In Hollywood-style superhero films, large-scale action sequences are no longer merely a hallmark of commercial blockbusters; they also serve the specific function of providing an upgraded violent-aesthetic experience. Panoramic scene depiction, exquisitely detailed action choreography, the texture of IMAX footage, and fully immersive viewing experiences are all essential pursuits for Duke during filming and production.
To achieve a realistic viewing experience, Duke did not rely solely on post-production effects for all large-scale sequences; many action scenes were filmed practically.
Except for effects-heavy scenes, Duke generally did not create storyboards for each shot. However, for action and visual effects sequences, every shot had a storyboard and previsualization animation.
Regarding effects, Duke never shunned CGI technology, nor did he insist on the notion that physical execution could surpass everything. Yet he knew that capturing as much live-action footage as possible was always beneficial, even if CGI would later be used for compositing and enhancement, achieving superior results.
Back in Los Angeles, Duke led the crew to move into the Raiders' Landay Stadium and recruited nearly twenty thousand fans as extras. This shoot required a large cast, a full stunt team, and an on-site explosives crew.
The scene filmed was set inside an American football stadium. At that time, the Gotham Rogues were playing, and Bane activated bombs planted across Gotham City, some beneath the stadium. When the explosives detonated, the stadium and several players were engulfed in massive voids.
IMAX cameras were naturally used for filming, but the explosion scale was extremely limited; the stadium would not collapse, and most explosion effects relied on post-production. Industrial Light & Magic visual effects artists created foreground elements for the collapsed stadium using CGI. After Duke completed filming, he enhanced Jos Whelan's pyrotechnics and increased the panicked crowd from nearly twenty thousand to over eighty thousand.
While Duke was busy filming, Warner Bros. continued promoting The Dark Knight Rises.
"Harvey Dent may have died in The Dark Knight, but unlike the Joker, his name will continue to appear in The Dark Knight Rises…"
Internet and media channels continuously disseminated news related to The Dark Knight Rises.
Fans monitoring the internet soon discovered new information on the official The Dark Knight Rises website and other popular sites—a press release from Gotham City Mayor Anthony Garcia:
"This morning, Mayor Anthony Garcia signed the 'Dent Act,' unanimously passed by the City Council, legislating measures to improve the city's crackdown on organized crime. One primary purpose of this act is to more strictly punish criminals, including denying parole to offenders playing significant roles in large criminal organizations. This fills previous legal loopholes, ensuring the city will not be plagued by organized crime as before."
The release also included a statement from Mayor Garcia:
"The name Harvey Dent represents a true hero. He confronted streets controlled by criminal empires with courage and saved our city. We should honor his sacrifice."
"Fifteen minutes ago, I signed an act, named the 'Dent Act,' to compensate for Harvey Dent's absence. This legislation empowers Police Commissioner Jim Gordon with the necessary means to decisively combat crime and corruption still active in our city."
"To those claiming this act creates a police state, my response is simple. Before the 'Dent Act,' our city was in desperate peril, forcing us to place trust in a masked vigilante who ultimately eliminated Gotham's true hope. Fortunately, hope endures. This legislation is Harvey Dent's legacy, which I intend to preserve."
Another piece of news followed:
"At the mayor's request, the City Council will introduce a separate measure establishing Harvey Dent's day of sacrifice as an official public city holiday, called 'Harvey Dent Day.'"
Undoubtedly, this was Warner Bros.' viral marketing.
Under fan scrutiny, Duke returned to the studio and, in front of rebuilt green screens, began filming more challenging action sequences, such as Batwing shots.
All Batwing shots were filmed in front of green screens and later composited into live-action footage via CGI.
Batwing footage was primarily divided into ground and aerial segments.
For ground sequences, Duke mounted the Batwing on a vehicle equipped with a gimbal head. For aerial stunts, several heavy-duty crane arms were used.
To capture every high-dynamic-range action of the Batwing on set, Duke had Industrial Light & Magic develop a panoramic stunt photography system. This system used four DSLR cameras with 8mm lenses to create overlapping perspectives, producing panoramic images that could be stitched together digitally.
According to Duke's collaboration routine with John Schwartzman, Schwartzman served as the only principal cinematographer. However, in many scenes, secondary cameras and Steadicam operator Ben Scott played key roles, with auxiliary footage extensively utilized.
Beyond complex filming, Duke also decided to place more sequences in daylight, unlike The Dark Knight, which was almost entirely set at night.
In Duke's plan, Gotham's night exteriors were mainly shot in New York and Pittsburgh. During location scouting, Schwartzman photographed numerous scenes according to Duke's desired exposure, annotated them, and sent them to the equipment lighting crew assigned to each city.
The lighting crew used spectral charts to ensure proper illumination at all background locations when returning to the filming site.
Thus, when Duke led the crew to the set, the background lighting was already arranged, leaving more time for actual filming.
As December slowly approached and the film's release drew near, Duke began cooperating with Warner Bros.' promotional efforts. An interview with him appeared in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.
"The Dark Knight Rises is in production, and director Duke Rosenberg spoke in an interview about his feelings on concluding the Batman trilogy and behind-the-scenes choices such as selecting the main villain Bane."
"Regarding his final Batman film, Duke Rosenberg said: 'I try to remain as unemotional on set as possible because it doesn't help to do my job. Yet you do hear a small voice saying—alright, this is the last time we're shooting this.'
"The entire process felt like a journey. Saying farewell to characters after filming their scenes is incredibly moving. Marvel would tell them: Goodbye, old butler Alfred; goodbye, Police Commissioner Jim Gordon… This is deeply meaningful to me, a truly touching moment."
When asked by reporters how, after Heath Ledger portrayed such an outstanding villainous Joker, he came up with the idea of making Bane the main antagonist in this film, Duke replied: "Originally, I didn't know much about Bane. The editorial team at Duke Studios gave me a pile of materials on him, and we studied him together. I wasn't very familiar with his backstory, but he's a very cool character."
"For Bane, his developed physique is his defining feature. You need a prototype to create a 'good' villain. You know, you need an extreme version of a certain type of antagonist. The Joker is obviously a very unique prototype: demonic, anarchistic, with a kind of wicked humor. This time, I wanted Bane to represent a completely different type. Bane is primarily a muscular villain, in some ways a classic cinematic monster—but with a very intelligent mind. I think audiences will really enjoy the way we've shaped Bane."
"Finding an actor like Dwayne Johnson to play Bane ensures you'll see something special. Like any great actor, Dwayne integrates the character's traits into every movement, every expression. He's an actor who can express so much physically."
"At every moment, Dwayne fully immerses himself in the role. He not only dares to match the character's external image but also deeply explores the character's inner world; he has both a profound grasp of the character's psychology and a very clear understanding of how to use body and expression to convey it. Of course, Bale is also an actor with tremendous feel for the role."
Talking about the film's ending, Duke Rosenberg said: "At the end of The Dark Knight, both Batman and Police Commissioner Jim Gordon made significant sacrifices and compromises. By the end of this film, such sacrifices must have value. Gotham City should, in some sense, become better. They must accomplish something at the end—so I wanted the ending to feel absolutely right."
Not only in North America, but in other key markets, Warner Bros. was actively promoting The Dark Knight Rises.
Duke's previous film, The Avengers, although it did not receive a delayed release key in the Chinese market, still earned 1.856 billion RMB at the box office over one month. This further emphasized the importance of the Chinese market in the eyes of Hollywood companies.
Limited by strict censorship rules, Warner Bros. Greater China could not conduct extensive early promotion but still formulated some targeted strategies.
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