National Observer - November 2014 - Page 1
www.NationalObserver.com.au
National
Observer Ph 1800 231 311 Fx 1800 231 312
NOVEMBER 2014
Free each month in the Sydney News, Brisbane Sun and Melbourne Observer
Melbourne
Observer
www.NationalObserver.com.au
FREE
Holy special effects, Batman
■ In his continuing search for the more weird, wacky and wondrous in the world of travel, David Ellis says an old mate who has been a near life-long devotee of Batman and Robin comics and movies, has not been the same since
doing a tour earlier this year of the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California. Because he’d always thought that those who played The Caped Crusader and his juvenile side-kick in the first Batman movies in the
side-kick in the first Batman movies in the 1960s really did scale the outsides of tall buildings for the sake of Saturday afternoon moviegoing kids like himself. Thus he was horrified to see on his movie-
Details of 2014 packages on Page 5
www. darwinsbarrabase.com.au The National Observer is printed by Streamline Press, 155 Johnston St, Fitzroy, Vic. for the publisher, Local Media Pty Ltd, ABN 67 096 680 063, of the registered office, 30 Glen Gully Road, Eltham, Vic. 3095. Responsibility for election and referendum comment is accepted by Ash Long. Copyright © 2014, Local Media Pty Ltd (ACN) 096 680 063).
lot tour how it was really done – and that was by having the crime-fighting duo supposedly “scaling tall buildings”… by merely having them crawling along a wall-like structure laid flat and safely on the studio floor. Furthermore a picture of the supposed skyscrapers of Gotham City around them was actually projected horizontally on a screen behind them, and while Batman’s cape looked like it was hanging street-wards from his shoulders as he appeared to be climbing vertically, it was simply pulled horizontally from off-screen. Finally to complete the trick, the movie camera was mounted at 90-degrees to the norm. The Warner Bros Studios tour also showcases original Batman and Robin costumes, props, artworks and the famous Bat-Cave. - David Ellis