Chapter 854: The Ending Must Feel Right

In Hollywood-style superhero films, massive action sequences no longer served merely as the hallmark of a commercial blockbuster; they also delivered an upgraded experience in the aesthetics of violence. Panoramic shots, ultra-refined action choreography, the texture of IMAX footage, and a fully immersive viewing experience were all essential to Duke's productions.

To achieve a realistic viewing experience, Duke did not rely entirely on post-production visual effects for every major set piece. Many action scenes were shot practically.

Aside from the heavy visual effects sequences, Duke generally did not draw storyboards for every scene himself. But for those action-packed VFX scenes, every single shot received a storyboard and an animatic preview.

When it came to visual effects, Duke never rejected CGI, nor did he cling to the belief that practical effects were strictly superior. However, he also knew it was always better to shoot as much live-action footage as possible. Even when relying on CGI for compositing and enhancements later on, having practical elements yielded a much better final result.

Returning to Los Angeles, Duke led the crew into the Raiders' Lauder Stadium and gathered nearly twenty thousand football fans to serve as extras. The location required a massive cast, a full stunt team, and an on-site pyrotechnics crew.

They were shooting a scene that took place inside an American football stadium. The Gotham Rogues were playing a game when Bane triggered bombs planted all across Gotham City, including several right beneath the field. Once the explosives went off, the pitch and multiple players were swallowed into a massive sinkhole.

They naturally used IMAX Cameras for the shoot, though the actual scale of the physical explosions was extremely limited, and the stadium certainly wouldn't collapse. The explosion effects primarily relied on post-production compositing. The visual effects artists at Industrial Light & Magic also used CG to create the foreground elements of the collapsed field. Once Duke finished filming, they would enhance Joss William's pyrotechnics and multiply the terrified live audience from nearly twenty thousand to over eighty thousand.

While Duke was busy filming, Warner Brothers never relaxed their promotional push for The Dark Knight Rises.

"Harvey Dent might have died in The Dark Knight, but unlike the Joker, his name will continue to appear in The Dark Knight Rises..."

News about The Dark Knight Rises constantly circulated across the internet and the media.

Fans keeping a close eye on the web soon discovered new information on the official website for The Dark Knight Rises and other popular sites—a press release issued by Gotham City's mayor, Anthony Garcia.

"This morning, Mayor Anthony Garcia signed the Dent Act, which was unanimously passed by the city council, legislating improved measures to crack down on organized crime within the city. One of the primary goals of this initiative is to punish criminals more severely, including denying parole to those who play significant roles within major crime syndicates. This will close loopholes in previously established laws and ensure the city is no longer plagued by organized crime as it was in the past."

A speech from Mayor Anthony Garcia followed.

"The name Harvey Dent represents a true hero in every sense. He used his courage to confront the streets ruled by a criminal empire and saved our city, and we ought to commemorate the sacrifice he made."

"Fifteen minutes ago, I signed a bill and named it the Dent Act to help us make up for the loss of Harvey Dent. This legislation grants Police Commissioner Jim Gordon the necessary means to finally strike down and handle the crime and corruption still active in our city."

"To those who claim this bill creates a police state, my answer is very simple. Before the Dent Act, our city was so perilously hopeless that we had to place our trust in a masked vigilante who ultimately murdered the man who was Gotham City's true hope. Fortunately, hope endures. This bill is Harvey Dent's legacy, and I intend to protect it."

Another piece of news was released alongside it.

"At the mayor's request, the city council will introduce another bill to designate the day of Harvey Dent's sacrifice as an official city public holiday, to be known as Harvey Dent Day."

Without a doubt, this was Warner Brothers' viral marketing.

With the fans' attention fixed on the news, Duke returned to the soundstage and began shooting more difficult action sequences in front of a newly constructed green screen, such as the shots involving the Batwing.

All the Batwing shots would be filmed against a green screen and then composited into the live-action practical footage via CGI.

The Batwing sequences were primarily divided into two parts: ground and high-altitude.

When shooting the ground action, Duke mounted the aircraft onto a vehicle equipped with a gimbal; for the high-altitude stunts, it was suspended in the air using several heavy-duty cranes.

