Print Page - Blade Runner

Title: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 28, 2013, 04:37:54 PM

I bought the super-dooper-deluxe DVD set of four slightly different versions of Blade Runner on sale in July. Finally got around to watching some of it. The accompanying documentaries are very, very, very thorough, let me tell you. Fell asleep about an hour or so in. Surprised to find when I woke up an hour or so later that they were still discussing pre-production issues...

Here's a version that moves a lot faster, though: Speedrun: Blade Runner in 60 seconds (Ep #6) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ILbDz7tTqU#ws)

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 28, 2013, 05:43:39 PM

BLADE RUNNER!

;notes; One more kiss, deear/ One more siigh ;notes;

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 28, 2013, 05:48:17 PM

Here's my next favorite 60 second Blade Runner -- Blade Runner Noir (perfect if you like your Blade Runner without so much pesky science fiction..)

Blade Runner - The Film Noir Cut (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TN8KQErR1o#ws)

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 28, 2013, 05:51:59 PM

Lego Blade Runner wasn't as funny as I had hoped, but on the plus side, Leon looks really good...

BLADE RUNNER IN 60 SECONDS IN LEGO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlIE3LbpszY#ws)

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 28, 2013, 05:54:50 PM

Quote from: Mylochka on August 28, 2013, 05:48:17 PM

Here's my next favorite 60 second Blade Runner -- Blade Runner Noir (perfect if you like your Blade Runner without so much pesky science fiction..)

Blade Runner - The Film Noir Cut (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TN8KQErR1o#ws)

Very much in the spirit of what we've always talked about doing with the Blade Runner technology when it gets good enough - replace Ford with Bogart, Young with Bacall, and so on down the line, recasting with the usual suspects from noir, and demonstrating that it would really change nothing. -Also, it would just be cool.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 28, 2013, 06:58:56 PM

I think situating the film withing the noir genre gives a richness an resonance to the film that it would not have otherwise. I guess that's why I'm one of those folks who can't watch the versions of the film that cut the narration...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 28, 2013, 07:17:45 PM

Without the narration, the driving to freedom closing scene won't work, and without that scene, the elevator doors close and the movie stops instead of ends.

That's what ruined the director's cut for me more.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on August 29, 2013, 06:04:24 AM

Oh! But I love the scene with the Joanna Cassidy character ( what was her name? ) in the lego version.

I remember reading about that years ago. They were saying that narration is a failure to tell the story.
But it's a staple in the Noire genre, and it's dramatic end twists- so it fit. Perhaps it could have done with less narration. But none? We'd need more movie and more dialogue.

I remember coming out of the theater with my brother, and he was explaining that he thought the movie was realistic, in that he always thought a detective shouldn't have to flash his badge, or tell anyone in a shady nightclub that he was a cop,
especially not the owner. They should recognize a cop for what he was on first sight .

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 29, 2013, 12:32:08 PM

Zora.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on August 29, 2013, 03:03:33 PM

Aha! I might have remembered that in a couple days..... or not. Names can be a challenge sometimes. I was blanking on that one. Not even a first letter.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 29, 2013, 03:10:29 PM

Happens to me all the time. We're gettin' old, man.

Somebody oughtta do something about that four-year lifespan...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 29, 2013, 03:13:06 PM

Quote from: Mylochka on August 28, 2013, 05:51:59 PM

Lego Blade Runner wasn't as funny as I had hoped, but on the plus side, Leon looks really good...

BLADE RUNNER IN 60 SECONDS IN LEGO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlIE3LbpszY#ws)

AAAAARGH! That was the director's cut in 60 seconds. It didn't end, it just stopped.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on August 29, 2013, 03:31:18 PM

Quote from: BUncle on August 29, 2013, 03:10:29 PM

Happens to me all the time. We're gettin' old, man.

Somebody oughtta do something about that four-year lifespan...

;lol Well, I do have a trip to my home world next month....

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 29, 2013, 03:33:27 PM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on August 29, 2013, 06:04:24 AM

Oh! But I love the scene with the Joanna Cassidy character ( what was her name? ) in the lego version.

I remember reading about that years ago. They were saying that narration is a failure to tell the story.
But it's a staple in the Noire genre, and it's dramatic end twists- so it fit. Perhaps it could have done with less narration. But none? We'd need more movie and more dialogue.

