Inspiring Films and Directors Part 1

Like a Bat out of hell, how Christopher Nolan seizes my admiration for the Dark Knight Trilogy

There’s a quote in The Dark Knight Rises where the antagonist Bane proclaims to the broken and beaten protagonist Batman that he was “born in the dark. By the time I saw the light it was blinding.” Indeed, this sentiment is perhaps echoed in the director’s rise to fame, out of the darkness of an unknown film maker and thrust headlong into the searing light of Hollywood fame, to the rapturous sound of worldwide critical and fanatic acclaim. Christopher Nolan, the writer and director of The Dark Knight Trilogy, which comprised of 2005’s Batman Begins, 2008’s The Dark Knight (who can forget Heath Ledger’s mesmerising performance?) and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, on all counts unanimously united film critics and fans alike of the Batman series since its origins in praising the trilogy for raising the bar for comic book superhero movie adaptations. Other film studios have tried the routine; take a comic book, identify the origins and expand the story to fit a feature length duration and undoubtedly these films are big buck makers for the film studio at the worldwide box office, but it is Nolan through his mastery of the little and acute details that really raises the bar and, in so doing, sets his trinity of films apart from the rest. Batman incidentally once heroically proclaimed whilst saving Gotham City in the opening movie of the trilogy, Batman Begins, “It’s not what I am underneath; but what I do that defines me”, this quote could not more perfectly exemplify and pronounce Nolan’s personal drive and ambition to succeed.  And succeed he did. If there’s one man who inspired my love of all things film and cinema, then Christopher Nolan can claim another name to his ever increasing list of fans seduced by his opulent and splendorous mastery of the film reel. Not only was Nolan a man determined to reach the pinnacle of film capabilities, throughout the production of this magnificent trilogy he was constantly, continually pushing the boundaries of what could be achieved with a camera, pushing for his films to be shot using Imax 3D cameras to further immerse his audience into his masterpiece of film. And by no means was Nolan’s triumph a ‘one hit wonder’ well, three, he followed suit of The Dark Knight Trilogy with the immersive, mind boggling ever consuming and infinitely complex Inception.  A film to unquestionably make the viewer pay attention and give the brain cells a good test if ever there was one!

It is through Nolan’s shooting of the action sequences within his films that really immerse me as an audience member as a sense of anonymous and hidden identity is conveyed at the beginning of each film. This is done on a variant of two extremes; Nolan focussing in on the finer details of a master plot with precise camera shots, as showcased in The Dark Knight Rises where the antagonist Bane is captured as an anonymous prisoner only to later reveal himself the curator of an elaborate plot to “crash the plane” on which he is aboard, to make good his escape.  To counter this, Nolan also begins his films through the shooting of wide, expansive, high octane, adrenaline fuelled chase sequences or as in the case of The Dark Knight opening a bank heist!

Nolan's dramatic elements to his action sequences, whilst may not be duplicated in our own film opening to such a grand scale have inspired me as a film maker to replicate his increasing drive in tension, as our own film opening contains suspenseful and dramatic elements which have the potential to excite the viewer. To increase tension in our own film opening close up shots held for a slightly exaggerated duration have the potential to slightly unnerve the viewer, creating a sense of uneasiness for viewers. 

I personally would describe Nolan’s films to fall into the category of the action/ thriller genre as whilst they are extremely immersive and mesmerising to view, on an extremely grand scale there are elements typical to a thriller contained within the opening of each film, as it is through the simpler techniques of film that Nolan most captivates his spellbound audience. For example, the opening of the final film in the trilogy The Dark Knight Rises opens with a shot of grass being blown about in the wind, connoting a sense of unease for the audience as by seeing the vulnerable state of the weather, a sense of loathsome foreshadowing of darker and more sinister events to come is displayed to the audience.

I believe that whilst the group may perhaps not possess the budget or the equipment to replicate Nolan’s unfathomed success we can certainly aim to transpose his elements of excitement and tension building elements of thriller into our own accomplished work.