Right after Thanksgiving, Murphy simultaneously released the main poster for "Dark City" on his Twitter and Facebook. The poster depicted Chris Dane standing under a dark sky, with smoke rising from Manhattan in the background. The world financial center appeared not vibrant, but rather cold and desolate.
In the following days, official posters for the Magician and Jay Rachel were also released, causing quite a stir among fans.
However, Murphy wasn't focusing on these reactions; the post-production work for "Dark City" was incredibly hectic.
After spending a significant amount of time, Murphy and Jody Griffiths finally completed the second version of the film's rough cut. This version was over 240 minutes long, far from Murphy's desired 150 minutes. There was still a lot of work to be done in the fine-tuning process.
A great film is always the result of meticulous editing.
As the number of times Murphy watched the film and its scenes increased during editing, he also identified flaws in some of his initial ideas. Filmmaking is always like this; what one initially envisions is not necessarily the best.
As the fine-tuning process began, he planned to adjust the very first shot of the film.
"Jody, adjust the first shot."
Standing in front of the monitor, Murphy watched the segment and told his editor, "I want the first shot to focus on the protagonist."
"Chris Dane?" Jody Griffiths asked, puzzled. "Or the Magician?"
"James' character!" Murphy said without hesitation. "The Magician is the main character of this film."
Jody Griffiths nodded and personally adjusted the shot according to Murphy's request. The film's first shot was changed to a back view of James Franco, with the camera moving from a distance to a close-up, with a brief 0.5-second freeze frame at the end.
While the audience might not initially know this is the Magician, they will realize it later.
Starting the film with a shot of the protagonist can immediately draw the audience into the movie, making them face the protagonist from the beginning and enhancing their immersion.
Moreover, focusing on the protagonist at the start helps the natural unfolding of the story.
Murphy used an almost static shot to showcase James Franco's character. In the editing composition, he deliberately placed the protagonist on the left side of the frame. In the indistinct black and white lighting, this unique back view highlighted the character's unruly nature, setting a dark and frenzied tone for the film.
Just like with the opening shot, if Murphy believed something could be better, he would unhesitatingly adjust the rough cut version.
Aside from editing, another aspect of Murphy's work was handling some of the film's special effects shots.
In this film, he incorporated many explosion scenes. For specific purposes, most of the special effects relied on traditional methods combined with post-production editing, rather than the more commonly used CGI.
Many shots were completed using real models, such as the car chase scenes shot in Manhattan. Besides live-action shooting, some high-difficulty shots that were hard to achieve used now outdated model special effects techniques. Although this made the stunt costs very high, the results looked incredibly realistic and impressive.
This is one reason why Murphy was willing to use such outdated techniques. In terms of finished special effects, "Dark City" was impeccable. The scene where the Magician blows up the hospital was shot on location, but Murphy also had the special effects team create a 1:80 scale model of the hospital to fill in gaps from the explosion and shooting.
Such traditional special effects production could still make the audience feel the film's impact. Murphy used many close-up shots to depict the villain, the Magician, even more than the rightful protagonist, Chris Dane, to ensure the Joker's twisted and frenzied image remained etched in the audience's memory.
In recent years, there had been few characters on the screen similar to the Magician, whether in North America or overseas. During the fine-tuning process, Murphy particularly focused on shaping this character. Using many close-ups would give the audience a sense of oppression and further convey the Magician's evil aura.
Of course, Murphy's consistent editing style would ensure the film had no dull moments, using a tight pace and perfect character portrayal to drive a box office miracle.
The film had many scene changes and utilized a lot of lighting. Murphy wouldn't neglect Chris Dane, who, as the main character, always appeared as a man in need of shadow contrast when in his Dark Knight identity.
As for the music, Hans Zimmer was undeniably a master of commercial scores. Increasingly more soundtrack samples were being sent to the Fox Tower studio. The powerful horn sounds and tight rhythms created a dark and grand atmosphere.
All of this greatly satisfied Murphy.
Moreover, Hans Zimmer wasn't just a master of scoring; he also understood commercial operations.
"Being the composer for 'Dark City' and working with a talented and great director like Murphy Stanton is an immense joy and honor. He is a wise director who listens to others' opinions and welcomes various perspectives."
In an interview, Hans Zimmer did not hold back his praise. "We work together to create a great film. We want to be amazed and surprised, but we also aim to resonate strongly with the audience. No matter how grand the scenes, Murphy's primary focus is always on the story itself. Anyone who has seen his previous films can understand his dedication."
It was clear that hiring Hans Zimmer for a high fee was worth every penny.
By December, as the fine-tuning process was nearing completion, Murphy considered making the first trailer for "Dark City." Hans Zimmer also returned to the Fox Tower studio to assist with this part of the work.
According to their contract, Hans Zimmer needed to provide an outstanding score for the trailer.
This was an essential part of the trailer production.
All commercial directors understand that the trailer's ability to attract viewers heavily relies on its music, accounting for over thirty percent of its impact.
A stylish melody with rich rhythm changes is the core of an action movie trailer. No matter how skilled the trailer editing is, if the music is mediocre, the trailer will appear mediocre. If the music is top-notch and well-edited, even a slightly rough cut can be overlooked.
Music is the most direct element that evokes "feelings." A two-minute piece of music contains massive emotional flow, capable of making the audience feel "excited," "moved," "in love," "disillusioned," "philosophical," "religious," "tense," "scared," "oppressed," and other emotions without a single word spoken. These abstract themes can be further divided into countless specific images.
Meanwhile, images and dialogues can only present scattered "information" in the trailer's brief two-minute runtime.
Therefore, the trailer's score is crucial.
While the score is important, editing cannot be neglected. After Hans Zimmer completed the trailer's composition, Murphy ensured the ordinary shots were not cut to the rhythm, reserving that alignment for key shots.
Why is this? Cutting all shots to the rhythm firstly feels rigid, secondly, it makes it look like a music video, and thirdly, the most crucial point, if every shot hits the beat, when it comes to the standout or emphasized shots, the impact diminishes, failing to deliver the desired effect.
Another important aspect is creating highs and lows in the trailer. Before a climax, Murphy would lower the intensity, making the climax more powerful by stopping the music before a significant action like shooting or an explosion, then delivering the action after a brief silence.
This method enhances the impact of the climax by creating a contrast in energy, strengthening the trailer's effect.
As the post-production of the film progressed step by step, the release date in May 2013 drew nearer. 20th Century Fox intensified its promotion for "Dark City," continuously releasing related posters and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Key figures like Murphy, Margot Robbie, and James Franco frequently appeared in the media, generating buzz among fans.
Meanwhile, the "viral marketing" on the internet never ceased.
During Thanksgiving, the film's official website and Murphy's Twitter account launched a nationwide word puzzle game. The game required participants to click on links to find city names and clues, take pictures of the letters they found, and upload them to the website. When all 49 letters spread across 21 cities in the US were found, they formed a complete sentence.
This innovative online-offline interactive activity immediately attracted many participants. Soon, the sentence "The way to survive in this world is to be lawless" was pieced together, and "Dark City" gained significant fame from this first wave of interactive marketing.
The enthusiastic response to the activity provided valuable experience and confidence for 20th Century Fox's subsequent offline activities. They soon planned a Magician imitation contest, a global gift hunt, and a Chris Dane supporter building lighting ceremony, all of which achieved notable success.
As commented by The Hollywood Reporter, "Dark City" successfully maximized its promotional impact through a combination of online and offline activities, providing an excellent example for future viral marketing campaigns for other films.
Such publicity attracted a lot of attention, including that of Archbishop Marques Costello.
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