A Quick Peek From the Matrix Set In Sydney

We posted recently about the planned shutdown of part of Sydney for filming of the upcoming Matrix sequel. Now reader zobier points to a followup describing the shooting, and since he was on hand to see it first-hand, writes: "I went along to watch the filming, it was very cool (I love helicopters tho' ;) They didn't block off much city space, maybe (100 - 200m), and the chopper flew down the square (Martin Place) between the buildings about 5 - 10m above our heads. Many onlookers were videoing and photographing the scene. At about 5pm when it got dark the camera flashes started going off, this pissed off the director as it was interfering with his film." GoogolPlexPlex adds a link to coverage in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Comments

Realism?

[URoRRuRRR]

At about 5pm when it got dark the camera flashes started going off, this pissed off the director as it was interfering with his film.

Y'know, if I'm on the street and a helicopter goes flying by with people fighting on it, I'm going to take a picture.

Re:Realism?

[Jedi Alec]

Apparently you didn't quite get the first movie though.

There is no spoon. Or in this case, no helicopter....

Re:Realism?

[Disevidence]

"By the time you read this, you should be hearing the knock on your door."

It was only the pizza guy. Crisis Averted.

Matrix pictures

[JPriest]

I took some pictures of the set but they turned out like crap, all you can see is a bunch of 111000110011001001101

plot speculations about the matrix reloaded

[target]

So I wonder what the next movies are going to be about. At the end of the matrix, neo is like unto a god, and the agents can't stop him.

Outside the matrix, neo is a wimpy bald guy who eats gruel and has no ability to fight the enemy.

A movie needs conflict to be interesting. There's lots of obvious conflict available in the real world, where neo and company are underdogs in the fight against the machines, but the parts of the matrix that were really cool were *in the matrix*. So the major conflict being outside the matrix is out.[1]

But neo is all powerful inside, right? Well, that pretty much has to change for there to be anything interesting happening. So my prediction is, right at the beginning of the movie, we're going to find out that the machines have changed something about the matrix that takes away some (but not all) of neo and company's power. That way they still get to do their cool slow motion three-d rotating martial arts, but they can't just win outright.[2]

It's an open question, of course, whether this will be done well enough to allow you to sit back and enjoy the movie, rather than internally kvetch about how contrived things are.

Note that the above is not based on any actual knowledge or information.

- target

[1] Of course, as in the first movie, there will certainly be some conflict outside the matrix. Expect that there will be twin threats, inside and outside, just as in the first. Expect also that those threats will be interrelated, so that solving one is necessary to or will solve the other.

[2] This is perhaps supported by the title. If the matrix gets reloaded, will somee of the rules change?

Re:plot speculations about the matrix reloaded

[ConceptJunkie]

Neo is established to be more powerful than the agents at the end of the first movie since they have never had to deal with anything like him before. No doubt the agents can change and adapt.

This is not like what I consider to be the worst movie I ever paid to see, "Spawn" wherein it is established early on that our hero cannot die (because he is already dead or some crap like that) and the in rest of the movie he is threatened with being killed by various forces. I would have walked out, but I thought my buddy wanted to see the rest... he was only staying because he thought _I_ wanted to...

That movie was only worthy of MST3K, and I think even those guys would have a hard time of it.

I'm sure the agents will return in new and deadly ways (not to mention those albino "virus" dudes)... also even if Neo _is_ unbeatable, all his friends, not to mention the rest of humanity, are not. Even if he cannot be defeated, can he save them? Believe me, despite all the hokiness and plot holes (and I'm saying this despite the fact that "The Matrix" is one of my favorite movies ever), there is plenty of room for real drama and suspense. Not to mention lotsa butt kickin' and eye candy.

Camera Flash

[evilviper]

Why are there so many idiots with cameras? It's a major issue during the olympics as well...

A camera's flash works for a very short distance, perhaps 100 feet... If you're any further away from the source than that, the camera flash distracts your subject, while NOT lighting up anything (except possibly the dust between you and your subject).

If you don't know how to use it properly, shut it off... People have become accustomed to the flash on cameras, but few ever actually need it. Not to mention how much harm that flash does in the hands of idiots.

Re:Camera Flash

[jafac]

well, add to that the fact that on automatic, many cameras simply will not allow you to trip the shutter in low-light situations unless the flash is turned on. Most people use automatic cameras, and even if the camera has a way to let you override it, and even if the operator knows how to override it, it's usually not a simple task, UI wise, and likely takes more than a few seconds to set up, and most people aren't thinking that far ahead when they point their camera and press the button.

Face it, Photography is, when you get down to it, a highly technical practice, and you can automate it somewhat with smart cameras that can handle say 80% of the situations that 90% of people are likely to want to take pictures of. Fall outside those boundries, and you get situations like these.

New Oracle?

[Shanep]

Anyone heard news that there will be a new actress to play the Oracle?

I was in the National Geographic shop in Darling Harbour Sydney, browsing, when a lady with a Yankee accent came in. The guy behind the desk asked her where she was from, if she was a tourist, etc, etc.

She claimed that she was working on a new movie, the guy behind the counter asked which, she replied The Matrix. The guy and the girl behind the counter were impressed, they asked what she had to do with it and she said she plays the role of the Oracle, since the actress who played the Oracle in the first movie has passed away.

Can anyone confirm that the origial Oracle actress has passed on?

Damn, she was uber cool.

Re:New Oracle?

[whiteranger99x]

According to this, i'd have to say, sadly yes :(

Here too

Her name was Gloria Foster, she passed last year at 64

Heh

[ShooterNeo]

A line from the upcoming movie : Neo : "Whoa....check out all those flashes" Morpheus : "Concentrate on the task at hand; they are merely glitches in the Matrix caused by our presense in this place"

Re:Camera flashes

[CliveJones]

I was driving through Parliament Square (London, UK) on Saturday night. A tourist attempted to photograph the Houses of Parliament.

From a moving car.

With flash.

With the window closed.

Sigh.

Re:What's interesting about Matrix 2

[number one duck]

I don't get it either. Hotrod opened the matrix and stopped Unicron (Becoming Rodimus Prime in the process). I know they still have to bring O.P. back, but thats more of an episode thing,not a full film.