This scene only needed one take; there was no hospital left for the crew to blow up again.
A tremendous amount of effort had gone into filming it, starting with obtaining the shooting permit, where state legislator Peter Rock had been a huge help.
Then the fireworks and special effects team, led by Tony Ledley, spent a month beforehand surveying the abandoned hospital and planning the explosion scheme.
A week before filming, the site was cleared, and the day before, wiring and placement of explosives were completed. Every step during the final filming and performance had to be flawless to successfully complete the explosion scene.
This scene became one of Guo Fan's most unforgettable experiences. The actors' performances were superb, but as a director with an engineering background, he also observed the crew's determination, execution, and rigor.
This was undoubtedly one of the world's best film crews, and Guo Fan learned a lot from them. Yet every day brought new things to learn, and the feeling was exhilarating.
"How did that explosion feel?" James asked Guo Fan.
"I can only say it was insane. Back in China, I've never seen anything this wild," Guo Fan said in genuine amazement.
"Hahaha," James laughed. "I bet you didn't see Gilbert directing in China either. Otherwise, you would have witnessed thousands of cavalry charging—much more shocking than this."
Guo Fan nodded. "I saw the behind-the-scenes footage on the Lord of the Rings Blu-ray set, but seeing it in person is a completely different experience."
"Of course it is. I imagine you'll work here for a few years, plenty of chances ahead, so you'll get to see what it means to work with Hollywood's craziest directors," James said.
Guo Fan had already felt Gilbert's madness—a director bold in his filming, with imaginative ideas and the ability to turn them into reality.
After the hospital explosion scene, the crew immediately filmed another scene involving two cruise ships—one carrying ordinary citizens, the other police and criminals.
Both ships faced Joker's challenge. Neither knew the other's position, but both knew the other had a detonator.
Here came the test of human nature: should one ship be detonated, sacrificing others to ensure one's own safety?
Undoubtedly, it was a massive test, a wager between Joker and Batman, betting on the soul of Gotham.
If filmed in an independent movie style, both ships would likely have been destroyed to highlight the darkness of human nature and provoke strong critique.
But Gilbert was certain: if the ships were blown up, The Dark Knight's box office would also "explode" downward.
For a $200 million commercial blockbuster, the worst thing is to violate mainstream film market rules.
From the very beginning of writing the script, Gilbert repeatedly emphasized to David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan that this was a commercial film first, everything else second.
Additionally, the criminal who throws away the detonator had to be, and could only be, a Black man. This was meant to unite the audience and convey mainstream values.
Media reporters were in a tough spot. If the ship blew up, they would instantly become moral guardians, criticizing Gilbert.
If the ship didn't blow up, they might claim Gilbert was unrealistic, that human nature couldn't withstand the test.
In such circumstances, it was best to focus on the audience first and not the media.
Another scene involved Harvey Dent judging Commissioner Gordon's family, with Nicholas Cage judging Gordon's son.
As Harvey Dent flipped the coin, Batman, played by Christian Bale, leapt forward. Both rolled down the stairs onto a soft mat.
Gilbert also filmed another shot where Batman rescued Gordon's son, returned him safely to Gordon, and remained in the fall himself.
From one perspective, Harvey Dent's coin could have landed heads, and Batman's rescue could have easily endangered or killed Gordon's son.
This prompted reflection: if Batman had not intervened, could Gordon's son have escaped safely?
But like the ship, saving the child before the coin lands is a mainstream value and the right course of action. Correctness, after all, has never strayed far from Hollywood.
Only the definition of correctness changes with the era; nowadays, a more normalized version is expected.
In commercial blockbusters, the female lead must be sexy and beautiful, children cannot be harmed, the film must feature a prominent Black character who cannot be the villain.
In Armageddon, the shot where Sarah is shot drew heavy media criticism. Even a Pentagon spokesperson insisted American soldiers would never do such a thing.
This affected Armageddon's box office to some extent, yet Gilbert kept the shot. In reality or in pattern, the greatest danger is not the disaster itself but the hearts of people facing it.
Entering the Christmas holiday, the crew's filming temporarily paused, and Gilbert returned to the Melon Manor for Christmas.
The biggest buddy, the largest Christmas tree, and the children's favorite gift-unwrapping session—this Christmas was quite joyful.
During dinner, Gilbert didn't forget to discuss business with Ivanka. Ivanka said, "The subprime crisis has already shown signs. We've raised $550 billion and plan to act in the market as much as possible."
"Mm!" Gilbert replied. "We still have to be careful, make sure no one discovers anything, and maintain confidentiality."
"Don't worry, all those handling it are people we trust most," Ivanka assured.
"That's good," Gilbert said, then asked about the spy operation: "By the way, how's Commissioner Smith's side reporting recently?"
"He's been reinstated to his duties within the club. Based on current intelligence, there is indeed new island development. I've received a long list with many prominent figures from politics and business, as well as Hollywood and sports personalities who have been involved."
Ivanka spoke while opening a file on her phone, revealing a long list of names, many of which looked very familiar.
The phones Gilbert and the team used were specially customized by Apple. Jobs valued information security highly—if the system were hacked, it would be disastrous.
Fortunately, the Apple system was closed, and with the specially customized phones, ordinary people could not penetrate it.
Ivanka asked, "When will we release this list?"
"Not urgent yet, we'll wait a few years," Gilbert said.
..
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