Batman: Dead End
DIRECTOR Sandy Collora, 35
CAMERA: 35 mm. camera
RELEASE DATE 2003
PREMISE When the Joker (Andrew Koenig) escapes from prison, Batman (Clark Bartram) is on the case.
THE TWIST Before he gets anywhere with the Joker, Batman must get through Alien (Jake McKinnon) and Predator (Kurt Carley). Yes, THAT Alien and THAT Predator. The movie fades to black as three Predators and three Aliens surround Batman, leaving the Caped Crusader's fate ambiguous. Who said being a superhero was easy?
SOUNDTRACK Borrowed snippets from ''Batman,'' ''Predator,'' and ''Alien'' movies
COSTUMES AND PROPS Hollywood special effects sculptor Henry Alvarez, a friend of Collora's who worked on Legend, Robocop and other films, made Batman's mask. After working for Stan Winston on Predator 2, Collora knew how to recreate Predator's costume. Predator's shoulder cannon is made out of foam, and his "heat vision" effects were created with SHAKE software.
TOUGHEST SCENE TO SHOOT It rained through most of the shoot, making it very difficult to keep the equipment dry. However, some of the genuine rain didn't show up well on camera, so SHAKE provided synthetic rain.
THE DIRECTOR'S TAKE ''I thought, Batman is cool, but it would be cooler to put Alien and Predator in too!'' says Collora, who worked as a concept designer on ''The Abyss,'' ''Jurassic Park,'' and many other movies. So who prevails? ''[Laughing] You'll have to use your imagination! If I leave my audience wanting more, I've done my job.''
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URL collorastudios.com/projects/bde/bdemain.htm
RUNTIME 8 minutes, 4 seconds
GRADE B+