I remember coming out of the theater with my brother, and he was explaining that he thought the movie was realistic, in that he always thought a detective shouldn't have to flash his badge, or tell anyone in a shady nightclub that he was a cop,
especially not the owner. They should recognize a cop for what he was on first sight .

The whole "narration is a failure to tell the story" argument is, I think, an example of taking an principle you learn in Film School and mistakenly trying to make it into an inviolable rule. Yes, film is a visual medium, therefore -- in general -- you should strive to show rather than simply tell. But that doesn't mean that all "telling" is automatically a sign of failure. Narration doesn't have to just be expository. Narration - when done well - can provide another level of richness and color. For example, one of my favorite lines is "Sushi - that's what my ex-wife used to call me - cold fish." There in just a few seconds, we get not only a quick preview of Deckard's personality, but also a short-hand synopsis of what went wrong with his failed marriage. Likewise, his one sentence description of the police chief lets us know all we need to know about not only that man but fills us in on Deckard's working relationship with his boss.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 29, 2013, 03:35:43 PM

Quote from: BUncle on August 29, 2013, 03:13:06 PM

Quote from: Mylochka on August 28, 2013, 05:51:59 PM
Lego Blade Runner wasn't as funny as I had hoped, but on the plus side, Leon looks really good...

BLADE RUNNER IN 60 SECONDS IN LEGO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlIE3LbpszY#ws)
AAAAARGH! That was the director's cut in 60 seconds. It didn't end, it just stopped.

yep. the theme music didn't even get to finish out...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 29, 2013, 03:43:53 PM

Precisely.

Does anyone think the movie would have been good w/o the Vagelis score? We're hardly talking about rather flawed awesome that wouldn't have worked without Freddy Mercury, a' la Flash Gordon and Highlander, but The BR score was just utter (layered, nuanced, storytelling, moody) perfection and a plain ol' great listen.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 31, 2013, 08:27:38 PM

I do still love the Vangelis score. There's a lot of other synthesizer-heavy soundtracks from the '80s that sounded cool at the time but decayed into hopeless cheese-y-ness over the years. However, the cheapness and artificiality that the years have added to the score's techno elements is appropriate to the cheap and tawdry future presented and only serve to enhance the music's overall poignancy, I think.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Geo on August 31, 2013, 10:11:08 PM

That's a lot of high talk into just 2 sentences. :unworthy:

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 31, 2013, 10:46:53 PM

I can talk fancy reeel gud! 8)

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on August 31, 2013, 11:15:50 PM

Quote from: Mylochka on August 31, 2013, 10:46:53 PM

I can talk fancy reeel gud! 8)

Now I'm curious. Do you speak with a Carolina accent and Texan metaphors?

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 31, 2013, 11:54:08 PM

Sure as shootin', honey!

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 01, 2013, 12:26:06 AM

She's lying -mostly.

I've often been told by non-NC natives that I have less of an accent than usual. That may be due to our parents being from different ends of the state with very different accents - I naturally can't hear our native western NC foot-of-the mountains accent, but Daddy's side has this nasal drawl thing. So I can't tell you if she has less accent, too, as I don't hear one.

We (and Buster's Daddy) share our mother's side of the family's love of odd turns of phrase and made-up words. Grampa was a treasure chest of funny and quaint turns of phrase that sounded like authentic mountain dialect and jokes, but I never heard any other mountain folk use, so I think he made a lot of it up himself. He sounded a lot like Hank Hill, BTW.

I was once standing next to him in his basement when he turned on the five-watt light, looked up and said "I reckon I'd have to light a match to see if this was on."

So we are atypical North Carolinians, and while Texas quaintness bears some cultural similarity, its a different (western as in cowboy) culture with far greater emphasis on grandiosity. Our style is more in the sarcasm and whimsy line, and we are amused by frequently talkin' wrong on purpose. You will recognize this as characteristic of many of my posts for as long as you've known me.

(If you're curious about MY accent, google ModCast 41 - I guested, and talked silly crap for an hour.)

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on September 01, 2013, 03:22:44 AM

Reminds me of my wife's family, who are Germans from the Ellis island era. They have distant relatives in the old country, and they can converse when they visit, or were stationed there in the cold war, etc.
That said, some things which they regard as German are family expressions. For example, when disagreeing with somebody, instead of saying " you're wrong ! " or "you're crazy! " they use a German phrase which translates as " you're constipated!"

