After adjusting the camera, the other departments of the crew were ready, and Murphy immediately announced the start of filming. Just like the previous shoots, he continued to operate one of the IMAX cameras himself. However, this time it was not for wide shots but for close-ups of Henry Cavill.
As with previous films, close-up shots are a common technique to shape a character.
This was the crucial moment before Chris Dane's final showdown with the Magician, and Murphy was sure to give Henry Cavill plenty of close-up shots.
Though not a professional cinematographer, Murphy, as a director for many years, had unique insights into cinematography. Especially for important close-up shots, with several of Philip LaSalle's key assistants having jumped ship, the newly hired cinematographers needed time to adapt, not to mention their capabilities. Thus, whenever there were extremely important scenes, Murphy would personally handle the camera, in addition to LaSalle operating one IMAX camera.
Operating an IMAX camera is more cumbersome than a regular one, but Murphy knew that to be a good cinematographer, one first needed to understand light, not just the camera itself. Operating the camera is relatively straightforward; doing a standard operation is easy, but doing a non-standard operation is more challenging.
Just like directors, most cinematographers have their own styles and preferences. Some may love black and white, looking for things in the grayscale, and enjoying the depth of color changes. These preferences can change daily. Others may have different inclinations. The key is to deeply feel and present their own visual style.
This is also a significant reason why Murphy chose to film these scenes himself.
Close-ups are one of the basic shots in film, always used to showcase details. Different close-up shots have specific meanings and unique effects.
Filming quickly began. Murphy, following the planned shooting schedule, started with a standard close-up of Henry Cavill. Due to Cavill wearing a mask, the focal point of the close-up was not his eyes but his mouth.
Murphy skillfully maneuvered the camera to fill the frame with Cavill's face, but instead of placing him in the center, he used the rule of thirds for composition.
After capturing the desired frame, he slightly adjusted the camera to position Cavill's face in the center. When shown on the big screen, this shot would depict the protagonist Chris Dane directly looking at the audience.
With this shot, Murphy intended to present a protagonist who remains calm and composed amidst a tense situation—an excellent use of close-up shots.
Murphy continued to adjust the camera, making Henry Cavill's gaze slightly deviate from the lens. However, the reflection on the black Kevlar helmet created a one-point perspective composition with Chris Dane as the focus. He used this close-up shot to make Chris Dane's search for the Magician and his conversation with Sheriff Lynch more gripping.
Even while filming close-ups, Murphy didn't stick to one method. He employed different techniques for different moments, slightly pulling the camera back to widen the frame, capturing from Cavill's shoulders to the top of his head. This was the widest close-up he would use.
Then Murphy zoomed the camera back in, returning to the standard close-up.
In post-production editing, these medium close-up shots would serve as a transition between wide shots and standard close-ups, making the internal tension of the scene palpable.
Murphy borrowed this technique from George Lucas in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace." Although fans were disappointed with the prequel series, they unanimously agreed that Darth Maul was a formidable character. One of the film's best shots was a close-up of Darth Maul with a slight zoom, right after his duel with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn. This composition heightened Darth Maul's intimidating presence.
Moreover, while planning the shooting schedule, Murphy reviewed Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." In the film, when Jack Torrance breaks through the door with an axe and peers through the opening, the close-up captures his sinister expression as he delivers one of cinema's most famous lines: "Here's Johnny!"
This shot was perfect for drawing viewers into the film's space, pushing the sense of horror to its peak.
Murphy then changed the angle again, turning the shot into a typical extreme close-up. This focused primarily on Cavill's mouth as he spoke and his resolute eyes, although most of the time, the extreme close-up captured Cavill's determined gaze.
In post-production, these close-ups would be intercut with Christoph Waltz's shots, easily establishing a connection between the characters and effectively enhancing the dramatic tension.
In front of the camera, Henry Cavill finished his dialogue with Christoph Waltz and turned to walk away. Murphy adjusted the camera to follow in close-up, using the character's movement to create a pull-out effect.
