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In the realm of modern cinema, few films have left as indelible a mark as Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight." Released in 2008 as the second installment of the acclaimed Batman trilogy. As students of film, delving into "The Dark Knight" offers a unique opportunity to dissect the art of narrative construction, character development, and thematic exploration. In this blog, we will introduce you to the captivating world of Gotham City and shed light on the narrative techniques that make "The Dark Knight" a true cinematic triumph.
Plot Overview: "The Dark Knight" unfolds in a world gripped by chaos and darkness, where the enigmatic vigilante Batman (played by Christian Bale) battles against the menacing Joker (played by Heath Ledger), an anarchic force that threatens to plunge Gotham into anarchy. The film delves into the moral dilemmas faced by its characters, exploring themes of heroism, villainy, and the blurred line between them.
Narrative Techniques to Look Out For:
Narrative Structure and Pacing: "The Dark Knight" is, unlike Nolan's other films, pretty linear in narrative structure, driven by multiple character arcs and intertwining story lines. Observe how the film balances multiple parallel story lines. From Batman's crusade against crime to the Joker's chaotic schemes and Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face, the interwoven narratives enrich the film's texture and provide a comprehensive view of Gotham's turmoil.
Character Arcs and Development: Analyze the evolution of characters throughout the film. Notice how Bruce Wayne/Batman, Harvey Dent, and the Joker undergo profound transformations driven by their beliefs, choices, and circumstances. Pay attention to their motivations and how these shape their actions.
Motif of Masks and Identity: "The Dark Knight" explores the motif of masks and identity in various forms. Consider how characters, both heroic and villainous, wear metaphorical masks that conceal their true selves. Reflect on the deeper meaning of these disguises and the impact on their actions and interactions.
Visual Aesthetics and Symbolism: Delve into the visual symbolism that enhances the narrative. Take note of recurring visual motifs, such as the skyline of Gotham City and the juxtaposition of light and darkness. These elements serve as visual cues that mirror the emotional and thematic arcs of the characters.
Moral Complexity and Ethical Dilemmas: Reflect on the intricate moral dilemmas presented in the film. As characters navigate a world of shades of gray, consider how their choices challenge traditional notions of heroism and villainy. Explore how these dilemmas contribute to the film's depth and philosophical undertones.
Suspense and Pacing: Nolan masterfully builds suspense through carefully paced sequences. Observe how tension is heightened through meticulous editing and the strategic placement of action sequences. Analyze the impact of these techniques on audience engagement.
Cultural Context:
Post-9/11 Parallels: Released in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, "The Dark Knight" reflects a world grappling with the complexities of terrorism, surveillance, and moral ambiguity. The film's exploration of fear, surveillance, and sacrificing personal freedoms for the greater good resonates with contemporary societal concerns, sparking discussions about the balance between security and individual liberty.
Superhero Deconstruction: "The Dark Knight" challenges traditional superhero tropes by presenting a darker and more psychologically grounded portrayal of its characters. This deconstruction of the superhero archetype paved the way for a new wave of gritty and realistic superhero films, influencing the tone and approach of subsequent comic book adaptations.
Please discuss the following questions in the comments:
- Cinematic Techniques and Visual Storytelling:Choose a scene from "The Dark Knight" and examine how he uses camera angles, composition, lighting, and color. How do these choices: Enhance the mood? Impact the narrative? Affect audience emotions and reactions?
- Sound Design and Music's Role: The sound design and musical score play a crucial role in shaping the atmosphere of "The Dark Knight." Choose a key scene from the film and discuss the interplay between sound effects, dialogue, and the musical score. How does the sound design contribute to the immersive experience and amplify tension? How does the music reflect the characters' psychological states and the overall tone of the film?
- Cultural Context: Can you identify which aspect of the film sparks discussions about the balance of security, privacy, and individual liberty in the post 9/11 era?
- Finally, did you like the film? Why/Why Not?
--------------------Optional Reading-------------------------------------
Director(Nolan)'s commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0bn18wSbI8
(This counts as a primary source for your submission)
Deep Drive on Dark Knight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXGqIxj4IFo
Fun Random Trivia:
- This was the first comic book movie to reach the $1 billion mark worldwide.
- Won Oscars for Best supporting actor (Ledger, for Joker), and best sound editing (Richard King), was also considered by many(include Steven Spielberg) to have been robbed of "best picture" that year simply because at the time, comic book adaptation/super hero movies are not considered to be "serious enough"
- In the documentary I Am Heath Ledger (2017), Heath Ledger's vocal coach on this movie, Gerry Grennell, stated that Heath had to continuously lick his lips due to his prosthetic coming off whenever he spoke. He eventually made this a tic of the character as he was filming.
- Two-Face's disfigurement was created through computer graphics rather than prosthetic make-up, as writer, producer, and director Christopher Nolan felt that, no matter how good the make-up was, it is still inherently adding something onto an actor's face, when Two-Face's appearance requires part of his face to be burned away.
- The Batman theme is heard only twice in this movie, as composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard decided that a heroic theme that a viewer could hum would overlook the complexity and darkness of the character. Hearing the tune only twice would create what Zimmer calls "a musical foreshadowing".
1. The transporting of prisoner Harvey Dent after he has declared himself the Batman beginning part of the sequence (before the Tumble shows up) shows a dark tone, artificially lit, and muted color pallet. The camera angles vary to show different aspects of the scene, the viewer is shown pressure coming from all sides, boxed in on one, getting bumped by a garbage truck in the rear, and getting shot at on the other side. These visual choices enhance the tension created by all the actions, perpetuating a sense of being trapped and needing to be saved. Thus, the narrative is served and Batman shows up to save them. The emotions run high during this scene due to the tension created by the stellar filmmaking of Nolan.
ReplyDelete2. The sound design and music of the final scene where Batman is running from the cops and Jim Gordon is explaining to his son why they are chasing him. The sound design here brings some tension but raises the emotional impact of the scene. As Batman's theme is playing the climax of the long journey this movie took the viewer on is made all the better by that heightened feeling only music can bring. It is indicative of the hope in the bleakness, how Jim and Jim Jr. are sad but grateful to the hero that gave so much for their city.
3. The biggest 9/11 parallels can be drawn from the aftermath of Gotham General's destruction. People not feeling safe, wary of other possible attacks, and stuck due to the grounding of general life, all of these similar responses to 9/11. Still, another was the rising of the everyday American to catch and blame the person responsible, in the case of 9/11 Islamics, but in this film, the accountant who was going to spill the beans.
4. I liked this movie, the visuals, the storytelling, the pace, etc. As a big Batman fan, there are a lot of stellar performances: Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Michael Cane's Alfred, Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face, and best of all, Heath Ledger's Joker. All of these characters are the best they have ever been in this movie and a lot of their dialogue makes this movie ("Some men just want to watch the world burn."). Where this movie loses points with me is some of the Batman choices; Hot take: for me, this is probably one the best superhero movies to date, but it isn't the best Batman movie for a few reasons. These include the lack of a Wayne Manor and a Batcave two key Batman visuals (present in my favorite Batman movie Batman Begins). But my biggest critique is the chronic miss interpretation of the character that would derail the next installment in Nolan's Trilogy, this being his motivation. Batman's motivation should be to cleanse Gotham City of the scum that created him when his parents died in Crime Alley, to craft a world where the same thing wouldn't happen to anyone else. Nolan's Batman (in this movie) is driven to save the city to be with Racheal, and not to avenge his parents. That is why I love this movie, but not as much as everyone else.