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Geo on September 01, 2013, 11:58:16 AM

Quote from: Mylochka on August 31, 2013, 11:54:08 PM

Sure as shootin', honey!

Do I sense a Mexian standoff a comin'? :hunter:

Quote from: Rusty Edge on September 01, 2013, 03:22:44 AM

That said, some things which they regard as German are family expressions. For example, when disagreeing with somebody, instead of saying " you're wrong ! " or "you're crazy! " they use a German phrase which translates as " you're constipated!"

Perhaps that was the literal translation, but probably meant something like "you're full of it!". :P

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 01, 2013, 12:00:14 PM

Words mean what we agree them to mean (basic communications theory, communications being what I have a degree, and Mylochka a PhD in).

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on September 01, 2013, 03:59:31 PM

Quote from: Geo on September 01, 2013, 11:58:16 AM

Quote from: Mylochka on August 31, 2013, 11:54:08 PM
Sure as shootin', honey!

Do I sense a Mexian standoff a comin'? :hunter:

If I have any hopes of establishing any tru Texan street cred, I gotta find me some more of them smilies with guns in 'em....

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on September 01, 2013, 07:18:04 PM

To get back to Blade Runner --

I had a conversation with someone on Friday. He brought up Blade Runner as an example of something that he hated at first but grew to love. I had the same experience. I first watched it, not on the big screen, but on my very, very, very small tv screen in around 1986. I had a vcr and ...well, not to say I had anything to do with making illegal copies ;)... Let's just say I ended up watching several movies multiple times. The first time I watched Blade Runner, I didn't like it at all. It just seemed like a typical Hollywood run-and-gun chase movie. Harrison Ford, whom I was crushing on like crazy at the time, looked not just bad, but positively ill throughout most of the movie. By the 5th time I watched the movie, though, it had become one of my all-time favorites. It took repeated viewings to really start to pick up on all the detail in the picture -- to start letting the themes work their way into my skull.

Did anyone else have a similar hate-to-love experience?

Did anyone actually see it in the theater?

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Geo on September 01, 2013, 08:08:52 PM

Not with that movie.

I was still too young to see it in theater, or else it never came out on my side of the puddle.
Also, the movie came out before Ford became one of my favorite actors.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 01, 2013, 08:14:52 PM

At the time, I really enjoyed seeing Han Solo getting beat down so hard, over and over...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on September 01, 2013, 08:16:42 PM

Sure, I saw it in the theater. I guess I was looking forward to another science fiction movie from the director of Alien, with an appearance by Han Solo. I was expecting dark.

It stands out in my mind for it's production design. It re-designed Los Angeles. I liked it from the beginning, in a Civ kind of way, for it's depth of details, and my mind returns to it again and again for the same reason.

I've got 3 dogs to walk today, perhaps I'll get back to you on this...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 01, 2013, 08:25:47 PM

Do please. The movie presents a rich milieu, and interesting and deep world. That is easily half its appeal, I think.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on September 01, 2013, 10:33:33 PM

Yes, I think that's what keeps bringing me back to this movie again and again. There is so much detail that it's almost impossible to assimilate it all in a single viewing. I remember being struck by the lighted umbrellas... a tiny detail,really, but yeah, some day some where there will be lighted umbrellas...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on September 01, 2013, 11:56:05 PM

Lighted umbrellas- http://www.amazon.com/BLADE-RUNNER-color-Umbrella-Colors/dp/B0049VCLE4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_a_5 (http://www.amazon.com/BLADE-RUNNER-color-Umbrella-Colors/dp/B0049VCLE4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_a_5)

I kind of liked the orange blender-boiler. Now if it were me, I'd use lemons or limes. I enjoy a hot lemonade to soothe my throat and open my sinuses.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 02, 2013, 12:00:20 AM

I could go for that right now, if only it was caffeinated...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on September 02, 2013, 12:13:17 AM

Quote from: Rusty Edge on September 01, 2013, 11:56:05 PM

Lighted umbrellas- http://www.amazon.com/BLADE-RUNNER-color-Umbrella-Colors/dp/B0049VCLE4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_a_5 (http://www.amazon.com/BLADE-RUNNER-color-Umbrella-Colors/dp/B0049VCLE4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_a_5)

I kind of liked the orange blender-boiler. Now if it were me, I'd use lemons or limes. I enjoy a hot lemonade to soothe my throat and open my sinuses.

