The soundstage was dark, with Henry Cavill standing in front of the camera dressed in a black uniform. His robust body resembled a small mountain, exuding explosive power, like a tiger ready to descend from the mountain. He gave off a very dangerous aura.
After the tempering from "Chaos City," combined with makeup, costumes, and camera work, Henry Cavill's presence was noticeably more formidable than before.
Opposite Henry Cavill, several individuals dressed similarly to him were bound and squatting.
This scene was very simple, just a few lines of dialogue.
But this simple scene was expressing a profound theme.
"What gives you the right!" One of the imitators loudly questioned Chris Dane, "What makes you different from us?"
Henry Cavill showed no emotion, coldly replying, "I don't wear hockey pads."
Then, he silently turned and walked away.
"CUT!" Murphy called out to the crew, "That's a wrap!"
Thanks to the foundation laid by "Chaos City," this shoot was much smoother. Since Henry Cavill wore a mask, Murphy didn't demand stellar acting from him; the only strict requirement was the voice, which could be synthesized in post-production.
The crew temporarily paused for a short adjustment, preparing for the next scene.
Margot Robbie, who had no scenes today, stood on the periphery with Gal Gadot, watching Murphy direct the busy crew.
"Gail..." Margot Robbie suddenly asked, "Why did Chris Dane give that answer?"
Although Chris Dane sarcastically answered the question with humor, he didn't directly address it. Gal Gadot had a clearer understanding. "Because Chris Dane has no answer to that question."
"No answer?" Margot Robbie looked at her in confusion. "Why do you say that?"
"It's simple. On what grounds does Chris Dane have the authority to break the law?" Gal Gadot's eyes turned towards Murphy, knowing this film's theme was among the deepest of any commercial movie. "I believe this is one of the layers Murphy wants to convey."
Margot Robbie still didn't understand and continued to ask, "Chris Dane is fighting crime. His appearance is to save New York from chaos and darkness, right? Isn't he a symbol of justice, a vigilante for New York?"
"Dear, I studied law in college. There's no such thing as a vigilante in law!" Gal Gadot said seriously. "Should an individual, even someone like Chris Dane, be above the law?"
"Uh…"
Although she hadn't formally studied law, Margot Robbie knew some basic facts. Officially, no individual or group should be above the law.
As they discussed, Murphy's voice rang out, signaling the crew to start filming again.
Christoph Waltz was already standing with Henry Cavill in front of a green screen.
Murphy and Philip LaSalle each operated an IMAX camera, filming from a forty-five-degree angle without interfering with each other, capturing the dialogue between Christoph Waltz as Sheriff Lynch and Henry Cavill as Chris Dane.
Standing before the green screen, Henry Cavill said to Christoph Waltz, "Beautiful, isn't it?"
Christoph Waltz looked puzzled and asked, "What is this?"
"This is a high-frequency transmitter receiver," Henry Cavill explained seriously. "One of the devices left by Reiner's organization in New York. It can turn every phone in New York into a speaker!"
"Beautiful," Christoph Waltz, playing a cop, said coldly, "But unethical and dangerous."
He looked very serious. "With half the phones as your sonar source, you could monitor all of New York. This is wrong."
"Lynch!" Henry Cavill slowly clenched his Kevlar-gloved hands, "I must find that man, the Magician!"
"But at what cost?" Christoph Waltz asked worriedly.
Being a realist, he knew that police and law could hardly restrain someone like Chris Dane. Once Chris crossed his own moral line, he could become as dangerous as Reiner and the Magician.
Henry Cavill remained silent, not answering him. Chris Dane had no time to discuss these moral and democratic issues now.
After a moment, he said, "I'm doing this to restore peace to the city."
Christoph Waltz still frowned, "This power is too great for one person."
Not far away, Gal Gadot and Margot Robbie had been watching the filming, nodding in agreement with Christoph Waltz's lines. In the real world, if someone could listen to everything through such a device, it would be terrifying.
Sitting behind the director's monitor, Murphy thought about another matter. This country was far less democratic than it claimed, with surveillance levels like PRISM and all...
He shook his head and refocused on the filming.
Henry Cavill stared at Christoph Waltz. "I've found the Magician's location. I need you to give me some time!"
"Where?" Christoph Waltz asked.
"Follow the signal," Henry Cavill didn't answer directly, tossing a receiver to Christoph Waltz. "Where I last stayed is where the Magician is!"
Henry Cavill turned and walked away. Just as Christoph Waltz was about to ask how to handle the surveillance device, Henry pressed a transmitter button.
But since they were standing in front of a green screen, nothing actually happened. These effects would be added in post-production.
"Cut!" Murphy stood up from behind the camera and shouted, "That's a wrap. Reset everything. Ten-minute break. We'll shoot again in ten minutes."
He then turned to Philip LaSalle and said, "According to the plan, close-up shots next!"
Since IMAX only provided two IMAX cameras, during the earlier shoot, Murphy and Philip LaSalle had to use their cameras for capturing wide-angle shots, leaving no room for close-ups due to equipment limitations. The best solution was to shoot multiple times.
This was unavoidable. Despite the many IMAX cameras available, Murphy was using MSM 9802 film cameras, of which there were only four globally. The other two were in use by other crews, so these two were the most IMAX could provide.
The MSM 9802 film IMAX camera is the most commonly used in Hollywood, employed in films like Transformers 2, Mission Impossible 4, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Star Trek, The Hunger Games, Interstellar, Star Wars 7, and Batman v Superman, among others.
However, this camera can only shoot in 2D. If a film shot with it is in 3D, it's a post-production conversion.
Previously, IMAX cameras were built on film technology, but with continuous development, digital versions are now available.
IMAX recently introduced the Phantom 65, a 3D digital IMAX camera used in films like Transformers 3.
This camera is more convenient than traditional IMAX film cameras, but Murphy, aiming for his goals, chose to shoot on film, foregoing the more advanced Phantom 65.
As the soul of the crew, Murphy's use of IMAX cameras in this film was more frequent and in-depth compared to "Chaos City." "Dark City" would be the film with the most IMAX footage to date. After Fox added another $20 million to the budget, he increased the proportion of IMAX shots to 65-70%.
With substantial funding, IMAX provided strong technical support. These heavy cameras were handcrafted, each with unique characteristics, though they all conformed to a standard format, and all parts were interchangeable.
Each IMAX camera came with its own set of prime lenses, ranging from 40mm to 250mm. Many lenses had 65mm adapters and Hasselblad camera lenses with T2.8 apertures, ensuring focus wasn't easily disrupted.
Focusing an IMAX camera is quite troublesome. During some shots, Philip LaSalle couldn't manually focus and had to use a torque motor-equipped remote focus controller.
During preparation, based on previous technical experience, Murphy had specific requirements for the IMAX cameras. IMAX engineers modified some lenses and created a new viewfinder.
The engineers replaced the mechanical IMAX components in the 80mm lens with a Panavision converter, and redesigned the lens head for a mechanical aperture device.
The 50mm T2.5 lens was altered differently, with the majority of its elements placed in a new barrel, transforming it into a more stable lens converter.
Additionally, they made a custom 50mm T2 lens based on reverse telephoto principles.
These are the foundations of filming; without excellent equipment, the best ideas remain in the director's head and on paper.
Removing the green screen and adjusting the camera positions, Murphy and Philip LaSalle each operated an IMAX camera to begin shooting the close-up shots.
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