In order to fully capture the high dynamic range of every Batwing movement on set, Duke also had Industrial Light & Magic develop a panoramic stunt photography system. This system created overlapping fields of view using four DSLR cameras equipped with 8mm lenses, producing panoramic images that could be stitched together digitally.

In keeping with Duke and John Schwartzman's usual working arrangement, Schwartzman was supposed to be the film's sole principal camera operator. However, in many scenes, B-camera and Steadicam operator Ben Scott also played a vital role, and the usage rate of the B-camera footage was incredibly high for those shoots.

Aside from the complex camerawork, Duke also decided to set more of the film's scenes during the day, unlike The Dark Knight, which relied almost entirely on the night for its backdrop.

In Duke's plan, the night exteriors for Gotham City were primarily shot in New York and Pittsburgh. Early on during location scouting in the pre-production phase, John Schwartzman had taken numerous photos matching Duke's required exposure levels. He then added notes to each photo before sending them to the rigging gaffers assigned to each city.

The rigging gaffers could use spectrometers upon returning to the locations, ensuring the background spots requiring illumination were properly set up.

This way, the background lighting was already arranged by the time Duke and the crew arrived on set, giving them more time to focus on filming.

As time slowly approached December, the film's release date drew ever closer. Amidst his busy shooting schedule, Duke began cooperating with Warner Brothers' promotional efforts. An exclusive interview with him soon appeared in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.

"The Dark Knight Rises is currently in production. In an interview taken during a break from filming, director Duke Rosenberg discussed his feelings on concluding the Batman Trilogy, as well as behind-the-scenes details such as the casting of the main villain, Bane."

"Speaking about his final Batman film, Duke Rosenberg said, 'I try not to be too emotional on set. It doesn't help me do my job well. But you do hear a little voice telling yourself—all right, this is the last time we're shooting this.'"

"'The whole process has been like a journey. Saying goodbye to a character when their scenes are done is truly an emotional experience. I will say to them: goodbye, old butler Alfred; goodbye, Police Commissioner Jim Gordon... It means so much to me; it's a very touching moment.'"

"When the reporter asked Duke how he came up with setting Destroyer Bane as the film's main villain after Heath Ledger played such an outstanding Joker, Duke replied, 'Initially, I didn't know much about Bane. The editorial department at Duke Studio gave me a pile of material on him, and we studied him together. I wasn't very familiar with his backstory, but he is a really cool character.'"

"'For a character like Bane, his developed physique is his defining trait. You need an archetype to shape a "good" villain. You know, you need the extreme of a certain type of villain. The Joker is obviously a very unique archetype: devilish, anarchic, with a wicked sense of humor. This time, I wanted to present Bane as a completely different type of villain in the movie. Bane is primarily a muscular villain, and in a way, he is the classic on-screen monster from older films—but with an incredibly brilliant mind. I think audiences will find our portrayal of Bane extremely thrilling.'"

"'When you get an actor like Dwayne Johnson to play Bane, you know you're definitely going to see something special. Like any great actor, Dwayne is the kind of performer who can weave the character's traits into every movement and every expression. He is an actor who is very, very good at expressing himself physically.'"

"'At every moment, Dwayne transforms himself into the character. Not only does he fully commit his outward appearance to the role, but he also delves deep into the character's mind. He has both a profound grasp of the character's psychology and a very, very clear awareness of how to use his body and expressions to convey that character. Of course, Bale is also an actor with this incredible sense of intuition.'"

"Discussing the film's ending, Duke Rosenberg went on to say, 'At the end of The Dark Knight, both Batman and Police Commissioner Jim Gordon made significant sacrifices and compromises. By the end of this installment, those sacrifices must yield value, and Gotham City should, in a sense, become a better place. They have to accomplish something by the film's conclusion—so I need to make sure the ending feels right.'"

Not just in North America, but across other vital markets, Warner Brothers' promotional campaign for The Dark Knight Rises was well underway.

Although Duke's previous film, The Avengers, had not secured a release extension in the Chinese market, it still raked in 1.856 billion RMB at the box office during its one-month theatrical run. This achievement further magnified the importance of the Chinese market in the eyes of Hollywood studios.

Constrained by the regulations of the big scissors, the Warner Greater China Region could not do too much advance promotion, but they still formulated a few targeted strategies.