Dang! I want that... I also would like to live in a place where it rains more than once or twice a year so I could actually use it...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Geo on September 02, 2013, 03:22:12 PM

Quote from: Mylochka on September 02, 2013, 12:13:17 AM

I also would like to live in a place where it rains more than once or twice a year so I could actually use it...

Seattle? ;excite;

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 02, 2013, 03:27:19 PM

Cue Here Come the Brides joke...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Lord Avalon on September 02, 2013, 04:37:24 PM

I saw Blade Runner in the theater, and I really liked it. I liked the mood it set - the noir feel in a futuristic setting - the bigot Captain Bryant pulling Deckard out of retirement to retire some skinjobs, the tall buildings, the aircars (dammit, it's the 21st century, where are the fracking aircars?!?!), the street - which had its own patois. As far as the rain goes, I imagine it might be acidic - you probably wouldn't want to get it on you.

Later, I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I haven't reread it in a while, but I think it's one of those rare instances where I liked the movie more than the book.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Sigma on September 02, 2013, 04:41:47 PM

Quote from: Lord Avalon on September 02, 2013, 04:37:24 PM

I saw Blade Runner in the theater, and I really liked it. I liked the mood it set - the noir feel in a futuristic setting - the bigot Captain Bryant pulling Deckard out of retirement to retire some skinjobs, the tall buildings, the aircars (dammit, it's the 21st century, where are the fracking aircars?!?!), the street - which had its own patois. As far as the rain goes, I imagine it might be acidic - you probably wouldn't want to get it on you.

Later, I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I haven't reread it in a while, but I think it's one of those rare instances where I liked the movie more than the book.

Phillip K. Dick actually agrees with you. He saw Blade Runner a few months before he died and said it was a triumph.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 02, 2013, 05:00:28 PM

I think this is a case where one has to regard it as not a movie of the book, but one 'inspired by'...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Sigma on September 02, 2013, 05:34:42 PM

I don't think that's really the case. Both books are fundamentally about the same thing-- the distinction between organic and synthetic, genuine and artificial, as well as whether it really makes a difference or not. Both works also hit most of the same plot beats, but they differ hugely in the details.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 02, 2013, 05:38:49 PM

No fun in quibbling over the definition...

Thesis: Sean Young was butt nekkid in No Way Out, (a great movie, BTW), but not half so sexy as clothed in BR.

Thoughts?

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on September 02, 2013, 08:25:34 PM

I read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" years before the movie and didn't really like it. I don't remember enough of the book to even say why I didn't like it. I was in high school, so perhaps there were nuances that went over my head. Watching Philip K. Dick talk about the book in the Blade Runner documentaries makes me want to go back and give the book another chance.

(On the weather like Seattle front, It rained this morning, so I owe N. Texas an apology for complaining... Go a couple dry months in triple digits and I get all sensitive... geez...)

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Maniac on September 02, 2013, 10:04:27 PM

Quote from: Mylochka on September 02, 2013, 08:25:34 PM

I read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" years before the movie and didn't really like it. I don't remember enough of the book to even say why I didn't like it.

Because the main character is a boring loser? Because one can't identify with a character who's depressed because his lack of a sheep will make him look bad in his neighbour's eyes? *rolleyes*

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 02, 2013, 10:10:50 PM

I haven't read the book at all, but that description doesn't tend to drive me away - sounds very human...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Maniac on September 02, 2013, 10:21:22 PM

Could just be me of course. I'm not one to be negatively affected a lot by not fulfilling social expectations. The character is just such a weak-willed whiner. Maybe that's human, but it's not a human I want to interact with.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 02, 2013, 10:25:56 PM

Ah, but cherishing diversity is not just politically correct, but more fun. What would life be if we agreed about everything? Boring, that's what.

I would have to read the book and find out for myself to know whether I agreed that it was off-putting or I thought it made book-Deckard more deep and rich a character...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on September 02, 2013, 10:38:05 PM

Quote from: Maniac on September 02, 2013, 10:04:27 PM

Quote from: Mylochka on September 02, 2013, 08:25:34 PM
I read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" years before the movie and didn't really like it. I don't remember enough of the book to even say why I didn't like it.

