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Health & Fitness

Heinz Field Turns a Hot Day Into a Dark Knight

Extras gather to watch and be a part of the newest Batman movie. May contain spoilers, depending on how little you want to know.

This past Saturday, approximately 15,000 comic book geeks, Steeler fans, and movie buffs woke up way too early, sat in traffic way too long, and got way too much sun, just to be a part of The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final installment in director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.  My husband and I were two of those 15,000.

After volunteering, we were informed through a number of e-mails that the scene involved a football game between the Gotham City Rogues and the Rapid City Monuments. We were told to dress in “Rogues” colors, which are black and yellow (conveniently); however, we were absolutely prohibited to wear any logos, including Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, and Batman. We were invited (but not required) to bring Gotham Rogues signs and banners as well.

We were also told to bring winter coats and any other attire that one would typically wear to a cold-weather football game. The filming was to take place rain or shine, as this was Gotham City after all, which appears to be perpetually 40 degrees, foggy at best, and in a bad mood. As such, we were told to bring umbrellas in case of rain, and to shield us from the sun in the super unlikely event of the weather being, oh, I don’t know, hot in the middle of August.

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At least they also had the foresight to hand out small tubes of SPF 55 at the door.

We extras were also treated to hot dogs, burgers, chips, and snacks throughout the day, and were given lots and lots of bottled water, a requirement for the heat. Cooling tents were opened on the ground floor, allowing people to chill for a bit.

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The between-takes festivities included raffles, comedy, and an impromptu singing contest. Prizes ranged from Batman memorabilia to tickets to the movie premiere raffled off by Christopher Nolan himself. (No, I did not win those. Yes, I was bummed.)

So here are the spoilers. Please stop reading if you want to know the very few extremely vague details I was able to glean from sitting on the set of The Dark Knight Rises for 12 hours.

One cool factoid is that (if I understood correctly), this is the first movie to be shot entirely with an IMAX camera. At one point, the crew was dismayed when said camera “ate” an estimated $750 worth of film.

As far as plot is concerned, this is all I know: There is a football game. At the beginning of the game, a kid sings the national anthem, and the Rapid City Monuments kick off to Hines Ward (playing himself, as far as I can tell, which is confusing in and of itself in a fictional city), and then a bunch of crazy stuff happens. I wish I could provide more detail, but I couldn’t if I tried. The whole twelve hours of filming amounted to nothing any clearer.

What I will say is that the experience, despite being painfully long and hot, was actually really fun. I’m not entirely sure what transpires during this football scene plot-wise, but I can say that there were some fun pyrotechnics, and the extras were given such instructions as “scream,” “run,” and “look shocked”.

Throughout these exciting shots, the powers that be made sure to reiterate to the crowd that we were not to smile, cheer, or act otherwise entertained by the really cool business that was occurring on the field. I’m sure someone probably did anyway. For the record, it wasn’t me.

Without giving too much away, I can say that scene did involve a major star of the movie, a big metal object (no clue what it was), and short speech that, without the context of the rest of the movie, didn’t seem to have anything to do with anything. I did get the feeling, however, that when it all comes together, it will look pretty awesome and make a lot more sense.

Pittsburgh natives will also be able to look forward to a few fun cameos by those we know and love. (I use the term “love” loosely, I suppose.)

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher plays the opposing team’s coach. Coach Cowher also spoke a bit to the crowd and raffled off some of the many prizes of the day. His presence and interaction with the crowd drew a lot of cheers and amusing sentiments from the crowd including, “We love your chin!” But really, who doesn’t?

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is also featured, as he kicks off the ball in the close-up shots.  The wider shots used professionals. Although the mayor can probably kick a ball better than I can, it’s just good sense to leave that to the pros.

Art and Dan Rooney also appeared on set, and although I couldn’t see from my seat, rumor has it Dan Rooney played a coach or player for the Rapid City Monuments.

I believe Ben Roethlisberger makes an appearance in the movie as well.

After the long hot day, the “Gotham City” residents headed for home with pinker skin, about 47 empty water bottles apiece, and the kind pride that only comes with being a movie star.

So when you head to the theater next summer, pay the extra couple bucks for the IMAX showing, look for familiar faces, and munch on your popcorn with the knowledge that Gotham City would be nothing without the fine citizens of Pittsburgh.

 

 

 

 

 

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