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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice not only brought us the clash of two comic book titans,
but also introduced us to a wealth of new characters in DC's Extended Universe.
So, I wanted to take a look at 15 cool behind-the-scenes secrets about the making of the movie.
Just before I get stuck in, I've got an awesome giveaway for this fantastic pair of Batman
and Superman Dawn of Justice figurines, which part of the Justice League collection by Schleich.
For a chance to win them, all you need do is subscribe and leave a comment about your
favourite behind-the-scenes fact about the movie.
For more details and ways to enter, check out the Gleam link in the video description
below! A quick warning there will be a couple of
spoilers in this video if you haven't seen the movie yet so if you're not ready for that,
check out my non-spoiler review of the movie here.
For Bruce Wayne's Knightmare sequence, Batman stunt double Richard Cetrone had to perform
over 100 moves and take down 24 opponents. A special camera rig was used to capture a
360-degree panoramic picture and a mix of real stunt actors and dummies were used in
the fight scene. However, in the final edit, due to the difficulty
of stitching all the multiple shots together seamlessly, all the bodies other than Batman
were erased in post-production and recreated with CGI.
The VFX team took this as an opportunity to go wild adding in extra guys, more parademons
and even attack helicopters.
The Batmobile was the first thing production designer Patrick Tatopoulos designed for the
film and he used it "to define the [whole] Batman aesthetic."
The Batmobile took over a year to fully develop and complete and has a battle-beaten and militaristic
look. Tatopoulos wanted "the top of the car to be
one very hard line […] like a cape sitting on top of an engine and wheels" and the non-retractable
machine gun mounted right at the front was added to enhance its aggressive look.
Keeping with the bat theme, the doors were specifically designed to look like wings when
they were opened. The Batmobile also included lots of panels
and recesses so filmmakers can add new elements to the car in future films.
Special attention was given to ensure Ben Affleck could turn his head while wearing
the Batsuit. Previous Batmen had difficulty moving their
heads because often the cowls were connected to the shoulder parts of their suits.
This time the cowl was designed as a single piece by taking a scan of Ben Affleck to create
a model of the actor. The cowl was then sculpted in clay over the
mannequin to ensure it would fit Affleck comfortably. This clay model was then put into 3D modelling
software where the sculpt was refined and a leathery texture was added to ensure it
was flexible and comfortable. On the cowl we see Alfred working on in the
movie, microports have been added enhancing it with tech capabilities such as a voice
modulator and retractable lenses.
As well as changing some of the detailing on Superman's suit, the costume designers
included some Kryptonian script in the suit's embossing.
Hidden in Superman's S glyph on his chest, on his biceps, his cuffs and around his belt
is a quote by the American writer Joseph Campbell that Zack Snyder felt connected with the themes
of the film. The quote reads "And where we had thought
to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall
slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the centre of our
own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world."
Batman and Superman's capes were deliberately designed to look very different.
For Superman, the designers went for a "sense of impossible perfection" and they used a
fabric with "an unearthly metallic sheen [that blended] with the blue of his suit."
A hot knife was used to cut the fabric, which was then welded to avoid stitching lines.
In contrast, Batman's cape is worn and beaten down with scratches, bullet holes and encrusted
dirt from his career fighting criminals in Gotham.
Batman's heavily armoured suit was mostly built practically.
But to allow Batman to move more naturally during his fight scenes, Ben Affleck wore
motion sensors on his arms rather than the full suit.
He could then move much more realistically, and the armoured arms were added by the VFX
team in post-production.
Batman's batarangs were given a more important role in this version of Batman.
They're about twice the size of the batarangs used previously and some have "incendiary
tips" while others can be "used as tracking device".
Numerous designs were submitted by the prop designers and although one design was chosen
to be used actively in the movie, in the Batcave armoury you can see a second design of an
earlier generation batarang, to illustrate how Batman has developed his tools and weapons
over his career.
The concept for the design of the Batcave was that everything should be suspended and
hang like a bat. Inside the Batcave, every workstation and
desk hangs in the air with only the chairs touching the ground.
And the building itself doesn't even touch the ground directly but is held up by cantilevers.
The stairs almost float in the air and have no railings.
The idea behind the minimalist but modern feel in both the Batcave and Bruce Wayne's
house was to convey a sense of self-imposed austerity by a man who's been hardened by
20 years of fighting crime.
You can actually take a tour for yourself of Bruce Wayne's residence on Google Street
View. Google Maps indicates that Bruce Wayne lives
in Orion Charter Township, just outside the city of Detroit where a lot of Batman V Superman
was filmed. On Google Street View, you can go right inside
Bruce Wayne's bachelor pad, look inside the Batcave, examine the Batmobile up close, see
the defaced Robin costume, and check out Batman's armory and tech systems.
To bulk up for his second outing as the iconic hero Superman, Henry Cavill set himself on
an even tougher training course than for Man of Steel.
Initially, he started on a mass gain programme that made him gain over 20lbs more weight
than his peak weight when training for his first DC movie.
Then Cavill went on an intensive conditioning program to become leaner and build muscle.
By the time he was on set he'd gained over 12 lbs of muscle in comparison to when he
filmed Man of Steel.
As for Ben Affleck's look, one idea that floated around the studio initially was that he needed
to look like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the end though, they agreed that he needed
the look of an MMA heavyweight fighter instead. Affleck had to hit the gym for 15 months,
even training while he was filming Gone Girl, which meant that he was sometimes pumping
iron at 5am in the morning. Affleck also stuck to a strict diet, and by
the time he was filming as Batman, he weighed 228lbs with just under 8% body fat.
Once Affleck finally got into the Batsuit on set, he found he wasn't completely happy
with the script and on numerous occasions he rewrote parts of the script at the same
time as he was suited up. Affleck is an Oscar-winning screenwriter and
director and he's already written a script for the next Batman solo movie.
Ben Affleck bumped into Christian Bale one day in a costume store in Los Angeles. When
Affleck asked Bale for advice on how to play Batman, the only thing Bale had to say was…
[BEN AFFLECK: Make sure you can *** in that suit!]
Affleck took the advice literally and made sure a zipper was included in the Batman costume!
When actor Robin Atkin Downes performed the creature vocals for Doomsday, he had no idea
what role he was providing the voice for until it became public knowledge that supervillain
Doomsday was in the movie. Downes has provided voices in a number of
other DC productions including Batman: Bad Blood, Arkham Knight, Beware the Batman, and
Justice League: Doom.
In order to keep the fact that Superman was going to die from leaking, the final funeral
scenes were shot with extra-special care. So, rather than hiring extras to appear as
mourners at Clark Kent's funeral, the film crew themselves, including producers such
as Deborah Snyder and even the filmmakers' children, were filmed as mourners in the scene.
For Superman's state funeral, the extras weren't told that it was Superman in the coffin, but
that there'd been a "huge tragedy". And Henry Cavill even turned up to pretend
that Clark Kent was there to report on the event!
Now, what was your favourite moment in Batman V Superman and how do you think Superman will
be brought back for future movies? Do let me know in the comments below!
And don't forget to comment and subscribe for a chance to win this cool pair of Batman
and Superman Dawn of Justice figurines by Schleich.
For more details and ways to enter, check out the Gleam link in the video description
below! And if you want to delve deeper into the movie,
check out my guide to all the easter eggs and references in Batman V Superman, 10 deleted
scenes and concepts from the movie, and 5 things you probably didn't know about the
new Wonder Woman. You can click right here for any of those
videos. And if you enjoyed this video don't forget
to like, share and subscribe! Thanks for watching! Yippee ki-yay movie lovers!