Research Task -The Dark Knight - Dilys

The Dark Knight Rises is the perfect opening to a successful thriller it has eerie music, contrasting shots and masked men, every aspect of the opening helps to build the foundations for a reverting thriller.  

Camera Work

• The film opens with a  extraordinary establishing shot of the city, the number of high rise buildings suggests that the action will take place in a busy, fast moving, wealthy, location, it is also day time suggesting that the characters are reckless and fearless
• The slow track in on the back of the Joker is to introduce and place emphasis on the villain, as the shot is taken from behind it there is a sense of mystery about the character as the audience can not see his face
• A steady cam is used at 2:19-2:25 to help to involve the audience in the action as it makes it feel as if you are running along side the masked men
• Tracking is also used in the sequence to give a P.O.V shot from the robbers perspective
• The use of shallow depth of field here to show the importance of the masked figure as he loads his gun, helps to build suspense as audience watch him load it and prepare for action  

Mise en Scene

• In the opening scene the supposedly villains of the sequence are dressed in masks, having masks adds an abstinence to the characters as the audience cannot see their faces, also the masks look like scary, threatening clowns, giving connotations of something evil, which is a key element to a good thriller
• The majority of the opening sequence is set in a posh bank, a very stereotypical setting for action in a thriller, importance and power are both conveyed
• In the bank there is dark lighting to help create an edgy atmosphere, the light that does come into the bank is through the windows with shadows like bars coming across this gives connotations that the film with involve crime and prison

Sound

• The music being played in the opening sequence is loud and suspense ridden, it begins slow and steady with an eerie sense to it and then as the car pulls up and screeches the pace of the music quickens again helping to fasten the pace of the sequence and build anticipation 
• The dialogue is very minimalistic as to not reveal to much, it is also very much based on the character the Joker, leaving the audience guessing and wanting to know more about this character 
• The gun shots would of been created by using Foley artist and are emphasized in the sequence, this is to prepare the audience for fast action fulled sequence  

Editing

• Throughout the sequence the cuts become quicker and quicker to fasten the pace of the sequence and implicate that the action all takes place in under three minutes and that the characters are on a time limit
• The parallel editing in the sequence is very significant as it shows how the characters are all intertwined and prepared for the robbery