Starting from November 6, the production team of
The Dark
Knight will stay on location in Hong Kong for a week to shoot
film sequences. It is the first time that the
Batman movie
franchise has come to Asia to film. The movie production seems to
be appreciably disturbing the daily life of Hong Kongers; many
complaints have arisen.
In order to get aerial views of Victoria Harbor, several planes
have been flying very low to pan the harbor and their engine noise
has been noted. In addition, several main roads have been
temporarily blocked due to the filming; this has caused several
traffic jams. Greatly disturbed, ordinary Hong Kong residents have
begun blaming these and other assorted troubles on the film and its
crew and loudly voicing their complaints.
Additionally, some businesses housed in office buildings along
Victoria Harbor think that they are wasting their money. They have
been requested by the HK government-backed production team to leave
the lights of their offices and of the outdoor advertising panels
on after working hours because the movie crew needs the lights to
shoot a brilliant night scene. They have even been asked to leave
all their lights on all night long from November 12 to 14.
Hong Kong's environmental protection organizations consider this
is great waste of energy. Some of them have asked the government to
cancel these unwise requests.
A photo of a Hercules C-130
plane flying in Hong Kong, a scene will be included in the The
Dark Knight.
Several HK governmental departments have responded to these
complaints. A spokesperson with the Hong Kong Tourism Board said
that the government would not compel the companies to fully light
their offices after working hours and that the companies can turn
down the government's request.
An official with the Hong Kong Film Development Council said
that they have publicized the road sections that need to be closed
and the areas that the planes would fly over for filming. She did
not think the planes would make much trouble for Hong Kong
people.
Furthermore, this official believed that the movie would give
the city more exposure and garner more fame for the city.
(China.org.cn by Pang Li, November 9, 2007)