Because the main character is a boring loser? Because one can't identify with a character who's depressed because his lack of a sheep will make him look bad in his neighbour's eyes? *rolleyes*

Hmmm... That would have done it. All I can remember of the book is a scene of him going into some sort of deep depression because he was trying to wash his hands and ended up with more soap than water...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on September 16, 2013, 12:53:14 AM

I was looking for a picture and came across the star of the show, the production design-

http://eldestandonly.com/2010/01/07/production-design-in-blade-runner/ (http://eldestandonly.com/2010/01/07/production-design-in-blade-runner/)

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 16, 2013, 01:58:18 AM

January 7, 2010 Production Design in BLADE RUNNER (1982)

It’s the One Year Anniversary of Eldest & Only!To celebrate, here’s a piece on one of my most favorite things ever:

BLADE RUNNERDirected by Ridley Scott, 1982

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br000.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_002.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/Blade_Runner-1.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br11-1.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/0028ytsb.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/blade-runner1.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/Tyrellbuilding.jpg)

BLADE RUNNER is film art pornography. It is. So. Beautiful.

I’m completely obsessed with this film, and its behind-the-scenes documentary, DANGEROUS DAYS (2007)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/pyramid.jpg)

Model maker, with the EXT. TYRELL CORPORATION model piece

Director Ridley Scott started his career in the art department, as an art director in the UK. Generally speaking, this isn’t a typical background for a Hollywood, big-budget director. His art director background definitely helped him create BLADE RUNNER, which is hailed as one of the best films for production design.

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/3-9.jpg)

“Ridley really knew how to appeal to the art department, he was very wise about it. What he would say, up in the art department : ‘If you build it, I’ll shoot it.’ And who could resist the temptation of that? Because we’ve all suffered, making films with gigantic sets, and beautiful sets, and [all that is shown/shot are] talking heads. And that was disappointing. But because [Ridley] was an art director, he knew he could hook us with that bait. And he did it – if we built it, he shot it.” – Lawrence G. Paull, Production Designer

INT. TYRELL CORPORATION – INTERROGATION ROOM

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/2-13.jpg)

“…it was said that when Ridley takes out a pencil [to draw], it would cost hundreds of dollars. When he used a pen, it would cost thousands of dollars.” – David Synder, Art Director

EXT. LOS ANGELES STREETS

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/bladerunner.jpg)

Syd Mead (http://www.sydmead.com/v/01/splash/), a futurist illustrator, did the initial concept illustration for the film. Per Ridley Scott’s direction, Mead drew inspiration from the sci-fic comic magazine HEAVY METAL and artist Moebius (who was offered a position by Scott, which Moebius declined and later regretted). Limited by time and budget, Scott steered Mead to retro-fit traditional buildings with futurist machinery and material. Adding pipes, neon, moulding and other exterior decor was something the BR production could do to the existing Warner Bros. backlot buildings, instead of building new facades and structures.

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/SydMeadBladeRunner.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/downtown1.jpg)
(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/Syd_Mead_Color.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/downtown2.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/city-drawing.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/sebastians-lab.jpg)

The Voight-Kampff test machine/prop:

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/bladerunnermoviemovies-1656e21d8ab6.jpg)

Mead also designed many of the vehicles.

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/police-spinner-above.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/police-spinner-side.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/90.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/00292q03.jpg)

Syd Mead with the Police Spinner vehicle:

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/syd-next-to-spinner.jpg)

Syd Mead’s illustrations, an army-sized art department led by designer Lawrence Paull and art director David Snyder, Ridley Scott at the helm of the art department, and the Actors’ Strike of 5 months (providing 5 months of prep / set building) – all of these elements contributed to the immense, incredible production design of the film. BLADE RUNNER was the first of its kind – no other movie or show looked like it before. Trail-blazing is often a grueling task, and this film production was no exception. The crew faced nearly-insane obstacles and difficulties during the film shoot.

“This is the column day.” – Lawrence Paull, Production Designer

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/tyrell_office.jpg)

INT. TYRELL CORPORATION

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/0701801_Tyrell_Deckard_Rachael.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/0701758_Tyrell.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_095.jpg)

Reverse; Deckard’s POV.

The short but sweet version of this story: It’s Day 1 of Principle Photography. For some reason, Ridley Scott hadn’t walked through the Tyrell Office set before this day. Scott turns to his PD and Art Director, and basically says:

“It looks great. But the columns are upside down. Could you flip them over?”

