The Cronenweths Invite Us To 'Be The Batma
For the latest iteration of Rocksteady's 'Arkham' game series, directors The Cronenweths have created a moody film inspiring everyday people to 'Be The Batmanull. We chatted to the pair about how they got on with Gotham.
Who hasn't wanted to be Batman? You get the cool car, the nifty gadgets, a few billion dollars in the bank, a neato suit, superior kung-fu skills, the title 'World's Greatest Detective', a bleedin' butler! OK, so you also have parents who were murdered in cold blood in front of you, severe 'saviour' issues and some of the most evil villains in the DC-verse after your blood, but beggars can't be choosers… It's this muscular desire to don the outfit and right wrongs that drives Jeff and Tim Cronenweth's epic new spot for the upcoming videogame 'Arkham Knight', simply titled 'Be The Batman'.
Following a host of unlikely civilians as they shake off fear and stand up for justice (Bruce would be proud), the film matches the dark aesthetic of the character's previous media exploits with the inbuilt aspiration of the game series' fans. We were psyched after watching it, but instead of leaping off the nearest gargoyle and squaring-off against ne'er-do-wells, channeled our energies into quizzing the brothers Cronenweth on capturing the heroes of Gotham.
How did you get involved with the project?
The project was a slow development over many months. Executive producers David Brennan of SWELL, and Jim Evans of UNTITLED, collaborated to introduce us to a new advertising agency, BATTERY. At BATTERY, the creatives Phil Khosid and Bernie O'Dowd, alongside CEO Anson Sowby and CPO Chris Hepburn, were going through many iterations trying to come up with an awesome idea to match the stature of the brand they were working for. The team from BATTERY also included co-art director Raymond Hwang, planning director Philip Ser and EP Judy Gotten.
What was the brief from the agency? What were you tasked to create?
Warner Bros. and Rock Steady, the game designers, and Warner Brothers were both heavy hitters. The designers had a tried and true approach of using game footage primarily, while WB wanted something new -something different to stand out from the usual aesthetic of gaming advertising. After meeting and going through several versions of the creative with BATTERY and the teams over many months, the assignment landed on a fantastic platform; BE THE BATMAN.
The film captures noir-y Batman aesthetic without seeing 'The World's Greatest Detective' until the end. Was that important to get that feel from the start? How did you achieve it?
This portion of the narrative came from a long passion for the BATMAN character genre and his origin. As we introduce the audience to our world, we wanted familiarity and quick recognition for the state they were about to inhabit – as well as who the primary character is, without giving away the 'cape.' Thus, we introduce a young man, before he has dealt with the loss of his parents, in an alleyway near a theatre. This event will fundamentally alter the way he interacts with the world, especially the bad guys. We get to see him rise to become what his destiny inevitably beckons him to be.
The film shows a series of characters in volatile situations. How important is casting to portray a situation like that? All of the drama has to be non-verbal and conveyed in an instant.
Casting is critical. Each character must be able to show the tension of being in a confrontation, fight or flight situation, without words. Find the bottom of a potentially hopeless situation, and discover within themselves a wealth of strength that rises to become a formidable hero from within. This was virtually impossible. But with extensive reach outs, and Lisa Fields casting looking in all the nooks and crannies for players we don't see every day, we achieved a great cast.
How was the shoot? Did you encounter any problems you hadn't anticipated?
Our shoot was incredibly challenging. Never enough time or resources to do exactly what you want, but if squeezed the right way, and were logistically strategic, we were able to get all the delusions of grandeur in Jeff and my heads on screen. We wanted to shoot a three-way multi-leveled explosion. The idea was to have the burst be unexpected and subtly take the form of the BAT WINGS in a real, non-CGI manifestation. We did that after a lot of push back regarding scale and location considerations. We also loved the alley (it's where Jeff shot the "Sugar Kiss" scene in the film GONE GIRL). This tonally worked for our opening and closing scenes. Schedule wise it was not a good match, but we fought for the right feel. The rain was also a primary element at the beginning of the setup that was worth fighting for. It was not bid for rain, but to immediately establish a young man, alone in the alley oppressed by the deluge, as umbrella'd walker-bys went on with their lives, he was stuck, forced to address his past, present and future. The rain set the tone for the rest of the piece. There were many challenges, but when the creative and the brand are so awesome, you smash through barriers to achieve the vision.
Warner Bros. were terrific. Their insights and professionalism helped us to get to a place where we could literally bring their world to life in a robust and dramatic way. The different approaches and preconceived notions of what this could, and should be, were handled by BATTERY in an effective and smart way. We met with them and showed them treatments, boards, and preproduction notes and strategies. In the end, the teams coalesced into a single force behind the CAPE. The game play is sick. It is one of the best games either of us has ever played. The world, the characters and game play are beyond belief. Warner Bros. and Rock Steady hit it out of the park on this one. Awesome.
Were you sad that you didn't get to get your hands on Bats himself? Do you have a secret Batman film in you?
Of course we wanted to slide the cowl onto an actor and kick some bad guy butt, but this communication was of a novel ilk that did not allow for us to utilize the Caped Crusader himself. We have always loved BATMAN, from the early Tim Burton versions which were interesting, to the darker more realistic Christopher Nolan's incarnations, which are truly inspiring. The evolution has been magnetic. Maybe in our future there will be an opportunity to bring a Cronenweth vision of where this brand and character could go – we'd like to make that reality come true.
Are you pleased with the results? It must be nerve-wracking releasing a film like this to an audience of rabid fanboys.
For the fanboys, we instituted hidden Easter Eggs of BATMAN icons and graphics in the communication. That was a fun detail. We also had to be true to his lineage and progress lines for connectability. It gets hard to stay true to so many iterations of a single character.
What's up next for you?
We are working together on a number of new commercial projects. We have a couple of features in development. Our ultimate approach in weighing future projects is: What would BATMAN do?!
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