A scene for a non-canon Batman movie being produced by a local fan of the comic hero was shot at Morrisson-Reeves Library on Tuesday evening.
RICHMOND, Ind. – The Caped Crusader spent some time in Richmond this week during filming for a new movie.
While the film can't be sold or marketed for a profit because the characters being used aren't licensed for the movie by DC Comics, the director said he hopes other Batman fans, and possibly some in Hollywood, might have an appreciation for the final product.
David Carpenter, 32, is the director of the film, and said the idea came to him after dressing up as longtime Batman villain The Joker for Halloween a few years ago. He said from there, he decided he'd like to make a movie focused on the pernicious relationship between the antagonist and Batman himself.
Carpenter said he takes something of a method-acting approach to his portrayal of the Joker, whom he plays in the movie. He said his concept is less about putting on a costume and playing a part than it is giving the villain a unique voice throughout the film.
"I didn't want to just be a person that's putting on the costume," Carpenter said. "I really wanted to go in-depth. I found I could create a voice for the character outside my own, so that way when I became the Joker, you'll have a little of that dynamic in there ... it really seems like it's transforming into the character."
The scene filmed at the downtown Richmond library was focused the titular character, played by Carpenter's brother, Michael Gifford, researching bats and their behaviors, he said. Filming for the scene lasted about half an hour.
The director has already filmed scenes on a train, at the Indianapolis city/county building — Indianapolis and Cincinnati are expected to share the spotlight as Gotham City in the film — and at a mansion. He said there are plans to shoot footage on a private plane and at the Indiana Caverns in the coming months.
Carpenter is using an early 2000s Quasar Palmcorder videotape recorder to produce the film. He said aside from having a limited budget, he has a greater appreciation for the image quality the camera can produce.
"I'm one of those filmmakers who's very particular about how it looks," he said. "One thing I don't like about these digital cameras is when you zoom in, it's very pixelized. You don't get that type of distortion. It was from that aspect alone that led me to stay to that format."
Carpenter said once filming is complete — he has not put a completion date on the project — he plans to have the video professionally transferred to digital and hopes to hire a professional who can edit the film into the final product and add effects and sound.
"Budget wise, we're almost next to (nothing)," he said. "I mean, I'm a guy who works at McDonald's, so there's not a lot there."
He said he scrapes together money from each paycheck to put toward his film; his next part of filming, Carpenter said, could see interior replicas of the Batwing and the Batmobile. He said if he does a sequel to the film he might consider building his own full-size version of the Batmobile.
In addition to the Joker, The Riddler is also expected to make an appearance in the film. Other characters, such as Alfred the butler (who is not expected to be seen in the movie), have had their backstories and pathology altered in a way to help tell the story with something of a twist, he said.
He said he considers the film to be almost an internship in filmmaking and is hopeful the final product might cause some in the film industry to take notice.
"If I can produce a not-too-bad of a movie, on a camera like that, maybe people ... say 'Wow, he made all these effects, he made all these props, and he has no budget. What could he do if he had equipment, if he actually had stuff?'" Carpenter said.
A representative for Morrisson-Reeves Library was not available for comment.