The day of shooting in the UK came to an end, and deputy director Annie Burton led a team to Paris, Rome, Berlin, and other cities to film some outdoor scenes.
Although Gilbert had previously said he wanted to incorporate the characteristics of globally famous cities into Gotham, the core of Gotham remained Chicago, the well-known American crime capital.
To attract Gilbert's crew to film in Chicago, the city government invested significant effort.
They not only promised various incentives but also, upon learning that Gilbert needed several city blocks to shoot a car chase, immediately allowed him to choose the blocks.
Thanks to the support of the Chicago city government, Gilbert was able to film a car chase on Walker Street, one of the city's main avenues.
The expensive IMAX cameras were already mounted on a helicopter, and Gilbert boarded the helicopter to direct the shoot from above.
It was nighttime, and the streets were completely closed off, ensuring no outside vehicles could enter.
The stunt coordinator was communicating with the stunt drivers about routes, impact points, safety precautions, and every detail imaginable.
Gilbert spoke over the walkie-talkie: "Make sure no pedestrians enter the street; it could be dangerous."
"Understood, Director…"
The streets were fully closed, and the crew began filming. Despite careful checks and barriers, there were inevitably a few stragglers.
James White was one of them. He had just danced with a girl at a bar, drank heavily, and after a chaotic bout in the alley, staggered out with a bottle in hand, crossing a street to return home on Walker Street.
Intoxicated, his mind was not fully clear. The earlier fight left him feeling hollow, so he didn't notice the eerily quiet streets.
By the time James White realized, he had already reached the main lane of Walker Street.
Seeing the normally busy street completely empty, with no cars passing, he was stunned.
It looked like some Chicago gang had blocked the road, but the gangsters themselves were nowhere in sight.
"Zombie outbreak? Plague? Or aliens attacking Earth?" Being a Hollywood movie fan, all sorts of strange thoughts flashed through James White's mind.
Lost in thought, he suddenly saw someone waving at him from across the street.
James White, still confused, shouted: "Hey, what's going on?"
The figure on the other side yelled: "Get out of there! It's dangerous!"
Hearing a distant roaring sound, partially sobered, James White scrambled to the roadside. The roaring grew louder, and helicopters flew above, their lights illuminating the intersection.
James White turned to the street corner and saw a black, oddly shaped, powerful-looking car racing past at 100 km/h, like a beast built from alien technology.
Behind it, a dozen police cars were in pursuit.
Yet, in front of the beastly car, the police vehicles seemed weak and powerless.
The chasing convoy sped past James White and disappeared around the next corner, though the deafening roar of engines remained.
James White stood agape, unable to believe what he had just seen, his brain short-circuiting.
"Oh my God, what did I just witness?" he thought, momentarily imagining the police were chasing an alien vehicle.
In this crime-ridden city, car chases were common, and as a Chicago local, James White was used to them.
But this scene was unforgettable, something he would remember for a long time.
Regaining his composure, James White immediately called a local Chicago TV station: "Hello, I have breaking news. How much will you pay?"
After receiving a response, he said: "I just saw the police chasing an extraterrestrial creature. Yes, yes, on Walker Street…"
The car chase was extremely thrilling, and thanks to meticulous preparation, the crew filmed it perfectly.
Gilbert watched the entire process from the helicopter and, satisfied with the footage, announced the end of shooting. He also called in a cleaning crew to clear the chaos left on the streets.
When the helicopter landed, local Chicago officials and media reporters, already waiting, immediately greeted him.
Chicago officials took photos with Gilbert in a political display, followed by a brief media interview.
When asked why he chose Chicago for filming, Gilbert, of course, praised the city:
"Chicago is a fascinating city with a unique character that other cities don't possess. I believe this character enhances the film, which is why I chose to shoot here."
Gilbert continued: "I also have a good relationship with Mr. Roger Ebert. When he heard I was filming a Batman movie, he personally invited me to Chicago."
It was easy for Gilbert to say a few kind words to his number-one fan. Over the years, Roger Ebert had championed Gilbert among critics, helping him maintain a strong reputation in the critic community.
