The+Dark+Knight

="​The Dark Knight"= Directed by Christopher Nolan Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart

** Hong Kong **
The __music__ playing throughout the scene is loud and fast-paced with a strong beat. This helps build the tension and excitement. The __lighting__ adds to this; it is happening at night, which makes it scarier. The scene begins with an __establishing shot__ of tall buildings in Hong Kong at night. Then we see Batman at the top of a building. The camera __tilts__ to give us a __bird’s eye view__ as Batman leaps off the building and glides to another building. This shows us how high up he is, and helps us to imagine what it would feel like from his point of view. __Special effects__ such as the explosion blowing out the side of the building add to the excitement of the scene, along with __sound effects__ such as glass breaking and gunfire.

The purpose of this scene is to show us what a dangerous job Batman has, risking his life to bring villains to justice. It also shows us he can be really scary; he is breaking the law to kidnap Lao. He looks quite sinister flying about at night and blowing things up. The director is making us think about whether Batman is a hero or a vigilante, what the difference is and where we draw the line.

** The Fundraiser **
Bruce tells the crowd “I believe in Harvey Dent… This is the face of Gotham’s bright future.” Later he tells Rachel “Gotham needs a hero with a face.” This __dialogue__ shows us that Bruce wants to give up being Batman, marry Rachel, and live a normal live. He hopes that Harvey will take over and be the hero now; we realise that being a hero is a burden to Batman.

__Cross cutting__ is used to show the police commissioner being poisoned, the judge being blown up, and the Joker arriving at Harvey Dent’s fundraiser all at the same time. The quick changes between the shots make it a very fast-paced scene and increase the tension. When the Joker is speaking to Rachel, the camera shows a __close up__ on their faces, which helps us to understand how they are feeling, and focus on what they are saying. The camera also __pans__ in a circle around them, with the other people just a blur in the background. This technique really focuses the attention on Harvey and Rachel, showing them to be the most important people in the scene. It also increases the sense of chaos and confusion, making the viewer seem dizzy from the spinning. This is to show the Joker as “an agent of Chaos”.