Rhapsody of Entertainment Rebirth

The movie "Joker" means a lot to Heath Ledger.

This role lasted almost his whole life.

There are nightmares and shadows, friendship and redemption, relief and expectations. The clown has brought him too many changes.

Since Shanhe told him that he was going to start this movie, Heath Ledger often recalled every life journey he had gone through in the past thirty years, as well as everyone around him.

When he was young, his parents' quarrels and divorce brought fear to him. When he was scared, he could only hide in bed and read comics, and the character in the comic books that impressed him the most was the clown.

When he was a teenager, he first participated in the TV movie "Hustle", and fatefully played a clown in the film who was not included in the cast. This seemed to mean that his future would be entangled with this character.

After coming to Hollywood, his career as an actor has been smooth sailing. Starting from "Look Here", films such as "Knights of the Cross" and "Lords of Dogtown" have brought him praise and reputation.

Then, "Brokeback Mountain" became a turning point in his life. This movie not only brought him career success, but also gave him his own love, family and daughter.

At that time, his life was full of happiness and light, and he thought that his life would continue at this pace.

But the clown in his destiny appeared, and he took over the role that left a deep impression on him when he was young.

And nightmares and shadows also came. As he continued to enter the role, the shadows and fears of childhood broke out.

He had doubts and uncertainties about his future and life, and he had huge doubts about whether he could bring happiness to his wife and daughter.

He repeatedly becomes anxious about characters and shadow fears, sinking deeper and deeper into them!

Then, his wife left with her daughter, and he faced a double collapse in his heart and life.

Once a person falls into a knot of thinking and psychology, it is difficult to escape, and he is helpless.

Just when he was on the verge of collapse, Qiu appeared!

He used a story about the birth of a clown to help him find the thread to untie the knot.

He finally woke up from the nightmare and fear and found his family and daughter.

Now, this story is finally going to be shot. Heath Ledger sees this movie as an explanation for his past life. He needs to say "goodbye" to the Joker.

After this movie, the Joker will leave his life forever, and his heart will no longer have any intersection with this character!

Therefore, Heath Ledger prepared a lot for "Joker". He told his wife all his ideas and convinced his wife and family.

In order to say a perfect goodbye to the clown, he not only lost nearly forty pounds in three months, but also lived in the Los Angeles ghetto for a month.

The life of the character Arthur has become flesh and blood in his mind, with full outlines.

When Shanhe chose the "Clown Staircase" as the starting scene for filming, his impulse to interpret the character was overwhelming.

While the crew was still setting up camera equipment and arranging exterior scenes, Heath Ledger began to repeatedly walk up and down this narrow and depressing street staircase.

As he walked up and down over and over again, he seemed to have become the Arthur who climbed up hard and released wildly down.

Everything was ready, and the dark New York sky just met the light requirements. Shanhe did not have any communication or guidance with Heath Ledger before filming started.

He knew that no one in the entire crew knew and experienced the role of the Joker better than Heath Ledger!

"Ready, action!"

At Shanhe's order, the entire crew followed Heath Ledger closely with three sets of cameras to start shooting the first movie scene.

As soon as the camera started, Heath Ledger showed an amazing state. In the camera, he was wearing an old suit and climbing up the steps. His thin back was full of exhaustion and depression.

Just as Shanhe requested, the entire crew followed Heath Ledger to serve him. His performance directly determined the progress and efficiency of the filming.

Shanhe knew in advance that Heath Ledger had an extraordinary compatibility with the role of the Joker.

But Heath Ledger's performance on the scene still surprised him. Heath Ledger had just turned on the film and this role was played by Heath Ledger.

"cut!"

After Shanhe paused, he looked at the camera with his eyebrows furrowed and lost in thought.

Heath Ledger's performance was perfect, but the entire crew couldn't keep up with his rhythm, and the scenes in the camera still felt a bit boring.

"Qiu, what's the problem?"

Heath Ledger walked up to Shan He and asked,

"I feel great!"

