Chapter 531: Three Rounds of Test Screenings

Aside from editing and dubbing, post-production focused heavily on CGI compositing. Duke had used a massive amount of green screen during filming. As a technically inclined director, he didn't care whether a scene was shot practically or generated on a computer—he simply chose whichever method saved the most time and effort.

With advancements in computing, CGI generation was no longer what it used to be. Conversely, the cost of shooting with practical models was constantly rising due to the increasing price of labor and raw materials.

Furthermore, the digital filming techniques Duke utilized were gradually becoming the mainstream standard in Hollywood. The number of directors still shooting on film was steadily decreasing. Word had it that Kodak, the primary manufacturer of motion picture film stock, was struggling, with rumors even circulating that they might cease production entirely.

The current reality was the exact opposite of the previous century: the cost of shooting on film was growing ever higher, while the once-exorbitant price of digital technology continued to drop.

Although directors like David Fincher insisted that film was irreplaceable, no one could stop the march of new technology.

"I don't need a clear image of a bat."

Inside the Industrial Light & Magic workspace stationed at Warner Studios, Duke turned to the head of the computer effects team. "Joe, the sample your team drafted is the exact opposite of what I have in mind," he said.

Joe Hart looked at the sample sketch in his hand. It was a very clear image of a bat—a highly orthodox Batman logo.

Before he could say anything, Duke reiterated his requirements. "In my vision for the opening of the film, a massive swarm of bats flutters across the screen, only faintly forming the shape of a large bat."

Simply put, this was a symbol of Batman.

On a deeper level, seeing this scene for the first time without any prior hints should evoke a sense of psychological fear in most audience members, which was one of the themes the film wanted to express. The reason for forming a massive bat image was to portray a kind of "exploitable fear," laying the groundwork for the film's subsequent plot.

Of course, the most important aspect was that, combined with the dark opening visuals, it would directly convey the film's style to the audience.

Although the film's realistic style sounded completely at odds with CGI, technology was always just a servant to the story. In Hollywood, technology never dictated a film's style.

Since it was already late January when post-production began, North America's annual carnival—the Super Bowl—was right around the corner. For Batman Begins to secure a spot in the Super Bowl halftime commercials, Duke had to rush to cut an ad. He spent the next few days occupied almost entirely with this task. It wasn't until the final submission deadline, just five days before the Super Bowl, that he handed over a thirty-second teaser to the organizing committee.

Unlike in the past, the teaser didn't contain much narrative content. After all, post-production for the film had only just begun. It mostly consisted of snippets of Bruce Wayne grappling with bats. The most crucial piece of information was the release date, as the Summer Season was rapidly approaching.

Aside from the routine Super Bowl ad, Duke and Warner Brothers had also launched a series of promotional campaigns for the rebirth of the Batman Series.

"Decades have passed since the comic book character Batman first appeared in Detective Comics. However, this character has not faded from the public eye with the changing times; instead, he has grown more fleshed out through the baptism of the years, possessing the vitality of the era."

"To this day, the story of Batman has undergone numerous revisions. Not only have his image and equipment changed, but his tone also varies greatly. In the past, he was a smiling friend of justice, a vigilante who won his battles with ease. With the changing times, his realism and limitations have been amplified, and his enemies are stronger, more cunning, and more fanatical than ever before. Batman's psychological trauma has been repeatedly emphasized; he has grown increasingly lost and lonely, marching ever closer toward paranoia and darkness."

Extensive retrospectives of Batman's past and present appeared across numerous print and digital media outlets. Warner Brothers was clearly using this strategy to reignite public interest in the famous superhero.

Without a doubt, Superman was DC Comics' most profoundly influential superhero on a global scale, and Batman was the only comic hero within DC Comics who could rival him in popularity. Over the past few decades, DC Comics' parent company, the Warner Group, had dominated half of the Hollywood comic book film market relying on these two superheroes alone.

Although the cinematic franchises for these two heroes had languished for far too long, they certainly didn't lack public attention.

These retrospectives were meant to promote the film, so they naturally adhered to the tone of Batman Begins. Since they couldn't leak the plot ahead of time, Warner Brothers simply used Frank Miller's Batman: Year One comic to present a chronological review of Bruce Wayne's life.

Whether in the past or the present, Batman Begins was born out of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One.

"Year One: Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City and begins fighting crime alone, dressing up as a bat to intimidate his enemies. James Gordon transfers to Gotham City to serve as deputy commissioner..."

