Three class after " Batman Begins " reinvigorated the seedy Batman franchise to the tune of $ 352 million in worldwide box office earnings , Christian Bale is back in theBatsuitto conflict military unit of evil in Gotham City indirectorChristopher Nolan ’s " The Dark Knight , " a extremely anticipate sequel .
With our masked vigilante hoagy experiencing a crisis of moral sense in a city throw into chaos by an syndicalist baddie , the picture is packed with activity , much of it shot inIMAX . Sadly , it ’s also the final completed performance by Heath Ledger , who died in January . Ledger roleplay the fearless and ferocious TheJoker .
" He ’s the primary bad guy , with no cause and no motive , so he ’s a much more frightening villain , " says screenwriter Jonathan Nolan , who write the handwriting with his brother Christopher and David S. Goyer . Ledger created the ultimate nemesis in a function that may bring him a posthumousOscarnomination .
Christopher Nolan reassembled his " Batman Begins " mold let in Bale , Gary Oldman as Lt . Gordon , Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox , adding Ledger , Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes ( film over the persona from Katie Holmes ) and Aaron Eckhart as D.A. Harvey Dent , who eventually transform into the vengeful Two - facial expression .
Production begin in April 2007 , with the bank looting prologue shot in Chicago , where the bulk of the exterior and action sequences were film . There were also trips toHong Kongand the U.K. for additional exterior and interior work .
" affect back and forth between three dissimilar countries is an strange style to make a film , but it ’s what we needed to do to get the size and CRO of what we needed , to shoot as much as possible in real places , on real locating , " say Nolan , who also endeavored to make the movie with as many hardheaded effects as possible , usingCGonly when absolutely necessary .
Of naturally , shooting vast natural action sequence in busy cities and executing stunt like flip a 40 - foot truck , imploding a construction and shove along up the belovedBatmobiletook a lot of planning and effort , with the IMAX formatting summate an extra grade of difficulty , as the filmmakers explain in the following division .
“The Dark Knight” on Location
Since Chicago became Gotham City in " Batman Begins , " returning there for " The Dark Knight " made perfect sense . Not only was the city accommodating to the production , " It has an enormous amount of wonderful architecture in a very modest arena , a bunch of modernism plus turn of the century classical construction , so when you shoot it you get a bit of everything , " notes production interior decorator Nathan Crowley . Bruce Wayne / Batman ’s home , Wayne Manor , burned down in " Batman Begins , " " So it was a enceinte alibi to put everything in townsfolk and with that come a modernist metropolis , with sportsmanlike lines , to make you feel that it ’s a more severely - butt position . "
Taking over downtown Chicago for 12 hebdomad was made sluttish by cooperation from city agencies , but was a difficult proffer . " We were suffer to close down streets , " points outproducerEmma Thomas . " They let us take over their financial dominion at night as long as we were good , and they made trusted that we were , " adds manufacturer Charles Roven , though he reveals one mishap involving the Bat - pod Hz .
" It come out of an bowling alley onto the street and created a hugesonic boomthat bollocks out a bunch of windowpane in a building . That was not planned . But we mobilise glaziers and within 24 hours we had cook every window . "
deliberate planning avoided possible disaster in flipping that semi motortruck on La Salle Street , which Crowley describes as " a narrow canyon of historical buildings . Then you have city sewers and electrical cabling below the road , so there were a lot of logistics . You plan , you try and you do it once . "
likewise , there was no room for error in a scene where TheJokerblows up a infirmary . A vacant construction in Cicero , Ill. , that was slate to be crush was the consummate stand - in , once it was crop with the proper facade and signage .
The yield used another vacant building , a formerpost bureau , for the opening savings bank robbery succession , but the film also occupy over blank presently in use . " The boardroom was an existing floor in the IBM building that we refitted . We wanted to have a real view outside the windowpane , " Crowley explains . " You ’re dealing with construction direction so there ’s a lot of negotiation . "
That was also the case in Hong Kong , where , according to Roven , it took nine months to get the Trachinotus falcatus needed to shoot there . " What we were doing there was complicated , and we were doing it in very highly populated centers . A lot of it had to do with big action set pieces with a lot of vehicles , " he explain .
Twice during production , motion-picture photography moved to locations in England , including Cardington , Bedford , Pinewood and Leavesden Studios , and London . " There ’s an enormous older dirigible airdock that the British political science used to test concrete and steel , and there ’s two existing buildings within it , " notes Crowley . For a climactic high - rise succession , " We intercut footage pullulate there with the exterior of a building under construction in Chicago . "
Despite all the outdoor shot in that city , atmospheric condition did n’t endeavor to be an obstacle , according to the manufacturer . " We were very lucky that we were there in the summer . It was hot during the solar day , but we were shooting at night , " order Thomas . " The only trouble with that was the nights were forgetful , " adds Roven . " We had to wait till almost 9:00 and it was starting to get light by four in the morning . "
Keep reading to learn more behind the scenes secrets about the special upshot in " The Dark Knight . "
“The Dark Knight” Stunts & Special Effects
For Nolan and his team , it was important to use practical effect rather thancomputer graphicsunless there was no other choice . " The cost are about the same but it ’s a different facial expression , " explicate production designer Crowley , who commence strategizing with the director during the writing process almost a year before the shoot . " I find quite strongly the hearing can tell the difference between things that are animated and created in the computer and thing that are photographed , " says Nolan , though he did n’t eschew CGI altogether .