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/10-1.jpg)

Scott later insisted that he had passed this note about the columns numerous times, prior to the Day 1 set walk-through/opening. Whatever happened, the art department suddenly had to flip over 10-20 huge, heavy columns that day, on top of a glossy, smooth floor. Thus delaying shooting for about 6 hours. On Day 1. And that was just the beginning:

(on the INT. BRYANT’S OFFICE set, which was staged inside LA’s Union Station:)

“I went over to the key grip, whom I’d worked with for five minutes at this point, and told him that we needed to make the set bigger. As we walked over to the grip truck, he was really angry with me, [with] art department failing to do its job. Weeks later, working together, he apologized for being angry with me that first day. Because he didn’t realize that we would be making the sets bigger every day.” – David Snyder, Art Director.

INT. BRYANT’S OFFICE / INT. POLICE HQ CONCOURSE

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_048.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_050.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_053.jpg)

“He knew what he wanted, but unfortunately, sometimes it was only like 24 frames before the clapper hit together. And you had that much time to make the changes.” – Lawrence Paull

Some sets were just logistically difficult to shoot in. For Hannibal Chew’s eye factory interior, the set was literally frozen and clogged with atmospheric fog – threatening the respiratory health of everyone on set.

INT. HANNIBAL CHEW’S EYE LAB / SHOP

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/bladerunner02.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_165.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_170.jpg)

Working on a film that takes place primarily at night, on wet and/or foggy sets, isn’t exactly comfortable for any crew member or actor. I think this film had at least 40 days in these conditions. Crew members began to wear gas masks to counter their exposure to the tons and tons of fog that had to be pumped onto the sets for photographic purposes. No wonder Harrison Ford was notoriously moody and unhappy during production.

But Rutger Hauer nailed it: “Was it grueling? Yes. But we were part of something special. I knew that from the beginning. So it was worth it.”

One of the things I love about this film is the utilization of Los Angeles locations. Some of the city’s best architectural sites got a beautiful, dystopian makeover.

2nd Street Tunnel in Downtown Los Angeles:

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/15-1.jpg)

The Bradbury Building in Downtown Los Angeles was one of the main location sets. Often used in TV shows, many people on the BR team were hesitant to use the building, seeing it as overused by previous productions. Unfamiliar with Los Angeles at the time, Ridley Scott had fresh eyes on every LA location and could approach each one in his own, unique way.

INT. J.F. SEBASTIAN’S BUILDING

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/blade_runner.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br21-1.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/30.jpg)

Interesting production note: the Bradbury was occupied by tenants at the time, and part of the location agreement was that the crew had to clean up the entire building every morning, after the night shoots. The interior had to be wet, dirty and full of garbage for filming. To make this task bearable, Paull and Snyder decided to use crushed cork for dirt. Easy to clean up, and it soaked up all of the water spray down. Daily, at-dawn clean-ups were easier with this little innovation.

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br23.jpg)

EXT. J.F. SEBASTIAN’S BUILDING / BRADBURY BUILDING

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/29.jpg)

INT. J.F. SEBASTIAN’S HOME

Incredible set decoration. Sebastian makes replicants for Tyrell, and he has a condition where he ages faster than everyone else. Doll and toy collection – a sick nod to his destructive profession, and grasping at a youth he can’t have.

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/jf_sebastian.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br16-1.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/55.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br17-1.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/70.jpg)

The lobby of J.F. Sebastian’s home/apartment is amazing too -

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/69.jpg)

The Ennis-Brown House built by Frank Lloyd Wright was the source for Deckard’s apartment. Syd Mead designed the set interior, and Lawrence Paull took casts of the Ennis-Brown bricks and built the set on stage.

INT. DECKARD’S APARTMENT

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/47.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/adf-wallpaper-blade-runner-ennis-ho.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/deckards_apartment_in_movie.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br_deckard_apartment.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_197.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_224.jpg)

This juxtaposition of the neon/zero gravity dystopian Los Angeles streets and the Ennis-Brown bricks blows my mind. SO much texture and information to look at.

The amazing rooftop raining set.

Not getting the performance and scene coverage he needed for this end scene, Scott ran out of night-time, filming on a real location rooftop. Needing the darkness of night-time, the art department literally cut the rooftop set pieces off the location and transported them to a soundstage within the day, so they could complete filming. Crazy!