1. The double-sided head coin that Harvey Dent uses for "luck" is a visually telling way of showing Harvey's character development. Before he becomes "Two-Face", his coin has two "faces", representing that he is completely good. Then when half of his face is burned off, his coin has one of the two faces burned off, too. Now one of his "good sides" is bad, and it is shown with both his body and coin. Then, near the end of the movie (2:19:00 to 20:20:05), Nolan uses Harvey Dent's coin as a visual way to foreshadow what the fate of each character will be as the movie concludes. Batman gets tails, so he is shot. But it also foreshadows that he is the one who is going to take the fall, his reputation is now ruined and the public also despises him. Harvey flips the coin for himself and gets heads. And while in the moment it doesn't seem like it shows a good ending for him since he dies, he does, however, get remembered as a hero by the public, and everyone loves him for the great works that he did before. Batman hits the coin out of the air when it is Gordon's turn, but Nolan does show that it indeed lands on heads. This is representative of the public also seeing him as a hero, and that none of his family was killed. Nolan also uses the camera to show power dynamics in this scene. He shows Harvey and Batman both with camera angles at eye level while they are standing. This shows that they have about equal power at this moment until Batman is shot and shown to fall to the floor. Then it shows Gordon's kid at eye level, but in front of Harvey so that you can see visually he is "beneath him". This is because the boy is without power in this scene, but he is not shown on the floor because he is being used as stakes. Then there is Gordon, who is shown at eye level on the floor because he is truly the one with the least power and the one who is the most scared. And finally, the colors and lighting are dark, showing that the tone of the scene is dark with outcomes that could be seen as "dark".
ReplyDelete2. Starting at 1:36:00, there is an ominous noise that I don't know what to call, but it lingers in the background until 1:37:35. The sounds make you feel tense, and know that at that moment, the darkness has won this battle. It even continues as Alfred is reading Rachel's note, but transitions into sad music. And the transition to sad music happens to be right as Alfred reads the part where she says that If Bruce ever comes to a point he doesn't need Batman anymore, she will be there. So this has a double meaning, first, you could see it as becoming sad because it's a lie seeing as she is now dead. But there is a deeper meaning that since she promised to be there when Bruce is done being Batman and she is no longer there, the day will never come when Batman will be no more. The sad music now continues until 1:39:19, when Harvey wakes up, and the mood of the scene shifts from just sad to painful/sorrowful. Then there is music to reflect the pain of Harvey's physical, mental, and emotional scars. But it is not just in this sequence. Throughout the whole film, Zimmer uses sound masterfully to convey every emotion and also to give a sense of depth so that you can feel what they are feeling better.
(3 and 4 as reply)
3. The scene that sparks discussion about security, privacy, and individual liberty in a post-9/11 era is the scene where Lucius Fox and Batman have a discussion about the sonar technology that Batman is exploiting, enabling him to monitor the whole city. Batman is saying that it is okay to violate people's privacy rights under extreme circumstances to stop a threat from happening, and one from happening in the future. But Lucius Fox is the voice of the people saying that under no circumstances should people's privacy and security be encroached on, even if it is going to stop a disaster.
Delete4. I did like the film. This was my second time watching it, and this time I was able to pick up on a lot more of the elements used in it. I was able to see how sound design was used in an incredible way, how well the scenes fit together, and the storytelling through visuals. I got to appreciate all the little things this time more than I did my first time watching it, and it made it an even better experience than it was the first time.
1. I really like the scene after Rachel’s death where Batman sits in his chair with his mask taken off. The colors in this scene are of a blue tint, but not dramatically blue to keep the groundedness of the film while still reflecting Batman’s feelings and the tone of the movie at this point. This palette creates an effect of sadness over the audience and the story, as Batman has lost one of the only people he truly cares deeply about forever, shaping the narrative for Batman, as he learns that sacrifices must be made for the greater good, even if we come out on the losing side, which is exactly what Batman does at the end of this film. The lighting also contributes to this sad effect as the room has no lights on, yet still has light coming in through the windows. The 2 camera angles we see during Batman and Alfred’s conversation are used to show a relationship between these two characters. While the camera is focused on Batman, the camera is looking down on him, as if we are listening to a friend tell us of their troubles. When the camera is on Alfred, the camera is from a lower angle, representing Alfred’s mentorship over Batman, just as Batman’s camera angles show his strong relationship with Alfred.
ReplyDelete2. In the opening of this film, we are treated with a look at the Joker’s bank robbery that kicks off the events of this film. During this opening, we hear his theme play which was made with razor blades and string instruments, creating a sound that sounds like an anxious, manic warning. This sound produces tension throughout the film, as everytime this theme plays, something sinister happens by the end of that scene, like a hospital getting blown up or multiple deaths. This theme also creates a tone for the movie, as we see just how manic the Joker is early on, which helps the audience feel more disturbed when the Joker shows up again and starts monologuing.
3. Batman creates a device near the end of the film that lets him see Gotham through sound, like a bat-I mean submarine, just like Lucius’s device at the beginning of the film. This device is a major invasion of privacy, as it literally spies on people through their phones so that a rich white dude can gain access to something he wants to use for his own gain, which has been a concern for quite some time now, since companies can see all our data and try to use it to their own financial advantages. Not only does Batman steal information from phones, but he also stole Lucius’s idea, (like a certain Mr. Edison) which he was unaware of, essentially having his privacy stolen. Gotham residents are also panicked about more possible attacks after the hospital explosion, as they are all afraid of another attack. This reflects the U.S. 's citizens' fears of another 9-11 attack after that day, as both the movie and real life have a building explode and mass hysteria ensue after.
4. I love this movie, because growing up this was my favorite Batman movie, and is probably one of the movies I’ve seen the most in my lifetime. I really enjoy the grounded action and fight scenes as opposed to the CGI vs CGI finale we see every movie now, as it helps make the film much more grounded to reality, but also better to rewatch and appreciate. The performances in this movie are all phenomenal, but especially Heath Ledger, who gave the performance of a lifetime every second he was on screen. The only complaint I have is just out of personal preferences, which is Batman being a simp. I’m not saying I don’t like Rachel, I just wish Batman movies would stop always giving Batman a love interest, but that’s more of a personal thing than an actual complaint of the movie itself, which is my favorite DC movie. I also really like the camera work, lighting, and color palettes of this film.
1 In the scene where Harvey Dent takes Commissioner Gordon's family the camera is facing Dent showing the good side of his face while the other side is succumbing in the darkness which builds up the suspense on what he is going to do next. When one-half of his face is covered he is less violent and just talks bout how he wants Commissioner Gordon to feel the way he did when he lost Rachel. But once Harvey gets out of the shadows and takes Gordan's son his darker side comes out and just like his coin the side that is in good condition means “good luck” whereas the side where it is scratched up and damaged means “bad luck” or that the person is “unfortunate”. So he leaves it up to chance whether he hurts Gordan’s son or not once Harvey flips the coin it leaves the people watching in suspense but once he flips the coin Batman jumps in and tackles Dent before he could even see what the coin had said, but then the camera pans over to the coin showing that Harvey wouldn't have hurt the kid because of the side the coin was on. All of these aspects including the mise-en-scene gives the audience some sort of relief or some sense of being more intrigued about what will happen next in the next few minutes left in the movie.
ReplyDelete2 In the scene where Joker enters Bruce Wayne’s party looking for Harvey Dent, he encounters Rachel and proceeds to grab her face and put his knife up to it talking about how he had gotten his scars. While he is telling that story the camera does an arc shot while suspenseful and sort of eerie music that starts off low almost like a quiet sound of a fork against a plate that proceeds to get louder and louder. Which is playing building the suspense up for the audience. The music in a way shows just how insane Joker really is and showing how psychotic his mental state is.
3 In this movie which was made post 9/11 era demonstrates how the police department and civilians deal with terrorist attacks and also shows the humility of people when put in stressful situations for example when the passengers on both boats which the Joker planted a bomb in. One boat had prisoners and the other with random civilians. The goal was for one of them to blow the other up but neither one of them decided to do that.
4 I really enjoyed this film part of it being I am a huge fan of Batman and Dc but I liked this movie because the acting and cinematography were done very well. Especially Heath Ledgers Joker did really well with this character and was able to see the craziness of this character just like in the comics. I also really loved how the storyline was carried out which kept me engaged with the film throughout the whole thing.
ReplyDelete1. In the scene where the Joker and his goons storm the fundraiser, Rachel yells out at the Joker. This, obviously, gets his attention and leads to one of the most famous scenes in the movie. The Joker walks up to Rachel, and the Camera spins around the two, clockwise. He immediately gains control of the situation by grabbing her and threatening her with a knife, while shouting “Look at me”. The Camera spins around the two, counter-clockwise. This is one of many film shooting practices that is twisted in this movie, which serves to both make the audience relate to Rachel’s discomfort and confusion, as well as to give us a tell that the Joker is related to, or is himself, an unnatural force. As the strings slowly rise up an ominous scale, The Joker retells his infamous story about his scars, only he changes the actual story. What was once a story about an abusive father now becomes one of self-mutilation and humiliation for the sake of another. This paints the Joker as an unreliable narrator in a way that is only apparent to the audience, who was there to witness the previous scar speech. This scene builds so much anxiety that plays a crucial role in villainizing the Joker.
2. The strings mentioned in the previous question are made in all sorts of unique ways, such as putting metal to guitar strings and electric cellos, which all swell on a D note. A fun easter egg in the movie is that at one point, the strings dip down into a C note, spelling “D.C.” More commonly, however, is the use of the strings swelling up a scale in a slow, almost atonal manner that really discomforts our ears. Everything is a little out of tune with the Joker around. Using the previous example of the fundraiser sequence, the Joker’s scar speech would sound a lot more like insane ramblings and less frightening to the audience if we didn’t have a sound such as the Joker’s motif to unsettle us. The Joker’s literal way of speaking is also very important. He makes all sorts of noises with his mouth, like pops and licks, due to the scars and the makeup. He talks in a very rapidly changing tone, with random giggles and constant volume shifts.
3. During the two boats sequence of the movie, Bruce has Lucius pilot a machine. The machine in question is highly immoral, and Lucius is only operating it under the rule that it is the only time before it's destroyed. The reason behind the machine’s immorality is in what it actually is, it is a machine that puts together the sound of every phone in Gotham, as a form of echolocation. The idea is that this will allow Batman to use echolocation to catch the Joker, but it comes at the cost of the privacy of everyone in Gotham. There isn’t a single character in this movie who necessarily is okay with what is happening, even Batman doesn’t want to keep it around (which is afflicted by the fact only about 2-3 people even know about it). This gives the message that constant monitoring for the “safety” of people breaches privacy. The parallels between this and something like the TSA are obvious, and the people behind the movie wanted to include the idea that there has to be a balance between the responsibility of the people and the responsibility of the government.
4. I really enjoyed this movie, and that's not just because all these famous movie quotes were starting to make sense to me. I think the dynamics between the Three “Knights” of Gotham throughout the movie were great. The first of these knights is the DA, the White Knight. I think that Harvey’s development and tragedy were expertly done to bring about themes of loss, and the details of his coin were incredible. He “made his own luck” by cheating with a double-sided coin. At the start, the two sides can be seen as Him and Rachel, who are both working towards similar goals from similar positions (not to mention their relationship). We see how the coin is a tool of manipulation, as opposed to luck as we’ve been led to believe, when Harvey holds one of the Joker’s goons at gunpoint. After the explosions, one side of the coin is burnt. This side being burnt can represent a few things, being Harvey’s face, the loss of his intent with his plans, the loss of Rachel, and the loss of a form of innocence. From this point on, Harvey is a vengeful man whose mind is afflicted by the Joker’s manipulation, which turns Harvey into the second Joker card in the deck. The Joker goes about this manipulation by getting to Harvey when he’s most vulnerable, in the hospital. He appeals to Harvey’s human side by talking about Rachel to the intact half of his face, then shifts to his burnt side to appeal to anarchy. The Joker says “fair” like fear as he hands Harvey the gun. The Joker appeals to the theme of luck and “fairness” by putting his gun in Harvey’s hands and leaving his fate to chance. However, the Joker’s scheming is revealed to us, as we can see the Joker is covering the hammer of the gun with his finger, not allowing himself to actually get shot. This interaction shows an important pivot in Harvey’s character, where he is no longer the White Knight Gotham needed, as well as he now leaves everything to a coin toss. The Grey Knight would be Gordon. His being a big player in the police force (Becoming Commissioner halfway through) leaves him in a legal grey area, where he cannot necessarily take the correct action when needed. He is stuck as the realistic thinker of the three. As the names have implied, the third Knight is the Dark Knight, who is obviously Batman. Batman is the silent guardian of Gotham who can do what needs to be done (except for just killing the Joker but hey what do I know). As you can probably tell from the disproportionate amount of words in favor of Harvey’s development, I found the dynamics of the villains in this movie to be much more compelling. The Joker himself is one of the greatest villains ever written, and his role in The Dark Knight’s story is heightened by Heath Ledger. The character himself describes himself as someone who doesn’t have any plans, someone who goes with the flow, etc. This couldn’t be further from the truth. With the way he is able to constantly keep pressure in Gotham City with all sorts of acts of terrorism, as well as having plans to manipulate other characters, having god knows how many goons, and seemingly endless traps set up around Gotham for him to pivot to and play off of, he is the biggest “schemer” we actually get in the movie. This can be seen all the way down to how he does his makeup. Just one example is how he allows his makeup to fade and dry up while in the body bag so that he appears dead to the criminal boss. This allows him the opportunity two stab the two guys in the chest and use them as leverage to sit up. Overall, this movie is thought out with every frame, every scene, every sequence, every theme, and every motif. Being someone who has never really known anything about the Batman series (other than him being the DC guy with money instead of powers, and the other basics), I feel I could still get so much value out of this movie, to the point that I wrote too much for this question and didn’t even give my interpretation on every detail I saw.
DeleteThank you and Good night
1.Cinematic Techniques and Visual Storytelling
ReplyDelete"why so serious" Harvey Dent's party
When joker grabs Rachel's face the camera beginnings to circle around them in a clockwise direction, then the camera stops,so you can pay attention to what joker is saying, the audience realizes that joker changed his origin story, the music get’s louder and louder and the camera begins to spin again counter clockwise , this symbolizes chaos and how everything spun out of control. This is not the only time Nolan uses this technique, earlier in the film when Harvey, batman and Gordon are talking on top of the GCPD’s rooftop the camera spins again although this time is further away from the character’s it lets us see the perspectives of the 3 of the characters where they are just arguing with each other deciding what to do next. Nolan plays with dark and bright colors to show the theme of this movie white and dark, day vs night white knight (Harvey dent ) The gray knight (Gordon) and the Dark night (batman ) Harvey and Gordon are in a more bright part of the shot while batman stays back in the dark furthermore the theme is also shown by the clothes they are wearing, batman of course has the darkest colors while Gordon is wearing wearing gray and black, and Harvey dent is wearing more bright colors with white and a red tie.
interrogation scene
It all starts with the joker and Gordon in a very dark room , the only thing that is visible from the joker is his white makeup, he looks like a ghost. Gordon can’t do anything to him, so the joker talks slow and calm. but then the lights turn on and batman appears, he slams joker’s face into the table, the camera never focuses on batman, but instead it focuses on jokers facial expressions, now they are in a bright room the playing field is leveled joker is not in control anymore, he doesn’t look like a ghost anymore, but still, he acts confident and calculated he’s not scared, because batman doesn’t look like a shadow anymore he can fully see him now, this is his time to break the batman.
Jokers point is that everyone even the best people can be corrupted, in the first sequence of the movie you see a bank robbery, joker corrupts the criminals that he will let them take their partner’s money if they kill them, later in the film he corrupts the people by making them hate batman and try to kill people for what they think is the greater good , and at the end he corrupt’s the white knight, the one that seemed incorruptible, the one that was supposed to represent good, the joker,believes that anyone can become him they just need something bad to happen to them that breaks them, one bad day. In this scene joker takes the left side of the frame every time he speaks and batman takes the right part of the frame, batman here is trying to understand the joker , but no one is truly winning or loosing until the joker says “ to them you are just a freak like me” joker tries to break batman like he broke everyone else this is represented by the framing of the characters changing. Joker takes the right and batman takes the left of the screen this shows how the joker is getting inside batman’s mind, the joker is now in control, the joker controls people using their anger and fear and he does the same to batman in this scene.
joker escaping prison/ batman and Gordon trying to save Harvey and Rachel
Christopher Nolan uses cross cutting to build tension and suspense in these scenes, the camera goes from one scene to another, it feels chaotic, joker’s plan was to destroy the city, by causing chaos and these scenes shows you that.
2.Sound Design and Music's Role.