" Typically , these films will have between 1,000 and 2,000 effects shots . We have about 650 optical effect shots , a pot of which are simple rig remotion or things we ca n’t reach for rationality of cost or safety . We really blew up everything we could in the picture show , " Nolan remark . " When you ’re dealing with an syndicalist , somebody who is dedicated to chaos , the most visceral direction of representing that is an explosion . "
Not every burst was doable , however . " When theBatmobilegets into a head - on hit with a drivel truck , I wanted to do that for real , but could n’t , and I had to accept that , " Nolan order . " But rather than doing it with computer graphic , we did it with large - plate miniatures , and I think it curve very seamlessly into the film . "
optical issue wizardry did come into turn in creating the tone of Two - Face ’s partially cut up smiler , along with stacks of culmination and modulation piece of work . In a tense scene involving two ferries , " We build the loading dock and the front end of the ferryboat and lead them with CGI , but the burden platforms and the pier were real , " Crowley expose .
In another object lesson of a composite sequence , " You haveBatmanon a construction in Hong Kong . He jumps off that ongreen screen , and they comp in the backcloth that we ’ve shot in Hong Kong . We photograph some fly stuff on microscope stage and they do some CG fell stuff and that ’s comped together . Then he ’s barrel vaulting through a windowpane , and that ’s an Department of the Interior construct on a soundstage . "
And in some instance , it ’s Christian Bale doing the stunt . " I do all of the fight sequences myself , although I do have a fantastic stunt double who is a greatmixed - martial creative person , but it was n’t necessary , " he says , explaining that he ’s been well - versed in Keysi martial arts since he learned the technique on " Batman Begins . " " It ’s a very instinctive kind of martial art . It ’s not about choreography ; it ’s very much about using youradrenalineand becoming an animal in your fighting style . "
Bale braved standing on the ledge of Chicago’sSears Towerhimself , but when it come to jumping off building and crash into a car , he literally let his treble , Buster Reeves , take the descent . likewise , stunt driverstook the wheels of the Batmobile and Bat - pod on camera . " You see the Batmobile jumping other cars and I ’m quite happy to accept I ’m not up to that level . And the Bat - pod , because of the immense steering wheel , there ’s only one humanity , Jean - Pierre Goy , who was able to curb that thing and not fall off . So whenever you see me on it , I ’m getting dragged behind another fomite . "
Bale nevertheless took any chance to take the Batmobile or Bruce Wayne’sLamborghinifor a spin off camera . " I insisted it was perfectly necessary for my preparation , " he deadpans .
The effects and stunts were n’t the only challenge . register on to witness out about the difficulty of shooting in IMAX .
Taking “The Dark Knight” to IMAX
Christopher Nolan wanted to make a film inIMAXfor years but waited until he had the right projection , and he did a mass of enquiry and preparation buy the farm into it . " We thought it would be very cumbersome , very cunning , very time consuming , so by the time we arrived on Seth we had it pretty well work out out how to utilise it . " The open up bank heist , shot in Chicago in December 2006 , went so well that the data format was used in other sequences in the motion-picture show .
" I felt it was very important that the first action at law set piece be shot that agency as it is the introduction to the Joker , " Nolan explain . " We relinquish that sequence in IMAX theatre six months before the picture come out just to give the great unwashed a gustatory sensation of what we were trying to do . I wanted to shoot as much of the main of the moving-picture show in IMAX as I could . I do it the estimation of create film on the grandest possible weighing machine . "
Of course , IMAX camerasare much larger and heavier , " But we wanted to treat them as if we were filming with regular Panavision cameras . We did n’t want it to restrict us , " says Nathan Crowley . That meant commissioning larger mountain so the IMAX camera could be attached to Crane and vehicle .
From a pattern point of view , Crowley had to adjust for IMAX ’s magnified CRO . " With a 35 mm camera , you do n’t see that much floor and ceiling , and you seldom see both at the same clip . But in 70 mm , the detail is vast . I had to be very careful about details . You ca n’t have a tough paint close . You want to make stuff expect pure , and that ’s a muckle more oeuvre . "
The film maker are bet that work will devote off , and reach beyond the music genre audience . " My hope is that people will issue forth away say , ' That was a smashing movie , ' not ' That was a great laughable book movie , ' " differentiate story author Goyer , who admits to thinking about a possible Part 3 , but like his colleagues , deem it too early to talk about . " I think comic book fans will embrace it , but I ’m hoping that it progress to a little further . "
It will have to so as to deduct an estimate $ 150 million price , but " The Dark Knight " is expected to open at No . 1 and could take in nigh to $ 100 million in its first weekend .
For more information on " The Dark Knight , " moving-picture show fashioning and related theme , vaporize over to the linkup on the next page .
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