1. The Dark Knight Rises -
Analysis
Kanwal and Raj

2. What is the narrative of the feature film being
advertised? What is the genre?
• The trailer that we looked at clearly showed to be an action
thriller; there was a clear rivalry between the villain and the
hero who are in constant battle over power, in which we were
introduced to binary oppositions. All narratives have this
conflict where two opposites clash and I think that’s
important to take away from my research.

3. How much of the narrative is revealed? How is this
achieved? (voiceover/shots)
• The main events of the film were clearly portrayed, yet little
detail was given. The trailer was full of these key events that
would leave the audience buzzing to see the full movie. Yet it
never gave away a resolution, in the trailer we constantly saw
conflict and a clash between hero and villain yet who would
prevail or had the upper advantage was not shown. With the
aid of voiceover and dramatic music the trailer left the
audience more confused posed with more questions rather
than answer any.

4. What is the narrative order of the shots? How does it
differ from the order of the movie?
• The shots used for the trailer were not in chronological order
of the film, this helps in concealing information of the film
from the audience. In doing it like this the trailer for the Dark
knight rises took control of all senses of the audience, as the
audience is bombarded a puzzle and a web of questions from
the trailer.

5. How many shots were used?
• 48/50 shots

6. What pace of editing is used? Does the pace
increase/decrease at any time, if so when and why?
• The pace almost seems like a dance routine for this trailer, it starts of slow
with the introductions of the hero and the film, but gradually it starts to
increase as the as the identity of the villain is shown. Very soon after the
audience are introduced to both the villain and hero, the pace quickens as
conflict and fights are shown between the two leaving the audience to
scrabble along and keep on track with what’s happening. The pace comes
to a sharp halt at the and you see the villain and hero in the same shot
facing each other; the sharp slow pace reinforces the balance and the
status between both the hero and villain being at equal levels, this aids in
giving no resolution to the audience.

7. Are any transitions used that you wouldn’t expect in
the movie itself, what effects do they have? Why do
you think they are being used?
For this trailer, I would say none of the transitions were at all not
expected, the trailer fades in after the introductions to the film
and flashes throughout it giving glimpses to the audience making
it seem as if the trailer is bursting with anxiety and awe which
then comes to a soft halt fading out after the date of view in
cinemas is shown.

8. What does the voice over/ text says? How does this
link with the visuals? How does this set up the
narrative of the film?
•
The voice over is the dialogue from the film of the main
character, the villain. What the villain is saying is matched
with the imagery being shown, it was effective to use the
dialogue as it gives more depth to the trailer as the audience
start to understand the character of the villain and hero in
more detail.

9. How does the soundtrack help create
the genre and/or the narrative?
The soundtrack used is electronic and stringy as it adds dramatic
affect to the captions of fights and explosions, the music is fast
and is like a rush for the audience as they are swept in a
whirlwind of fast paced editing with loud dramatic music which
ties the whole trailer together.

10. What specific camera shots is used-
when/where/why?
• There is variety of effective camera shots used but the ones
that stick out to the audience most is the close up of the
villain which is also titled to add a sinister feel to the camera
shot. This was the first introduction to the villain from the
audience as it showed to be very significant in the trailer.
There are many establishing shots and Ariel shots used to
portray the location of the villain and the hero.