Deletethe "Do you wanna know how i got these scars" scenes are one of the most memorable scenes in the dark knight, not only because of Heath Ledgers's amazing performance as the joker but also because of the music score in these scenes. This version of the joker is extremely chaotic, he refers to himself as an agent of chaos later in the film,and although he is extremely unpredictable he is also calculated and smart. "do i look like a man with a plan" he doesn't ,but that is the point he intentionally wants to look like someone unpredictable but he is patient, that's just an act that he is playing. And jokers theme "why so serious?" by Hans Zimmer clearly reflects that. it starts slow but you can hear it rising, it raises it raises , it causes like a bomb about to explode, but it never does, its patient just like the joker, you hear the same notes in the same order , but louder and louder , like the climax of a song, but it doesn't stop, this part of the song reflects the smart part of the joker he's slow and patient, but he always looks like a man without a plan, like he is about to do something unexpected but he never does it , not yet. But then the loud sound stops , and you hear a violin, the violin keeps going for a while and then you start hearing more and more noises the song starts being chaotic, the song is just 2 notes but the sound get's more chaotic and crazy as it goes on , but the craziness of the sound takes a few breaks where the song goes quiet. Hanz zimmer said in an interview that they experimented with the sounds, for example a guitar being strummed by pieces of sharp metal. This score shows a lot of jokers character and is used almost every time the joker is on screen. this score makes the scene just so much unsettling and anxiety inducing
3.it brings up the subject of doing something bad but using it for good
Deleteat the climax of the movie it is revealed that batman has access to technology that lets him spy on people's phones, this devise helps batman find the location of the joker but it also brings up an important question of ' should we give up our privacy to stop threats, Like the end of Alfred's story, they had to burn down the forest, figthing fire with fire .
batman begins was about , batman’s origin it builds his character and by the end of the movie you know who he is and what he stands for,
DeleteAs Matt Reeves once said Batman movies are more about the villains in this one fits into that so well this is a story about the joker and how he deconstructs everything that the previous movie does with batman’s character and has interesting themes,like morality to create a very compelling and entertaining story, But that's not to say this movie is flawless it does have some problems , specifically some big plot holes and errors, and Christopher Nolan was clearly still learning how to shot fight scenes, the fight scenes are better than batman begins but they are still weird in some places and as a batman fan, some decisions that batman takes in this movie don’t fit with his character
But this movie answers to all those errors with amazing character an incredible story and music. And Heath ledger’s joker, i would have loved to see this version of the joker face of against my favorite DC character red hood , i think it would have been very interesting given some of the ideologies this joker has.
9 hockey pads out of 10 WHeRe is ShEe’s !!!
1. Around 26:40 Harvey Dent is yelling at Lieutenant Gordon and Batman is silently standing behind them. They are spread out in a triangle shape facing each other, showing how they are not in agreement with each other but are forced to work together. Batman is the dark knight, Harvey Dent is the white knight, and Gordon is the grey knight. An arc shot is used in this sequence to bring out the tension more as the characters continue to argue with no music in the background, making their voices seem louder and most important. There is also little light in this sequence, there is only enough to highlight the characters, which also helps make it known that the film revolves around them.
ReplyDelete2. Around 2:14:02 Batman throws Joker off the building but catches him. As Joker says “I think you and I are destined to do this forever” his theme begins to play in the background and seems to swell as he talks about Harvey being part of his plan. The music reflects the characters' psychological state and the overall tone of the film because as the Joker’s theme, “Why so serious?” by Hans Zimmer plays throughout the film it creates a sense of foreboding, tension, and unrest within the audience. It also helps show how crazy he is and how every time it played it meant he had the upper hand in the situation even if it seemed like he lost, he won. The pitch gets higher in his theme giving it an uncomfortable scary tone while Batman’s theme sounds more heroic.
3. The part where Batman created a machine that turned every cellphone in Gotham into a microphone so that he could create an image of it. Lucius wanted nothing to do with the machine since it took away the individual liberty, privacy, and security of Gotham residents. Another part was when Joker gave the prisoner ship a detonator for the civilian ship and threatened to blow them both up if they didn’t blow up the other. Anger and tension arise in both ships because they fear for their lives and the humanity of others even though in the end neither of them exploded. These parts of the film spark discussions of ethics and morality in the post-9/11 era.
4. I liked the film because it was action-packed, the story was well told, the visuals were good, and the pacing kept me engaged. I also think the actors chosen were good because they brought and kept the film together, especially Heath Ledger’s Joker, he made me believe he was insane.
1. The scene I chose to analyze from The Dark Knight is the scene when Joker is seen sitting in the jail cell after he has been arrested. Christopher Nolan uses a medium shot specifically focused just on Joker. The Joker is placed directly in the middle of the shot while being framed by the jail cells enclosing him. As he sits in the cell, there is motion all around him as people move around and in front of him. The lighting of the scene is dark and gloomy, it is shown that half of Joker’s face and body are exceptionally dark creating a contrast to his other side. The color scheme of this scene is mostly black and shades of grey, but Joker stands out wearing the colors green and purple. His white face paint and red signature smile also stand out in contrast to the dark shades around him. Although, all of these key choices made by Christopher Nolan create a feeling of unwelcoming or gloominess, having Joker sitting in the middle of the frame with a smile on his face creates a suspicious aura. The audience starts to wonder what is going on in Joker’s mind, and what the Joker has planned next. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Alk2ixHGLto 0:01-0:02)
ReplyDelete2. In the scene where Bruce Wayne is throwing a party for Harvey Dent, Bruce steps outside to the balcony where Rachel Dawes goes outside to meet him. The audience can hear the busy city traffic below the conversation between Bruce and Rachel. The music in the scene proceeds to build up slowly as Bruce tells Rachel about his idea that Harvey should be the new hero for Gotham. This also insinuates that Bruce and Rachel can finally be together. Dramatic accents in the music get louder as Bruce gives Rachel more of his “profounding” opinion. The constant build-up and the dramatic drops of the music add to the scene a tense emotion. The idea that Bruce proposes leaves room for Rachel and the audience to wonder what will happen to Batman if he is “no longer needed”. Hans Zimmerman’s score adds to the tense feeling that both Rachel and the audience are feeling as they absorb the new information that Bruce is laying out. The music reflects Bruce’s newfound ideas which may be seen as skeptical and confusing to the audience. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izLYwZ25DaY 1:54-2:24)
3. There is a scene within The Dark Knight that stands out as an example of the balance between privacy and individual liberty when Bruce proposes Lucius Fox use the technology to tap into all the phones in Gotham. As other scholars have mentioned, this scene brings up the topic of how much privacy civilians really have. It also proposes the question of whether such an invasion of privacy can be a good or bad thing. To someone like Bruce/Batman, having the technology to tap into everyone’s phones can be helpful when trying to solve cases or find valuable information. On the other hand, for someone like Lucius, this technology is not a good idea and can only lead to further damage. As an audience, this one scene or idea within the film has us questioning our own privacy and sense of personal liberty.
3. I enjoyed watching The Dark Knight. This was the first time I fully watched and I think I understand why it is such a popular movie. From Christopher Nolan's specific choices in costuming and creating mise en scene to the overarching plot of the movie, The Dark Knight was an extremely entertaining watch. I’ve seen clips from this movie here and there, often mentioned as an iconic pop culture reference, but being able to sit down and take in several technical aspects of the movie allowed me to have a better appreciation of the movie.
1. Nolan uses the cinematic technique of intellectual montage to advance Batman’s character arc. At 1:19:49, Batman is racing through the road tunnels to reach the Joker who is trying to get to Harvey Dent. During this, the camera cuts to kids sitting in a car pretending to play with guns. As they shoot their guns in their imagination, Batman blows up some cars not too far from them. The cutting to these kids and back to Batman helps pose the questions: what does Batman mean to the city of Gotham? How does Batman help and serve the people of Gotham? Asking this question helps further Batman’s character arc as he is dealing with external and internal struggles. This would be considered intellectual montage since the editing creates that third concept. Externally, he’s dealing with the Joker and with making Harbey Dent the “white knight” of Gotham City to make his exit as Batman. Internally, he’s dealing with his identity as Batman and Bruce Wayne. He’s asking himself whether or not Batman is the “hero” that Gotham needs while also asking himself what kind of life he really wants, like a life with Rachel. Without the kids in the scene, the audience is left with no prompt to reflect on the meaning of Batman and his role in Gotham city. Imagining the scene without this visual choice helps understand its significance.
