Film Opening Sequence Analysis

Film Opening Sequence Analysis

I find that Batman: The Dark Knight title sequence is one of the most effective title sequences I’ve ever seen. It starts off with the company logos and the Batman logo is all in black and dark blue which suggests to us that this film is going to be a dark film before it has even started. We then get led into a wide angle establishing shot of just the tops of a few buildings and skyscrapers which doesn’t give much of what is happening away, therefore building suspense.

The camera then zooms in to focus on one of the buildings' windows where a man (identity unknown) smashes the window with a rappel gun, which is then fired onto the building below. It then cuts to a medium long shot of the back of a man holding a clown mask and a bag. We then zoom in on the clown mask, which could suggest some importance. I consider the director at this point has done this to give clues that this man is the main villain of the film - the Joker. It is then shortly cut to a scene of two men from the skyscraper sliding down the wire onto the building. This is a very effective shot as it starts off with a crane shot following them down the wire then quickly cuts to a medium close up from the front as they land. This gives us a sense of being with these characters as they go through this sequence.

I find this sequence very effective overall as it doesn’t give away the plot at all, but it draws you into the film making you want to find out more. It includes subtle hints of different characters and there is no speech which makes each scene more powerful as you are just concentrating on the little details within this scene.