BATMAN-ON-FILM.COM - "NEW YORK TIMES' Nolan & Bale Q&A, PART 1" (7/17/08)

EDITOR'S NOTE: On July 15, 2008, Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale took part in a Q&A event sponsored by THE NEW YORK TIMES. BOF contributor John Hoving was there and the following is his report. - Jett

Ms. James stated that they usually don't show trailers a “NY Times Conversation,” but felt that this trailer was so good she just couldn't resist.

The room was darkened and the latest trailer began running on the screen behind them with Batman jumping off The International Finance Center in Hong Kong. Instead of the actual soundtrack they mistakenly started playing the music they were playing earlier from the 60's television series. We could hear Nolan commenting in a funny manner in the background, "Hey that's not our music!” Midway through the sound techs managed to correct the faux paux.

The first question Ms. James asked after the clip was finished was about Nolan's picking up the story line of BATMAN BEGINS. Nolan replied that THE DARK KNIGHT follows pretty closely from the last scene with Gordon explaining his fear of crime escalation in Gotham and the response from the criminal element. TDK delves into this and focuses on The Joker. The story line is darker and deeper, wider and broader in scope, introducing new characters.

So, what happens to Batman?

BALE: “In BATMAN BEGINS, we saw the origin story, the young Bruce, the trauma he suffers, his maturing, creating the Batman creature, taking on these bad guys, more mature, less naÔve and now taking on more of the burden of effecting change, but always looking for a way out because in his mind being Batman wasn't something he planned on doing forever. What is good for Batman isn't necessarily what is good for Bruce Wayne. He has created this creature that has taken on a life of its own and it’s become somewhat addicting.”

JAMES: Does Bruce Wayne have a private life?

BALE: “In his own head he does. But there are two true selves. There is the Bruce Wayne who only shows his true self to only two people, Alfred and Rachel. Both have known him his entire life and they know his true self having been a constant presence in his life since the loss of his parents. Alfred plays a dual role of being the father figure throughout his life but he is also his butler.”

Then there is the other self.

Bale referred to this other side as “The Batman Creature.” He creates this anger filled dark shadow of the Wayne self, while maintaining the fake public persona he pushes on the public -- the Gotham playboy -- distracting people from thinking he might be Batman. It's an increasingly complex personality.

Ms. James then showed another clip from the movie that illustrated for the audience the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Alfred. The clip takes place in The Batcave. James then asked Nolan about the development of Bruce Wayne's relationship with Alfred and how it progresses.

Nolan replied stating he didn't want to give away too much, but there is a more edge to his relationship with Alfred in this film. He did say that Alfred appears to be pushing Bruce Wayne back into The Batman, and holding him to his original idea.

James asked Nolan about building a lot of ethical questions into the screenplay.

He said they wanted to stay true to the story they set up in BATMAN BEGINS, following the direction but leading to a somewhat different darker place, some internal shifts, with The Joker making it feel much more intense.

Bale then commented on how he saw Wayne's relationship with Alfred. He says that Bruce has advanced since BATMAN BEGINS. He was more an adolescence then one that needed guidance. In THE DARK KNIGHT he has "transformed himself, he is a warrior dressed in very dapper clothes so naturally the relationship has shifted.” He wishes to cling to the two people who knew him since the tragedy of his parents, so those two are essential to him.

James followed the Bruce Wayne discussion by stating that “…Batman has no limits, is that true?”

Bales replied by saying that he must constantly push to go forward. The self-imposed limits discipline he has is being tested, he doesn't want to kill, but he is tempted to break his self-enforced rules. He begins to question them.

James (to Nolan): As a writer you set him, (Wayne/Batman) up to go to that place?

NOLAN: “Yes, he is an interesting character to write for. He does admirable things, is highly disciplined, not a common vigilante. He has a set of ethics that he stands by. He refuses to use a gun, he doesn't kill. But he is also vulnerable, very vulnerable to The Jokers taunting. The Joker’s sole purpose is to test people, the way they see things, the order of life and their own ethical standards.”

