Nicolas Cage was in excellent form, maintaining a strong performance across several consecutive takes.
"OK, not bad," Gilbert clapped his hands and said to the assistant director Annie Burton, "Arrange for the crew to move to the next location."
During the set move, Gilbert spoke to Nicolas Cage: "Nic, you've been keeping up a good state. I hope you can maintain this level for the upcoming scenes as well."
Nicolas Cage touched his receding hairline, worried about potential baldness, and gave his assurance: "Don't worry. I feel great, really in the zone."
"That's good," Gilbert nodded, then turned to Jennifer Connelly: "Jennifer, even though it's a decorative role, your performance has been solid!"
Jennifer Connelly felt pleased. Although the focus of the film wasn't on her, she was still putting in her best effort.
The next scene was the bank robbery, filmed at a local private bank whose owner was a fan of Gilbert.
However, this fan had a request: to make a cameo and to change the bank's name.
If the bank's name wasn't changed, moviegoers might recognize it, possibly associating the bank with inadequate security.
This bank heist scene marked the Joker's first appearance.
Gilbert was not Nolan; he excelled at directing action. In terms of pacing, Gilbert's skill level was on par with Nolan, and the music was again composed by Hans Zimmer.
This The Dark Knight continued the action style from the first film, Batman Begins, aiming for aesthetic appeal while maintaining realism.
Of course, realism sometimes had to compromise for the beauty of the action sequences.
After all, this was a mainstream, superhero movie. Next door, Iron Man was flying around and launching missiles; a more visually striking fight in Batman was perfectly acceptable.
Guo Fan, as part of the director's team, rode with Gilbert in a minibus during the location move.
Most of the time, he brought only his eyes and ears—rarely his mouth.
Guo Fan understood that compared to Hollywood's seasoned professionals, he still had a long way to go. He rarely voiced opinions, choosing instead to listen to expert analyses and discussions.
However, today Gilbert encouraged him to speak up: "Guo, tell me, what makes a good movie?"
Guo Fan thought for a moment and gave a standard answer: "A good movie must first have high artistic value, including excellent directing, cinematography, editing, and music. The visual effects and sound design should enhance the audience's immersive experience, making the story vivid and moving."
"Hm," Gilbert remained neutral, signaling him to continue.
Guo Fan went on: "A good movie must have an engaging storyline. The plot should be tight and compelling, resonating with the audience. A good script is the soul of a movie; it determines its depth and longevity.
"Additionally, character development is a key factor. A good movie shows the complexity and depth of human nature through the characters' actions and dialogue. The growth and change of characters are crucial to engaging the audience.
"Moreover, I believe the thematic depth and core of the movie are important. Films should not just entertain; they should leave viewers reflecting and thinking.
"If a movie can achieve all of this, it is a good movie."
After listening, Gilbert laughed and asked, "Did you learn this in film school?"
Guo Fan scratched his head, slightly embarrassed: "In the curriculum at Beijing Film Academy, there's research on your films, and this is how it's taught."
"Really? Did I ever say these things?" Gilbert asked, puzzled.
He quickly realized that some of these statements were added by others. Just as many quotes are attributed to Lu Xun, some he never actually said, yet people always start with "Lu Xun once said…"
Now Gilbert was becoming a bit like Lu Xun. According to Guo Fan, in the directing department at film school, students would occasionally say, "Director Gilbert once said…"
Whether Gilbert actually said it didn't matter; his authority was enough. Using authority to enhance credibility is something everyone does to some extent.
Returning to the topic, Gilbert said to Guo Fan: "What you just said is good, but you missed the most important point."
"What is it?"
"Whether the audience likes it."
Seeing the puzzled look in Guo Fan's eyes, Gilbert explained: "I think this is the most important standard for a good movie, even the only one.
"The reasoning is simple: without the support and love of the audience, a film cannot survive."
"But director, isn't that too commercialized?" Guo Fan's mind was still focused on the artistic creation perspective; he thought that being highly refined often meant appealing to very few people.
Gilbert said, "Commercialization and film art do not conflict. The core is how to balance cinematic artistry while making more audiences enjoy it.
"Take The Shawshank Redemption, for example. Many people say it's a great film. But in my view, it's actually a flop because audiences don't want to watch it.
"Even if critics recognize it as a good movie, the audience simply doesn't care.
"That's the problem. Film companies are not pursuing art; they are thinking about taking money out of the audience's pockets.
"As a commercial film director, your first consideration must be how to get money from the audience, then think about everything else."
Gilbert's pragmatic talk left Guo Fan stunned.
"But director, most of the films you make have high artistic value," Guo Fan said.
"Not at all," Gilbert laughed. "Many French filmmakers have reviewed my films as mediocre, even launching movements to criticize them."
"But the result is, your films swept the French market and gained countless fans," Guo Fan seemed to understand what Gilbert meant.
Gilbert nodded with satisfaction. Guo Fan had great potential; what he lacked was the process of finding the right direction for himself.
Michael Bay could be called a first-rate commercial film director. His movies never had any so-called deep themes or artistry.
Yet his films were often extremely popular, more so than those in the independent art film circle.
That's why he repeatedly got directing opportunities, while independent filmmakers might need years or even decades to get one chance.
Look at the director of The Shawshank Redemption: in the great year of 1994, there were Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, and Shawshank Redemption.
The directors of the first two films are still active in Hollywood, but the Shawshank director disappeared. The reason is simple: his films didn't make money.
What Gilbert wanted to teach Guo Fan was that films must first aim for profit—at least start by becoming a Michael Bay. Once you can do Michael Bay, then you earn the qualification to become the next Gilbert.
For this Chinese student, Gilbert had truly spared no effort in teaching.
Charles Roven was curious: "Gilbert, I rarely see you patiently teach other directors. The last one you taught like this was Sofia."
Gilbert laughed: "But Sofia completely ignored me, lost in the path of art films with no return. Nolan, however, listened, but his talent alone was enough—he didn't even need my guidance to do well.
"Only Guo has potential, but he comes from a cinematic desert, so teaching him is enjoyable."
..
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