Shanhe came back to his senses, looked at the thin and melancholy Heath Ledger and replied:

"Your performance is excellent, but the photography and lighting are a bit uninteresting. Come and take a look!"

Heath Ledger leaned in front of the camera and watched the footage,

"Qiu, I feel very good. We can try more. The crew needs to find the best emotional entry point!"

Lawrence Schell on the side also said: "Qiu, I think it's a problem with the light. We need to wait until it gets darker!"

"OK!"

Shanhe nodded and said to Heath Ledger:

"Heath, you are in perfect condition. I need you to keep it up. We may need to test this scenario again and again!"

"I'm OK!"

…

From afternoon to evening, the crew kept filming this scene repeatedly until the street lights on both sides of the stairs came on.

The entire lens finally met Shanhe's requirements.

Gray old walls, gray iron railings, dim light, cramped space, the lens is filled with cold blue and gray colors, and Arthur's upward steps are full of helplessness and depression.

The warm-colored streetlights on both sides of the stairs give the whole picture a strong contrast between warm and cold, making the world in the picture vivid, and Arthur is made even more tired and weak.

Arthur wants to live like ordinary people and have love, career and happiness. He has flaws, but he also has aspirations and dreams. Unfortunately, there is too little light in this world and he will not be given any chance.

Through repeated shooting tests throughout the afternoon, Shanhe and the entire crew determined one thing:

The strong contrast between warm and cold tones is the biggest feature of this movie.

Through the contrast of light and dark, cold and warm, the character's heart and situation are shown, thereby driving the development of the plot.

"Cut! This shot has passed!"

Shanhe stood up, waved to the crew and said:

"That's it for today. Let's call it a day and rest. We'll continue tomorrow!"

That night, several core members of the crew, including Shan He, Lawrence Sher, Heath Ledger and the lighting engineer, were not idle.

They began to review and discuss today’s shooting scenes.

Until late at night, several people determined the two shots taken on the first day:

The first is a panning shot, where the camera turns from the busy street to directly reveal the staircase scene.

In the picture, Arthur was hunched over, climbing the stairs very tiredly and with difficulty.

This staircase is undoubtedly a concrete scene of Arthur's real-life dilemma.

Movies are like this. They cannot be described in words, or even have language. Instead, they make everything abstract and concrete.

The telephoto lens used here works great. Telephoto can compress the space and bring the foreground and background closer together.

Arthur in the picture feels like he was photographed on this staircase. Moreover, the compression of space also makes the stairs appear steeper, which further highlights the difficulty of climbing stairs.

At the same time, the stairs occupy the entire picture, and the full composition always conveys a sense of depression to the audience.

The camera then pans up to reveal the entire staircase.

Shanhe pays attention to the order. It starts with a busy street and Arthur is among the crowd.

The camera panned over, and the clown was left alone, facing the stairs coming towards him.

This is Arthur's only way home, and this scene is enough to pave the way for the next plot.

Most people go home to relieve stress and enter a warm haven. When Arthur returns home, he enters loneliness, high pressure, hardship, isolation and pain.

Finally the camera pans up to reveal the length and height of the staircase.

Heath Ledger's performance is amazing, and his body language conveys one thing to the audience:

Arthur's life will be a tragedy.

The second shot is a wide-angle shot of the street lights lighting up. Several people like this shot very much!

The wide-angle lens enlarges the entire field of view, making the entire steps more narrow and oppressive.

The strong contrast between warm and cold tones makes the picture full of life.

It connects with Arthur's gloomy life in the previous step shot, which is the beginning of the movie.

And this scene is the plot development stage of the movie. Arthur's life has some warm colors because of the hallucination of the female neighbor.

And these warm colors look insignificant among the gray and darkness, and cannot possibly illuminate the entire staircase!

False hope will make Arthur fall faster.

He was one step closer to complete collapse.

Several people used these two shots as a standard and made some changes to the subsequent shooting plan.