ReplyDelete2. At 30:00, the dialogue, editing, and score work together to build tension in the scene. The Joker’s backstory through his own dialgue reveals his intentions to the audience. In a way, this is preparing the audience for what’s coming and starting the tension buildup. The camera alternates quickly from shots of the Joker to the man. This amplifies tension as it leaves the audience with the question of whether or not the Joker is going to hurt him as predicted. The score swelling builds up to the Joker’s final “why so serious?” as he cuts into the man’s cheek, finally giving the audience what they anticipated. Nolan doesn’t choose to show this actually happen but the man’s body falling, the surrounding reactions, and the score’s alerting increase in sound lets us know what happened.
3. At 1:55:45, Batman shows Luscious a surveillance system he developed. This system relies on the cellphone microphones of every citizen in Gotham, which Lucious points out is unethical. But this is an ethical barrier Batman chooses to ignore for the sake of capturing the Joker. This adds onto his morally gray character. He’ll do what he can to act in response to terror in Gotham. Even if it was for a good cause (capturing the Joker), this is a violation of security, privacy, and individual liberty.
4. I did like the film! The story of Batman is an interesting shift from your average superhero film. He’s more of a morally gray antihero. Complex characters like him are more fun to analyze and dissect. I liked the concept of “knights” between Harvey, Batman, and the Joker. Regarding Harvey, I like that he was the embodiment of the quote “You die a hero or live long enough to become a villain.” Batman along with the city of Gotham were putting their full trust in Harvey, expecting that he’d be the hero for Gotham. Batman being the morally gray character had good intentions to protect Gotham but took questionable, morally wrong measures to do so.
1. Many people have said it, but this is my favorite scene. When the Joker grips Rachel's face, the camera starts turning in the opposite direction. Then you can concentrate on what Joker is saying. When the audience learns that Joker has modified his story, the music becomes more louder and the camera begins to rotate counterclockwise once more. This portrays turmoil and how things got out of hand.
ReplyDelete2. 1:26 it shows the cuts of the camera between two people in the same room the quiet dialogue shows the seriousness in the clip and the emotional and the music starts when the joker calls Bruce a freak which is giving the dialogue of extreme control, he explains he is not a monster he is just doing his job.
3. how the police and public respond to terrorist activities, as well as how humble people can be when presented with difficult circumstances, as was the case with the passengers on both boats where the Joker planted a bomb and raised fear.
4. I really liked this movie since it had a lot of crazy ups and downs and kept me interested in the narrative line. I also liked the action and the dialogue. It presented a nice vision of the characters in this movie, I liked how it used music to let you know how serious a scene was, and I liked the bewilderment I had since it made me wonder more.
1. The scene with Batman and the Joker when batman is interrogating joker at around 1:27:33, stands out as an especially impressive example of Christopher Nolan's incredible visual storytelling skills. Nolan creates an interaction that is both visually appealing and emotionally compelling by skillfully combining camera angles, composition, lighting, and color palette. The camera angles play an important part, switching between low-angle perspectives that highlight Batman's intimidating presence and high-angle views that depict the Joker's sense of unpredictability and chaos. This choice dramatically highlights the conflict between competing ideas, one founded in structure and the other in disorder.
ReplyDelete2. The sounds, words, and music come together in a crucial sequence as Batman speaks with the Joker to create a dramatic and realistic atmosphere. The sounds of handcuffs and footsteps give the impression that you are actually there, increasing the stress. Strong emotions appear in the dialogue between the characters, giving the impression of a mental struggle. The Hans Zimmer music is a perfect support, increasing the emotions with its rapid pace. The mood of the film and the emotions of the characters are also expressed through the music. While Batman's music is serious, demonstrating his devotion to justice and difficulties, the Joker's music is wild, reflecting his attitude.
3. As the movie progresses and joker keeps unleashing attacks no one feels safe nor knows where to go. This could be an example of 9/11 as everything is going south no one knows what to do and they are just destroying eachothers emotions and breaking down as like in the boat scene where people have to decide to press the button to blow up the prisoners boat, they are left in crossroads they can do nothing but fight with eachother. This is most likely the same way the government felt or the justices of New York during the attack. While they didnt know what to do and tried to do their best they can only get backlash and regret for what is going on around them just like in gotham.
4. I really like this movie, it never has a dull moment as you can never expect what may happen next. The actors are also amazing, Heath Ledger is by far of the best actors ive ever seen. This movie is overall a great watch and Ill probably be rewatching it very soon
1. In the scene where Harvey kidnaps one of Joker's henchmen (1:06:30-1:07:30) he is interrogating him for information on the Joker. The lighting is very dark and eerie. This creates a very unwelcomed and tense filled atmosphere, this invokes a very suspenseful emotion from the audience. The camera angles are what truly tells the story though. The man is tied to a chair while Harvey is in front of him, whenever one of them is talking the shot shows mostly or only their face and is very close. This up-close shot allows one to see the anger, passion, and animosity in Harveys face towards the henchman, allowing the audience to be fully immersed within the character's spirit. This also grants for a deeper understanding of who the character, Harvey, really is. The camera angles for when Harvey is speaking is lower, as if it's in the henchmen's eyes, and when Joker's follower is talking the camera angle is higher. This allows the viewers to better grasp the power play between these two characters. Seeing Harvey in this new light can be surprising, it caused confusion and wonder.
ReplyDelete2. In the scene where Batman is on his bike, he is driving exceedingly fast and heading towards the joker (1:21:45). Joker stands in the middle of the road repeating the phrase “hit me hit me” and Batman grows closer to running him over. As Batman comes closer, the suspenseful dark music becomes faster and seemingly louder, this is followed by gunshots from the Joker and his frightening shouts. The paired sounds from the joker and alarming music creates a captivating scene and amplifies the tension because the audience starts to wonder “will he really run the Joker over”.
3. Batman is desperately trying to find the joker, so he comes up with a device that is connected to everyone's phones. This device picks up the sound and you can also see what is happening. No one knows or has agreed to this, leading this action to be immoral but for Batman necessary.
4. I really enjoyed this film. I hadn't watched this movie in years, and it was very refreshing compared to what I've been watching recently. Lately I have been watching drama, romance and comedy filled tv shows and or movies. So, watching something with so much action and mystery was stimulating.
1. Harvey Dent recalls giving his coin to his lover Rachel Dawes at 1:39:49, and it cuts back to him crying while the audio is off. This represents how the emotion, the camera angle choices and the music all tie in together to show that this was a tragic moment for Dent. These elements also show how angered Dent was by Rachel's death.
ReplyDelete2. At 1:43:25 Joker burns his money in Chechen's face and the camera angle changes to show the shock on his face as the money burns. This cut from his face to the burning money shows that he cared and only cares about the money and not anything else. The framing done by the cinematographer shows the little details on Chechen's face and how shocked and sad he is when watching his money go to waste.
3. At the time, 2:19:05 The costumes, props, framing, and the music show how dramatic the scene really is at the moment by the pacing between camera angles and how the music is supposed to make you feel. The mood is also a major contributor in this scene by making the interaction feel suspenseful and makes the viewer wonder what'll happen next. The close-up with the camera and the props (the coin and gun) both give this scene.
4. I liked the movie because of the action and how good Heath Ledger did as Joker. There were also props and costumes that were made very well. The character designs were excellent, as most people had an actual story in the movie instead of just being ignored.
