BvS What Stylized Colour Scheme do you Want/Expect for Gotham City?

Regardless of how many sets were actually featured, there's still a very palpable sense of smallness and closedness to that film. Given they were going for a sort of German Expressionist feel, it's quite probable that this was intentional, but like a great many things in Batman Returns (and this is coming from someone who adored the Burton films when he was a kid), it doesn't really work within the context of the Batman mythos. The sets are actually pretty decent, I grant you, but the matte paintings look like nothing more than kinda rushed, very cheap looking matte paintings. In B89, Gotham feels massive and daunting. The only time BR matched that, imo, was with Gotham Plaza.
 
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The sets in Batman 89 were also claustrophobic. Gotham in those films is supposed to be a concrete jungle, a cesspool of smoke and fog and steel and trash. If you don't like Burton's Gotham that's one thing, but I don't really think the "Returns felt smaller than 89" argument reflects reality.
 
Perhaps it doesn't reflect reality, but it certainly reflects perception.
 
Some key scenes take place there, but if you tally up all the locations featured in the film there are many, many locations. Its not true that 90% of the film takes place there, that's ridiculous.

I didn't say 90% of the film. I said 90% of the Gotham scenes, as in the outdoor scenes in the city.

- Opening tree lighting scene in Gotham Plaza
- First Red Triangle attack in Gotham plaza
- Mayor baby snatch in Gotham plaza
- Batman/Penguin/Catwoman meeting in Gotham Plaza
- Batman/Catwoman rooftop fight is overlooking Gotham plaza
- Bruce and Selina meeting in the street in Gotham plaza
- Mayor's speech and the 2nd tree lighting ceremony in Gotham Plaza
- Ice Princess dressing room tent where Penguin abducts her is in Gotham Plaza
- Ice Princess held hostage in building over looking Gotham Plaza (which she falls down into later)
- 2nd Penguin and Catwoman meeting where he tries to kill her is on a roof overlooking Gotham Plaza (they're both looking down at the citizens there going crazy because of the bats attack)
- Penguin's speech which Batman sabotages in Gotham plaza
- Rocket toting penguins converge into Gotham plaza

And if you want to get technical Schreck's department store is in Gotham plaza so all the scenes there are based in it like Catwoman breaking in and blowing it up, Schreck and Bruce meeting, Catwoman's origin etc.

The majority of the outdoor Gotham scenes happened there. The city felt dramatically reduced and smaller. Smallest version of Gotham in the movies easily.

Perhaps it doesn't reflect reality, but it certainly reflects perception.

It's both reality and perception because it's a reality.
 
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Smallest version of Gotham in the movies easily.

This is such a silly argument. You could flip it around and say that Batman Begins has "the smallest version of Gotham" because the majority of it takes place in the Narrows. Obviously the argument would be just as invalid in that instance. Featuring a central location for the majority of the time doesn't make Gotham itself smaller.

It isn't small at all in Returns, it is the same city featured in B89.

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There are also numerous exterior locations featured, such as the graveyard, the library, the zoo, the streets where the children are kidnapped, the store that Catwoman burgles... which are not part of Gotham square.

I find it hilarious that you listed the Ice Princess sequence three times as different showings of the Plaza when its all part of one scene.
 
This is such a silly argument. You could flip it around and say that Batman Begins has "the smallest version of Gotham" because the majority of it takes place in the Narrows. Obviously the argument would be just as invalid in that instance. Featuring a central location for the majority of the time doesn't make Gotham itself smaller.

It's not a silly argument. It's totally valid. The majority of Begins doesn't take place in the Narrows. Even if it did, the Narrows was a large populated island attached to Gotham; http://oi59.tinypic.com/j8fs6h.jpg

It almost looks like a city by itself. Whereas Gotham Plaza was a small square space in the middle of the city. They're not even comparable.

It isn't small at all in Returns, it is the same city featured in B89.

Throwing in a background shot of the city didn't stop the whole movie feeling like Gotham consisted primarily of Gotham Plaza.

There are also numerous exterior locations featured, such as the graveyard, the library, the zoo, the streets where the children are kidnapped, the store that Catwoman burgles... which are not part of Gotham square.

The store Catwoman burgles was Schreck's store which was in Gotham Plaza. You even see her skipping along in front of it before she breaks in. Do you want a screencap? The rest of the aforementioned locations were the minority not set in Gotham Plaza.

I find it hilarious that you listed the Ice Princess sequence three times as different showings of the Plaza when its all part of one scene.

What are you talking about? Her abduction was a scene by itself. When she falls off the building into Gotham Plaza is another scene by itself. And when Penguin and Catwoman meet up overlooking GP that is a separate scene, too. It's not all one scene. Believing that it is is what's really hilarious.
 
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It's not a silly argument. It's totally valid. The majority of Begins doesn't take place in the Narrows. Even if it did, the Narrows was a large populated island attached to Gotham; http://oi59.tinypic.com/j8fs6h.jpg

It almost looks like a city by itself. Whereas Gotham Plaza was a small square space in the middle of the city. They're not even comparable.

Gotham Plaza is a square space in the middle of a HUGE city. Focus on one locale in Returns doesn't make Gotham "small" in that film any more that focus on the Narrows makes Gotham "small" in Begins. And yes, the majority of the Gotham scenes take place in the Narrows.

