Techniques - Lighting

Another important technique that Christopher Nolan uses in his films is lighting. Christopher Nolan uses lighting to help to demonstrate the state of mind that a character is in and forces you to think about what may be going on inside the mind of the character that he is focusing on. This use of lighting helps to re-enforce the psychological themes that are often present in his films and forces more on the characters actions and think about the relationship between the characters actions and the thoughts and ideas behind those actions.

In the film Insomnia, Nolan uses a large amount of dark lighting which reflects the darker nature of the film such as the reason for the main character, Detective Wil Dormer and his partner Detective Eckhart coming to the remote location of a small isolated town in Alaska being to assist with the investigation of the murder of a teenage girl, as well as the fact that Detective Dormer shoots his partner and tries to cover it up. In the scene that shows the incident in which Detective Dormer shoots Detective Eckhart, the lighting is relatively dark and it is filmed in fog, therefore preventing us from seeing who Detective Dormer has shot until he gets closer and discovers it was Eckhart. When the scene is revisited as a flashback later in the film the lighting appears to be changed slightly and we can see detective Eckhart. This causes us to wonder whether Detective Dormer could actually see Detective Eckhart when he shot him or whether he couldn’t see him, therefore re-enforcing the psychological theme of the film as we are essentially put in Detective Dormer’s mental position and forced to decide whether the shooting was deliberate or not. A second way in which Christopher Nolan uses lighting to reflect Detective Dormer’s state of mind is when close up shots of Dormer are taken after he has shot Detective Eckhart often use dark lighting around him with only a small bit of light around his face. An example of this is when Nolan shows Dormer in his hotel room trying to sleep and the room around him is dark, however there is some light coming through the blinds on his window that partly illuminates his face, at this point Nolan cross cuts to a flashback of the incident in which Dormer shoots Eckhart and we are given reason to believe that the dark lighting of the room reflects Dormer’s state of mind as a result of shooting Eckhart and that the light coming through his window triggers his memory of the shooting which is a memory that he is desperately trying to forget.

The film Batman Begins is characterized by a large amount of dark lighting which reflects the more sinister nature of the film in the sense that it is largely based around one individual fighting to bring down a large number of people who want to needlessly harm innocent people. The fact that Bruce Wayne’s alternative character Batman carries out his actions at night, when it is dark, means that the lighting for most of the film needs to be dark simply to reflect the time of day. The use of dark lighting also reflects the idea that the identity of Batman needs to remain secret from the other characters in the film in order to prevent him from being identified and essentially reflects the idea that Bruce Wayne is keeping the residents of Gotham City “in the dark” about his secret identity as Batman in order to live the lifestyle that he expected to live due to his status in the community.

In The Prestige Nolan uses lighting to create atmosphere in many scenes. Due to the time period in which the film was set (The beginning of the 20th century) the lighting in outdoor scenes is relatively dark due to the amount of pollution due to the use of fires as the main form of heating and due to the fact that street lighting was a relatively new idea. The lighting is deliberately dark in many of the outdoor scenes, particularly later on in the film as the rivalry between the two main characters, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden intensifies. Many of the outdoor scenes involve one of the men secretly pursuing the other in order to either spy on them or attack them, with the dark lighting used to create a sinister mood in those parts of the film as well as building suspense as you wonder what will happen next. Lighting is also used in scenes that show one of the men reading the others stolen diary in order to reflect what they may be thinking about what they are reading or the message that is being conveyed by the diary entry. One of the best uses of lighting in the film is the lighting that is used in the final scenes in which Angier and Borden meet for the last time, the room that they are in is completely dark but both men’s faces are illuminated by the light of a lamp that Angier was holding when Borden shot him that is now on the ground. The light in the otherwise dark room casts a shadow over both men’s faces as they talk about their rivalry has caused them to do in their lives and the terrible sacrifices that they were both forced to make. The way the lighting has been used places more light on Borden and less on Angier, causing us to think that it is Borden who is in the position of power and should be looked upon as the hero in a sense, whilst Angier will die a worthless death that was fueled by his constant obsession with out-doing Borden by any means.

Techniques - Editing - Flashbacks

Another element that stands out for me in Christopher Nolan’s films is that he often includes a large number of flashbacks. The frequent use of flashbacks plays an important role because it helps to re-enforce the psychological themes that are prevalent in Christopher Nolan’s films.

In the three films that I chose to study the use of flashbacks was present to varying degrees, with the film Insomnia containing a small number of very short flashbacks that provide us with a very brief insight as to what the main character, in this case Detective Wil Dormer, might be thinking about and demonstrate how his thoughts relate to events that occurred earlier in the film. An example of this use of flashback occurs in the days following the incident in which Detective Dormer shot his partner Detective Eckhart, when Dormer is unable to sleep we are at first led to believe that it is due to the constant presence of sunlight that is coming through his window into his room, however the inclusion of the flashbacks to the shooting shows us that Dormer was deeply affected psychologically by the incident and his memory of the event is demonstrated visibly by the use of short and sharp flashbacks that essentially appear as snapshots of the incident rather than replaying extended parts of the incident, which shows us what Detective Dormer must believe to be the key moments of that event.