This support indirectly helped Gilbert win Best Director Oscars twice, maintaining both commercial and artistic credibility.
Of course, today, film critics, once a pillar of Hollywood, have gradually declined, far from their 1990s prominence.
In the 1990s, a top critic could influence millions of viewers' choices. Now, audiences don't rely on critics as much.
Critics' main role today may only be to stir attention during awards season.
Nevertheless, Gilbert still said a few kind words to Roger Ebert, showing respect, which Ebert appreciated.
Young directors nowadays often disregard etiquette, but Gilbert still understood manners.
After a brief interview, Gilbert planned to return to the hotel to rest when a reporter asked:
"Director Gilbert, we just received news from a Chicago TV station that someone saw aliens on Walker Street?"
Gilbert paused, then laughed: "Perhaps they were drunk and mistaken. That was our new Batmobile.
This shows the Batmobile is indeed unique, like a product of alien technology."
The filming of Batman: Begins went smoothly. The main cast were experienced Hollywood actors, and their performances posed no real problems.
The biggest challenge of the film was Christian Bale's action sequences. Although a body double with a similar build could perform the most difficult stunts, Gilbert preferred the actor himself to complete the majority of the action.
Christian Bale was very dedicated, even personally performing some of the car chase sequences.
In his own words, how could Batman let a stunt double drive?
If the audience sees mostly a double, then what's the point of him being there? The viewers could just watch the double.
Although this made sense, for the truly high-difficulty stunts, he still couldn't do them himself; a stunt performer was necessary.
Beyond the action, in the dramatic scenes, after deeply understanding Batman and Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale's performance was outstanding.
Perhaps the most engaging part of the film was how Batman created his own equipment, which gave Christian Bale and Morgan Freeman a significant amount of on-screen interaction.
"Environmental protection project, defensive project, consumer products—these are all just prototypes. The formal production…"
"None?"
Lucius Fox removed his glasses and asked Bruce Wayne, "What did they tell you? What is this place for?"
"They didn't tell me anything."
Lucius Fox made an "oh" sound, turned on the lights, and said, "When Earl reassigned me here, he explained clearly: a prison.
To make sure I don't cause trouble for the company. Come on!"
"Click!" Gilbert called cut, walked over to the two actors, and said, "The details are good, but Lucius, try to appear more calm.
Your lines just now sounded a bit resentful.
Bruce, when Lucius is speaking, you need to provide some reaction, with exaggerated facial expressions."
Christian Bale asked, "So when Lucius says this is a prison, my expression should be very obvious?"
"Yes, yes, exactly," Gilbert said, clapping his hands. "Let's do it again…"
This time it went smoothly, adding better layers to the performance. Scenes that don't require tension or explosive action are easy to overlook.
Gilbert didn't want such scenes to feel disconnected from the rest of the film, so the actors needed to maintain their focus and continually improve their performance.
Next came a scene in the underground warehouse, where Bruce Wayne learned about Lucius Fox's character, including his knowledge of Bruce's father.
Then Lucius started introducing Bruce to the equipment, like a treasure hunt, showing him all the useful items.
"The infantry vanguard's Nomex fireproof suit, Kevlar double-reinforced seams," Lucius Fox tapped it twice, as if introducing his own child.
"Tear-resistant?"
"This thing can't even be cut by a knife."
"Bulletproof?"
"Ordinary bullets are no problem."
"Why not mass-produce it?"
Lucius Fox made a dry joke: "The accountants think a soldier's lousy life isn't worth thirty thousand dollars."
Lucius Fox put the items away and asked Bruce Wayne, "So, Mr. Wayne, why are you interested?"
Bruce Wayne made a casual excuse: "I want to use it for… uh, cave exploration."
"Cave exploration?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Are you going to encounter gunfights in the cave?"
This dialogue was very humorous, part of the film's scripted humor. Even though it's a serious Batman movie, Gilbert didn't want the audience to watch with a completely serious face.
Occasionally, the humor reflected in the characters' dialogue would make viewers laugh, which showed the success of these script elements.
The two actors performed nearly flawlessly; except for a few shots, the rest flowed seamlessly.
....
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