Opening Sequence Analysis 01
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight is an action film released is 2008, and is the sequel to Batman begins, which was released in 2005. The film was created by The Warner Bros. and stars Christian Bale and Heath Ledger. The film reaches out to teenagers, and adults, especially male, and those who are interested in previous comics and films, as the film is rated 12.
In the opening sequence, the audience is introduced to the antagonist, The Joker, which is different from most films as they usually establish the scene or introduce the protagonist. Throughout the clip we learn more about The Joker through other characters as they mention him, and he is only revealed at the end of the sequence when he takes of his mask, and realise that the Joker goon was actually himself. This shocks the audience as it's a big reveal, and they had been trying to piece together what was happening in this scene, but then the main villain is revealed to them.
In the opening sequence, the audience is introduced to the antagonist, The Joker, which is different from most films as they usually establish the scene or introduce the protagonist. Throughout the clip we learn more about The Joker through other characters as they mention him, and he is only revealed at the end of the sequence when he takes of his mask, and realise that the Joker goon was actually himself. This shocks the audience as it's a big reveal, and they had been trying to piece together what was happening in this scene, but then the main villain is revealed to them.
In the opening scene, the character of The Joker seen as intelligent, having his plans well thought through. We learn about this through the dialogue of the other characters, as they complain or ask each other about him. As he is referred to as the boss, it suggests he is powerful and has authority over the other characters is this scene, and he is feared by many. The character created here is quite mysterious, as the audience is wanting to know more about the character as well as seeing him, as the character is recognised by a variety of people and can attract a large audience.
The opening sequence involves two of Barthes' enigma codes: the hermenuetic and the proairetic code. The hermenuetic code is when part of the story is not fully explained to the audience, leaving them to keep guessing until they find closure later on in the narrative. The proairetic code builds tension among the audience, usually in times of action, and also leaves them trying to guess what will happen next. Both work together in this opening sequence, as the audience wants to know who the Joker is, who is shown to them at the end of the clip.
Throughout the clip the goons are killed off until there is one left, which we find out is The Joker; who has tricked everyone else into killing each other so that he has all of the money for himself. This indicates that The Joker is independent and intelligent as he thinks about himself and doesn't work for anyone. He sees his goons as a disposable asset, killing them once they have fulfilled their purpose. In terms of appearance, The Joker in this scene wears a grey suit to blend in with the other goons; however after taking the clown mask off we see that she has painted his face to look like a dark and twisted clown, which can reflect who he is as he says, "I believe, whatever doesn't kill you... simply makes you stranger," which shows that he is a dark and mysterious character that knows he different from he perceives as normal.
What is being represented in this scene are criminals, as they rob a bank, which is a stereotypical thing that people expect them to do. This means that even though the representation is negative, because it shows them betraying each other and killing people, it is still accurate as it meets the connotations as a robber that people may expect to find.
A variety of camera angles are used in the opening sequence, such as a crane shot and a close up, to meet specific purposes. At the beginning we are introduced to a figure holding a mask, however we can only see the back of him, which connotes mystery. The camera zooms in on the mask as it holds importance, because it is the only way we can tell two characters apart and it suggests that this particular character is more important, which is right as we later find out that he is The Joker. Furthermore, after this a crane shot and a bird's eye view shot is used to establish the scene, which is on the roof of a building. The crane shot is also used to follow two of Joker's goons as they zip-line across two buildings to carry out their designated task. The bird's eye view is used to show how high up they are, and is accompanied by a thud in the music, which can create tension among the audience.
As well this, tracking and panning is used a lot, especially in fast paced scenes, to follow a character and what they're doing, for example running.This gives the audience the feeling that they're involved in the scene and are moving with the characters. These techniques are used a lot in action films, which is why we can see a lot of it in this opening sequence as there is a lot of action and violence occurring.
Some other camera angles used include close ups, medium shots and wide shots. The close up is used to hold emphasis on a particular character or object and makes the audience focus on that. In this opening sequence, one close up occurs when The Joker takes off his mask and the character is revealed for the first time, surprising the audience. A medium shot is used to show a character with not as much detail as a close up, as it can be used in times of action when the character is moving. An example of this is when someone in the bank begins to walk toward the Joker goons carrying a gun. Not all of his body is featured, but he is the only person in the shot so he is the main focus for the audience.
Furthermore, there is a mixture of high-key and low-key lighting within this opening sequence, however the overall colour scheme is quite dull and dark. The high-key lighting is featured when the characters are outside, before they enter the bank. This could suggest that it is before the crime is being committed and everything is relatively calm, as well as setting the scene and showing the audience that it is taking place in broad daylight. The low-key lighting occurs particularly inside the bank and connotes drama and darkness, as it is used whilst the crime is being carried out. It reflects that what the characters are doing is morally wrong and is typically used in scenes of danger or despair, and where the villain is featured.