In the film Batman Begins flashbacks are a far more prominent feature due to the non-linear structure of the film and often make a significant contribution to the film, however there are some flashbacks that use the same brief, snapshot style that is used in Insomnia. The film begins with a flashback of a memory that the main character Bruce Wayne is having that relates to his childhood, before returning to the present. This flashback appears to be unimportant at first but the purpose of it made clear later in the film when Bruce Wayne creates the identity of Batman and uses the “fear” that was developed as a result of the event that occurred in the first flashback and uses it create his identity as Batman and motivate himself to protect the innocent people in the city that he lives in and fight against the people that want to use fear to intimidate and control others. An example of an important flashback that occurs in Batman Begins is one that occurs near the very start of the film. This flashback is relatively long but shows a significant event that occurred in Bruce Wayne’s life in the form of the shooting of his parents by a beggar outside a theatre in Gotham City. This flashback is significant for several reasons such as it is revealed later on in the film that the shooting of his parents serves as one of Bruce Wayne’s main motivations for “creating” the Batman identity and attempting to remove crime from Gotham City. The flashback is also significant as it introduces a key character in the form of the Wayne family butler, Alfred Pennyworth (played by Michael Caine), who plays an essential role in helping Bruce to carry out his plan of combating crime as Batman. The flashback also demonstrates the wealth and power of the Wayne family, this power and wealth is inherited by Bruce and he is shown living an affluent lifestyle later in the film.


The use of flashbacks and their significance is most noticeable in The Prestige and adds a large amount of complexity to the plot when combined with the non-linear narrative and the fact that there are two main characters from which the flashbacks relate. The flashbacks in The Prestige are quite long as they all contribute to the story in a significant way. The flashbacks in the prestige are depicting what one of the main characters is reading in the others diary, due to the fact that both men have stolen each other’s diaries in order to discover the secret to each other’s tricks in order that they can continue to outdo each other both mentally and in terms of the complexity and excitement of the tricks that they perform. The flashbacks are not always visually depicted and some of the most significant flashbacks come in the form of voice-overs, as one of the main characters is reading the other’s diary, a voice-over is played of the diary’s author reading what is written on the page, and despite being written in the past it appears as if the author predicted that the reader would steal his diary, thinking that he would make some sort of gain on the other such as discovering his secret, only to discover that the diary reveals nothing. This use of flashback re-enforces the psychological theme that is present in Christopher Nolan’s films and helps to build suspense in order to motivate the viewer to rethink what will happen next. Due to the complex nature of the storyline in The Prestige flashbacks are also used to provide detail about important events that happened previously in the film and how they are linked to their current situation. Another example of the effective use of flashbacks occurs at the end of the film when Angier and Borden are having their final meeting in the basement of Angier's practice hall. In this meeting the two men are describing the sacrifices that they have been forced to make as a result of their obsession with out-doing one another. The flashbacks reveal the sacrifices that the two men chose to take make in order to fuel their obsession and they force the reader to once again re-think their opinions of the two characters.

Techniques - Camera work - Close-up shots

Christopher Nolan uses close up shots reasonably frequently in his films, these close up shots are often focused on the main character in the scene but sometimes focus on objects that the character is holding or looking at. The main purpose of close up shots in Christopher Nolan’s films is to demonstrate how a character is feeling or what they are thinking about, often in relation to a significant event that has affected them in one way or another.

In the film Insomnia, many of the close up shots are of the main character, Detective Wil Dormer, and are often used at times when he is undertaking an action that relates to the criminal case that he is working such as questioning potential suspects or answering his colleagues questions in relation to the case. These close up shots are used to help portray Detective Dormer’s reaction to these situations and also attempt to demonstrate his state of mind at different points in time throughout the film. These close up shots are very useful because they show us how Detective Dormer’s mental well-being and state of is changing and deteriorating throughout the film due to his lack of sleep as a result of the constant daylight and the recurrent memory that he is having as a result of the incident in which he shot his partner, and the feeling of guilt that accompanies it as he tries to cover it up. This is an important aspect of the film as it helps to provide a more realistic perspective and essentially allows the audience to put themselves inside Detective Dormer’s head and clearly see and understanding what he is experiencing. The film also includes close up shots of items that are of significance to the criminal case that is the original focus of the story.

In Batman Begins there are also a reasonable number of close up shots, and similar to Christopher Nolan’s use of close up shots in Insomnia, many of the close up shots are of the major characters in the scene. There are some instances in which close up shots are of objects rather than people, these objects are often significant in relation to the characters at the focus of the scene. Many close up shots of objects in Batman Begins occur later on in the film once the main character, Bruce Wayne, has decided to adopt the identity of Batman and as a result most close up shots of objects are objects that Bruce Wayne uses as Batman such as the mast that he wears and the tools that he uses in order to carry out his actions as Batman. These close up shots of objects help to provide more detail as to what technology Batman uses and causes you to think what the objects are going to be used for. Similar to Insomnia there are close up shots of individuals that are largely used to show their reactions to certain events. An example of this is when Bruce Wayne is shown meeting a man named Carmine Falcone, who is a significant member of the Gotham City underworld. This scene contains close up shots of both men and is useful because it allows the audience to see how the two men are feeling during the discussion and who is in the position of power.

