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Re-Imagining the Dark Knight VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon shares the secrets of the visual magic of Warner Bros.’ new blockbuster The Batman. By Trevor Hogg
E
ver since his remake of Swedish vampire tale Let the Right One In, filmmaker Matt Reeves has established a reputation of bringing something new to familiar fare. The director, who also helmed two successful Planet of the Apes reboots, showed his mastery at the superhero genre with the new adaptation of the DC’s The Batman, which has grossed over $600 billion at the box office worldwide. Making the leap from being a facility supervisor at Weta FX on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes to overseeing the visual effects for The Batman is Oscar-winner Dan Lemmon, who has become a member of Reeves’ inner circle. “There was a bit of teething for me on The Batman coming out from under the umbrella of a facility’s infrastructure and tools,” admits Lemmon. “Fortunately, I had great support at Warner Bros., both in England and back in Los Angeles. I was lucky to be joined by Bryan Searing as visual effects producer in post, with whom I had worked closely on the Apes films.” Lemmon says he feels lucky to have collaborated with Reeves for the past decade. “Every project we’ve done together has its own unique problems to solve, but in the broad strokes, Matt is consistent in his desire to create spectacle and drama without compromising realism. He is allergic to anything that may distract the audience, even subconsciously, and take them out of the moment, inhibiting
their ability to connect emotionally with the film and its characters. Understanding that, I try to anticipate his notes and help steer the work toward his sensibility.”
Bat-Gadgets Galore The grounded mandate influenced the design of the signature gadgetry that Batman (portrayed by Robert Pattinson) deploys when battling crime. “For the grapple gun, Matt
looked to Travis Bickle’s concealed gun slide from Taxi Driver. In other Batman stories, his cape can turn into a rigid hang glider; that didn’t make sense in our world, but we reinterpreted that idea as a wingsuit.” Reeves points out that Unreal Engine and virtual production were indispensable tools for the art department, cinematography, stunts, special effects and visual effects. “That’s where we figured out how big the sets
‘Matt [Reeves] is allergic to anything that may distract the audience, even subconsciously, and take them out of the moment, inhibiting their ability to connect emotionally with the film and its characters. Understanding that, I try to anticipate his notes and help steer the work toward his sensibility.’ — VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon
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may 22
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