Ian, the team, and the necessary actors reached the spot in Iceland where they were about to shoot the next scenes of Batman Begins. Since they were previously in London, Ian gave the cast and the crew a week to take a break.
Even while in London, they had to keep moving constantly to get the perfect locations. Luckily, all the authorities who owned the locations gave their permission a few weeks prior to the shooting and it all went smoothly.
A week later, they were at the location where the training sequence for the League of Shadows was to be filmed, in Iceland. The overall scenes included where he learned to fight on thin ice while discussing what happened to his dad with his mentor.
The sword training session between Nolan Berard, who was playing Ra's Al Ghul and Christian Bale aka Bruce would be filmed on the Svínafellsjökull Glacier, exactly where it was shot in the original Batman Begins movie. The place was an outlet stretching out from Iceland's largest glacier, Vatnajökull, part of the Skaftafell Nature Reserve. The Icelandic landscapes stood in for Bhutan, in the Himalayas.
Ian decided to do the fight scenes before anything, so they could go back and continue shooting the rest of the scenes in the studio. He couldn't risk something happening to the actors because of the cold. Therefore, he decided to just shoot the fighting scenes on the ice with Ra's Al Ghul and create the other fights with the Ninjas and the inside temple scenes in the studio.
The crew took two weeks to create the face and the doors of the Monastery. It was easier than the Green screen, Ian thought.
-
"Fuck, it's so fucking cold, my hands," Christian Bale walked to reach Ian shivering.
"The gloves don't work?" Ian asked with a smirk, he knew the pain so well because he was struggling as well.
"Heater is ready," Murphy said while walking toward them.
They had rented a house that would supposedly keep them alive in the freezing cold. Ian and Bale ran inside with cold hands and cold minds wanting to 'heat' stuff up. Pun intended.
"I really hope Nolan and Bale nail their roles. Not much of a fan staying here, although the environment is very scenic," Ian said while walking in and grabbing their attention. "We will start today, around 6."
The morning was extra-crisp,
"Yeah"
"Let's go in two hours, get yourselves ready. Need to hurry this up, I don't want anyone to get sick. It would delay things," Ian said while rubbing his arms up and down.
-
"Quiet on set!"
"Camera set!"
"Action!!"
The scene was where Wayne struggled through driving snow up an icy ridge. He cleared the ridge and flopped down into the snow. Painfully lifting his scarf-wrapped face up into the cutting wind to see a monastery perched on some jagged rocks.
But in reality, there was no monastery. Bale just had to look at the prop that was created.
"Cut! Bale, I need more pain in your eyes, should we take a break?" Ian asked, seeing his performance getting weak, and he thought maybe it was because of the coldness.
"No, it's fine. I'll give it my all this time, let's start," Bale said, standing up, and shaking his legs.
Two helpers instantly went to rub Bale's hands and get him a bit warmed up. Snow could be truly tricky when it came to such scenes.
"Okay, everyone ready?"
[...] It took a full day to complete the scenes of Bruce finding his way to Ra's Al Ghul. The next day Ian decided to shoot the scenes of Ducard and Wayne fighting on the ice. For that, the martial artist had to contribute a lot during the shooting process.
"So, you should go to this side, walking… Circling… The sword goes up, like this… and.. in!" Paul Elliot who had been working in the industry for quite a long time as a stunt artist and choreographer in movies was teaching Bale the basic initial steps.
"Uh, sir you… strike, strike, strike then walk to his back, skid left, then breathe." Paul said while showing the movements by himself.
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To Paul's relief, Bale, and Nolan; who acted as Ducard, were very skilled in these types of scenes. Bale had to act these types of action scenes every now and Nolan who was also an A-grade actor had also acted in a lot of similar scenes, so he was well versed in what he was being instructed in. They were flexible as if they knew the art of fighting from years of learning. But in fact, it was all part of their job description.
After three hours of training indoors, they agreed to start the shooting because the two actors were more than ready to give a proper performance, having studied the techniques that they had to perform quite thoroughly.
[...]
"Quiet on the set, please, are we ready Bruce? Ducard?" Ian asked from the mic and they nodded while Bale showed a thumbs up.
"Action!"
Wayne and Ducard circled around each other on the ice, swords were poised to strike. The camera caught how they looked like two dark figures in the white and blue landscape.
Ducard struck Wayne, who deflected the blow using the silver gauntlet with three scallops, which had thick hook-like projections. Ducard skidded to the left, with his breath steaming, feinting with his sword.
Wayne stepped sideways on the ice, instead of falling down, breaking the ice, he slipped and fell on his back. Luckily, due to the layer of safety mattress they had laid, he fell onto it and let out a laugh.
"Let's take it one more time. You're good right, Bale?" Ian asked while the helpers went to support him to reshoot the scene.
[...] The shooting was successful and they were back inside the house. Ian still wanted to recheck the scenes they shot just to see if it had turned out as he intended or if they needed to reshoot them.
"It's really fucking cold, I'm dying to go back," Bale who was draped in clothes said while sitting on the sofa.
"Ah… Don't even remind me, the ice was legit thin, I'm glad you didn't fall before the scene, even your expressions were on point, the take was awesome," Martin said and sat down next to him.
"Not gonna lie, I thought my ass would be down inside the ice, haha…" They started talking about things and kept laughing.
Niko was silent and beside Ian. He kept taking behind the scenes on his phone camera, and the little camera he took with him everywhere. He even caught how Martin and Bale kept hanging out every now and then.
Turning the camera to Ian, he took a video of how focused he was.
Ian, who had his monitor on, kept watching the cuts one by one. Taking notes and jotting things down to edit or put extra attention on.
Bale's foot landed on a thin patch that creaked.
"Mind your surroundings. Always," Ducard said while standing a few steps away from him. The point where he breaks the ice and goes down, wasn't able to be shot since it would be risking his life.
With permission to shoot in the locations, Ian had to go through some legitimate documents. The stunt crew, visual effects crew, on set EMTs and meds, choreographers were present with Ian for everything that had to be done. They had to have a helicopter in the air during shooting the scenes in case of any emergency. Bale signed off a contract which clearly mentioned that he himself is responsible for his life, and acknowledged that Ian has made adequate preparations for any emergencies and accidents on set.
Ian had made adequate preparations for any and all accidents, and had gotten help from experts, to help make the set as secure and safe as possible.
Ian clicked on the next scene on his monitor screen as it was a continuation of the training.
Wayne struck and once again Ducard blocked. Wayne slipped right and went right in with a short thrust. Ducard's arm flipped down in a backhand move, and he caught Wayne's sword in one of his scallops.
"Your parent's death was not your fault –" Ducard said.
He rotated his arm and wrenched Wayne's sword from his grasp. It skidded along the ice.
"It was your father's, Wayne!" Ducard said while a visible rage was in Wayne's face.
With anger, he dived at Ducard and swung at him with the scallops. He looked furious and reckless. Ducard parried with his sword and then the swords locked.
Their noses were inches apart.
"Cut!" The shot cut off.
Ian kept continuing to watch the next scene.
"Scene 32. Take 4." The clapperboard showed.
Wayne was breathing, his expression angrier than ever.
"Anger does not change the fact that your father failed to act," Ducard said loudly.
"The man had a sword! No fuck gun! My brain is freezing!" Wayne said while Ian yelled,
"Cut!!"
'Scene 32. Take 5.'
"The man had a gun!" Wayne yelled.
"Would that stop you?" Ducard said in an equal depth in his words.
"I have had training–" Wayne said, sounding somewhat unsure.
"The training is nothing! The will to take control is everything! Your father trusted his city, it's logic– He thought he understood the attacker and could simply give him what he wanted–"
Wayne looked as if he was actually considering Ducard's words. His breathing became calm and slow. They separated from the sword that had been connected throughout the little conversation.
Ducard became calm in a second and said, "Your father did not understand the forces of decay, cities like Gotham are in their death throes, chaotic, grotesque. Beyond saving."
"Beyond saving? You believe that?"
"It is not right that one must come so far to see the world as it is meant to be. Purity. Serenity. Solitude. These are the qualities we hold dear. But the important thing is whether you believe it –" Ducard kept on saying. Wayne was staring at Ducard.
"Can Gotham be saved, or is she an ailing ancestor whose time has run out?" Ducard completed what he was saying.