As the end scene ended with one of The Joker's henchmen shooting a zip line out of the gun. This followed fluently on to the next scene, which begins with The Joker holding a clown mask. This foreshadowed the fact that The Joker would appear at the end of the bank robbery. The mask also acts as an enigma code - why does The Joker need a mask if he only appears at the end of the opening sequence? The shot zoomed in on the clown mask to emphasize the fact that The Joker is going to disguise himself as one of the other clowns to make it look like he is part of a group, when in fact he is only acting out of self-interest. The location is outside in the public, which contradicts the character of The Joker as he is dark and sinister. Mise-en-scene is simple, and includes the clown mask that his henchmen have, and a sports bag in which the stolen money will be stashed. The camera is at a slightly low angle, which gives The Joker a sense of more power as he appears bigger than he actually is. It gives the impression that he is an important character who can be dangerous to those who cross him.
The opening sequence progresses and becomes a long shot. This shows all of the characters bodies as well as the majority of the set. The location has moved from a street corner to a bank, where the action begins. The start of the scene immediately shows what the characters aim was - to force their way to get the money which they are collecting for The Joker.
Again, the mise-en-scene includes guns and the masks the characters wear, as well as bags and cases in which they are going to stash the money. The henchmen’s costumes are suits. This contradicts their characters as they are forceful and would normally dress in something subtle. However, the fact that they’re in suits in a bank does allow them to blend in slightly so people would only be suspicious if they saw them from the front.
Throughout this scene, long shots and mid shots are used to show all of the ongoing action. They don’t focus on one specific character as they are all doing the same task for the same outcome. There are only two cuts made in this scene, and this is only to show the reactions of the workers in the bank. The sound is ambient and diegetic, meaning that the sound fits the location and events, and if we were in the scene, we could also hear it. This allowed the director to create a sense of realism which can engage the audience as they feel as if they are there.
As the action continues, the henchman achieve their aim. A low angle shot is used to show that, as they have completed their task, they have gained more power. They shoot the people in the bank who try to fight back as a warning to others that people should not try to stop them.
The mise-en-scene continues to be a gun and a mask which are both used to full effect – the mask to hide the gunman’s identity, and the gun to shoot those who think they have the power to stop them. At this moment, there is no sound. This emphasises the fact that these people are dangerous, and have no trouble shooting those who dare to step up to them. The silence reminds the people in the bank to stand down and let them take the money – they know their potential fate otherwise.
Their costumes are a lot messier than they were at the start of the scene. This clearly shows that they fought to get what they wanted, which paid off in the end.
The final shot in the opening sequence of ‘The Dark Knight’ is a high angle shot. The character (who was shot by the henchmen) is now presented as being looked down on. This makes him seem small and tells the audience that he is a victim. The mise-en-scene is a bomb that The Joker put in his mouth, which releases a form of gas. The only sound is his attempted dialogue, which is only sounds of distress.
0 comments:
Post a Comment