In terms of mis-en-scene, weapons such as guns are used to show that this is a bank heist as it connotes danger and death. It gives the goons power over the over civilians,as they are powerless in stopping them, Furthermore, other props include: money, a school bus and tools to disable alarms and open the vault. The money acts as the reward for the goons as it's what they want to obtain after completed their tasks. The school bus acts as a way to escape for the Joker, and also tells the audience that this is happening in the morning as at the end the bus joins other school busses that are on the road, taking kids to school.
Non-diegetic sound includes music, which in this scene consisted of string instruments and thuds to create suspense and tension. The music is very dramatic and at times has a high tempo to match the fast pace of the scene and how the characters may be running and avoiding gunshots. As well as this, diegetic sounds such as dialogue and gunshots are also featured in this scene. The gunshots connote pain and violence, and the dialogue consists of threats and talk about the Joker and the tasks that he has set out for each goon,
Because of the use of threats and gunshots, there is a theme of betrayal as the goons turn on each other and kill each other so that there are less shares in the money that they have gathered. Because the antagonist hasn't been shown yet, there aren't many binary oppositions between good vs evil and hero vs villain, as it is the opening scene so the purpose is to introduce the audience to the film and to generate interest, leaving them wanting to know what will happen next.
The clip that I analysed is shown below:
A variety of camera angles are used in the opening sequence, such as a crane shot and a close up, to meet specific purposes. At the beginning we are introduced to a figure holding a mask, however we can only see the back of him, which connotes mystery. The camera zooms in on the mask as it holds importance, because it is the only way we can tell two characters apart and it suggests that this particular character is more important, which is right as we later find out that he is The Joker. Furthermore, after this a crane shot and a bird's eye view shot is used to establish the scene, which is on the roof of a building. The crane shot is also used to follow two of Joker's goons as they zip-line across two buildings to carry out their designated task. The bird's eye view is used to show how high up they are, and is accompanied by a thud in the music, which can create tension among the audience.
As well this, tracking and panning is used a lot, especially in fast paced scenes, to follow a character and what they're doing, for example running.This gives the audience the feeling that they're involved in the scene and are moving with the characters. These techniques are used a lot in action films, which is why we can see a lot of it in this opening sequence as there is a lot of action and violence occurring.Some other camera angles used include close ups, medium shots and wide shots. The close up is used to hold emphasis on a particular character or object and makes the audience focus on that. In this opening sequence, one close up occurs when The Joker takes off his mask and the character is revealed for the first time, surprising the audience. A medium shot is used to show a character with not as much detail as a close up, as it can be used in times of action when the character is moving. An example of this is when someone in the bank begins to walk toward the Joker goons carrying a gun. Not all of his body is featured, but he is the only person in the shot so he is the main focus for the audience.
Furthermore, there is a mixture of high-key and low-key lighting within this opening sequence, however the overall colour scheme is quite dull and dark. The high-key lighting is featured when the characters are outside, before they enter the bank. This could suggest that it is before the crime is being committed and everything is relatively calm, as well as setting the scene and showing the audience that it is taking place in broad daylight. The low-key lighting occurs particularly inside the bank and connotes drama and darkness, as it is used whilst the crime is being carried out. It reflects that what the characters are doing is morally wrong and is typically used in scenes of danger or despair, and where the villain is featured.
In terms of mis-en-scene, weapons such as guns are used to show that this is a bank heist as it connotes danger and death. It gives the goons power over the over civilians,as they are powerless in stopping them, Furthermore, other props include: money, a school bus and tools to disable alarms and open the vault. The money acts as the reward for the goons as it's what they want to obtain after completed their tasks. The school bus acts as a way to escape for the Joker, and also tells the audience that this is happening in the morning as at the end the bus joins other school busses that are on the road, taking kids to school.
Non-diegetic sound includes music, which in this scene consisted of string instruments and thuds to create suspense and tension. The music is very dramatic and at times has a high tempo to match the fast pace of the scene and how the characters may be running and avoiding gunshots. As well as this, diegetic sounds such as dialogue and gunshots are also featured in this scene. The gunshots connote pain and violence, and the dialogue consists of threats and talk about the Joker and the tasks that he has set out for each goon,
Because of the use of threats and gunshots, there is a theme of betrayal as the goons turn on each other and kill each other so that there are less shares in the money that they have gathered. Because the antagonist hasn't been shown yet, there aren't many binary oppositions between good vs evil and hero vs villain, as it is the opening scene so the purpose is to introduce the audience to the film and to generate interest, leaving them wanting to know what will happen next.
The clip that I analysed is shown below:
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