Made in Hollywood

"Where have you been this month?"

In Duke's studio, Duke looked at Heath Ledger, who was sitting across from his desk, "If it wasn't for your manager Mara Buxburgh keeping in touch with the crew, I would have thought you disappeared out of thin air. "

"I... um, I..." Heath Rhys subconsciously swallowed, "I locked myself in a hotel room and studied the role of the clown."

Hearing what Heath Ledger said, Duke couldn't help raising his eyebrows. He has always admired people who work hard.

Taking a closer look at the young Australian actor, Duke saw that Heath Ledger had clearly changed since the last time the two met.

He was more silent than before. It seemed that he had not had a good rest recently. He looked a little haggard. As long as he paid a little attention, he could find the thick dark circles under his eyes.

"What have you done?" Duke frowned slightly.

Heath Ledger worked hard, but he also didn't want to see the actors he chose to wear down before the filming started.

"I...I read all the comics about clowns, then locked myself in a hotel room for a month, wrote a diary, tried different laughter, and finally got myself into a psychopath..."

Heath Ledger showed an awkward smile no matter how he looked at it, "Since last week, I've only been able to sleep for two hours a night, thinking about it all night and exhausting my body."

Seeing Duke's frowning even tighter, he immediately said, "Don't worry, Duke. I'm very clear-headed, and I know where my limits are."

Sighing lightly, Duke stood up and walked to the opposite side, patted Heath Ledger on the shoulder, "Take a break for yourself and relax. If you have a girlfriend, you'd better go to the Caribbean or Hawaii for a vacation together. , wait for my notice."

Heath Ledger seemed to want to say something, but Duke raised his hand to stop him, "That's it, you don't have to rush into the crew."

involves personal privacy. Duke couldn't say more, so he had to adjust Heath Ledger's state in this way.

From a business point of view, the death of Heath Ledger is only good for The Dark Knight. Hollywood has proven countless times that a dead star can contribute more to the film than living.

But after all, people are not business machines. Even a person with a heart like Duke, who sees a person who works so hard may disappear. There is inevitably a bit of compassion.

However, for a person who has been addicted to drugs for a long time, the choice of future fate can only be in his own hands.

Duke left Duke Studios after Heath Ledger left, and he went to Warner Studios to see another actor. Christian Bale is training in the studio's training hall.

Although this is the second time Christian Bale has worn a "Batman" bodysuit, he still has to do some special training for the character because "Batman" is in this episode. With many new features, some overly strong abilities have been weakened. And some abilities have also been proportionally improved.

What needs special training is not only the newly added elements, but also the re-consolidation of some of the original skills. It can be said that Jimmy Carter knows Christian Bale very well. The two have a tacit understanding of cooperation. In addition, the crew used the two stunt doubles from the previous movie. They were quite familiar with Bell, and even the way he swayed his arms when he walked was not bad at all...

It is precisely because of such close cooperation that everything goes so smoothly.

After the training, Christian Bale took the initiative to find him.

"I've never been so right now that I decided to be a superhero," he said, standing next to Duke, seemingly emotional, "If 'The Dark Knight' was amazing to me, then 'The Dark Knight' The script just blew me away.”

Christian Bale looked here curiously, "Duke, how on earth did you come up with such a setting?"

"It's just to restore the essence of comics." Duke said lightly, "Most of them are the creativity of comics."

Shaking his head, Christian Bale obviously didn't believe Duke's words, and said, "I'm afraid I'm the first superhero to lose to the villain."

Batman won the battle against the Joker personally, but lost Gotham's battle for the soul.

Duke was about to leave the training hall and went to the studio next to him to take a look. Before leaving, he said, "I just met Heath Ledger, his state... um, how can I put it, it's terrifying. You have to work hard, Show your best state, otherwise with the script and character settings, you will be overwhelmed."

Christian Bale nodded solemnly, "I will."

Due to the innate advantages set by the script, if Heath Ledger showed a 100% state, then Christian Bale might not be able to balance the two characters even if he showed a 120% state.

It's not the difference in acting between the two actors, it's the difference in the roles.

Entering the studio that was divided into many small workshops, Duke went to the office where the pyrotechnic team was located, where Joss Williams was already waiting.