Murphy used a very wide-angle lens to reduce the standard close-up's framing, but he combined the wide-angle and close-up to convey richer visual information.
Ultimately, it all depended on using the right visual language at the right moment to aid the narrative.
As Cavill walked out of the set, Murphy finished the shot, stood up from behind the camera, and said, "Good! That's a wrap!"
He then turned to Henry Cavill and Christoph Waltz, saying, "Henry, Chris, you both did great!"
As usual, Murphy provided more encouragement than criticism during filming.
Looking at the time, Murphy added, "That's it for today!"
He handed over the remaining work to assistant director Michelle Williams and, accompanied by public relations personnel from 20th Century Fox and IMAX, walked to the temporary press hall on the outermost edge of the set.
According to the plan made last week, Murphy was to participate in a joint media interview to support the film's promotional campaign.
In addition to viral marketing, 20th Century Fox didn't neglect conventional promotional methods. "Dark City" was still the Hollywood film with the most IMAX footage, and IMAX was also leveraging its resources to promote the movie.
The joint interview mainly revolved around IMAX technology.
"Director Stanton…"
As the interview began, likely prompted by IMAX, a bespectacled reporter eagerly asked, "You've used IMAX cameras several times in your projects. Do you really like this technology?"
"I especially love shooting with IMAX cameras,"
Facing the reporter's recorder, Murphy unhesitatingly recited his prepared answer, "Because it can enlarge and widen the frame, maximizing the scale. In 'Chaos City' and other films, I've already experienced its extraordinary power. Through continuous learning and research, our techniques have matured, with exposure index and other aspects better serving the film. Constant technological updates have improved our shooting standards."
Today, a film heavily using IMAX cameras was already a selling point. These remarks were also part of the promotion.
"Murphy…" another middle-aged reporter continued, "Can IMAX technology effectively enhance the audience's viewing experience?"
"Yes! Without a doubt!"
Murphy first confirmed this view, then elaborated, "In terms of picture and sound quality, IMAX technology provides an immersive viewing experience. The format and clarity of the picture create a vast, immersive feeling before the audience's eyes, combined with high-fidelity surround sound. It's hard not to get lost in it. We spent three months with Sony Electronics and IMAX reconfiguring the camera viewfinder and improving the lenses. Even in low-light environments, we could capture extremely high-quality images. All these improvements achieved details we couldn't in the previous two films."
However, during filming, the cumbersome Phantom 65 IMAX cameras caused many problems for Philip LaSalle and his team. Mounting these hefty devices on filming vehicles and cranes was challenging. The crew had to re-cut and weld the cranes to secure these bulky machines more firmly.
When shooting ground scenes in the studio, as the filming vehicle couldn't enter, the crew placed thick aluminum plates on mini mobile tracks, creating a level platform for the Phantom 65 IMAX cameras.
For all scenes shot with IMAX cameras, Murphy required dual-camera shooting. Three technicians from IMAX assigned to the crew ensured at least two were present on set to assist LaSalle's team with high-difficulty shots and temporary repairs, ensuring smooth production.
Overall, in terms of loading film, running film, and operability, the Phantom 65 IMAX camera wasn't much different from other cameras. However, many unexpected issues arose when changing film, leading to card faults. If card problems were severe, the Phantom 65 IMAX camera had to be sent to IMAX's Los Angeles workshop for professional disassembly and repair.
To some extent, these heavy devices were more fragile than regular cameras. With only a limited number of IMAX cameras worldwide, if both Phantom 65 IMAX cameras malfunctioned, Murphy would either have to halt filming or switch to standard film cameras.
In Murphy's hands, the Phantom 65 IMAX cameras were primarily used for action, wide, and impactful shots, while other scenes were mainly filmed with standard digital cameras.
Even today, IMAX cameras remain extremely costly. Using them exclusively throughout the shoot was neither practical nor affordable.
With this interview published, 20th Century Fox also pushed another round of viral marketing.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]