The Dark Knight Opening 2 minutes Analysis

The Dark Knight is a 2008 film directed by Christopher Nolan, the 2nd of the Batman trilogy. The genre could be defined as both superhero and action, maybe part drama as well. The opening 2 minutes work to introduce the antagonist of the film, the joker, and show the audience the threat he poses without ever actually seeing him on screen. The scene opens with a long establishing shot of the city the film is set in, panning in to a particular building where we see a window being broken from the inside. The background music of the scene is composed well as it features ominous tones and a repetitive ticking noise like the sound a stopwatch makes, quickening the pace of the scene and building up expectations of action to the audience. The establishing shot shows the film is set in a modern day city, another convention of many action films.

The next shot is a close-up of a man wearing a scary looking clown mask in the room with the smashed window. This costume-work is effective as the audience is now intrigued as to who these men are and why they might want to cover their faces, as well as the fact their masks look threatening. The following shot is a medium shot that shows a second man wearing a similar clown mask, one shooting a zipwire out of the window he just smashed. The gadgets they are using (zipwire) and the bag of equipment they have with them connotes these men are professionals on some sort of job, clearly underhand by the smashing of the windows. The use of intimidating masks also shows the activities they are completing are criminal as they are covering their faces so they cannot be identified.

We as the audience are shown this job is of a larger scale by being introduced to several other characters all donning the same clown masks, 3 in a car, 2 zipwiring from the initial building to another rooftop across the road. The shot of the 2 men zipwiring also features a change in tone from a music point of view as here drums are brought in to really kick up the temp and show the action of the scene increasing. The shot of the men in the car is an over-the-shoulder shot. Dialogue begins with the men discussing their "shares." Here the audience gets the gist of the job they are undertaking and their motives. It is clearly a robbery or heist of some kind that they are completing for money. They also discuss the character of the joker, complaining about him getting a share of the take whilst not taking part in the job.

 The lighting of the scene is bright, with the job taking place in broad daylight. This connotes confidence amongst the men and tells the audience their plan must be well-thought out, as they do not need the cover of darkness like most robberies.  The following shot is a mid-shot of the 2 men on the rooftop, who continue in describing the joker as "wearing make-up...to scare people...like war paint." This has an effect of the audience, making them wonder who this character is, what his appearance is like and his behavior. This is the end of the first 2 minutes of the film, and it works well to establish the antagonist, the threat he imposes and his general appearance without the audience ever meeting him or hearing him. This only amplifies the intrigue as to his character and the suspense before he is formally introduced on screen. A long build-up to the reveal of the main antagonist is a convention used widely throughout superhero films, a trope this film clearly adheres to.