In addition to Warner Brothers' various promotional campaigns, Duke's personal website and Instant Sharing account were constantly releasing character designs and poster visuals. He even utilized the video-sharing feature to post a short snippet spanning just over a dozen seconds, triggering a massive wave of responses.

"Although I'm a bit worried about the Batman Series, I firmly believe that anything produced by Duke is a masterpiece. I will definitely go see Batman Begins."

"I think Duke will give Batman a new lease on life!"

"The character designs and poster visuals seem to be leaning toward a darker tone. I'm really curious to see what Duke's Batman will look like."

Despite having many supporters, the negative impact of Batman and Robin still lingered. Even among Duke's fans, there were some who didn't care much for the franchise.

"I don't like superheroes like Batman. Especially after Joel Schumacher's two films, I don't have the slightest bit of goodwill left for the character."

"I feel the same way. Even though this is Duke's movie, I don't want to go to the theater. What if he turns it into Batman Forever or Batman and Robin? How would I even face that?"

This was a perfectly normal occurrence. There had never been a single movie in the world capable of pleasing everyone, and one's own supporters were no exception.

For any given film, there would always be people who loved it, people who watched indifferently from the sidelines, and people who hated it.

What Duke had always strived for was to win the support of the majority of the mainstream audience. In his fundamental view, only this type of film could be considered a success.

There were certain genres of films that, even if the media and critics praised them to the heavens, could never achieve widespread circulation. Audience reach was often an insurmountable mountain.

Everyone was influenced by fame and fortune, and Duke was no exception. The kind of fame he desired was the James Cameron sort—widely recognized across the globe—rather than being confined to a small, niche circle like Stanley Kubrick.

Batman's past failures brought about not only differing opinions among moviegoers but also doubts from the theater chains. Even though the film's director had been swapped out for Duke, it couldn't entirely offset the negative fallout caused by Batman and Robin.

This was a very normal situation. The North American Theater Alliance was a for-profit business coalition, never a charitable organization.

During Return of the King, they had indeed given Duke their utmost support, but that was because the previous two installments had successfully laid the groundwork. Anyone with a functioning brain knew the third movie was bound to be a massive hit. However, the reboot of a previously failed franchise could absolutely never enjoy the same treatment as The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

If a film's market reception was mediocre and couldn't generate sufficient profits, it would be forcibly pulled from theaters—even if it was one of Duke's works.

Moreover, looking across Hollywood's most successful commercial directors, there was no shortage of examples where they capsized after achieving massive success. Spielberg's The Terminal and Michael Bay's Bad Boys 3 were very recent precedents.

To put it bluntly, the foundation of any commercial activity was profit.

"The theater chains are demanding that we hold test screenings."

Inside the Warner Brothers office, Doug Walter turned to Duke and said, "Warner Brothers also needs test screenings to build up word-of-mouth among the audience."

Duke had never been an arrogant or conceited person. He nodded in agreement. "How many test screenings are you planning to hold?"

"At least three." Doug Walter thought for a moment before adding, "The usual setup: media, audiences, and theater chain representatives."

Following the rise of digital media, the status of professional film critics during the Summer Season had become increasingly awkward. Nowadays, it was rare in Hollywood to see a major Summer Season commercial blockbuster specially invite professional critics to test screenings and pay the corresponding public relations fees.

This was also the root cause of Duke's hostile relationship with the professional film critic community.

However, ever since getting his hands on the Oscar Best Director Statuette, Duke had completely ignored the professional critic demographic.

Roger Ebert, with whom he had the sharpest conflicts, was said to have suffered a relapse of his old illness. Although his life was saved due to timely medical intervention, he would never walk or speak again. He could only lie in a hospital bed, passing the few years he had left.

Without him as their leader, the other film critics were nothing more than scattered sand.

Just like when Sean Connery had entered early retirement, Duke planned to let the matter rest here. He wasn't going to bicker with a dying man.

Of course, if Roger Ebert still imagined he could represent professional film critics and leave his name on the Walk of Fame as he once hoped to, that would also be impossible.

"Duke, time is extremely tight." Doug Walter was still a bit worried and urged, "You absolutely must finish all post-production work on Batman Begins before late April."

For Warner Brothers to conduct three rounds of test screenings, they naturally needed to leave enough buffer time. Duke briefly went over the current progress and the schedule in his head before saying earnestly, "Doug, rest assured. I promise it will be completed on schedule."

His words allowed Doug Walter to heave a sigh of relief. Warner Brothers absolutely did not want to see their golden child, Batman, run into any more accidents.