The Dark Knight - Opening Analysis

The Dark Knight

Camerawork:

Close up on masks, creates mystery - who's behind them?

High angle, long shot on man going across the zipwire - shows how tiny he is compared to his surroundings, this creates suspense which is key to thrillers. - Will he survive?

High angle point of view looking at the man on the floor from the jokers POV, this shows his vulnerability and how little power he has.

Editing:

Cross cutting between opening the vault, in the car, and on the roof. This creates tension as we don't know whats happening to the other groups.

Slow paced at the start, this builds up tension for the climax.

Gets fast paced as the gun sequence is happening, this makes the film more exciting and keeps us on the edge of our seats.

Sound:
Dialogue used creates mystery as the characters don't even know who they're working for.
Deep, slow music is used to build up the tension at the start.
Sonically enhanced sounds - Gunshots are used to keep the audience awake.

Mise en Scene:

Clown masks used which makes them appear more scary and creates mystery, who is behind the mask?
Guns are used as props as they are very dangerous but not gory which links in to thriller films.
Antagonists are wearing black which links to thriller conventions however, they wear silly clown masks which breaks stereotypes of antagonists in thriller films.



The Dark Knight uses lots of techniques to create tension and mystery, these are key elements of thriller films as thrillers are usually confusing and very exciting. So using mystery and tension supports these conventions.