Although his involvement in the Batman sequel has been rumored for quite awhile now, Superhero Hype has received a spy report that seems to confirm Cillian's Murphy's participation in The Dark Knight. Of course, this all depends on how trustworthy the spy is -- but since they were present during filming and took pictures (none of which clearly featured Murphy though), I'll take their word for it. Beware of potential spoilers ahead. According to the spy, last night Christopher Nolan and his crew were shooting a scene that involved a confrontation of sorts between two gangs, one of which he (or she) called "the Scarecrow gang." Here's a snippet of the report: "Around 2:30-3ish they returned to the set and started filming two gangs fighting with each other. Then I spotted Cillian and they filmed him yelling at the gang. The sound of gunfire blasted and everyone ran for cover. They repeated this over and over again."

After a few images that clearly show two groups of people meeting for what looks like a "secret deal", the spy continues: "So after a few takes of that... they moved to the side of the van. I saw a Batman... It had to be a stunt double. And him and Scarecrow had a struggle and ended with the crow gassing Batman. Batman fell to the ground holding his face screaming." The actual pictures look to have been taken from across the street, but it appears one of the figures is wearing the Scarecrow mask. Then again, it is hard to make out since we only see him from behind. If all this is true, I like where they're going with this -- continuing the Scarecrow's storyline while a new villain (Joker) pops into the picture. It appears as if each film will seamlessly blend into the next, with two more possible villains (Two Face and Riddler) being set up while Batman rids himself of an old nemesis (Scarecrow) and a new one (Joker). Hopefully Nolan knows what he's doing and it won't seem like too much (ahem, Spider-Man 3), but my fingers are crossed as I patiently await this thing to hit theaters on July 18, 2008.

At some point last week the New Haven Herald Register realized that Indiana Jones 4 was not only about to bring a host of celebrities to their town, but also a massive amount of hits to their website. Thus, they've been doing all they can to dig up whatever scraps of filming info are out there -- but this time, they've managed to get the scoop on what sounds like a pretty pivotal set piece. In case you weren't aware, Indy 4 will be shooting a few scenes in New Haven, Connecticut from June 28 to July 6. When we first reported it last week, all we knew was that filming was to take place in town, with shop owners making changes to their storefronts so that the place looked more '50s throwback. Now, however, there's a whole lot more -- and it includes Harrison Ford playing a little Yale football. I kid you not.

Since some might deem these specifics a tad spoiler-ish, I should warn those wimpy, "shut your ears and go la la la" folks out there that they might want to skip this paragraph. That said, the scenes in question will find Indy being chased by a number of bad guys in black sedans, while our hero rides a motorcycle "through the Yale campus, up to athletic fields, where he may just catch a football for a moment of lighthearted shtick." There's been confirmation that the film will take place in 1957, and the scenes apparently call for upwards of 500 extras; most of which will be fleeing for their lives as the motorcycle and sedans speed throughout the quiet town. New Haven is so stoked about the filming that they're shutting down Temple Street on the Green for a pre-Indy festival (which includes the screening of an Indy movie) celebrating the fact that the final installment in the Indiana Jones franchise will spend a little time mucking up the place.

As far as plot goes, there's not much here that clearly backs up the info CHUD was provided with last week; although those black sedans might hold the key. Who's in the sedans? Are they government types trying to silence Indy? I'm sure more will be uncovered once filming actually begins; until then, stay tuned to Cinematical for further updates. Indiana Jones and What the Hell is This Going to Be Called arrives in theaters on May 22, 2008.

Now that Borat caused a sh*tstorm of publicity for Sacha Baron Cohen, it's going to make the filming of his follow-up (in which he takes on the character of Bruno; the homosexual Austrian youth-oriented news reporter) much more interesting. After all, a lot more people know who he is now; they know his game. Is there any town in this country where its citizens are so out-of-touch and self-absorbed that they won't recognize the comedic actor in uniform performing his usual shtick? Well, it seems there is such a place -- Los Angeles. La La Land. Defamer reports (via a spy) that Cohen (as Bruno) and his ten-person crew were spotted at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles attending a luncheon hosted by the Foreign Trade Association. Yup, it appears Bruno is officially underway.

According to the spy, Baron Cohen has ditched the Bruno mohawk for something a tad more low key. "He's dressed in leather pants, black vest and a black t-shirt. The hair is kinduva flock of seagulls/sad boy from the cure look - rusty brown hair mopped over to one side and the tips are a frosty blonde." Apparently, the crew is telling the people who sign releases that they are filming a documentary about American culture and the World Trade. And, with the exception of our spy, "99% of the people had no idea who he was." The best part of the whole thing was that when the spy realized it was Baron Cohen and tried to get a picture, the crew were all over him like white on rice; following him around, blocking his view. Since Los Angeles is hosting a World Trade Week, I'm sure Cohen and his crew will be all over the place -- assuming people don't blow up his spot (ahem, no comment). If anyone manages to snap a photo of Bruno doing his thing, feel free to hook up your good friends at Cinematical. We're here to serve ...

It seems that Baz Luhrmann's Australia is one step closer to kicking into production. Blayney News has reported that the town of Bowen, a coastal town in Queensland, Australia, has been chosen as one the primary locations for the epic starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The story centers on an aristocratic woman (Kidman) who becomes the owner of a cattle ranch in Darwin, Australia. Aided by Hugh Jackman's "rough-hewn drover," she is forced to take on local cattle barons after her land. The film is set in the 1930's and already construction crews are descending on Bowen to start on some of the period sets. Some of the sets underway are a hotel, and a small Chinatown. Bowen also began hosting auditions for over 1000 extras. The mayor of Bowen is already counting on the boom to local tourism, saying "Once Nicole and Hugh are here there will be thousands (of tourists)".

Blaynay News also reported that the filmmakers had received a $500,000 bonus from the state government to shall we say "encourage" the production to choose Bowen, and it appears to have worked. Filming is set to begin this May and is expected to last for six weeks, and there are still a number of main plot points under wraps, such as exactly how much of the film will be about the invasion of Darwin by the Japanese. Will it be an action extravaganza or just a romantic drama with a big, flashy third act? Australia is currently set for release sometime in 2008.

Devon DeLapp has posted an extremely handy guide detailing how to use the "Poor Man's Process" when shooting a scene featuring actors talking to each other in a car while driving at night. You independent filmmakers, budding directors, and veteran cinematographers will find this very useful.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, a friend of mine had started work on his own independent film. We tried for days to shoot scenes inside a moving car, and realized what a headache it is. You have to not only contend with the normal elements of filmmaking like the camera, the actors, and the lighting, but you also had to try and find a way to mount the camera on the car, locate a stretch of road you can use over and over, deal with traffic, think about gas, etc. It turned into such a headache for him that he ultimately decided to have the scene set next to a parked car, rather than in a moving one.

The genius of the solution on DeLapp's journal is in the extremely low-tech methods used to simulate effects in the scene: a light pointed at a rotating mirror for passing streetlights, lights mounted on wheels moved back and forth behind the picture car for traffic, Christmas tree lights in the background as the twinkling lights of the city in the distance. These are the kinds of things that once you have them explained to you, make you slap your forehead and say, "Well duh, of course." The only thing that will make this a true poor man's process, however, is if you aren't paying your crew. It takes roughly 20 people to pull this off properly, so call in some favors and get to work.

Check out his step-by-step instructions, along with the great illustration that he drew himself!