The Dark Knight 4 "Dark Knight" Scenes to be Shot in IMAX!

[SuperHeroHype]

http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5752

 

[Crook]

LOS ANGELES — All directors promise that their sequels will be bigger and flashier than the predecessors'. But Christopher Nolan doesn't mess around.

The director's sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, will become the first feature film to be partly shot in the IMAX format, an expensive and cumbersome process that typically is the province of documentaries and short films.

Nolan will shoot four action sequences — including the introduction of the Joker, played by Heath Ledger — on IMAX.

The move is one of Hollywood's most pronounced steps yet in its embrace of IMAX theaters, which are increasingly showing commercial fare on their giant screens.

"There's simply nothing like seeing a movie that way," Nolan says. "It's more immersive for the audience. I wish I could shoot the entire thing this way."

ypically, the feature films that play in IMAX theaters are simply stretched out to fill the enormous screens. That can dilute the picture quality and give the movie a wide, squat look.

Shooting on IMAX, Nolan says, will have a twofold effect. The four scenes will fill the IMAX screens, some of which are eight stories high. And in traditional theaters, the scenes will appear more vivid (think high-definition television over standard).

Don't expect many movies to follow suit. Only 280 IMAX theaters are in operation worldwide, and fewer than 100 show feature films.

And shooting in the format is difficult. IMAX film, which is 10 times the size of standard film stock, is costly and must be shot using bulky cameras.

And "they're loud," Nolan says. "We had to figure a way to eliminate the sound so we could shoot dialogue."

In a rarity for Hollywood, the payoff isn't primarily financial, so far. "It doesn't have a huge effect yet on the money you bring in," says Chris Aronson, a distribution chief with 20th Century Fox, which carried Night at the Museum on IMAX. "But it does help make your movie more of an event."

For Nolan, IMAX makes the moviegoing experience unique again.

"You can't do this on any home theater," Nolan says. "Batman has some of the most extraordinary characters in pop culture. We wanted the Joker to have the grandest entrance possible.

"I figured if you could take an IMAX camera to Mount Everest or outer space, you could use it in a feature movie."

Guess that's Heath. No signs of make-up from the looks of it.

 

[Cain]

Considering I and thousands of others enjoyed Batman Begins in the IMAX format this doesn't come as a surprise. Would've been cool if they went the IMAX 3D route like they did with the last Superman though. Can't win them all.

 

[Johnichi Chiba]

Very cool.

 

[darknight7]

Guess that's Heath. No signs of make-up from the looks of it.

Than again...Heath could be the one in the background with the gun...
--dk7

 

[Bond]

I don't understand.

So if you see the movie in IMAX, it will be like a normal movie... but then every once in a while a scene will magically become enormously bigger than all the other scenes?

 

[SuperHeroHype]

A second better photo is up here;
http://www.usatoday.com/life/default.htm

 

[Crook]

Than again...Heath could be the one in the background with the gun...
--dk7

Looking back at the set-pics, that's not the case:

Same shirt. Same mask.

 

[Crook]

A second better photo is up here;
http://www.usatoday.com/life/default.htm

Is that him w/o the mask??

 

[Johnichi Chiba]

A second better photo is up here;
http://www.usatoday.com/life/default.htm

Holy Crap!!! There's our Joker.

 

[strider]

God all you fanboys do is b!tch and b!tch.. Guess what? You don't have to buy tickets for TDK...Cool huh? Something cool and new comes out for this film and all everyone on these lame boards do is whine like little 15 yr olds...oh wait.

 

[Bond]

A second better photo is up here;
http://www.usatoday.com/life/default.htm

I didn't even see that one!!!!

Looks like The Joker will be wearing that uber cool black make-up around his eyes in the movie.

This is awesome.

But how come Nolan is looking through a mirror type thing?

 

[Comic Book Boy]

That is a perfect Joker.

Ledger can play him off well too. It'll be amazing.

 

[Paradoxium]

For those confused, the reason why there is no makeup is one of two reasons:

1. pre-Joker

or

2. It is implied the Joker dyes his "hair" and has "some makeup" on so people (i.e. his hired thugs) would not be suspicious of his... actual look. Think of that scene in Batman 1989 where Jack wipes the "makeup" off his forehead to reveal his white Joker scene.

 

[Saint]

The new Joker photo is awesome. Love the longish hair.

The mask photo is also interesting; the hair is brown and from what you can see of the neck, there's no white skin. This leads me to believe we will have an origin for the Joker, which I am thankful for.

Also, the guy pointing a gun at Heath is surely from the casting side that detailed one of Joker's thugs turning on him (and supports the rumour that Joker made be left for dead by his gang, facilitating his transformation into the Joker).

 

[Johnichi Chiba]

Is that him w/o the mask??

That pic looks like its straight out of the bank manager side. The internets are going to be abuzz when this picture spreads.

 

[Bond]

I actually think Nolan is pulling a "Michael Myers" type thing on us where the camera angles completely shadow his eyes making it look black instead of actually seeing his eyes.

And the only thing I can think of for the hair is maybe he goes and washes it off before he shows it to the bank manager?

 

[CConn]

Edit.

 

[Saint]

For those confused, the reason why there is no makeup is one of two reasons:

1. pre-Joker

or

2. It is implied the Joker dyes his "hair" and has "some makeup" on so people (i.e. his hired thugs) would not be suspicious of his... actual look. Think of that scene in Batman 1989 where Jack wipes the "makeup" off his forehead to reveal his white Joker scene.

Both interesting possibilities.

 

[Caliboy]

looks like one of the scenes from the sides

 

[sasquatchs]

I like how he's wearing such a ****ty looking jacket. His brown shoes are worn and battered too. You'd never think it was Joker, I guess thats the point

 

[Paradoxium]

Both interesting possibilities.

I think its the second one. As the film progresses, the Joker becomes crazier, and finally embraces his insanity and "look". In essence that would make it a Joker "origin" without the whole chemical bath sequence.

 

[IamtheBatman]

My question is was this shot in London or Chicago.

 

[Cain]

I like how he's wearing such a ****ty looking jacket. His brown shoes are worn and battered too. You'd never think it was Joker, I guess thats the point

Yeah I suppose that's what they're implying when they mention a raggedy look. I could rock with that, it's good to see a better shot of The Joker too. I have a filling some will ***** and moan over the Romero-esque hair color though. Doesn't look like he's smiling but you can't miss that painted on smile for nothing. We're getting closer to a real Joker shot thankfully.

 

[Robin91939]

Looks beautiful.

-R