Throwing in a background shot of the city didn't stop the whole movie feeling like Gotham consisted primarily of Gotham Plaza.

I can't disprove your subjective "feeling," but yes that background shot (and the many others like it) DOES prove that Gotham is hardly "small" in Returns.

The store Catwoman burgles was Schreck's store which was in Gotham Plaza. You even see her skipping along in front of it before she breaks in.

The fact that locations are conjoined only makes them "the same location" in the loosest sense of the term.

Besides, there are numerous Batman stories in the comics that take place in one area of Gotham. Doesn't mean Gotham is smaller in those stories than in the others. The "small Gotham" complaint about Returns remains silly and irrelevant, as it always has.
 
Well the city in Batman Returns feels tiny, and it feels like the population of the city is like 8 people. It doesn't come across as a "huge city" at all.
 
That colourization during the Ben affleck in metropolis scenes were really bright and eye-popping tbh, i mean imagine i full scale justice league film in that kind of setting, would be visually awesome

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although i did notice that a majority of the film is set at night in the trailer (which is actually quite common in a lot of Snyder films)
 
I know most didn't like the color filter in the zod vs superman fight in Man of Steel but, It would have been good continuity if they had the same filter for that scene.
 
I know most didn't like the color filter in the zod vs superman fight in Man of Steel but, It would have been good continuity if they had the same filter for that scene.

Well one excuse they could make is that Kryptonians can see the evening in an instagram filter :funny:
 
It's a odd thing to note and be fond of, but I really enjoyed how the Superman/Zod fight took place during a beautiful sunset, with faded pinks and purples splashed across the horizon, bathing Metropolis in a sort of darkly pink hue.

It was really gorgeous looking. Hope they retain it for when Wayne is revealed to have been in Metropolis when the fight took place.
 
Gotham Plaza is a square space in the middle of a HUGE city. Focus on one locale in Returns doesn't make Gotham "small" in that film any more that focus on the Narrows makes Gotham "small" in Begins. And yes, the majority of the Gotham scenes take place in the Narrows.

Yes it does if the bulk of the Gotham scenes are based there, it reduces the scale of the city and therefore makes it very small when the movie barely leaves the one small location.

I can't disprove your subjective "feeling," but yes that background shot (and the many others like it) DOES prove that Gotham is hardly "small" in Returns.

It is totally redundant when the majority of the Gotham scenes are based in one small area of the city. Showing some background shots doesn't enlarge the scale of the city when the movie shows nothing of it. It's like showing a background shot of a big town, but setting the whole thing mainly in someone's back yard. It doesn't enhance the scale of the town in the slightest.

The fact that locations are conjoined only makes them "the same location" in the loosest sense of the term.

No it doesn't. It is set smack in the middle of Gotham Plaza, just like most of the Gotham scenes. There's nothing loose about it.

Besides, there are numerous Batman stories in the comics that take place in one area of Gotham. Doesn't mean Gotham is smaller in those stories than in the others. The "small Gotham" complaint about Returns remains silly and irrelevant, as it always has.

Comics come out monthly. Or in some cases several titles a month, like Batman and Detective. Like one episode of an on going weekly TV show being set in one location. It doesn't make the scale of the city or town or where ever feel small just because one story out of a weekly or bi monthly series happens in one location mainly. It's apples and oranges to a 2 hour movie coming out once every few years.

Well the city in Batman Returns feels tiny, and it feels like the population of the city is like 8 people. It doesn't come across as a "huge city" at all.

:up:
 
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I absolutely love Batman Returns but I have to admit that Gotham feels very much like a set in that movie. A well-made set, but a set nonetheless.

Not one scene in Batman Begins makes me feel that way. The Narrows look 100% real.

I guess it's just a stylistic difference.
 
I absolutely love Batman Returns but I have to admit that Gotham feels very much like a set in that movie. A well-made set, but a set nonetheless.

Not one scene in Batman Begins makes me feel that way. The Narrows look 100% real.

I guess it's just a stylistic difference.

I loved the look and feel of BB's Gotham. And as much as I love TDK, it really is unfortunate that they made no attempt to make Chicago look like anything other than Chicago in that movie.
 
I just watched TDK again last night, and that's one thing I noticed. Gotham doesn't have much personality in that film. It looks a little too average, imo.
 
I just watched TDK again last night, and that's one thing I noticed. Gotham doesn't have much personality in that film. It looks a little too average, imo.

Nolan's Gotham probably looked its' best in Begins.
 
I much, MUCH prefer the Gotham in TDK/R. The fact that it looks real only helps make it more threatening, and it feels so BIG. BB's felt like a set to me a lot of the time... a good set, but a set none the less. Plus, Gotham has looked just like that (a real city) for the vast majority of it's existence in the comics. And I just like that aesthetic better.
 
I much, MUCH prefer the Gotham in TDK/R. The fact that it looks real only helps make it more threatening, and it feels so BIG. BB's felt like a set to me a lot of the time... a good set, but a set none the less. Plus, Gotham has looked just like that (a real city) for the vast majority of it's existence in the comics. And I just like that aesthetic better.

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