1. ~47 minutes in: As Gordon was about to hold a conversation with the at-the-time commissioner as he was suspicious that the Joker was going to target government officials, Harvey and Rachel were about to have a conversation, and a woman received an envelope, each of these moments quickly devolved into mayhem; the commissioner takes a sip of alcohol, Harvey is choked into passing out by Bruce, and this is followed by the woman opening an envelope with a sheet of paper that had the word “UP” on it. She proceeds to look up, and then the film cuts to the two men that delivered the envelope driving away with her car exploding in the background. The film then cuts to the commissioner immediately feeling the consequences of drinking the contaminated alcohol (all the while the cuts are fitting the beat of an anticipatory background song, and in addition to this the cuts and movements of the camera are becoming more and more erratic and quick), then it cuts back to the explosion, which flings many playing cards around, with the camera tilting to the floor for a close-up of the Joker card, then cuts back to the commissioner, then to the cup which is releasing fumes, then to Alfred responding to an elevator which a party is being held (with Rachel, Bruce, and Harvey all inside), then to Bruce saying, “They’ve come for him,” then it cuts to the man in the elevator presenting qualifications for being there falls to the floor, revealing the Joker, who was right behind him, holding a shotgun, with a bunch of supporting men, then back to Bruce blocking a door, and then back to the Joker firing the shotgun in the air to both finish the erratic sequence and the suspenseful music. The movements and the quick and frequent cuts help amplify the suspense of each and every moment, and in addition to this the cuts don’t simply make us focus on a different aspect of a singular moment, they’re constantly transitioning into completely other moments in time. This bombardment of constant information puts the audience into a state of stress and anticipation, perfect for the reveal and intervention of Joker, which used an incredibly well used camera angle since the Joker was not in frame until the man standing in front of him fell.
ReplyDelete2. As Joker is detained and questioned, the protagonists figure out that Harvey Dent and Rachel are being held in two distant parts of the city. As the conversation that develops into this information unfolds, the ambience in the background progresses with the tension. As Batman seems to be figuratively pushed into a corner even with Joker quite literally in one, the audience is left in total suspense; not only is strengthening ambience making the scene feel even more powerful, but the ambience becomes a fading drum each time Batman delivers a blow to the Joker, until it gets very physical and from there the ambience just grows stronger. This ambience, once Batman and Gordon learn where Rachel and Harvey are, transitions beautifully into action music, which lasts for around 15 seconds until it has a rising action and transitions into a conversation between Rachel and Gordon. The sound design and music very well fits each and every emotion at any given moment throughout the movie. This was done incredibly well.
3. The part of the film that parallels 9/11 and its implications is the attack on Gotham General Hospital. At the surface, it would seem to naturally parallel it purely due to the destruction of a significant structure/establishment, but to go beyond this, it also parallels it due to the privacy concerns that could very well exist in response to a situation like this for the security of the people; in the real-world, privacy is a true concern to the general population. Private information is available to the government to make investigation simpler and corporations looking to promote curated products for potential customers (and though that piece isn’t too relevant to the discussion of 9/11, it does emphasize the lack of privacy people have nowadays). In the battle to minimize crime and terrorism, the question that always arises is to what extent is privacy a priority when regarding the potential of lost life and destruction. This question is still being heavily debated to this day, and The Dark Knight very well highlights this issue when Batman utilizes sonar technology to get an in-depth map of Gotham, with the source of the sonar coming from the phones of the general population. With each cellphone creating frequencies that map Gotham, it’s by extension spying on the lives of unsuspecting citizens, which is incredibly unethical, but is it justified when lives and a city are at stake?
Delete4. I absolutely loved the film. I had not yet seen it by the time I had watched it for Film (I know, sad), and I am glad, or maybe sad to say (since I’ve lived for 17 years and had missed out on this) that it was one of the best films I have ever seen. I personally think a large portion of my enjoyment of this movie comes from both the Joker’s character and cunning, as well as the execution of his character from Heath Ledger. I’ve always heard that his representation of the Joker was one of the greatest, and I’ve finally gotten the opportunity to witness the reasons why. I absolutely love the depiction of his character and his intelligence. Even though he’s incredibly chaotic and unpredictable (he is willing to put himself into compromising situations such as betting his life on a 50/50 chance), he’s incredibly intelligent with what he has at any given moment. He himself said that ‘he is not a schemer’, implying he comes up with his ideas almost instantaneously and on the spot; his thoughts are not always calculated but always seem to go so conveniently in his favor that it’s as if he’s predicted that all of it would. I also do enjoy the ethical dilemmas that Bruce has to endure, such as the deaths of people due to his abstinence regarding him revealing his identity, the spying on civilians for the greater good, and the lies that he told the public through personal connections to the government in order to maintain the stability of Gotham. These decisions that he’s willing to make are quite literally the reason he’s called “the Dark Knight”, as he both works in the shadows (manipulates things without people often knowing) and is willing to make compromising decisions that no one else could. He’s willing to make unethical decisions for the greater good, such as breaking the law and being a vigilante. He’s never wanted to be seen by the public in a good light, he simply does what he believes is right.
1.In the interrogation room scene (1:25:39-1:27:18) Chrispoter Nolan relies on lighting and camera angles to build suspense and tension. At first, the interrogation room is dark with dim overhead lighting behind James Gordon and a lamp on the table which casts a shadow only on the Joker’s face, leaving the rest of his body in the dark. Nolan’s use of lighting creates focus on the Joker and a mysterious atmosphere. Nolan proceeds to angle the camera at a lower angle behind the back of the Joker. This conveys that Gordon is superior to the Joker, because he is commissioner. Then, the room suddenly gets bright and Batman appears behind the Joker. The sudden addition of light intensifies Batman’s appearance and importance.
ReplyDelete2.(30:30-30:12) In this scene the Joker tricked Gambol into thinking that he had been brought to him dead. The interplay between Hans Zimmer’s “Why So Serious?” and the Jokers monologue about how his father cut his face (one of his versions of the story on how his face was cut) while holding a knife to Gambol’s mouth creates suspense and eeriness. This is the first time the audience sees the Joker commit an act of violence, so the sudden crescendo in the music while he has no hesitation in killing Gambol adds to the psychotic mind state of the Joker.
3.The reaction of everyone in Gotham after the terrorist attacks, the people want to be protected by the government and feel panicked because they don't feel safe and the city is left in shambles by acts, such as the attack on Gotham General Hospital. Batman also uses a device that allows him to track down the Joker by using the microphones on the citizens in Gotham. Lucious points out this is unethical, as the cost of Batman trying to track down the Joker is him spying on millions of people. But as others pointed out, Batman chooses to ignore this ethical barrier because the benefit of catching the Joker is greater than the cost of violating the privacy of citizens.
4.I liked the film a lot. I watched this movie for the first time like three years ago and it's what made me interested in superhero movies. I find it enjoyable and easy to watch because the story keeps me engaged, along with the fact that something is constantly happening on the screen making me want to keep watching.
1. In The Dark Knight about 34 minutes into the movie, Batman is in Hong Kong trying to ambush Lau. This scene is very dark and at night contrarying to the scene before where Bruce and Lucius talked about sonar the lighting was very bright and the shots were primarily back-and-forth conversation. The scene’s darkness could represent how death is soon to occur and along with the music creates tension and mystery of whats to come next. The scene also goes from slower cuts before Batman enters but once he does the cutting speeds up and the cameras move faster to keep up with Batman fighting off his foes creating a more dramatic feeling for the audience. Finally, the scene also uses cross-cutting as at the beginning of the scene Batman shoots bombs onto the side of the building and as the scene progresses so does the time on the bombs and nearly the same time it said on the bombs into the scene they explode using the cross-cutting as batmans escape and strong attention to detail.
ReplyDelete2. About 1 hour and 29 minutes into The Dark Knight, Batman and the rest of the crew find out that Harvey and Rachel have been kidnapped by the Joker's team. Batman goes into the room where the Joker is being kept and tries to find the location where the hostages are being kept. At first, the conversation between Batman and the Joker is somewhat tense as they are talking and there isn’t any music. Once the Joker talks about Rachel the music gets very tense and almost takes over the scene as a somewhat loud buzzing noise. This represents Batman’s psychological state as it shows how he is being pushed to the level of losing his self-control and his anger taking over, creating a tone of seriousness and anger.
3. Almost 2 hours into the movie, Batman and Lucius decide to use the Sonar technology through everyone's phones to create an image and try to find the Joker. The sonar technology can be something that sparks a discussion about privacy and security as it gives Batman literally the power to see everything people are doing. Not only are they taking away everyone’s privacy in Gotham but it’s also completely without consent, they don’t even know they lack their privacy.
