Made in Hollywood

Just entering July, the Warner Studios, which had been deserted for a while, were once again full of voices. Anna Prinz, Hannah Serena, Mike Dawson, Jimmy Carter, John Schwarzman and others all followed After the vacation, we regrouped at Warner Studios to prepare for the latest project with Duke. ∽↗,

Since no press conference was held, a large number of reporters and paparazzi were surrounded by the gate of Warner Studios. Almost everyone in the car was crowded into the studio.

However, like Duke, they have long been used to this kind of scene.

At the same time appeared on the set, there are many star actors such as Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Kane, Lawrence Fishburne and so on.

That's right, Duke's new project is Batman. Under the constant urging of Warner Bros., the new Batman crew was formally established. This movie also does not have the title of Batman, and the project is named "The Dark Knight Rises".

This is also the end of the new "Batman" trilogy.

As a sequel, the actor's high pay is inevitable. The pay of Christian Bell alone is as high as 20 million U.S. dollars, and the estimated production cost of the entire film is as high as 250 million U.S. dollars. It is also Duke. The highest investment in a single film in the industry.

In addition to these old actors, Duke has also finalized some new actors before, such as the tall and leggy Gal Gadot as Selena Kyle, and James Franco as John Black.

As for the villain Bain, Duke has no interest in Tom Hardy, who has been mixing in the independent and literary circles, and intends to let a real big guy play this role.

In fact, Duke knew very well that Baine would never be able to surpass the Joker.

The role of the clown can become a classic. On the one hand, it is the setting and the performance of the actors, and the more important aspect is the death of Heath Ledger.

Without the death of Heath Ledger, the clown would never reach his current height. There is no doubt about this.

Duke can't let the actor who starred in Bain die, he hasn't been so crazy.

The Destroyer Bain, in Duke's setting, will show more powerful fighting ability, inciting ability, and madness for anarchism, so there is no need to dig too much into the psychological level.

"The Dark Knight Rises" will move towards an epic final chapter in the form of a trilogy, at the end of "The Dark Knight". "Batman" is the true hero who saved Gotham City, but now, he has become a redundant existence and has been abandoned.

This is a conspiracy but destined ending that ultimately makes Batman an out-and-out murderer. He needs to be responsible for Harvey Dante’s tragic death—but what everyone doesn’t know is, Harvey not only did not die, but also became a vengeful "two-faced man", as the vanguard of a hateful reform movement. He paid a great price for the peace of the city.

It can be said that based on lies, Gotham City has implemented high-pressure and tough new laws, putting all criminals in prison, or completely expelled from the city...

The story of the new episode will begin 8 years later. It seems that Batman and Jim Gordon have achieved the results they want, and the whole city has entered a state of order, it seems There is really no need for the'Dark Knight' anymore-maybe the audience would think that it was the true Bruce of the'Batman'? Wayne won the battle, but he was tortured by what happened. I'm totally lost, don't know how to show people like Batman again-so in the third film. What Duke basically needs to do is deal with the collateral results of previous events, including "Batman" himself and other characters that have appeared.

As the final chapter of the "Batman" trilogy, Duke decided to tell a story that will not be extended in any way, and this content has already been included when he made "Batman: Hour of War" in 2005. The script outline and character setting were submitted to Warner Bros.

The scale of this film is smaller than "The Dark Knight", as a super giant with an investment of $250 million. The film must be of pg-13 level.

In essence, the "Batman" trilogy has not deviated from the category of pg-13 family fun, and it is the pg-13 classification that guarantees that the film can sell well.

In Hollywood, film operations want to get enough market returns. It must be considered to be able to be understood and accepted by different ethnic groups and different media platforms in the diversified development platform of home entertainment-theater, TV, home theater, games, toys or other forms of derivatives, pg and pg- 13-level movies are the most easily accepted and commercial success.

This type of film refers to a series of films that can reach audiences under the age of 17 on various media platforms. These films can overcome demographic and cultural barriers and attract a wider audience.

All superhero movies can basically be divided into this rank.