That's how it is with filmmaking. No matter how perfect your preparations are, adjustments and changes based on various actual situations along the way are essential.

The next day, still at the "Joker Steps", Heath Ledger put on makeup and transformed into the long-lost clown.

Pale white cheeks, blue star-shaped eyes, bright red grinning mouth, plus a bright red suit and yellow shirt.

The whole clown is full of warm colors! It has the same cold and warm contrast effect as the street lights last night.

The whole picture is very vivid!

Heath Ledger's performance amazed the entire cast.

The perverted but charming clown in "The Dark Knight" appears on camera again.

With red nose makeup on his face and a bright red suit, he danced a winner's dance in the bright sunshine.

Heath Ledger's dance was stunning. It was the Joker's sacrificial dance to Arthur, and it was also Heath Ledger's sacrificial dance to the Joker!

Crazy and chaotic, but extremely elegant!

He even used the puddle on the stairs as a prop for improvisation. The splashing of water made the scene even more crazy and tense.

The disguised Arthur dies, and the real Joker comes online.

Shanhe used elevated slow motion for this dance and carnival scene, adding an artistic sense of ritual to the scene.

Unlike yesterday's repeated tests, this scene was shot in less than half an hour.

Several scenes passed by in one shot, and Heath Ledger's performance was flawless.

When Shanhe announced that the "Joker's Steps" scene was completed, all departments in the crew couldn't help but applaud Heath Ledger's stunning performance.

Shanhe was even a little worried about his friend's mental condition. His performance was so smooth and smooth, and the clown seemed to be reborn in reality.

"Heath, I have to make sure you're in good shape. You know, we're making this movie to say goodbye, not to remember you!"

"I am fine!"

Heath Ledger looked at the mountains and rivers, suddenly gave his friend a hug, and whispered in his ear,

"I'm just saying goodbye, Qiu. I feel more relaxed and better than ever before. Let's have a perfect farewell ceremony with "Joker"!"

Shanhe pushed Heath Ledger away, looked directly into his eyes under the clown costume, and confirmed his mental state at this time.

"Okay! Your performance is indeed perfect, but I still suggest that Michelle and Xiao Ma Shoe come to visit the class once a week!"

"Thank you, my friend, I accept your suggestion, but I don't want them to see my clown costume!"

"OK! I will arrange it!"

…

Heath Ledger's perfect condition inspired the entire crew. In just one week, the crew basically completed the adjustment.

The Newark city government was very supportive of the filming and even restricted traffic for half a day for the film's location shooting.

The filming of "Joker" is on schedule, and the time, place and people are all ready.

Director Shan He has an entire movie in mind;

The core actor Heath Ledger is in great form;

The crew is luxuriously equipped and has completed the running-in period;

Coupled with the full support of Warner Bros. and the city of Newark, the "Joker" crew moved forward at an atypical speed just one week after filming started.

During this period, Robert De Niro, George Clooney and Zoe Saldana, who joined the cast one after another, were all shocked by Heath Ledger's performance.

Facing Heath Ledger who was in great condition, several people were suppressed to varying degrees.

Especially Zoe Saldana, who was brought into the play by Heath Ledger almost the whole time.

She even sighed to the mountains and rivers:

"Qiu, is Heath going to take me to win the Oscar? I have never seen such a crazy and genius performance. It's amazing!"

The filming plan for "Joker" went unexpectedly smoothly due to the star's outburst, and Shanhe completely forgot about buying a private jet.

By the way, since Shanhe revealed his intention to purchase a private jet, several major private jet manufacturers in the world have rushed to send Shanhe various private jet information and invited him to come and experience it!

The two major private jet manufacturers, Gulfstream and Bombardier, are the most active, even saying that they can sell them at bare metal prices and give away interior decoration for free.

If Shanhe or Hathaway can accept the endorsement contract, the price can still be negotiated.

Shanhe dismissed this!

I’m already planning to buy a plane, but I still have a little money left!

It was the first time to buy such a big thing. Shanhe was very enthusiastic at first.

