Presentation Outline - Dark As Knight

Presentation Outline

Batman: The Dark Knight

Character Types

I.               Protagonist (Bruce Wayne – Batman)

Neo-noir Characteristics

A.     Lives a double life as Batman.

1.     Looks to define himself in a hostile usually corrupt world.

B.      Self doubt.

C.     Protects people, but finds himself violating their individual freedom.

1.      Should he abuse his power to save Gotham city?

D.     Batman is constantly restraining himself, which the Joker uses to manipulate Batman into making choices that result in catastrophes.

E.     Batman does not want to sacrifice his moral code.

F.     Playboy persona

1.      Likes to use this against Rachel.

Character Types Cont.

Protagonist (Bruce Wayne – Batman)

Classic noir characteristics

A.     Usually the femme fatale turns on him.

B.     H needs to be suspicious all the time about what is going on around him.

C.     Does not know who to trust, especially after commiting an amoral act.

D.    Bring a dangerous environment unto himself.

Character Types Cont.

II.             The Femme Fatale

A.     Classic noir

1.     The femme fatale is often fatal to herself.  She can be described as frustrated, deviant, half predator, and half prey.  She often falls victim to her own traps.

B.      Neo-noir

2.     The character of Rachel Dawes is the only significant character.  Reduced to a stereotypical female role of a emotional anchor and damsel in distress.

a.      Rachel does not fit the characteristics of a femme fatal.

Character Types Cont.

III.           The Joker

Male form of Femme fatale

A.     Classic noir

1.      Fatal to himself.

2.     Half predator, half prey

3.     Tricks you into doing his dirty work for him.

B.      Neo noir

1.      His aim is to make things unravel.

2.     His agenda is to corrupt the forces that are trying to save Gotham.

3.     Unstoppable.

4.     Madness unleashed.

Atmosphere of the Movie

An Environment of Crime & Corruption

Neo Noir

1.     The protagonist (Batman), if not careful, can become the Joker’s sidekick.

2.     There is a sense of doom in the air, with the city streets being filled with twisted and crazy criminals.

3.     The character is always under constant pressure.

4.     Batman’s small victories lead to defeat.  For example, putting the Joker in jail, and as a result, the Joker escaping, saving Dent instead of preventing Rachel’s murder. 

Atmosphere of the Movie Cont.

A.     Classic noir

1.      Blackmail, accusations, or theft, set the stage where life and death are at state.

2.     Usually the criminal is not obvious to the audience at first.

3.     An oppressive atmosphere of menace, pessimism, anxiety, and suspicion, that anything can go wrong.

Atmosphere of the Movie Cont.

B.     Neo noir

1.      The criminals have stopped hiding, and they are out in public carrying out their business, because no one will stop them.

2.     A police convoy escorting Dent to the county jail in a S.W.A.T. van, was ambushed by the Joker driving a 16-wheeler.

a.     Variety in vehicles used, which was not available in the days of classic noir.  These include: high tech police cars, helicopters, SWAT vans, 16-wheelers, Batman’s new wide wheeled Batpod, Batmobile.

3.      In a night time scene in Hong Kong, Batman enters into a high-rise LSI building by cannon balling through the glass. A C-130 transport plane with a sky hook device flew overhead and snagged Lau and Batman.

Visual Style

Setting of the Film

A.     Standard Noir conventions

1.      Police interrogation room

2.     Dark construction site

3.     Urban streets

4.     Sky scrappers

5.     Low-key lighting brings deep shadows

6.     Skewed cameras angles for unbalanced composition shots.

B.      The Look of Noir

1.      Use of black & White

2.     Gritty construction sites with new technology for example, sonar textured visual tracking

3.     Visual effects done in green screen

4.     Use of IMAX cameras

5.     Production design drops added gold & earthy tones

Anxieties of the Time – 2008

Classic noir VS. Neo noir

Classic Noir

1.      We are a nation that is vulnerable to extreme catastrophe like 9/11.

2.     Consumer’s confidence in the economy.

3.     Bush’s reassurance to Americans.

4.     Bush Administration came under fire.

Neo Noir

1.      Security & danger of people in Gotham.  A vulnerable & desperate city being tortured by its darkest challenges of sticking to the moral high ground.

2.     Batman realizes that sometimes the truth is not good enough, sometimes people deserve more. 

3.     We are all outcasts waiting for a rescuer who will never arrive.

4.     Batman is sometimes a hero, and sometimes the dishonest person who ultimately sacrifices himself for common good.