In The Prestige there are a large number of close up shots, most of which are similar to those used in Batman Begins and Insomnia, which is to demonstrate a characters reaction to a certain event. However like in Batman Begins there are also shots of significant objects, particularly objects that relate to the two main characters, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden. These objects include things that relate personally to the two men such as the notebooks that each man has stolen from the other one, and close up shots of objects that are used either in their performances or whilst they are performing illusions simply to amuse themselves. The close up shots of objects that are used by the two men are reasonably important because they provide more detail about the illusions and tricks that the two men are performing as well as demonstrating how devoted they are to what they do. The close up shots of the notebooks that both men have stolen from one another are particularly important because they help to highlight the extent to which both men’s obsession with outdoing each has come and how obsessed they are with finding out each other’s secrets. The close up shots of the two men are also very important, particularly in the scenes where one is reading the others diary. These shots are important because they show how each man reacts to what the other one has written, which in turn causes you to wonder the reader will do to take revenge on the other, which in the case of Borden appears to be more difficult to figure out when he is shown to be in prison and has no apparent way of getting out.

Comparing Batman Begins, Insomnia and The Prestige

Whilst the plots and story lines of the three films that I have chosen that have been directed by Christopher Nolan are quite different, they do share some similarities in relation to the use of techniques and the types of themes that are portrayed. All three films (Batman Begins, Insomnia and The Prestige) come under the thriller category, largely due to the psychological nature of the themes and ideas that are portrayed in them. The psychological nature of the films helps to add depth and complexity to the storyline and forces the viewer to continually be thinking throughout the film. The psychological nature also gives the films a more realistic feel and essentially attempts to put the viewer in the main character of characters position throughout the film.

Two of the three films (Batman Begins and The Prestige) use a non-linear narrative structure to some degree. In Batman Begins the non-linear structure is largely present at the start of the film rather than recurring throughout the whole film as the non-linear structure is largely used to portray the background of Batman and the different factors that led Bruce Wayne to adopt the Batman identity before carrying on in a more linear fashion. In The Prestige however the non-linear structure is present for almost the entire story as it follows the storyline based upon what the two main characters (Robert Angier and Alfred Borden) are reading in one another's diaries. Essentially meaning a scene will start in the present with one of the men reading the others diary before the scene changes to visually depict what is being read, resulting in a reasonably complex storyline.

Whilst Insomnia doesn't use a non-linear narrative structure it does rely on the presence of psychological themes throughout the film which is given emphasis by the repeated use of flashbacks. This creates a similar effect to the use of non-linear structure as it depicts the main characters memory of a significant event that occurs earlier in the film and helps to give the film a more realistic feel.

Insomnia

Insomnia is another film that is directed by Christopher Nolan and was released on may 24th 2002. The film tells the story of a criminal investigation into the murder of a teenage girl in a remote town in Alaska. Two LAPD detectives named Will Dormer and Hap Eckhart are sent to assist local police with the investigation. Whilst the two detectives are in Alaska working on the case an internal affairs investigation is underway in Los Angeles surrounding cases that Dormer has been involved with, one of which involved him planting false evidence in order to get a man named Dobbs convicted for murder. Ekhart has been given the opportunity by Internal Affairs to testify against Dormer in return for immunity from prosecution.

The film then returns to the original murder case and Dormer concieves a plan to lure the murderer back to the murder scene, an old wooden cabin by the lakeside. The plan backfires when one of the officers involved draws the attention of the assumed murderer, causing him to flee into the fog that has gathered around the lake. Dormer and the other officers give chase, a shot is fired by the fleeing man and hits one of the officers. Dormer continues the chase and fires a shot when he sees a figure through the fog that appears to be holding a gun. When he gets up close to that person it is revealed that he has shot Eckhart rather than the fleeing suspect. Eckhart believes that Dormer deliberately shot him in order to prevent him from testifying against him in the Internal Affairs investigation before he dies. As a result of Eckhart's death another investigation is opened as to who killed him.

Throughout the remainder of the film Dormer's state of mind becomes increasingly impaired as he begins to suffer from insomnia due to the permanent sunlight that is prevailent in that part of Alaska due to its geographic location and the underlying guilt that he is suffering from as a result of shooting Eckhart and trying to keep it covered up. Dormer also begins communicating with the man that killed the teenage girl, with the relationship between the two men becoming more tense as the men essentially aim to psychologically manipulate each other in order to get what they want. The film culminates with the two men shooting each other dead leaving the viewer to wonder what the effects of that outcome will be.