Batman fans, rejoice! After months of pre-production cameras are officially rolling on The Oath!
Just as the project reached its initial funding goal on Indiegogo, production kicked off for the upcoming short film, an original story set in the world of Tim Burton’s Batman.
Filming began in Petersburg, Virginia on November 11, 2021 with three consecutive exterior night shoots. Cast and crew traveled from Maryland, Northern Virginia, Washington DC, and Georgia for the shoot. When the weekend concluded, the team had worked nearly 35 hours across three nights, ultimately finishing at 4am on November 14 as temperatures plummeted to 32°.
“We were all exhausted by the end of that third night,” said director/cinematographer Johnny K., “but it all worked out and I couldn’t be happier with our progress. We had rain, freezing temps, and at one point, even a large crowd of onlookers that actually paused our production. They looked like the Gotham City media, all trying to catch a picture of the Batman! I probably should have put them in fedoras and trench-coats and had them in the movie!”
“Despite the challenges, we stayed on schedule and made each of our days,” Johnny said. “Huge kudos to the cast and crew for sticking it out and for their commitment to get it done, and special thanks to the local residents, businesses, and property owners in Petersburg for being so accommodating and gracious to our production.”
“Working with the cast and crew was amazing,” said actor Chris Konke. “This team has great chemistry and we all bonded together during filming. I would work with all of them again in a heartbeat. Seeing Guillermo Mejía in the bat-suit for the first time was incredible. That was probably my most memorable moment.”
The bat-suit used in The Oath was created by The Cave: Creature Workshop, a Colombia-based company specializing in costumes, sculpture, latex and silicone masks, and more.
On the bat-suit, Guillermo Mejía had this to say: “The suit is based on the ones Michael Keaton wore. Anyone who knows about that will know that you can’t move your neck while wearing that cowl. Knowing little things like that helped me mentally prepare, at least somewhat. The suit forces me to have a very different body language, so going over my range of motion with the director and making story adjustments for that was hugely helpful.”
With a large chunk of filming now completed, a few more scenes remain to be filmed throughout the end of the year, and then the project will move into post-production.
Produced by Kaotica Studios, The Oath stars Jerry Morgan, Oz Keenum, and Chris Konke, with Guillermo Mejía as Batman. The non-profit short film will be distributed for free on YouTube in 2022.
Interested in supporting The Oath? Check out the crowdfunding site on Indiegogo and see how you can help!
** Batman and all related marks, logos, and characters are solely owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment. This non-profit fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with DC Comics or Warner Bros. Entertainment.**
