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The Dark Knight Interrogation Scene Analysis...

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Archita Vohra W131, Kwong Film Analysis: Joker’s Interrogation, The Dark Knight February 23, 2016

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The famous Interrogation scene occurs when the Joker is arrested by Gotham City Police and questioned by Commissioner Jim Gordon. Gordon talks to the Joker first in the questioning room, but then leaves the rest of the interrogation to Batman. In this scene, one of the most prominent tools of visual media happens to be the camera work. During the short confrontation of Gordon and the Joker, the camera’s perspective changes from shots further away to close-ups of the characters. At the very beginning of the scene, Gordon arrives in the room where the Joker is waiting and we see them at a distance, which isn’t too close or too far. Then, the camera focuses on them while zooming in on their facial expressions. At the end of Gordon’s interview, the camera angle is completely zoomed in solely on his face. This close-up shot of Gordon allows the viewers to see how he is feeling, which happens to be uneasy in this moment. After this, the camera zooms in to the Joker’s face as well, and again it is for getting a sense of feeling amongst the characters. Camera angles are also used to display power dominance. For example is this particular scene, high camera shots are used to express the physical control held by Batman and Gordon. Throughout the interrogation scene, Batman is regarded as dominant due to how the camera angle is used, and the Joker is considered inferior because of the use of low viewpoints. Furthermore, since the camera shows Batman from a lower angle, it allows the audience to believe that he is frightening

and powerful. The Joker, viewed from above, seems powerless. Using varying camera angles allows for creating an intriguing relationship between the characters and shows the audience who has the power in a certain situation. The famed interrogation scene also connects to the real world as many interrogations occur around the world daily can capture the feelings and emotions for both the criminal, and for the person asking the interrogator.

I would like to do my scene analysis on the opening scene from The Dark Knight....