ChristopherNolan The Art of Visual Storytelling
Introduction Memento Insomnia Batman Begins The Prestige The Dark Knight Inception Upcoming Projects
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introduction
Unique story mechanics, creative premises, intellectual themes, and purist cinematography have defined Christopher Nolan’s art: the art of visual storytelling. Nolan created such vibrant films, that each one stands apart. One of the most creative geniuses in Hollywood today, Nolan has yet to make a disappointing film.
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film clouded through multiple people’s perspectives. Nolan is the master of creative premises for his stories, ranging from dreams within dreams to a guilt-ridden
Christopher Nolan was born in London
impossibility. The film did so well at
on July 30, 1970. The middle son of an
film festivals that he was able to receive
Englishman and American woman, Nolan
funding for his first wide-release film
spent much time in both countries, but
Memento. The film was so good it
he chose to study in England. While
received a nomination for a Golden
studying English literature at University
Globe and Academy Award, and
College he filmed his first short film
catapulted Nolan to fame.
Tarantella.
He would go on to direct such films
In 1997, Nolan married Emma Thomas
as Insomnia, The Prestige, The Dark
who would also be his producer for
Knight, and Inception. One of his
every film he would produce from then
strongest points as his director is his
on. Nolan is known for working with
creative to tell a story in such a unique
the same people over and over again.
way. In Memento, Nolan tells the
Instead of merely hiring professionals to
story backwards, leaving the audience
work for him, he has assembled a team
piecing the story together the whole way
to work with him on his projects, and he
through. In the Prestige he uses story
continues to rely on them.
mechanic of a man reading the journal
In 1998, he directed his first feature
of his enemy, but enemy’s journal quotes
Following on a $6,000 budget, a near
the man’s journal at points, leading to
man in a land of no sleep. He always brings stories that audiences haven’t seen before, and brings a freshness to films that lacks in so many Hollywood remakes. When the rest of the industry is trying to repeat what sells, Nolan is selling ideas no one has ever seen. No film of Nolan’s sits there as a pretty piece of art without a gut wrenching message. Nolan understands that to get a message across it must be buried so deeply into the story that the audience receives it without feeling preached at. In Memento, Nolan uses a blatantly postmodern style, with a protagonist who is outspokenly quoting post-modernism to attack the very essence of postmodernism, merely by showing where post-modernism leads. Each of his films
Nolan also realizes that the key to good visual storytelling is good visuals. He is a complete purist in his film work. He will only use film cameras, and film methods of color correction. As much as is possible, he refrains from digital effects in an effort to maintain the realism of film. This purism results in stunningly beautiful shots in his movies. Nolan is the master of visual storytelling.
tackles deep philosophical issues.
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memento
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Memento was Nolan’s first film to really
he tells the story in reverse. Showing
make it successfully. After showing
us roughly a minute at a time, and then
Following at a film festival, Nolan
showing us the previous minute. This
received enough interest from investors
narrative is inter cut, with a narration by
to get enough money to produce
the protagonist moving chronologically.
Memento.
As the film ends the two story lines
Memento tells the story of a man
movie in opposite chronological order,
who has no recollection of his past at
meet up in one breathtaking moment of
all. After being knocked unconscious
exposition.
he wakes up with amnesia, and only
Many have accused Nolan of making
remembers one thing. That he must
a purely post-modern film in Memento,
gain revenge on his wife’s murderer.
but really Nolan is exposing the errors
Seeking now to find the murderer, he
of post-modernism. By creating such
has no choice but to trust a string of
a post-modern film, he is able to draw
notes he has left for himself, and tattoos
the audience in to sympathizing with
that dictate what he does.
the logic of this world view. The ending
Nolan comes up with an ingenious
clearly demonstrates the great dangers
way to tell this story. Instead of telling us
that truly believing post-modernism will
the story in the normal order it is given,
lead the person to believe.
Nolan uses the image of a man who is seeking for truth so hard, that he has tattooed “the truth” all over his own body. This shot is a thesis in itself as to the importance of absolute truth in a world of relativism. This series of images, shows Nolan’s efforts to visually tell stories through emotions on peoples’ faces.
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insomnia
Memento was such a big success,
pursuit of the murderer in the fog,
head. Nolan shows us characters
that Nolan was given the opportunity
Dormer mistakenly shoots and kills
taking up all angles on the question of
to remake a successful Norwegian film
his partner. He is then faced with the
ethics and conscience. He leaves the
called Insomnia. The film is very different
moral quandary of whether to confess
audience with the message that a clear
from the majority of Nolan’s works.
his mistake or hide it. He knows that if
conscience is worth more than one’s life.
