After filming all the dramatic scenes involving large amounts of the Joker, Heath Ledger could finally take a short break.
His girlfriend and daughter were both on set with him. Obviously, Gilbert believed that providing necessary companionship for Heath Ledger was beneficial.
Gilbert also used the excuse of having Heath Ledger go to the Landrini–Jobs Medical Center in Chicago for treatment, claiming that portraying the Joker could cause psychological trauma and needed to be checked.
At first, Heath Ledger was reluctant, but after a few visits he discovered that his headaches were greatly reduced when he avoided sedatives and painkillers, so he became less resistant.
Of course, for complete recovery, Heath Ledger had to quit these medications himself. That depended on him; even the doctors could not help with that.
Next, the crew focused primarily on filming the action scenes. Christian Bale's stunt doubles were the same two from the previous film.
These two stunt doubles were similar in build to Christian Bale and, more importantly, could replicate his movements and gait perfectly.
However, the stunt doubles only performed the high-risk action scenes; for most other action sequences, Christian Bale insisted on doing them himself.
Especially when driving the Batmobile—he was adamant about doing it himself, knowing that opportunities to drive the Batmobile on the road were rare.
Gilbert had always preferred practical effects. Although digital and green-screen technology had reached a certain level and could be used in filmmaking, in terms of texture and realism, practical filming was superior.
Most of Avatar's shots were digitally created and green-screened, but that was on Pandora, where vibrant colors could hide the limitations of the green-screen technology.
The Dark Knight, however, was grounded in realism. Gilbert aimed to make the city of Gotham believable to the audience.
First, The Dark Knight went big.
Two hundred meters from an abandoned hospital in Billings, Montana, local state legislator Peter Rock was talking to Gilbert.
Gilbert expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Mr. Rock. Without your help, we wouldn't have known how to secure the filming permit."
"It's my honor, Gilbert. I've always been a devoted fan of the Batman series," Peter Rock said.
To show his appreciation, Gilbert invited Peter Rock to appear in The Dark Knight.
The elderly man tossing paper balls in the police office scene near the film's beginning was him—a reward for a loyal fan.
Peter Rock added, "If there's anything else you need, just let me know."
Gilbert thought for a moment and said, "I hope you can attend the premiere of The Dark Knight next year."
Peter Rock was delighted: "Of course…"
This also served as a promotional gimmick—neither side had reason to refuse.
Guo Fan followed the director team to handle on-site coordination. He knew they would be blowing up a hospital today, but seeing the scale, he thought it would only be a single building.
"James, which building are we blowing up today?"
"Which building? We're blowing up the whole thing."
"The whole thing?" Guo Fan doubted his ears. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"
James gave him a look as if he had no idea: "Not at all. We shoot realistically. Just watch carefully—it'll be absolutely shocking."
Meanwhile, Gilbert was communicating with Heath Ledger: "Have you filmed explosions much before?"
"Not really," Heath Ledger shook his head. "I haven't even done any before."
"That's fine," Gilbert advised. "When it detonates, your body may tremble uncontrollably. The loud explosion will create noise, so be careful."
Heath Ledger, with the Joker makeup on his face, gave a sinister smile: "Don't worry. We've rehearsed this many times. Nothing will go wrong."
"OK," Gilbert nodded, then instructed fireworks and special effects coordinator Tony Ledley: "Tony, remember to coordinate with the Joker's movements. The explosions won't happen all at once."
Tony Ledley gave an OK gesture, indicating he understood.
Once the crew's safety officers completed their inspection, the scene was officially ready to film.
"All personnel, except essential staff, evacuate at least 500 meters away to prevent accidents," James and Guo Fan announced through megaphones.
Final preparations were underway. Gilbert stood on set, observing the last effects of the explosion, waiting for reports from each team.
"Props team ready."
"Costumes and makeup are all set."
"Lighting and cinematography ready."
"Aerial filming team has taken off."
"Pyrotechnics team ready!"
"Script supervisor ready to slate."
"The Dark Knight, Scene 121, Shot 1, begin."
Gilbert shouted through the megaphone: "Everyone ready? 1, 2, 3, action…"
The primary camera, operated by John Schwartzman, was a heavy IMAX camera.
Through the camera's view, Heath Ledger's Joker could be seen bouncing out of the hospital. Explosions were occurring behind him, but not all the charges had detonated at once.
The people on the school bus reacted with screams of terror, as if they were witnessing something truly horrifying.
The hospital initially exploded halfway and then paused. Joker pressed the detonator a few times, shrugged, and looked back at the building in confusion. Suddenly, more powerful explosions erupted. Joker immediately threw the detonator, boarded the school bus, and took hostages while escaping the scene.
Guo Fan, observing from a distance, was completely dumbfounded. From the start of the explosions, he hadn't looked away from the abandoned hospital until it was completely leveled.
Too terrifying, too terrifying, too terrifying.
He repeated this in his mind three times. He glanced at Gilbert, who was nearby watching the explosions, and saw a gleam of excitement in Gilbert's eyes.
Guo Fan thought that Gilbert must be a maniac; otherwise, who could possibly do something like this?
Though they were far away, the scale of the explosions was overwhelming. Not only Guo Fan, even Montana state legislator Peter Rock was stunned.
"Oh my God, oh my God, this is insane," Peter Rock muttered to himself.
It was unbelievable—someone was actually blowing up a real hospital for a film. Even though it was abandoned, it was still shocking.
Gilbert, however, had no time to marvel. He quickly checked with the different camera teams about the footage: "How's the shot?"
"Camera one reporting—perfect."
"Camera two reporting—perfect."
"Camera three reporting—perfect."
"Aerial team reporting—high-altitude explosion captured perfectly."
"Excellent! Congratulations, everyone. You nailed it on the first take," Gilbert said with a smile.
Everyone cheered. If the footage hadn't been perfect, there wouldn't have been another hospital to blow up, so getting it right the first time was crucial.
Heath Ledger shivered slightly after coming down; this was his first time filming a scene like this.
However, he had just executed the entire performance with immense control, ensuring that the scene didn't fall apart. Clearly, his performance had been outstanding.
Gilbert patted him on the shoulder: "Good job. Go rest now!"
Heath Ledger didn't want to say much and quickly got into the chauffeur-driven car to rest.
..
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (Completed)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu