniques and clever editing are used in the opening scene of The Dark Knight (2008), directed by Christopher Nolan. The whole scene evolves around suspense. This is cleverly brought to life through the use of non-diegetic sound, different camera shots and the slowly increased pacing of editing.

Immediately, an extreme long-shot is used to convey the scene's location. The camera zooms into a building with many windows, creating the idea that each window contains a different story and that anything could happen. A sharp cut is then used, followed by an OTS shot of two masked criminals, this shot is effective because it allows the audience to see what's happening from the characters' perspective, it also makes it seems as if we're there. These shots tie-in with the genre of the film (action/adventure); the use of dramatic/big camera shots are expected in movies such as The Dark Knight.

An aerial shot is used to broaden out the size of the operation that is about to take place. It also emphasises the height at which the criminals are at and makes the audience feel unsettled and potentially fearful. I believe this is the response the director was hoping for- to create a compelling and successful scene within the film.

More zooming in, OTS shots are used on the villain's masks/gestures, creating a great sense of enigma and making the audience wonder who'm they are. Jump cuts are used to great effect, they are used to show the parallel action taking place. CU shots/MCL shots are used to show the character's body language/blocking, whilst still allowing the audience to be acquainted with their surroundings.

Tracking shots track the character's movement across the area and whip-pans are used to increase the sense of urgency, action and unsettled atmosphere.

Finally, low-shots are used to make the criminals look big and menacing, subsequently making the audience feel small and insecure.

The pacing of editing in a scene can help determine what genre of film it is. For example, in an action/adventure film such as The Dark Knight, it is expected that the pace of the edit will be frantic, fractured and urgent. The pacing of the edit in this scene builds gradually, beginning with slow-cuts that slowly build up suspense and anxiety. The 4-minute long sequence features many jump-cuts to help create a continuous, un-interrupted scene that allows the audience to immerse themselves in.

Overall, the variety of camera and editing techniques used create an effective sense of enigma, suspense and urgency. I am taking this (and other) research on-board as it will hopefully aid me in my future productions.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3-ClsRE9Yk (Last accessed 22/05/14)