The opening sequences to 3 films

In film, the directors use many different shots and camera angles to convey different themes and emotions that are relevant to the narrative. They also use these particular techniques to give the audience an idea about how they should view a character in that particular moment. In Batman: The dark night, Christopher Nolan uses many different shots to convey different themes and emotions that are relevant to the narrative. He also does this to give the audience a clue about how they should view that character in that particular moment. For example, in the first shot we see with the joker in it, we never actually see his face, nor told that he is the Joker but because of how it is shot we can make the assumption that he is the Joker or at least the main villain. It starts as a mid long shot of the Joker with his back facing the camera with his head down. There is also a slight low angle which also suggests he has power and dominance. Then the shot transforms into a dolly and goes into a close up of the mask he is holding. By using a shot like this Nolan is telling the audience where to focus, consequently hinting that this what they should look out for - a clown mask which could be a symbolism for the joker himself. 

As we progress through the scene we find a lot more dolly shots being used to help keep the scene flowing and engaging for the audience. When the bank owner stands up to the criminals and shoots at them. Nolan uses a Low angle, dolly shot. This helps to progress the scene quickly whilst exciting the audience by switching around who is in control in the scene. As soon as the bank owner finds his gun the Jokers henchmen are scared of him turning them into the ones with no power which adds an aspect of excitement to the scene as it lets the audience know that this is not the normal robbery. The henchmen aren't the only ones with guns anymore which makes the scene more unpredictable and less cliché. By using this shot and angle, we now already have the thought of uncertainty about the film in our heads making us more prone to being on edge. 

At the very end of the scene we are faced with the last of the henchmen (The only one thats still alive) and just about he’s about to leave the bank owner shouts his last words: “Think your smart huh? Well the guy that hired you, will just do the same to you. Criminals in this time used to believe in things. Honour, respect. Look at you. What do you believe in huh? What do you believe in?” As he is saying this, we have yet another dolly shot of the joker walking towards him then switching to a tilted high angle of the bank owner on the floor. This shot highlights the weakness the bank owner has but at the same time it shows how he is not afraid anymore and may have lost all hope. Then as the joker sits to the bank owners level, he replies: “I believe that whatever does’t kill you simply makes you … Stranger.” Up until he says ‘’Stranger.” we don’t see his face. In order for the audience to see the details of his face, Nolan uses a close up POV shot of Ledger so that we can immediately identify who he is. This also would be quite a shock to the audience as it puts them in the perspective of the bank owner and when someone gets up close to you, it’s very uncomfortable let alone someone with cuts all the way up his face… 

Whilst Nolan in The Dark Night only uses a small selection of shots; dolly shots and low angles, Rodger Allers and Rob Minkoff tend to use a larger range of shots in The Lion King and try to get as creative as possible. However a lot of the same shots are still used but for different reasons. For example, Allers and Minkoff use low angle shots from the perspective of the young Simba. For example when theca first sees Rafiki and looks up at him. This could be because their target audience is aimed mostly at children so they use a low angle shot to help them try to relate the new born cub. It also could be to remind the older members audience what it is like to be small and timid. Using a shot like this also helps you feel how Simba may be feeling.

A creative shot that the two directors from The Lion King used was the birds eye view shot of the whole setting with the animals all gathering together. This would have been to enforce the location and highlight the harmony between the animals. The connotation behind this could be that all the animals are a symbol of all the different people and cultures we have in the world and instead of being real they’re setting an example by saying that it is possible to live in peace and everyone can live together. It also shows that although we have all these cultural differences, we always come together for family and I think this is what they are trying to say through this shot. 

Although there are a lot of shots and angles that may represent something about society, there are also shots that are done in order to benefit the narrative. This would be the majority of the shots in the sequence as they are more relevant. When Rafiki holds up Simba the two directors use a low angle, close up shot to show he is important and superior he is to the other animals. The connotation of this is that it indicates that he may be a prince. We can assume this as he is being held by someone that all the other animals bow down to. 

Similarly to The Dark Night, Iron Man 2 has a lot of action but instead of building the tension it throws the audience straight into the middle of the scene and to keep the pace going Jon Faveru uses a one shot for the whole of the first 37 seconds of the sequence. This is when Tony jumps off the plane and falls onto the stage at the stark expo dodging all the fireworks. This could be because Faveru wants the audience to see exactly what he is seeing as appose to just seeing him fall down in the expo. It also makes the audience feel like they are a second person falling down with him which makes it more enjoyable and exciting for the audience. 

As Tony’s face mask gets ripped off the shot changes to a close up, very much like the one in The Dark Knight. I believe that this is for the same reason - so the audience can immediately associate him as Tony Stark except instead of giving a smile to a bank owner with a gas bomb in his mouth, he is giving a more genuine smile to the audience as if to say thank you (slightly less sinister) We then see a long shot of him raising his arm to the audience as they are jumping and screaming with excitement. A shot like this is important as it shows that he has control over people but it also shows that everyone seems to love him. This reminds the audience that he is the good guy. 

Overall, I would say the most effective is The Dark Knight. I think this because it's clear that the director has really taken time to think of every possible shot and angle he could do in order to benifit the narrative whilst hinting at the audience what to expect throughout the film. I felt as though The Lion King's intro was slightly repetitive and had a lot of the same kind of shots and although it is exciting to be thrown into a scene like Iron Man 2, I felt as though for the narrative this was not ideal. Nolan really took time to progress into the scene and build the suspension making the audiences anticipation for the rest of the film much much bigger...