"I've shot a lot of long takes this time."
In the post-production studio at Fox Tower, Murphy was discussing with his editing team leader. "Jody, these long takes are primarily meant to showcase the struggles of human nature and the human heart. You need to keep that in mind while editing."
Jody Griffiths nodded, "I've already reviewed all the footage over the past few days and have a rough idea. I'll draft an initial editing plan and then we can discuss it."
"That works." Murphy trusted Jody Griffiths completely. "You can take charge of this aspect."
Murphy would not participate in the initial editing phase. Instead, he assembled a color grading team, just as he did during the post-production of *Man of Steel*, to begin with color grading all the footage.
Although all the scenes were shot in dark, somber environments, achieving the effect Murphy envisioned required the use of the DaVinci Resolve for color grading.
"Previous films were dark, but compared to this one, they are nothing."
Before starting any work, Murphy held a brief meeting with the post-production team. "This film delves into the darkest aspects of human nature and society, showcasing the clashes brought about by differing ideologies and personal beliefs. The film's tone and the darkness of its scenes will be the foundation for all of this."
The inner darkness of the film had to be accentuated by the outer darkness of the scenes.
As he said, compared to this film, the darkness of *Man of Steel* and even *Gone Girl* seemed mild.
Strictly speaking, this would be the darkest film Murphy had directed since entering Hollywood. Perhaps calling it a dark film would be more accurate.
To achieve all this, the dark tone of the scenes was crucial.
Murphy had decided that this film would go further than a noir film, becoming a truly heavy dark film with no humor elements.
In the realm of visuals, tracing the origin of the "dark style" is difficult. From Goya's Black Paintings and Bruegel the Elder's *The Triumph of Death* to Boccaccio's *The Decameron*, there is evidence of the existence of a "dark style." However, it wasn't called "dark" back then.
Traditional Hollywood noir films, even if their themes leaned towards the heavy side, often had a satirical comedic feel, as seen in *Gone Girl*. Dark films, on the other hand, are more somber and philosophical. In some respects, *The Matrix* and *Man of Steel* could be classified under this category.
However, *Man of Steel* only scratched the surface, while *The Matrix* went much further.
This doesn't mean that such films are superior. In today's Hollywood, where homogeneity is rampant, it's rare to see such films. Murphy saw dark films as just another branch forcibly split from noir films.
Without a doubt, Christopher Nolan was the key figure in bringing dark films into the mainstream. Dark films even became synonymous with high quality.
This style stands out in superhero films, indirectly or directly leading to two trends: firstly, it made mainstream commercial blockbusters like *The Avengers* and *Iron Man* seem more joyful and popcorn-like by contrast. Secondly, *The Dark Knight* brought depth and style to DC Comics and Warner Bros., making the entire DC universe adhere to a unified style and value system.
This film was not another superhero movie, and there was no aura of invincibility for the protagonist. Murphy wanted to make it more down-to-earth and dark, with content heavier than ever before. The protagonist wouldn't have a plethora of high-tech gadgets and would carry greater burdens, constantly on the brink of being overwhelmed or completely darkened.
To achieve this style, both the setup and shooting, as well as post-production, were crucial.
After nailing the setup and shooting, post-production became critically important.
No one is born knowing how to master various film styles, including Murphy. Despite his and his team's accumulated experience, he meticulously controlled every aspect of post-production.
To ensure the post-production team followed this style, they first needed to understand the characteristics of dark films.
"Dark" refers to the color tone of these films, which are artificially darkened. Even scenes set in daylight appear gloomy and damp.
In this film, most of the plot occurs at night, fitting the transformation of New York from the bustling Big Apple to a decaying crime-ridden city after dark.
"Black" primarily refers to the film's theme and the dark thoughts it reflects. The story is closely tied to words like dark, sick, eerie, violent, bloody, mysterious, religious, and alternative. Although the main story is positive, with the protagonist fighting evil, these elements are amplified and exaggerated throughout the narrative, resulting in a "black" effect.
Even though it is an artificial concept, it needs to follow certain conventions and styles to be established. In Murphy's hands, it would develop according to several defined directions.
Firstly, the story is dark and contains elements of morbidity.
The protagonist—whether a hero or villain—often has shadows and traumas from childhood. For example, Chris Dane's father fell into a vat of black chemical raw materials while saving him, corroding him into a charred mess in front of his eyes, creating a fear of black.
These shadows and traumas accompany his growth, eventually becoming part of his values. These traumas cause him to present a "morbid" image, always hiding in black clothes and shadows.
Similarly, the antagonist's actions are not about revenge but about awakening the public through violence and bloodshed. Their violence is not personal vendettas but tied to redemption and revelation.
Such an antagonist transcends the typical "bad guy" trope, possessing philosophical depth like the protagonist, putting the protagonist in moral dilemmas, making them question justice and evil—creating a filmic aesthetic of darkness.
Secondly, religious elements and the resulting sense of ritual, mystery, cultism, mutilation, and alternative are sensory and narrative features in the film. In many scenes, the protagonist advances after guidance from key characters or triumphing in ritualistic gatherings, entering the next stage.
This setup is essentially a process of self-healing and skill enhancement. However, driven by the dark style, a scene that could be vibrant turns into a "climb out of a pit of corpses," where the hero undergoes a series of events that purify him before painfully choosing to maintain the status quo.
No matter the character's nature or worldviews, whether the world needs a complete reset or not, heroes aren't born as heroes.
Murphy, having seen many heroic mainstream films, understood how to avoid the lack of motivation behind heroism. This thought directly influenced Chris Dane, whose initial drive stemmed from overcoming fear and seeking revenge.
This is a realistic film, not a superhero one. The protagonist isn't born a hero, nor is he a "paragon of virtue," avoiding the "empty grandstanding" trap.
Additionally, in post-production, Murphy borrowed many dark style elements from paintings, expressionism, Gothic art, and many contemporary oil paintings.
Another issue he had to consider was whether audiences could accept this style, something that 20th Century Fox was particularly concerned about.
Undoubtedly, this style carried far more risk than Murphy's past noir films.
If it were before *Man of Steel*, such a grim film might have been rejected by 20th Century Fox during the review phase. But now, 20th Century Fox was willing to take the risk with Murphy.
The reason was simple: like how Steve Jobs was revered by many.
Moreover, Murphy and 20th Century Fox knew that films were heavily influenced by societal contexts. Observing the changes in Hollywood films, it was evident that after numerous CGI-heavy, simplistic blockbuster bombings, audiences' expectations for such light-hearted, CGI-focused films had declined. Older viewers were increasingly dissatisfied with overly juvenile commercial films.
Therefore, dark films with serious cinematic traits and creative tendencies were a response to this trend.
In a film led by dramatic plots, positioning characters in moral dilemmas with strong logical and philosophical antagonists, combined with spectacular displays and night-time stories, offered audiences a fresh thrill.
In this style of film, the antagonist is crucial. If the villain is a one-dimensional character typical of popcorn films, the style would be unbalanced.
Reflecting this in the film, Rainer's method to cure New York through shock therapy clashes with Chris Dane's belief that it only leads to destruction, resulting in a conflict between adoptive father and son.
This naturally elevated the antagonist's level or sophistication.
Murphy and 20th Century Fox were confident that, beyond these external elements, the film could garner enough attention with the right marketing strategy.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter]