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Matrix Reloaded Filming Wants to Shut Sydney Down

ro_len writes "News.com.au is reporting the producers of the Matrix Realoaded are looking to shut down Sydney for the filming of the final scene which involves flying a helicopter across the city at less than 600 feet above ground. It is supposed to be the most complicated sequence ever filmed." Just plain nuts. Here is a previous story about the trailer, and another one announcing the film.

29 of 487 comments (clear)

  1. Shutdown ! by ZaneMcAuley · · Score: 5, Funny

    What if it doesn't reboot? :O

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    1. Re:Shutdown ! by thomasj · · Score: 5, Funny
      What if it doesn't reboot? :O
      2002-06-11 13.30.05: [notice] Shutting down Sidney.australia.matrix
      2002-06-11 15.46.17: [notice] Rebooting Sidney.australia.matrix
      2002-06-11 15.46.32: [error] Sidney.australia.matrix bootstrapping failed
      2002-06-11 15.46.33: [panic] scp root@Sidney.australia.matrix:/home/{neo,morpheus,t rinity}/.profile .
      2002-06-11 15.46.36: [restore] Sidney.australia.matrix reloaded
      2002-06-11 15.46.37: [warning] Older version overwrite (Agent Smith 2.0 -> 1.0)
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  2. Film Industry is Nuts!!! by Coplan · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Abeit, I like a good action flick as good as the next guy. But shutting down a whole city? A pretty major one at that! If it were for scientific experimentation, then I could maybe be persuaded to support the concept. But for the sake of entertainment?

    How much money in the form of opportunity cost do you think the city might lose?

    1. Re:Film Industry is Nuts!!! by Croaker · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yeah. It's not unheard of, though. I remember hearing that the main eccentric guy in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" got severely pissed about some network filming a civil war miniseries down south had all of the roads covered with dirt and other stuff... apparently, he took pains to piss movie people off. Something I'd be all for.

      I remember when they were filming some movie about the Brinks robbery in Boston, they forced people to take down TV antennas from their houses, so it would look more authentically 1930's (this was back in the 70's, before cable). Apparently strong-arm tatcics were used.

      Finally, I was watching a TV show about a famous local chef, who was contacted by movie people, who wanted to use his restuaunt as a setting in a movie. Great, he thought. The people came in, and completely changed over his place, making it look nothing like the original. He asked "uh, so why did you want to film here if you wanted to change everything about the place?" "Oh, because the *light* was just *perfect*."

      One wonders why they need to actually fly an helicopter over an actual city, resulting in the shutting down of said city. Even if computer graphics can't give them what they want as far as flying over the city, surely they could use one of those light-weight robotic camaeras on a radio-controlled helicopter to film the scene. That would be a lot less dangerous to the general populace, meaning it would be a lot less disruptive.

      Geez. It's all just freakin' entertainment. I'll be glad when it all goes virtual, and we won't have to deal with these people who think movies are more important than real life.

    2. Re:Film Industry is Nuts!!! by Arcturax · · Score: 4, Funny

      'm assuming that 600' means 600' from the ground. I don't know Sydney that well...but I'm making a broad assumption that there are plenty of buildings over 6' in height (roughly 6 stories).

      Only 6' in height and 6 stories? Is this the building out of "Being John Malcovich" on crack?

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      --Won't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop. - Dr. Walter Gibbs
    3. Re:Film Industry is Nuts!!! by Brento · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah. It's not unheard of, though. I remember hearing that the main eccentric guy in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" got severely pissed about some network filming a civil war miniseries down south had all of the roads covered with dirt and other stuff... apparently, he took pains to piss movie people off.

      When the crew filmed downtown, he hung Nazi flags from his balcony, ensuring that they wouldn't film his house. That one was priceless.

      --
      What's your damage, Heather?
  3. Seems a bit OTT by sheriff_p · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Surely computer graphics these days are advanced enough to eradicate the need for real filming? Maybe this is all just a giant publicity stunt?

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    Score:-1, Funny
  4. Realize the truth by Out4Blood · · Score: 5, Funny

    There is no helicopter

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    - Consult the dictionary frequently to avoid mispelling
  5. Hmm.. by Diabolical · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the bottem of the article

    Part three The Matrix Revolutions is also in production and will be released in December 2000

    Sorry to have missed it...

  6. Shutdown for 2 days? by iceT · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They must just be talking about the flight path and some margin around it.....

    gee, I hope they talk to God and get a good weather day...

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    -- You can't idiot-proof anything, because they're always coming out with better idiots.
  7. Wow, Hollywood technology has really advanced..... by xtermz · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the bottom of the article :

    Part three The Matrix Revolutions is also in production and will be released in December 2000


    Not only are they filming the most complicated sequence ever, but they will be the first movie company to premiere a movie in the _past_. How they plan to manage the space/time disruption is apparently a closely guarded studio secret

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  8. What I did for summer vacation by ObviousGuy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Isn't that what movie sets are for? Can't they rebuild a replica of the city they want on some backlot?

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    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
  9. Re:This vsCGI by paradesign · · Score: 4, Insightful

    this is the stuff that cgi cannot replace, the realism just wouldnt be there, now the fight scene at the subwaystation, thats what cgi is for.

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    I want 2D games back.
  10. most complicated != best stunt by f00zbll · · Score: 4, Interesting
    like the matrix and watched a dozen times, but shutting down a whole city does seem a bit extreme. It's good they are thinking about people's safety and also secrecy, but is it really necessary.

    I just hope the W brothers don't kill themselves in the process of trying to "out do" the original matrix. The two of them have already spent quite a few years to this effort. It's always tough when a director makes a really successful movie, because the expectation are set unrealitically high. If they manage to pull it off, they may become hollywood heavy weights. If they flop, it's going to be a costly blunder.

  11. Other ideas by Moita+Carrasco · · Score: 5, Funny

    Other "my whacky final scene is whackier than yours" ideas:

    - Close down New York to make a film about 9-11, idea: actually fly airplanes into stuff, randomly. Pilots and crew: CIA, FBI and American Government officials.

    - Close down Jerusalem to make the final scene of a movie about the Israeli+Palestinian conflict. Idea: a huge crane pounds Arafat and Sharon repeatedly against various religious monuments.

    - Close down Paris to make the final scene of a film about the world cup. Idea: a giant soccer ball rolling around the streets with "losers" painted on, squishing right-wing partidaries.

    - Close down a strip of territory in Kashmere to make the final scene of a film about the alleged India-Pakistan conflict. Idea: Nuclear warheads detonated on top of CNN reporters who claimed a nuclear war was about to happen, as if it was a light subject you can kid around with.

    Apologies: I apologize for this post if you don't like it. It will avoid me getting into discussions later. Thank you.

    Moita

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    MoitaCarrasco "Everyday I beat my own previous record for the number of consecutive days I've stayed alive." - CARLIN
  12. They're not shutting down the *city* by Zeddicus_Z · · Score: 5, Informative

    Guys... it's two too three streets being shut down, for a peroid no longer than two days. Buildings along George and Sussex streets are being evacuted for public safety reasons. Other than that, its business as usual in our fair city.

    I repeat. They are *not* shutting down all of sydney.

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    Janie took my gun...
  13. And the reason for it is? by MavEtJu · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is it just me, but does the article give no reason at all why it has to be `shutdown'?

    But it will probably go something like this:
    Filmmaker: "We need all the people out of the city for two days."
    Mayor: "That's not possible. We can ban jetskies from the harbour if you like."
    Filmmaker: "No, we need the city, not the harbour. We are going to do some stunts there."
    Mayor: "Sounds impressive, but what if all the people start riding their jetskies in the harbour instead of going to the city? I don't like that, and I've made it illegal already."
    Filmmaker: "Please have a look at this script, it's specially printed for you on green paper with some transparent parts for the so called `special effects'".
    Mayor: "It's a deal, I'll just make being in the city on these days illegal, except for people with jetskies. After all, they might go ride them in the harbour if they're not allowed to put them in the city."

    People from Sydney should get the subtleties...

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    bash$ :(){ :|:&};:
    1. Re:And the reason for it is? by foobar104 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Filmmaker: "Please have a look at this script, it's specially printed for you on green paper with some transparent parts for the so called `special effects'".

      Okay, while Sydneysiders do seem to make up a disproportionate fraction of Slashdot readers, I'll go ahead and spell this one out for the rest of the planet.

      Aussie money is printed on plastic-coated paper in various colors. Each bank note has a little transparent plastic "window" in it as a counterfeit-countermeasure. (Heh.)

      So green pieces of paper with little transparent bits are Aussie $100 notes. So the joke is that the mayor is being bribed by the W brothers.

      Get it? Huh? Get it? Hah!

      (More info about Aussie money can be found here.

  14. Re:Matrix Reloaded by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 5, Insightful
    "I'd rather be Tom Cruise - he gets all the chicks."

    Be careful what you wish for. Tom Cruise is stupid enough to fall for Scientology.

  15. Not the first time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the beginning of the film Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise, he runs around an empty Times Square. Word has it that Hollywood paid $3 million to shut down the most active city in the world for a few early morning hours.

  16. Something missing? by CraigoFL · · Score: 5, Funny
    The Daily Telegraph has learned the helicopter will include a camera mounted in the pilot's seat, giving the moviegoer a bird's-eye-view as the aircraft whizzes across the city.

    Personally, I'd prefer that a pilot would be mounted in the pilot's seat, considering how difficult the stunt is and all...

  17. Don�t you think they know this? by Conrad_Bombora · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is the matrix remember?
    You know the movie that knocked Hollywood on it's ass with bitching CGI, not lame CGI like phantom menace.
    Why where the FX better in the Matrix then in Phantom Menace?
    Answerer, the filmmakers of the matrix realize that not every thing can be done with computers. Some shoots just look better when filmed with real sets not CGI blue/green screen sets.

  18. Re:Most complicated stunt ever? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    But what did you really think of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones

    Worst. Prequels. Ever. Rest assured that I was on the Internet within minutes sharing my disgust with the world.

  19. Furthermore... by Dephex+Twin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Isn't that what computers are for?

    Did the Star Wars crew not create entire cities?

    mark

    --

    If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
  20. Re:cities as publicity stunts by Bonker · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Funny, I thought that cities were for living in and business, etc, etc, not for rich-ass movie companies to play with.

    You've just got no clue why cities want movies to be filmed in their jurisdictions

    Think about the budget for big-time blockbusters like Matrix 2 and 3, both of which are being filmed in and around Sydney. Together, they probably total around 300-500 million dollars. Much of that money will be spent on production. A significant portion of that money is spent on things adjacent to the filming process, like catering, for example.

    There are restaurants in Sydney that will be made for life with the massive amounts of catering required by such a huge production. Even if Carrie Ann Moss isn't allowed to have more than a celery stick for every meal so that she still looks good in skin-tight latex as Trinity, you can bet that Bubba the gaffer and Hank the electrician want steak and potatos for every meal. Both the Wachowski brothers are big guys. I bet they don't skimp on the catering either.

    Also, since the actors have been in Sydney for about a year, do you think they're living in trailers? Probably they're living in fancy hotel aparments for thousands of dollars a month.

    Money makes it worth it.

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  21. Godzilla by Joao · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I remember when they were filming Godzilla here in NYC. I was trying to get to work, and they had closed off 23rd street to shoot one of those "tons-O-fish falling from the sky" scenes. There were a bunch of us standing there for several minutes on rush hour, trying to get to work or school, and the one security guy holding us back. Then one guy decided to just keep going, and the whole crowd just marched ahead while the security guy kept trying to hold people back.

    I wonder how many security guards they're gonna need to hold back a city's entire population.

  22. Re:Directoral pissing contest by hyoo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why not just shoot the thing at 5 in the morning and digitially chop out any people that may be hanging around the streets?

    What happens if there is an accident (these things do happen). Then they would have to digitally chop out the chopped up people. It's a matter of safety.

  23. most active city by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    Word has it that Hollywood paid $3 million to shut down the most active city in the world for a few early morning hours.

    They shut down Tokyo to shoot the Times Square sceene?

  24. Re:Wow, Hollywood technology has really advanced.. by Buck2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    > You know, I am going to have seen this already, and it is willian on-coming to have been AWESOME!!!

    Use of the transitive par-past-prefect in the first clause:

    I am going to have seen this already

    necessitates the usage of an entrance stative par-past-profect (note: profect!) when describing the status of the predicate, as in:

    and it is willian on-coming to have been AWESOME!!!

    should be changed to:

    and it is willain on-coming to have been AWESOME!!!

    I know it's subtle. And, it could have been a typo, but sometimes it makes all the difference in the world for intelligibility.

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