The Dark Knight (2008) – Directed by Christopher Nolan

Studio – Warner Bros.

Opening scene is a long establishing shot of roof tops of a city with building tense music creating a feeling of anticipation that something is about to happen, immediately from the breaking of the glass and the mask figures the audience knows we are viewing from the perspective of the antagonist. The next cut is to a figure holding a mask, the audience may assume that this is just another henchman however the longer shot focussing on the mask indicates the importance to this specific mask. The clowns that are next introduced are together as a group and so were the two at the start however the previous was alone waiting for the car, this reinforces his importance and separates him from the rest. We then get a shot inside of the vehicle where there are a number of clowns, the use of props in this shot (guns) is key to reinforce the fact they are the antagonists with this link to violence. The use of dialogue as the clowns discuss their obvious coordinated plan tells the audience they are doing a job for someone else, they are only ‘toys’ in the game, a theme linked to the Joker throughout, also their mention of the Joker’s name links him to the crime. As the clowns enter the bank we can infer this is a robbery, the clowns then separate in different direction showing the audience this is planned and each clown has a different job. We then see a close up of one clown (the lone clown at the beginning) strapping grenades to hostages, this should immediately separate this clown from the rest due to his lack of empathy for killing another characteristic of the Joker throughout the film. When this same clown kills a staff member defending the bank he crooks his head to the side, this action is significant to psychopathic behaviour therefore is used in characterisation of Joker. When this clown speaks for the first time we can know for definite that he is the Joker due to his calm yet menacing recognisable voice, although those who are not familiar with the character his voice contrasts with the panicked voice of the others clowns separating him further.