To shape the story and image with popularity, spectacle, emotional lines, and positive energy, and to please as many audiences as possible under the demand of commercial profitability, to offend as few as possible, cultural and youthful audiences is the biggest of this type of film Features.

Although the Hollywood family carnival movie can be traced back to the early sound era, its current market dominance only began in the late 1980s.

The central position of family carnival movies in the post-Hollywood era is often seriously overlooked. Many people define family carnival movies as movies aimed at children and their parents, but this definition of family carnival movies is actually outdated.

After the mid-1980s, this type of film is not just a recreational film for parents and children, but has expanded its target to the global media market, spreading across regions and cultures to more audiences as popular as possible.

Carnival movies are no longer just a single film context. Most Carnival movies are a collection of multiple media intellectual property rights, many of which are based on existing brands.

For example, Warner Bros.'s "Harry Potter" series, "Lord of the Rings" series, "Superman" series and "Batman" series.

The core brand image of these films has been accepted by the audience and they have a certain mass base. They can be presented in various forms of media such as films, television, computer games, comics, toys, etc. Therefore, Hollywood family carnival films have been able to cross the boundaries of movies and reach a wider range. Sky.

In Hollywood, practitioners, including Duke, have a consensus-those who win the home market win the world!

View the list of the 100 most successful movies at the box office in the world. More than 95% of them are marked or widely regarded as family movies, and most of them were released in the late 1990s.

In addition, these 100 films are all produced or distributed by the six major Hollywood studios Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Sony Columbia and Universal Pictures. They also form the Motion Picture Association of America-mpaa.

Although these film companies only produce less than 30% of Hollywood movies each year, they occupy the vast majority of the global box office market and major film franchises. These American Motion Picture Association member companies almost dominate the global film distribution market. status.

The box office blockbusters of these big companies today, both in form and target audience, have clearly begun to show a trend of standardization. More and more mainstream Hollywood movies are rated as "parental guidance required" (pg) or "13 years old". The following children should only watch under the guidance of their parents" (pg-13), which shows that these movies are gradually targeting the global family market.

In contrast, those restricted (r) movies that were once the mainstay of film companies, and children and teenagers are not allowed to watch without their parents, are gradually declining in number and appeal.

So far, none of the top 30 grossing movies in the global market is restricted.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, an obvious attempt by Hollywood studios to expand the audience of family fun films was to create the pg-13 level (special tutoring level, recommended for children after the age of 13), which originated in the 1984 American film "Indiana Jones" ".

PG-13 is a buffer zone between PG and R grades, allowing children under 13 to watch with an adult. PG or PG-13 rating has become the first condition for box office success because of the range of people who can enter the theater to watch the movie. Broad enough.

Although family carnival movies have evolved into various types, the most popular ones are fantasy and science fiction. The most typical ones are superhero movies, and the "Batman" trilogy cannot change superhero movies no matter how it changes. The fact that, and the types of fantasy and science fiction, are the movies that can really break out of North America and run the world.

The multiple cooperation of the film industry and the integration of derivative markets directly affect the film subject matter itself.

The most obvious is that we can see the mass growth of connection and fantasy themes. After the millennium, these themes have become the main components of the family carnival blockbuster.

And there is no reason why such films have become mainstream in Hollywood.

First of all, fantasy subjects have a highly visual sense of form, which can meet the needs of international consumers for visual shock.

Second, because the field of this subject matter is generally divorced from the reality of the earth, this avoids alienating non-Western audiences due to social and cultural factors.

Third, and most importantly, a rich fictional world can provide unlimited opportunities for the development of movie peripheral products and other commercial combinations. For example, through the "Batman", "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" series, Warner Bros. used movies to turn a well-known, entrenched fan, and narrative world into reality. A series of movies based on this. , By-products, and movie styles made Warner a leader in "world architecture" after the millennium.

Audiences actively describe the movie through word of mouth, social networks and fan clubs, and purchase related products, which extend the life of a work to a large extent. This kind of cross-media interaction sustains post-Hollywood The film development of the era also provides a basis for the decision-making of the film industry.

There is no doubt that "The Dark Knight Rises" must follow these. (To be continued.)

ps: Ask for monthly and recommended tickets!