Blog #24 Cinematography Analysis - The Batman (2022)

I couldn’t not examine this film in a blog post, given I just did the Christopher Nolan films recently. The Batman is an effective film but the shots are really strange. This film was very “artistic“. They used modern techniques to create an old looking film. I'm going to be breaking them down here so we can gain a deeper insight into the film. Technically speaking, it was delivered in 2.39 to 1 and shot in anamorphic—much like the previous trilogy.

Here are five points on the shooting style.

First off: flickering led tubes. They're everywhere. They used a ton of led tubes in the nightclub scene and turned them to red. They all communicated on the same Bluetooth line, which made some really cool visuals. This is one of the first films to use this technology because it can look a bit tacky but they used it in a nightclub scene, which made perfect sense. Personally, I’m all for films incorporating a cyberpunk look into the frame.

Flickering LED tubes

Second off: the film often ignores a key light and mostly creates a bright source light that partially lights from the side/back. This is a modern technique—popularised by cinematographers looking to create more natural lighting and move away from standard 3 point lighting. It's very artistic and makes the film look grungy. I just wish sometimes they would have added a small key light or bounce to bring up the faces more because sometimes the details go missing. I have a feeling this style of lighting will grow on me as more films use it.

Natural look

Third – Point of view shots. They're littered throughout the film and look dark and creepy. They often have no light in the shadows which creates a mystery. What's in the shadows? Who's point of view is it? This worked well in the context of Batman, creating a mythical fear around the character as he appears out of random tunnels underground. It’s only natural for a character that works in the shadows and is mysterious in nature.

Point of view

Four – Depth. The film uses a common technique called “dirtying up the frame”, where they put objects in the foreground and/or background to make things less clear and create depth. It is done mostly to make things look less clear as opposed to creating depth by placing a object in the foreground, although the depth is an added bonus. It keeps you on edge and reminds you you’re in a whole new world. This happens a lot because this film was mostly locked down on a tripod.

Dirtying up the frame

Lastly, silhouettes are everywhere, especially Batman. They take the technique further than previous films, where the silhouettes were still largely lit and it was clear who was in the frame. This film uses a more Robert Rodriguez style of silhouette, introducing Batman as a mysterious bandit in slow, brooding shots.

Silhouette

Those are my quick five points on the film, I hope you can look at it in a new light now. Films are moving in a new direction of shooting style and this film was at the forefront of the new movement.

Thanks for reading and if you’ve any comments, let me know down below.

Good luck out there.

-D.C.