Unlike the majority of his films it is told
he confesses, people will believe he did
Nolan puts provocative messages
chronologically, and focuses on one
it intentionally to protect himself in the
in all of his movies, but none perhaps
character’s point of view.
hearing.
so blatantly as Insomnia. Although
While this film does have a very feel,
Nolan uses these circumstances
is Insomnia is much more blatant in its
it still maintains the key elements of the
to show us a man tortured by guilt.
message, than the majority of Nolan’s
Nolan style. The film is a morality tale
In a land where the sun never sets,
films, it gives us a clear glimpse into his
dealing with the question of conscience
Dormer is unable to find rest at all. In
philosophy.
and ethics. Pacino’s character, Dormer,
addition the murderer, played by Robin
is a cop who has successfully put many
Williams begins to play with Dormer’s
criminals behind bars, but he has used planted evidence to ensure convictions. He knows the people convicted are guilty, but fears they could now go free due to a realization that some evidence was forged. He is called up to Alaska with his Nolan spends his time on set, working very closely with the entire crew. His perfectionism leads to excellent stories that are visually striking and have strong characters.
partner to investigate a murder case. His partner is planning to testify against Dormer, and Dormer is nervous for the results of the hearing. While in close
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batman begins Warner Brothers was frustrated with
approached the franchise with new
beginnings because He felt this was a
the Batman franchise, and decided
eyes, and decided that Batman needed
story that had never been told before.
hire Christopher Nolan to direct a new
to have a fresh look at the story. He
Nolan set as his goal to focus on
Batman movie. Christopher Nolan
decided to tell the story of Batman’s
humanity and realism as the basis of the story. Instead of focusing another superhero movie on cool fight scenes
This was the first of Nolan’s films to
This was also Nolan’s first movie
Batman Begins really was the film
hit a PG-13 rating. All this film is much
involving Christian Bale and Michael
that catapulted Nolan into the public
less gritty then Nolan’s other films, Nolan
Caine. Christopher Nolan would go on
spotlight. It gave him the credibility with
still manages to tell a darker story line.
to cast both of these actors in multiple
the studios to go on and make films that
It was with Batman Begins, that Nolan
films. With Batman Begins, Nolan had
he was much more personally invested
started using tricks to build intensity,
established an all-star crew which would
in. At the same time, Nolan did not
without resorting to crude language,
go on to work with him on his future
merely see it as a career move, he took
or harsh on-screen violence. This
films. Nolan’s pattern of working with
the old story and gave it new life, by
method of telling dark stories without
the same people, has given him the
putting his own, very unique spin on it.
gritty details, would go on to become a
ability to make each film better than the
trademark of Nolan’s future movies.
one before.
and the good guy always winning, Nolan wanted to tell a darker, more realistic story. He wanted to focus on discussing the fight for good in a world of evil. Batman Begins is a film about character development. The most memorable moments are the connections Bruce Wayne has with the people in his life. Nolan seeks to pull the mask off of Batman, and make the movie more about a struggling man who hides his identity to promote good, then he does about an all perfect superhero.
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Batman is the first of Nolan’s films to include beautiful nighttime skylines. These skylines add grandeur and a sense of ominousness to the film.
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the prestige
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Nolan points out that two passions will force a person to choose between being two different people. Nolan clearly shows the inability to keep up two images. One must eventually fully
Nolan began working on the screenplay
the story of two rivals fighting against
for The Prestige while he was finishing
each other. The antagonist tells the story
up the film Insomnia. The film is based
of the protagonist to the audience. This
on a British book by Christopher
mechanic allows the audience to be
Priest. Nolan worked together with his
drawn into the story, without giving away
brother Jonathan on the screenplay,
the ending.
but had to put off production of the film
The film is a story about passion. The
when Warner Brothers offered him the
film looks at the constant battle between
directorship of Batman Begins.
the passion for success, and the passion
Since Christopher Nolan pushed
of true love. Nolan ingeniously shows
production of The Prestige off, he was
the audience, that a person must choose
able to use his clout and fame from
which passion will dominate. Two
Batman Begins to gather together
passions cannot be held in balance
and all-star cast for the film including
unless one is held superior to the other.
Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, and
The film also explores the blinding
Michael Caine.
effect passion has on the ability to see
The story is very typical Nolan in that it
into the future. These men’s passions
is told in a very nonlinear manner. Nolan
blind them and they walk towards the
uses the story mechanic of a diary to tell
fate they predestined for themselves.
commit to one or the other, and when that commitment occurs, it is a solid commitment. Nolan refuses to make either of the rival magicians into the good or bad guy. True to his style, he shows us two human beings locked in a battle against each other. Each makes good and bad decisions and the audience must choose who to respect. Nolan leaves the audience with one of the greatest surprise endings, which is amazingly foreshadowed throughout the entire movie.
Nolan uses the limited view of Hugh Jackman’s character to show the audience the story without ever letting the audience catch on to the clues right in front of them.
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the dark knight
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character of Harvey Dent. With The Dark Knight, Nolan made the superhero movie that would set the standard for all future superhero movies. He had made a sequel which was a
The Dark Knight was the movie that
performance as the villain, that his
solidified Christopher Nolan’s fame
character can be considered the epitome
forever. After a very successful reboot
of evil in many ways.
to the franchise with Batman Begins.
Nolan wanted to create a world of evil
People waited expectantly to see what
and chaos versus justice and good. He
Nolan would do with the second film.
chose to avoid using the usual methods
Nolan surpassed all expectations, with
to create this world. Nolan avoids
one of the darkest superhero movies
graphic violence and strong language
ever. The Dark Knight took the story
almost completely. Instead, he uses
line from the first film, and built upon the
the character arcs and decisions to get
character arcs already established.
across this struggle. While the film is
Unlike so many superhero sequels,
definitely very dark, there is almost no
Nolan did not decide to tell the same
objectionable content in the film.
story with different villains. Instead he
This film is one of Nolan’s strongest
showed characters who had learned
Theses on the nature of evil. He
lessons from the first film, and now
explores the nature of evil in the
took these changes and put them in
character of the Joker. He examines the
new higher stakes situations. Heath
dangers of putting a man on a pedestal
Ledger delivered such a phenomenal
because no man is perfect in the
better film than the first, and a superhero movie with characters who were real.
Nolan uses many shots of Joker staring directly into lens to intensify the sense of and darkness associated with character.
the the evil his
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inception
having to be built. Inception was also shot on film, and Nolan refused to shoot in 3-D. These decisions led to a very beautifully shot film. One of the most amazing aspects of himself from his past and his own subconscious.. Nolan works very hard in this film to create a very richly developed cast of characters that follow throughout the film. In spite of having so many characters, each one is very relatable to and the audience cares about each one. Nolan tells a beautiful story about the importance of truth and its impact on
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Nolan began worked on the story for
Cobb is given the job of implanting an
Inception for nearly ten years. His
idea in a person’s head. He must plant
diligence to the story resulted in one of
the idea in a son’s head to break up
the most thrilling and though provoking
his father’s empire. As he approaches
movies to date. He explores the simple
the situation, he assembles a team to
idea of a shared dream. These shared
construct dreams within dreams.
dreams have been used to simulate
As the team advances on their goals,
military training and are now used to
they begin to run into issues with
steal secrets.
Cobb’s past. He is unable to separate
society. In a world where truth can be changed, motives and facts all change in an instant. Nolan works very hard to do as many of the effects in production, that the film does not feel like a CGI animation. He uses CGI to accent the special effects which are all almost done in actuality. This resulted in some monstrous sets
Inception is its statements on the art of film. Nolan tells a beautiful story about shared dreaming, but at the same time there are obvious similarities between the story of creating a shared dream, and the reality of creating a film. The idea of a shared dream is a beautiful picture of what a film really is. Nolan explores the difficulties of getting a message across in a film, because to implant a them that will stick with the audience, requires that the message be buried so deeply that the audience thinks they came up with the message themselves. The film contains the elements that Nolan describes in the film as the elements of a good film. It’s beautiful shots are a wonderful tribute to Nolan’s directing.
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upcoming projects Nolan is currently working on his third
be producing the film and mentoring the
and final Batman film called Dark Knight
young director Zack Snyder.
Rises. Much speculation has circulated
The film’s tentative title is Superman:
concerning the film, but it seems certain
Man of Steel and it is set to release in
that the Joker will not return, due to
2012. Much is still to be determined on
the death of Heath Ledger. Much
this film, but Nolan has said he is very
anticipation is surrounding the film.
excited about where he wants to take
Nolan has announced that it will be
the story.
his last Batman film, and that he plans to end the story he began with the first two films. This will result in a Nolan Batman Trilogy. Nolan has also stated that the film will not be 3-D, much to the admiration of his fans. The film will be in theaters summer 2012. Nolan has also announced that he will be creating a reboot of the Superman films. He is working with David Goyer to write a script for the film. He will then
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