No problem.
I don't know about other people, but I've always loved those little storyboards for films, especially ones that depict deleted scenes. The first two Terminator films had good ones, especially the Sarah Connor dream sequence.
Oh, and the Batwing getting shot down was actually cleared up in the script. Originally, the Joker's float contained anti-air craft (or vehicle) weapons that he had planned to use on Batman when he'd inevitably show up. He even had a line that was cut when he's up in the helicopter coaxing Batman, something like "I'm going to kill a thousand people, you ought to show up". Batman arriving and ultimately getting gunned down was part of his grand finale scheme.
I watched the commentary but it's never brought up. I always wondered why they didn't include that when they had it there on paper (and story boards). They even had boards and art work depicting Joker doing this crazy, madman jig avoiding the Batwing's fire power in the streets before unveiling his anniversary "surprise".
I just chalk it up as budget reasons (even though they clearly had that float). I guess his pistol shooting a shell was more effective than some big artillery sequence with effects for the float and his men. Also, I'm 90% positive Burton and Co. were inspired by PATTON for that scene too, which makes it work for me.
Even with that scene I wondered how Patton could have possibly ran out into plain sight and take down a fighter plane with just a hand pistol.
Also, to be fair. I don't think the Joker actually
takes down Batman. I see it as him hitting something that makes the cockpit smoke up and Batman can't see when handling the controls. I mean, we see it smoking up in the cockpit, maybe Batman just can't see where's he's going and hits the street. He had some difficulty pulling those balloons?
It has always bothered me, but it's sort of the same deal I have with the shields of the Batmobile where I'm split on it. Yeah, I question, "How does that work?" How does Batman miss him? How does that revolver take him down? That's dumb. But then on the other side of the coin, I love the idea that the Joker has some sort of "Joker luck" in that scene like in the comics where he lives though certain death situations. Even in his first appearance he "dies" but seemingly comes back. I love Nicholson's child like expression when the Batwing flies and he spins around in the frame like, "I did that?" and he's waiting for it to crash.
That and the whole build up of "c'mon on you gruesome son of a *****" and Batman looking intently behind the controls makes the scene "worth it" for me.
Its like 3-4 feet long. It sounds like a shotgun when he fires it. Batman also locks in and completely misses him. Just a little comic book magic here.
