Hey, all. I just got back from the set of The Dark Knight with TONS of new info! My friends and I, being Chicago locals, undertook a mission to find the filming location for today. I've walked miles around Chicago; I've been up for 34 hours straight; I'm sore and tired from standing all day, but it was worth every moment. We struck a deal with the crew on set, they would let us stay close around filming with a fare amount of freedom, as long as we didn't take photos and such. It was a deal worth it's weight.
Warning right now, serious spoilers ahead!
The filming took place in the River North area of Chicago at a location I won't specifically disclose. No filming was outside, it all took place in a seedy-looking bar in the area. We were wondering who would show up for the scene. Bale? Ledger? Oldman? We had no clue. Especially with those damn throw-off trailers labeled "faux batman" and "scarecrow double". To our suprise the featured actor was Harvey Dent himself, Aaron Eckhart. This was discovered only after 5 hours of waiting. I also saw prop weapons being brought out to the set, so this scene would be violent.
He and Christopher Nolan were the first to enter the set. But Aaron was strangley covered in a black, hooded cloak that covered his face, but it was still easy to tell it was him. They remained in the bar for an hour or so, then Eckhart left and returned in his costume, a gray suit and red tie, but he still had the cloak on and his face covered. We were basically the only bystanders around, and a very high-up crew member told us that Aaron was covering his face be cause he was in his Two-Face make-up! So we will definitely see Two-Face in TDK, no doubt.
We were also told that another scene would shoot today involving a chopper and car explosion. They gave us the Exact location! Great stuff. Along with Aaron, a few other veteran actors were also there playing cops. Nolan and crew were very tedious. They did take after take for hours on end. Nolam is a perfectionist to a near fault, it would seem. A Chicago police officer later disclosed to me that one of the cops would be murdered inside the bar by Two-Face. This makes me think the scene must be one of the last in the film. After more hours of shooting Eckhart exited the bar, hooded, but his left side was now facing me, unlike before. I got a decent view of what the Two-Face costume looked like!
I couldn't see his face all that well, but his scarring was evident. It looked pretty realistic, but none the less grotesque with boils forming on his skin from face on down. There were also stains of what looked like blood and acid staining down the left side of his suit. In all, he looked pretty gnarly. And really worked, but I'm guessing this isn't his final look.
In the down time I talked more to the higher-ups in the crew who were amazingly forward the new info. I was told that more huge action sequences will be film late in the summer with the involving lots of car chases and explosions, and bats flying around. Here's another highly juicy tidbit. The crew member specifically named the Batmobile and the Jokermobile being involved. I'm not paraphrasing, his exact words were "JOKERMOBILE". It WILL be in the film. We also asked if it was at all possible if we could get an autograph form Eckart and Nolan. They said no to Eckhart because he would still be in Two-Face make-up, and they were obviously trying to keep that a secret. But he said Nolan is a really cool guy and would most likely do so, especially for us since we were the only fans there and we had been there since late last night.
After more grueling hours of filming, the promise was made good. We didn't just get an autograph handed to us via personal assistance, the man himself asked to see us personally! Mr. Nolan was an incredibly humble man. He signed DVD's of Mememto and Batman Begins for us, and we talked for awhile and he thanked us for coming out. Thanking us for this rare privilage? What a guy! Don't believe me? Well...
..there ya go! I was amazed at how nice of a guy Nolan was. He's a class act fellow and deserves everything he has. He even agreed to take that picture without so much as a thought. After meeting him, I will personally say that anyone who questions his skill, ability, or personality is an ***hole, and I'll punch them in the throat. This guy obviously understands Batman and appreciates fan devotion greatly. Meeting him was the best moment in my life.
I actually know even more than I'm writing here, but the is intrusting me to keep the details under wraps, in turn ensuring me that I'll get to be close to even more shoots and inside knowledge. I may have even said too much here. NoirMan out.
thanks for bringing us the report. looks like your 34 hrs paid off big time huh? 
t:
