Firstly, the piece of media that I have chosen to analyse is Batman: The Dark Knight. We know the film is a hybrid as its film genre is action/thriller. This is connoted to us due to the fast paced editing and camera movement within the opening scenes of the media. Also, the Non-Digetic sound effects used in the sequence also connote that more intense, fast paced action is yet to come. This is shown when the narrator at the beginning of the scene says “where do we begin?” this connotes ambiguity and is a very effective technique as it catches the attention of the reader just as they are whisked away by the action packed scenes in the media.
In this particular piece of media, the main protagonist in the film “The Batman” is shown to be a very mysterious character. This is shown in the first 10 seconds within the opening scene when a dark shadowy figure is seen to jump of a building wearing dark, black clothing. The building itself is made to seem mysterious as it is set in the night time with low-key lighting surrounding the building. This further shows the batman to be a very precarious character to whom the audience is encouraged to identify with. As we first see the camera pan over to the Batman, the camera then shows a high angle shot where the audience are seeing a birds-eye view of what the Batman is seeing. This further encourages the audience to engage with the Batman as he is the one character that we are seeing the most of onscreen and also the one character that we are learning about the most.
This technique is very useful as it places the audience in the characters shoes and makes the audience think “why is he jumping of a building?” and it also creates suspense and makes the audience want to watch on further.
Most Of the shots used in the opening scene was the long shot, the long shot is a very effective technique as from this the audience can understand and acknowledge the setting of the scene in which the protagonist is placed in. It also makes the audience more aware of the mood in general which is shown to be intense and gloomy, due to the mise-en-scene being very dark and intense Non-Digetic sounds being used.
Furthermore, later on in the piece of media, we are introduced to another protagonist “The Joker”. The character wears dark clothes and looks suspicious which connotes to us that he is the villain within the storyline. However, he arouses the audience by being extravagant with his costume, hair and make up and also by using weird facial expressions which almost makes him a funny and crazy character.
This thought quickly changes when we hear and see The Joker uttering the words “Kill the batman” which immediately confirms that he is the Villain and that he is in fact a very twisted character. The audience are then again alerted to the mischievous and twisted mind of the joker when he fires a bullet in a crowded city centre. This causes panic and chaos for the people. However, the Joker loves to feed off others pain and unhappiness which is shown when he laughs like a little child at the people trying to scatter away from the trouble. This further confirms that he is in fact a very twisted character and also foreshadows the trouble ahead.
More Over, towards the end of the piece of media, we are introduced to another important character, Harvey Dent who is the chief police inspector. During a tracking shot when we fisrt learn about Harveys character, we hear Harvey say “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. “ When we first hear him say this, we don’t really take notice. However this one quote is very effective as it foreshadows the rest of the storyline as further on in the film Harvey loses the love of his life and decided to ditch trying to become a hero and live the rest of his life as a villain.
Furthermore, I believe that the use of the dark colours and effects used in each mise-en-scene is parallel to the broken society of Gotham City which is why it is up to the Batman to stop the demise and evil ruling over Gotham.
In conclusion, I believe that the techniques used by the directors while creating this 2 minute sequence have been very effective in promoting the film as the use of Digetic and non-Digetic sound along with the use of rapid camera movement and angles such as the long shot, Pan and close up. It has managed to create suspense and leaves the audience on the edge of their seats which in turn leaves viewers wanting to watch on.
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