EXT. ROOFTOP

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_720.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_707.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br31-1.jpg)

All the sets deserve some close observation/accolade:

INT. TYRELL CORPORATION – INTERROGATION ROOM

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_012.jpg)

EXT. CITY STREET – NOODLE BAR

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_033.jpg)

INT. TAFFEY’S BAR / ZHORA’S SNAKE DANCE

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_308.jpg)

INT. BACKSTAGE

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_331.jpg)

EXT. LOS ANGELES STREETS – Deckard chases Zhora

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_383.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_382.jpg)

There is so much color in this film, even though it is overwhelmingly dark in frame and feeling.

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/Bladerunner11.jpg)

One of my favorite scenes doesn’t involve the sets at all, but Rachel/Sean Young’s incredibly beautiful face. This scene exemplifies the talent of the DP, Jorden Cronenweth.

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br07-2.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br08-1.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/br06-1.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/63.jpg)

Just. More. Beautiful stills:

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/17.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_568.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/PDVD_091.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/68.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/65.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/48.jpg)

(http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o165/cinquevolte/Blade%20Runner/4.jpg)

Source:

Blade Runner IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/)

Blade Runner Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_runner)

BladeZone: Official Blade Runner Fansite (http://bladezone.com/)

Blade Runner On-Line Magazine (http://www.devo.com/bladerunner/)

Film Stills Livejournal (http://community.livejournal.com/film_stills/1401061.html#cutid1)

Spaceshipatnight Photobucket – Screencaps (http://s341.photobucket.com/albums/o364/spaceshipsatnight/caps/bladerunner/)

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Rusty Edge on September 16, 2013, 02:13:17 AM

Awesome display, Buncle. I guess you liked it too.

Everything I remember, except the umbrellas.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on September 16, 2013, 02:33:17 AM

...And after going though all those lovely pictures and comments, you've now seen the abridged version of the Blade Runner mega-documentary Dangerous Days...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 14, 2014, 11:25:54 PM

Deckard wasn't a replicant, BTW...

Title: Ridley Scott says 'Blade Runner' sequel script is done and 'damn good'
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 27, 2014, 03:30:22 AM

Quote

Ridley Scott says 'Blade Runner' sequel script is finished and 'damn good'
The script brings back Harrison Ford
The Verge
By Jacob Kastrenakes on August 26, 2014 11:11 am Email @jake_k

(http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/37474292/bladerunner1982.0.0_standard_640.0.png)

Ridley Scott has been working on a sequel to Blade Runner for at least a couple years, and it now appears that the script is ready to roll. "It’s written and it’s damn good," he tells Entertainment Weekly. The story will bring back Harrison Ford, who starred in the 1982 film as one of the eponymous replicant hunters. Scott says that Ford's character is "a survivor after all these years," which, certainly, is a curious fact in and of itself given the ambiguous ending of certain cuts of the film. There's no specific timetable on when the sequel will be made, but Scott sounds confident. "So yes," he tells EW, "that will happen."

Up next for Scott is an adaptation of The Martian, the best-selling novel first released in 2012. Scott suspects that Blade Runner will come after this, though he has a lot on his plate — including a sequel to Prometheus, which also has a finished script. Basically, Scott's been super busy for the past few years, and if Blade Runner doesn't get done soon, it may just be because he has a lot of other projects on his plate. He's latest film, Exodus: Gods and Kings, comes out on December 12th.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6069545/blade-runner-sequel-script-is-finished-and-damn-good-ridley-scott-says (http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6069545/blade-runner-sequel-script-is-finished-and-damn-good-ridley-scott-says)

---

A) No way will this be a worthy sequel.

B) I bet Sean Young's available.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Unorthodox on August 27, 2014, 04:05:14 AM

Going to Prometheus the Blade Runner world, eh?

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 27, 2014, 04:09:10 AM

No doubt; no doubt.

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Mylochka on August 28, 2014, 06:10:31 PM

Hmmm.... I do love Ridley Scott's visual artistry, but in the past, his idea of a good script has not always exactly been the same thing as a script that is good... It could just mean he sees a lot of opportunities to put unicorns on screen, you know...

Title: Re: Blade Runner
Post by: Geo on August 28, 2014, 08:22:50 PM

Quote from: Mylochka on August 28, 2014, 06:10:31 PM

It could just mean he sees a lot of opportunities to put unicorns on screen, you know...

You mean to say he dreams of electronic sheep? ;)

Alpha Centauri 2

Community => Recreation Commons => Topic started by: Mylochka on August 28, 2013, 04:37:54 PM