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| Scene from Darkest Knight |
Disclaimer: Spoof. I am not affiliated with anyone, this is just a joke. Besides Christian Bale all people mentioned here are meant to be fictional, real names are unintended
Following the success of the Batman Franchise, Warner Brothers announced the upcoming release of a new Batman film Summer 2016, Darkest Knight. Christian Bale returns to fight a new enemy, Swarm, who cloaks Gotham in dense darkness. Fighting the darkness and psychological torment of everyone he knows dying, Batman must battle to save Gotham from being choked in night forever.
From a technical standpoint Darkest Knight was unique not only for the franchise but for film as a medium. In order to realistically portray the all consuming darkness, the studio used no added lights whatsoever and no natural lights in the scene (street lamps were switched off). We were unable to interview Bale about the film but Justin Staw, who plays a sidekick Carrow, said of the experience:
It was impossible. The director decreed no lighting at all, none of us could see a thing. I'm not sure what the camera picked up because I had a scene of dialog with [Elliott] Pune and I had no idea who I was talking to as I couldn't see him. I could hear him and I think I could just about make him out but I may have been talking to a tree.
While on break, an extra told me she walked hard into the staff tea trolley and resulting in bruises while playing her role of panicking citizen because she had no idea where she was going. Numerous complaints have been lodged with the company from cast, extras and camera crews receiving minor injuries walking into props and equipment due to the lack of light. Speaking to an editor who wishes to remain anonymous, they informed me that the camera output was so dark that they had no idea what order the rushes were in:
Cameras need a certain amount of light to operate properly. Basically it's about two hours of almost complete black. If you look carefully it's possible to just about make out some action but about a third of it is wrong or the cast walking into props and talking to trees and offscreen equipment. Your eyes go funny after a short while of this.The producer, David Crowe, defended his technique:
With any new technique there's bound to be quibbles and naysayers who are unable to appreciate the art of film and mood. Film has used half darkness effectively for years but it has never really looked realistic. Blue lighting is not darkness and I think this real darkness draws the audience into the plot and helps them to identify with the physical and psychological struggles of the characters. If Batman is known as the Dark Knight it should be just that. Dark.The film has yet to receive a rating. We wait to see if Darkest Knight lives up to the success of its predecessors.