During the shooting, there will be a lot of gunfights and explosions, because to match the style of the film, all the explosions must be shot on the spot, and they can't be as exaggerated as Duke's early style.

"I think explosives should be dropped."

The two discussed the most important explosion scene in the film, the explosion that led directly to the birth of Two-Face, Duke said to Joss Williams, "As the script says, try to use a few bullets and some gasoline to Create an explosion."

Joss Williams folded his chest in one hand and raised his chin in the other, "If you use a model to shoot, there is a certain uncertainty in the explosion of gasoline."

"Definitely shot with a model," Duke said as succinctly as possible. "Green screen shot, explosion added later."

"Give me some time and let the props team make a few more models." Joss Williams frowned slowly, then let go, "I need to do more experiments, I'll definitely be able to solve it."

"Then I'll wait for your good news."

Duke has always had confidence in his pyrotechnic group.

Similarly, he was always at ease with his photography team, but he still went to the open-air studio outside. John Schwartzman was bringing a few camera assistants and, with the assistance of IMAX's technical engineers, familiarized himself with the equipment and Take some test shots.

The two IMAX cameras are set up in the open-air studio, which are several times larger and heavier than the cameras used in Hollywood. The increase in weight and volume also means that the operation will be more cumbersome and inconvenient.

Standing next to an IMAX camera, Duke tried some manipulations. After standing up, he said to John Schwartzman, "I need to use the IMAX camera to shoot those shots that have impact."

Taking a circle around the IMAX cameras, Duke added, "Like the Batman chasing scene on the Batmobile."

"We used to strap the camera to the front of the car to shoot."

As soon as John Schwartzman finished speaking, Duke tapped the IMAX camera and said, "John, is it possible to strap this big guy to the Batmobile or Batmobile and shoot?"

Staring at the camera for a while, John Schwartzman thought about it for a few seconds and said, "The current Batmobile and Batmobile are not good, they need to be specially modified."

Duke immediately made a decision, "Then contact Lamborghini for reconstruction."

"Wait, John, Duke, wait."

The people at IMAX have been paying attention to the two of them. Duke and John Schwartzman's voices are not low. All fell into the ears of Richard Gelfand, the head of IMAX's crew. He walked over quickly, "I think your proposal is too risky, and it is likely to damage the equipment."

Duke couldn't help frowning slightly, "Richard, if you want to show the advantages of IMAX technology, you need to build a good enough scene."

The other party seemed to want to say something, but Duke didn't give him a chance at all and said directly, "If the equipment is damaged, the crew will compensate according to the price."

Richard Gelfand opened his mouth and closed it again.

IMAX cameras are expensive, but not so expensive that a $150 million crew can't afford it.

Although IMAX provides free equipment for shooting, Duke is not polite to use it. IMAX has always adhered to the principle of only renting and not selling.

Afterwards, Duke and John? Schwartzman left the open-air set to go to Lamborghini's representatives on the crew to discuss matters such as remodeling the Batmobile.

Many similar problems can always be found in the early preparations. This is a stage to solve the problem. The more problems encountered at this stage, the less trouble there will be in the later shooting.

From equipment to props, from actors to costumes, from shooting plans to storyboard artwork, Duke will participate in and review every preparatory work, and will also know the progress of the entire preparatory work.

Warner Bros. also gave him the maximum support. Except for the necessary financial problems, he basically delegated power to Duke and Charles Rowan.

Time is slowly entering September, and preparations for "The Dark Knight" continue, and there is still a long way to go before the filming starts. In addition to the busy preparatory work, Duke also goes to Marvel Studios from time to time. Two planned new films, "The Hulk" and "Captain America," have also entered the preparatory stage.

Unlike Duke's preparations, the new project invested by David Ellison on Washington Square in New York has entered the end of the filming. This young rich man with ambition and capital did not give up easily. The Hollywood Road, after the failure of "Air Combat Hero", once again raised huge sums of money to start a new project.

Standing in the middle of Washington Square, he looked at the black actor with the sharp, striking ears leading the dog in front of the camera, convinced that he would succeed this time. (To be continued ~^~)

PS:   Ask for monthly and recommended tickets!