4. I did like the film The Dark Knight because it was incredibly action-packed and mysterious like I didn’t know what would happen next. I feel that it was action-packed in a way that kept Batman seeming strong and heroic even though he was still a vigilantiy and didn’t actually have any powers. I also loved the suspense and mystery of what would come next such as on the boat waiting to see whether or not any of them would explode the other ship or when the Joker sent Batman to save either Rachel or Harvey and there was so much suspense with who would survive. Finally, I enjoyed that this movie was very good on its own, you didn’t need to watch the prequel to understand major plot points and what was going on.
1.) One of my absolute favorite scenes from The Dark Knight is the interrogation scene where Batman questions The Joker regarding the whereabouts of Rachel and Harvey Dent. The scene is obviously very well-written and incredibly memorable, but what always fascinated me was how it was shot and the methods Christopher Nolan used to reflect the characters’ psyche with nothing but the camera. The scene begins behind The Joker as Commissioner Gordon approaches him in the interrogation room, demonstrating that The Joker is in a position of power. The Joker is also shrouded in darkness, whereas Commissioner Gordon is illuminated by the desk lamp and the ceiling lights behind him, symbolizing The Joker’s evil nature, and the Commissioner’s virtuous nature. After the Commissioner leaves, Batman appears behind The Joker and the dynamic of the interrogation changes drastically, with the camera looking straight up at Batman, framing him in a position of power. This advantage is soon lost, however, when Batman sits at the table and the two characters begin to converse. The camera sits behind each character at eye level, with both of them shot close-up, as equals. During their conversation, the camera subtly rotates left and right when The Joker and Batman are in frame respectively, symbolizing their opposing worldviews and a clash between right and wrong (or in this case, right and left). Once Batman snaps and picks The Joker up, the previously still camera switches to a handheld one, mirroring The Joker’s chaotic nature and Batman’s unpredictability. There are also more cuts between characters once this happens to emphasize the wild and erratic nature of the scene. However, the two characters remain at eye level, with The Joker’s newfound understanding of Batman’s one rule (he will never kill) allowing them to remain equal despite The Joker’s numerous disadvantages. Batman then slams The Joker into a wall and locks the door to the room. The scene is then framed as if Batman is in a position of power, like at the beginning of the scene, the shots of him being at an upward angle whereas the camera looks downwards towards The Joker. Despite this, the camera’s focus remains on The Joker, even with Batman’s fists in the frame. Blurring the Dark Knight’s fists symbolizes how his physical strength is useless now that The Joker understands him, he won’t give up any information if there is no real threat to be made, which is only exemplified by him confirming that Batman has “nothing to do with all your strength.” The scene ends with The Joker maintaining his position of power, telling Batman where Rachel and Dent are, but only giving him enough time to save one or the other. This entire five-minute scene perfectly demonstrates how to use the camera to enhance a story and the dynamic between its characters, using various angles and subtle framing techniques to further convey the underlying message behind a scene.
ReplyDelete2.) The interrogation scene from the previous question also excels at using sound design and music to establish The Joker’s dominance over Batman. There is barely any music for the majority of this scene as Batman and The Joker converse, leaving the audience with nothing to focus on but the dialogue. Sound effects are also amplified, emphasizing the impact of Batman’s hits to let the audience assume that he’s in control. Very faint music begins to play in the background as The Joker foreshadows Gotham turning on Batman, making these few lines of dialogue stand out from the rest of the scene and implying that The Joker is finally starting to affect Batman. However, once Batman picks The Joker up and pins him against a wall, heavy pulsing starts to play in the background, elevating the tension of the scene and potentially reflecting Batman’s heartbeat as he becomes desperate for the locations of Rachel and Dent. The pulse quickly fades away as The Joker explains that he knows about Batman’s one rule, the lack of music leaves the audience in a state of uncertainty as Batman questions what he’ll do next. Finally, the climax of this scene is when The Joker establishes that he’s the one in control by telling Batman “You’ll have to play my little game if you want to save one of them. “ As soon as it’s confirmed that the Joker is in control, his theme very faintly plays in the background, growing louder and louder throughout the scene as Batman becomes more desperate. The Joker explains that Batman has nothing to threaten him with, no possible way to guarantee the information without breaking his one rule, The Joker’s theme growing louder and louder the whole time as Batman demands the location of the two hostages. The music reaches its climax as The Joker tells Batman that he’ll have to choose which hostage to save, when the scene’s tension is at its highest. Finally, after obtaining the locations of Rachel and Dent, The Joker’s theme continues to play as Batman speeds away, maintaining the tension of the previous scene. Overall, the lack of a heroic theme and the continued escalation of The Joker’s theme reflects how The Joker maintains control throughout the entire investigation, and how Batman becomes increasingly more desperate as he runs out of time.
ReplyDelete3.) The aspect of the film that likely sparks the most discussion regarding privacy, security, and safety is when Batman utilizes Lucius Fox’s sonar system and applies it to every cellphone in Gotham, creating a city-wide surveillance system in order to catch The Joker. Although created with good intentions, unknowingly spying on people and their every action is incredibly unethical, a sentiment echoed by Fox as he states “This is wrong.” It’s also a question that was posed after 9/11 when many people and governments wondered if sacrificing personal privacy and freedom was worth it to ensure a safer, more controlled society. If Batman’s sonar surveillance system was applied on a global scale, anybody with a cellphone would have everything about their life monitored and recorded by respective governments, which would ensure personal safety, but in the words of Lucius Fox, “At what cost?”
ReplyDelete4.) YES!! Even by modern standards, The Dark Knight’s dedication to complex characters and a gripping story allows it to stand out from other superhero movies, and many other movies as a whole. It surprisingly doesn’t just flesh out one character, but many of them, such as Batman, The Joker, Harvey Dent, and Commissioner Gordon, all to an exceptional degree. Nolan’s decision to keep the story dark, gritty, and set in a modern city, as well as his commitment to using primarily practical effects (aside from Two-Face) also ensures that the film hasn’t aged a day, still looking like a blockbuster that could be released in the current era. Overall, The Dark Knight serves as a testament to the power of strong characters, strong writing, and a story that keeps itself interesting throughout the two-hour runtime, even if it feels a little bloated at times.
1. In the scene where The Joker crashes Harvey Dent’s fundraiser party, Nolan utilizes camera angles, composition, lighting, and color to illustrate the character’s desire for attention. From the moment he and his goons enter the room, the camera remains fixated on The Joker as he staggers around the room demanding that party guests tell him where Harvey Dent is. The bold green, purple, and red color palette of the character’s costume and makeup contrast the party guests' more muted ensembles, which draws the viewers' attention towards The Joker while the guests fade into the background- highlighting his need to center stage at all times. When Rachel emerges to confront The Joker, he immediately marches over to her and holds her at knife point. At this point, the camera begins to spin around the two in a circular pan which conveys the confusion, tension, and disorientation that is present in the scene. The Joker also recounts yet another story about the origin of his scars that completely contradicts the one he tells to Gambol earlier in the film, which displays that he has no concern for the truth and is only interested in drawing more attention towards himself. Additionally, this scene shifts the audience’s perception of The Joker from a sympathetic character whose actions may have been the result of a traumatic childhood, to that of a completely unreliable and nihilistic antagonist whose violent acts are motivated only by his craving for chaos.
ReplyDelete2. When Batman interrogates The Joker after Harvey Dent goes missing, sound effects, dialogue, and the musical score work to emphasize the tension within the scene. When Commissioner Gordon initially leaves the interrogation room, the lights flip on, revealing Batman standing behind The Joker. He then forcefully slams The Joker’s face into the metal table below him and roughly punches him in the back of the hand; the booming thud of each hit echoes within the room and slowly transitions to a low, droning hum. This humming then transitions to a soft musical interlude while The Joker monologues to Batman about his views on society and human nature. Eventually, Batman becomes fed up with his nonsense and drags The Joker from his chair before slamming him against the wall, which results in a louder, almost thunderous bang that echoes through the room in an almost cardiac rhythm- mimicking a stressed, pounding heartbeat. As Batman amplifies the intensity of his assault upon him, the Joker’s theme begins playing in the background, growing louder with every hit. These uses of sound design express Batman’s growing anger and frustration with The Joker throughout the scene, and that his attempts at injuring him are futile because he cannot be intimidated with violence or bodily harm. This scene is also highly ironic as, despite his confinement, The Joker still has the upper hand and his powerful theme plays on.