I did some research on the computer with my family at home. I don’t know it until I look at it. It’s really amazing!

When it comes to spending money, Shanhe is really a rookie among rookies!

It’s amazing how rich people spend their money. They collect airplanes and yachts as toys!

Leaving aside a group of oil nouveau riche from the Middle East, the rich people in China and the United States are not playing low-key.

Celebrities such as Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, and Zhao Benshan all have private jets. The most impressive one is Hong Kong tycoon Liu Luanxiong. He has three private jets alone. The most expensive one, a Boeing 747-8, is known as the "Flying Mansion" and is the most expensive in the world. One of the largest private jets.

Worth 350 million US dollars!

There are even more millionaires in China who own airplanes. NBA Mavericks owner Mark Cuban owns three Gulfstreams, a 757 and a 767, worth billions.

Several Russian tycoons are not to be outdone. The aircraft they own are all Boeing and Airbus, all worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

In Shanhe's view, Boeing and Airbus are too high-profile. It is a bit exaggerated to buy them for hundreds of millions of dollars and only use them a few times as toys.

Shanhe prefers the Gulfstream G650, which can fly far and fast. It is the world's top business jet and its safety is guaranteed.

The price is also right, and it can be completed for about US$100 million plus internal renovation and other expenses.

But he really didn't have time to carefully choose and consider it. Besides, he really wasn't interested in these things. He had no interest in studying luxury cars, let alone airplanes!

As soon as "Joker" started, his enthusiasm for buying luxury goods suddenly dropped a lot. Shanhe left the information and choices to his family.

At this time, in the Beijing courtyard, the two mothers-in-law, Xie Meiyu and Hathaway, were very interested in buying a plane.

Women naturally like to buy things, especially luxury goods. The two of them studied the information for half a month and finally hesitated between Gulfstream, Boeing and Bombardier.

Xie Meiyu is not short of money. Although Chuhe Group has kept a low profile in recent years, with the soaring housing prices, the profits of the real estate company are indeed not low!

Now Chuhe Group's focus has shifted from residential real estate to commercial real estate. In terms of cash flow, Xie Meiyu is no worse than Shanhe!

Finally, Xie Meiyu made the decision to let Xiao Xiong'er choose, and placed the three pictures in front of her precious grandson.

"Grandson, come and choose one. Grandma will give you a big toy. From now on, this plane will be called Little Bear!"

The little bear, who is almost eight months old, has started to grow teeth now. He likes to stuff things into his mouth when he grabs them. He is currently holding his feet in his grandma's arms and preparing to gnaw them. Who cares about this!

He ignored the piece of paper in front of him and didn't even look at it.

Qiu Jiang on the side couldn't get used to his wife's nouveau riche appearance, so he mocked:

"You're just fooling around. Why are you buying your plane and dragging a little bear with you? You still want to pass on your nouveau riche attitude to your grandson!"

"Why do I act like a nouveau riche?"

Xie Meiyu glanced at her husband,

"My grandson will go to his grandparents' house in a few months. Nini and Xiaohe will have to travel back and forth across the country and abroad in the future. What's wrong with buying a plane? The teachers and parents are very supportive. You are the only one in the whole family who keeps saying weird things all day long!"

"I don't object either! But don't get involved with my eldest grandson. If you are so spoiled, I won't be spoiled by you in the future!"

"Why do I spoil you so much? My grandson is very lucky, he was born with this!"

…

While the two were busy bickering, Doudou beside him helped the Qiu family make a choice.

It picked up one of the pictures and moved it in front of the little bear. The little bear grabbed it and started to stuff it into his mouth with a "giggle" smile.

"Hey, grandson, this thing is not for eating!"

Xie Meiyu snatched the drool-filled picture from Xiao Xiong'er's hand, looked at it and threw it on the table. Then she touched Doudou, who was shaking his head and tail.

"Doudou, you are so spiritual! Even when choosing a plane, you side with Xiaohe!"