Trailer analysis

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

MISE EN SCENE• In the film trailer of the dark knight, a reoccurring item appearing in the mis en scene was

the weapons used, such as guns and knives. This lets the audience know exactly what kind of action scenes will appear in the film and that they can expect violence and injuries.

• Also in the dark knight, there are a lot of cars such as the Lamborghini and the batmobile which connote to the fast paced style of the film. The audience seeing the fast cars in the trailer gives an implication that there will be aggressive chase scenes in the film.

• The USA flag has been placed in the trailer to let the viewers know where the story is set. In addition to this it represents the patriotic nature of batmans intentions, as he is attempting to protect against the attack on the US government and people.

EDITING• Through the use of slow paced cuts, the audience are able to see a longer clip of the

films opening, then as the cuts become much faster paced it begins to show the intensity and chaotic nature of the film, adding to the tension created by the very short action clips. This creates a feeling of confusion and makes the viewer want to see more of the film to understand what is happening.

SOUND• The diegetic sounds of explosions connotes to the high level of violence occurring in the

film and build an out of control feeling in viewers. Also the diegetic dialogue occurring in the trailer was the impact lines of the film, for example “here’s my card” is a line said by the joker when showing a joker playing card. This is a pun but also tells us about the dark nature of the jokers character.

• The background music is a non-diegetic sound that creates tension in the trailer. The low toned noises also give the audience a sense of foreboding which makes the audience want to know what dangerous event is about to happen.

CAMERA• The shot of the joker leaning out the side of the car is an interesting shot as the camera

has been attached to the moving car, but is tilted slightly. The constant uneven movement of the camera and tilt creates a sense of confusion and disorientation for the viewer, and this is emphasised as the shot shows the joker hanging out of a police car window.

• BThe shot of batman jumping off of the building over gotham is a birds eye view shot, which shows just how big gotham really is and makes the audience think about how much work batman actually has to do to save gotham city, creating the real superhero feeling.

• Over the shoulder – joker holding knife/ going into room with criminals – The over the shoulder shot of the joker holding a knife and walking into the room with criminals makes the audience feel a part of what is going on. It’s like they are also walking into the room with the joker so they feel engaged in the suspense created by the scene.