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3. The film’s depiction of Batman as a vigilante hero working to shut down criminal organizations by whatever means necessary is highly allegorical of the Bush administration’s War on Terror. The theme of safety versus privacy is highlighted in a scene where Lucius Fox works with Bruce Wayne to create a computerized SONAR machine that Bruce hopes he can use to echolocate The Joker by turning every cell phone and Gotham into a microphone used to map the environment around them. While this machine is intended to be used for an ultimately just goal of capturing The Joker, a dangerous terrorist, it does so at the expense of the citizens of Gotham’s privacy. This mirrors the way law enforcement has been authorized to spy on private citizens in order to detect and prevent acts of terrorism under the Patriot Act.
Delete4. Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I feel like it’s a great exploration of Batman as a character and his development into the prolific hero that he is. Throughout the movie, Bruce Wayne must learn that being a true public servant and reliable hero means making sacrifices and being willing to accept hatred and contempt from those around you in order to keep others safe. Batman also meets his perfect foil in the character of The Joker in this film, and I find their dynamic extremely interesting to watch. They contrast so sharply, as Batman is a representation of order and morality and The Joker represents chaos and anarchy- but at the end of the day, they complete each other. Batman cannot exist if there is no order to uphold and The Joker cannot exist if there is no order to burn to the ground
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ReplyDelete1. At 1:08:04 two face* is looking at batman with a sort of death stare or intense anger. With batman slightly in frame at and the camera pointed past him to emphasize heath ledgers face and emotions. With the background being a heavy drop on and main focus on the character in frame with the lighting being dark to show mood and composition. These choices emphasize the mood by bringing a darker feel to the movie. Making the audience have a more genuine reaction to the twists at the end.
ReplyDelete2. The sound design and musical score plays a critical role in this movie especially in certain fight scenes like 209.36. where everyone is fighting and its meant to be a tense scene. There's isn't a lot of music but there is a musical score happening and its all made to enhance the mood of the scene. To give a more immersive feel into the scene. The music in the movie heavily relates to reflecting the characters mental states by how their music is shown and how it shifts through the movie. Given a deeper overall tone to the characters and the movie.
3. The aspect of the movie that sparks discussions about the balance of security, privacy, and the individual liberty in the post 9/11 era was the computer sonar machine which was used to find the joker. This machine was used to tap into every phone in Gotham which was terrible for privacy and heavily against the law. Also going to listen into every phone to find out more information about the joker. This after 9/11 was a get at , at the fact we used this to fight terrorist and prevent crimes for sometime before it was ban hammered.
4. I did enjoy this film. I've always enjoyed the batman trilogy thought the character of batman and his thoughts but through all the other characters in this film and how they are tormented by the villains around them. How they always life their life on the low and even those in powerful positions they cant put their trust in they cant because they could be corrupt. SO a vigilante comes into to be the justice that Gotham doesn't have and even through the dangers he causes. Allows for a slightly better Gotham. Also this movie is amazing and one of my favorites.
1. A standout scene form "The Dark Knight" is the hospital scene. through the use of cinematic techniques it enhances the mood narrative and audience's reaction to the hospital scene. this scene would need a long winded rich analysis of camera angles, composition, lighting and color, which all compete to enhance the tension of the film and unsettling atmosphere of the hospital scene which was at the time of creation a bit risky due to recent events.
ReplyDelete2. in the bank heist scene the musical score creates a ton of tension and a eye catching atmosphere. the scene opens with the whine of the joker's theme which signals the impending doom and action. as the scene continues into the action of the heist we receive jarring audio of the gunfire which heighten the tension and chaos. the dialogue given from the joker is calm and collected which starkly contrasts with the events that just took place. the score to the dialogue to the sound effects create a emotionally turbulent environment which shows the psychotic nature of the Joker's behavior.
3.In the dark knight the subplot of cell phone surveillance is the main balance of security, privacy, and individual liberty in the post-9/11 era which creates a surreal feeling of relevance. the use of cell phones used by Bruce Wayne and Lucius to track the jokers location raises some questionable topics of privacy. this connects to real world situations as the topic of discussion after 9/11 was the decisive factor between independent freedom and security. By showing the potential for abuse of technology the film highlights the moral problems of prioritizing safety over personal privacy.
4. This film is 1000% my favorite movies of all time not only because batman is one of my favorite superheroes of all time, but the psychological nature of the film is on of my favorite genres. the performance by heath ledger as the joker is the best acting performance of all time in my opinion. The score of this film is fantastic creating unsettling tension and drawing your attention like no other film. it delivers a thrilling and captivation narrative that solidifies the film as a timeless masterpiece of art.
1. When The Joker and his men engage in a car chase with the police transporting Harvey Dent, the whole battle takes place at night in an underpass. Because of this, the lighting is very dim and everything has a slight yellow-ish tint because of the lights. The camera swaps between The Joker, the car drivers, Harvey Dent and the road. These elements enhance the mood, impact the narrative and affect the audience’s emotions and reactions by developing the stakes of the chase. The dim lighting and dark atmosphere give the scene a sinister feeling while the constant cuts show everyone involved in the chase and their ongoing emotions. Through the constant display of the characters’ emotions, the audience may be influenced and feel or react as the characters they’re viewing do.
ReplyDelete2. When The Joker infiltrates Bruce Wayne’s fundraising dinner for Harvey Dent, as the build up to his arrival commences, the music begins to become a suspenseful orchestra. The speed of the music increases as other characters are seen dying and the appearance of The Joker inches closer. With a gunshot from The Joker’s gun, the music ceases. All other characters besides him go silent and his gun echoes through the room when it drops. The silence is so prominent that at 49:27, a random cough is actually audible. Every sound from The Joker moving or slamming a glass is much more prominent because the lack of any other sounds. The silence reflects the character’s psychological states; they are all petrified and paralyzed with fear by the arrival of the Joker.
3. When Batman utilizes Lucius Fox’s sonar technology to monitor the entire city of Gotham, it may spark discussions about the balance of security, privacy, and individual liberty in the post 9/11 era. In The Dark Knight, Fox develops a sonar system to help assist Bruce in his missions. Towards the end of the movie, Bruce goes all out and connects this sonar system to every phone in the city without their owners’, which Fox believes is wrong and eventually leads to his resignation. In real life, follow 9/11, America enacted the Patriot Act, which expanded government’s surveillance over citizens, including access to citizens phones. In both real life and The Dark Knight, powerful figures are given more access to citizens’ phones without their compliance in order to further their own goals.
4. I quite enjoyed The Dark Knight. The entire moving was incredibly entertaining, from the action to the plot to the interactions between characters. The stakes at any given moment were surprisingly high and witnessing essentially multiple different stories for the characters unfold and overlap made the movie feel like their was no filler in the entire 2 ½ hours. I enjoyed that The Joker added a slight bit of comedy to certain scenes, like the nurse’s outfit, or when he struggled to detonate the bomb in the hospital or when he infiltrated the fundraising dinner looking for Harvey Dent and exclaimed “We made it.” Overall, The Dark Knight impressed me with its ability to keep me engaged for its entire run time and how it expressed its plot and unfolded its narrative.
1. In “The Dark Knight,” Christopher Nolan used a variety of techniques to enhance the mood and tone. The scene starts at 1:27:12 with a close-up of the Joker and the Batman behind him. Throughout the scene, the camera swaps between the two as the Joker talks and as the Batman asks questions. The camera angle maintains its position right behind one of the characters throughout the scene. The colors in the scene are dull in every aspect besides the Joker, making him stand out against the common colors of grey and black the scene adorns. Lighting in the scene further emphasizes the tone of the scene, the lighting is directly above the characters, clearly pointing out that the discussion between the two is important to the characters and story.
ReplyDelete2. The first scene of the film where the Joker robs a bank uses tense music and a great number of sound effects to emphasize the severity of the situation. The music is constant and tense throughout the entirety of the scene, conveying the intense tone of the scene. Sound effects are abundant throughout the scene, every single sound intentional and adding to the constant growth of the music. Dialogue is relatively unimportant for most of the scene as the people speaking are all just a means to an end for the Joker. The words spoken by the other robbers are often overshadowed by the music except when the Joker is either talking or is in discussion.