The Dark Knight: Camera WorkThe camera work plays a key role in establishing Nolan's style in the opening scenes of The Dark Knight. The different shots used by Nolan allow the audience to better understand the direction in which the film is going. We open the film with a shot of Gotham City, as the camera zooms in on a particular building. This helps establish the location and setting, as several skyscrapers are present and it is daytime. The next important shot in the opening scenes is where the camera zooms in on the lower back and mask of a man, standing on the corner of a road. Nolan uses this shot to signal to the audience that this man is involved, that he is the center of the frame and therefore will be important. As is often the case in Nolan's films, the main male characters are motivated by their need to get the job done. . If audiences have seen other of Nolan's works, they will begin to assume that this man will be more important to the film than just a guy who pulls off a bank heist. This idea evolves throughout the film with this character, the Joker, because he is definitely motivated by his desire to finish what he started. This is seen when he becomes worried at the end of the film when the citizens' boat fails to blow up the convicts' boat and vice versa. The most important final shots of the opening sequence are the point of view, close-ups of the bank. manager and the Joker as he removes the mask and reveals himself. First, we see the bank manager's face in close-up from the Joker's point of view. Nolan uses this to show the fear on the manager's face, especially when the Joker shoves a grenade into the manager's mouth. We then cut to a close-up from a point of view of The Joke from the Bank M...... middle of paper ...... rals, they are neither purely bad nor purely good, which the public can easily identify. with them. The staging, particularly the lighting, in The Prestige and The Dark Knight, plays a big role in Nolan's style. In The Prestige, the contrast between the well-lit stage and the dimly lit backstage shows us the reality of Angier's life and his facade. In The Dark Knight, the shadows on the Joker's face when he removes his mask give the Joker a sense of mystery and confusion. The camerawork helps establish Nolan's style by giving the audience a deeper understanding of the films. Nolan's close-ups show emotions on faces, which shows the audience characters in conflict, like Borden when Angier is drowning. Close-ups also help to counteract Nolan's tendency to place the audience directly into the characters' state of mind, particularly through the use of point-of-view shots..