There was a discussion on Nolan moving from BATMAN BEGINS to working on a smaller film, THE PRESTIGE, immediately afterwards. Nolan spoke of the ability to use different techniques, challenging the crew, the freedom that allows a little less discipline and being able to capture more of the interaction between the actors by not blocking as much, brings scene to life. He said some of the experimentation in style frightens people, (the crew), but that we had all worked together on the first film, so there was a lot of trust there and that if whatever they were trying didn't work he always had a “Plan B” to fall back on. Smaller films, while having fewer restrictions, have far less resources than larger budget films like BATMAN BEGINS. He said when we came back to shoot TDK, he tried to retain some of that feel, but its harder to do as we move forward.

James asked about THE DARK KNIGHT shooting on location in Chicago.

Nolan said he likes to always shoot as much as possible on location. Bale interjected agreement commenting how much he liked not shooting every day on a sound stage like many of the larger movies shot these days.

Nolan said he likes the real world scale of things; they are so much better, not as many technical limitations. He noted that while there are some great tricks to use on a sound stage there is so much more available on the outside. He says this brings the real world dimensions into the frame instead of a stage where things are constrained. With TDK, he was determined to shoot as much as possible on location. He also mentioned Michael Mann as an example of another director that likes to shoot on location.

Location shooting keeps things fresh. The cast and crew are not in the same place every day, they keep moving they're more energized, keeps them on their toes. In a sound stage everybody finds their little corner they can go off and hide. He went on to comment on the schedule of shooting first in Chicago for a few days then moving to London, then back to Chicago for the entire summer, then back to London and then ending in Hong Kong.

Moving from location to location is also not typically done due to costs incurred with traveling, etc. He felt this allowed the crew to have breaks and become less fatigued, but also allowed him to be able to take stock of where they were in the process, time to look at what they shot and gauge where he was going next.

Nolan also mentioned a pre production meeting that took place for BATMAN BEGINS with Production Designer Nathan Crowley who had put together photographs of a variety of different locations for the film, buildings, skyscrapers and other city architecture. When Nolan saw them he thought he had seen all of these things in one place, a city where he had spent a good deal of his childhood, Chicago. He brought Crowley to Chicago to show him the city's unique architecture, the river, the various levels of streets, the El trains and it was decided they had found the ideal location for Gotham City: the city of Chicago.

Ms James then asked about the meaning and shooting in the IMAX format seeking a definition explaining she was little technically challenged on the subject.

Nolan gave a very good explanation, which honestly I had a hard time following note wise, but he essentially said, it is a wonderful underutilized medium that has been around since 1969. I believe he said it is 70MM film turned sideways, thereby giving scenes the highest possible resolution, “the grandest possible canvas” available.

Shooting in Imax was something he had wanted to do for a very long time and never could understand why more filmmakers didn’t take advantage of the format. He found out the reason was primarily economic but the sheer size, weight and unmanageability of the camera also created an assortment of problems for the cinematographer. He said that what they did in TDK had never been done before and we were very successful in creating and adapting an assortment of mounts and rigs for cars and motorcycles in order to use the camera for the sequences they needed for the film. There are 6 scenes shot in IMAX, which is approximately one half hour of the movie, mostly exteriors where grand dimensions come into play.

Ms. James then asked Bale if he found TDK more physically demanding than BATMAN BEGINS, how much of that is really you plummeting from the tower?

With the biggest smile on his face, he looked at her and said, “Well, do you want believe in the magic of the movies? I want you to believe I plummeted off the building!”

He continued by saying he did as much as he could physically do. “They, (production) didn’t want me to plummet to the pavement or anything but I got a kick out of standing on the two of the world’s tallest buildings.”

Bale said that BATMAN BEGINS was a more physically demanding film, primarily because of the constraints imposed by the suit that necessitated his tag teaming with his stunt stand in, Buster Reeves. He said he did all the fight scenes in TDK, because the “Batman gear” was redesigned and he was now less constrained. He could move his body and head more freely, breathe easier and was not getting any of the headaches he once got. He didn’t have to, “fight against the Batsuit” any longer.

James then asked Bale, if he was concerned at all about being taken seriously as an actor and playing the role of Batman.

He candidly replied by saying that his “…job was not one of the more serious jobs on the planet!“ He enjoys watching all kinds of different films and would like to believe people are interested and will take seriously movies other than romantic comedies. He said Chris Nolan had shown him that these kinds of movies (BB, TDK) can be taken seriously and also be thought provoking.