Research into similar products - Batman Begins by Toby Saddleton

9 Frame Film Analysis – Opening sequence to Batman Begins

1.       (00:00 – 00:10)We first see the Warner Bros Pictures as it lets people know that they are the company and distributors that made the film and also by using the logo it attracts large audiences as it is a major studio. The black and white colours represent the darkness that is used in the film. I believe that the clouds in the background are foreshadowing later on in the film when all the disturbed patients are set free into Old Arkham.

2.       (00:14 – 00:27) We then see the DC comics logo, this is rather vital to the film as it they are the company that launched the character of batman in their very popular comic book series.

3.       (00:29 – 00:42) The bats on the screen give away that this is about batman, as it briefly see the logo of ‘The Bat’ and in my opinion it slightly foreshadows  later on in the film when the character of Jim Gordon turns on the bright light with the batman logo on, this shows us that justice is delivered within the film.

4.       (00:44 – 1:00) So here see the two main characters that will be strongly presented with in the film, we see them play childish games (hide and seek or chase) and we can see that they are really good friends. The shot they are in is a medium shot and it allows us to see their facial expressions and how their body language is towards each other, the camera man is using the camera handheld as he follows the two of them as they run after each other, he then crouches down as we see Bruce Wayne look under the table.

5.       (1:07 – 1:20) We see Bruce take a stone from Rachel’s hand and decides to hide on top of a boarded up well. The camera is handheld/on a tripod as he runs into the room on the well. When he crouches on top of the boarded up well, the camera goes into a medium close up of Bruce as it then lets us see his reaction (reaction shot) of this boarded up well making a creaking noise before he falls through it.

6.       (1:21 – 1:30) This shot is rather important as it shows that Bruce is falling, the camera is already been tilted up, it just doesn’t show the viewers the shot of it being tilted up. The shot is also a master shot as it is then returned to shortly after (screenshot 8).

7.       (1:34 – 1:36) This whole visual perception on the cave is rather important to the story as a whole as it (in my opinion) it’s like a symbol to say that what lies beyond the darkness is unknown. The camera uses a wide shot to display this and also uses a point of view shot as it is what Bruce can see.

8.       (1:41 – 1:46) We see the bats flying upwards which again to me suggest that justice is served later on in the film. This is also a master shot, as this kind of shot has already been done.

9.       (1:49 – 2:00) The character of Bruce is shown in ‘modern day’ and he is awoken by a nightmare, showing us that the events that took place on that day still haunt him to this day and it’s something that he has to live with. The camera is tilting down onto Bruce (Christian Bale) as it then shows that he as a person is looked down on.