Okay, hyped or not, everybody cares about this movie.
I think the original film is better, but it doesn’t come with this incredible title sequence. And oh, OH, NO BIG DEAL, JUST TRENT REZNOR AND KAREN O FINALLY WORKED TOGETHER ON A SONG. It’s forgivable that it’s a Led Zeppelin song too (just go with it).
Blur did the effects for this sequence, led by creative director Tim Miller.
The books seem like a waste of time, but the Swedish films are pretty damn entertaining. David Fincher’s films are always pretty, so those are worth a look.
Universal Studios Hollywood’s Backlot Tour and Discovery Channel’s “Movie Magic” series are two reasons why I love film and television production so much.
I was just reminded that this live show at Universal Studios existed. Conan: The Barbarian Live was AMAZING!
To celebrate, here’s a piece on one of my most favorite things ever:
BLADE RUNNER
Directed by Ridley Scott, 1982
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)
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.
“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
“…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
Syd Mead, 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.
The Voight-Kampff test machine/prop:
Mead also designed many of the vehicles.
Syd Mead with the Police Spinner vehicle:
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
INT. TYRELL CORPORATION
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?”
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:
With Michael Jackson passing away yesterday, our media is saturated with all-things-MJ. I found one tidbit I care about – the trick behind the deep-lean dance move found in the “Smooth Criminal” music video.
Nope, it’s not that MJ and his dancers had super-strong shins. No wires, no suspension tricks. It’s an old-fashioned stage special effect. Straight up Houdini style. Gizmodo writes:
Trying to lean beyond one’s center of gravity normally leads to a giant, awkward step forward to retain balance, so to achieve the 45-degree angle he wanted, Michael and his dancers used special shoes as well as a trick in the stage floor. When the time came for the move, a peg-like aperture would protrude from the dance floor. The heel of the dancers’ shoes featured a triangular cut out that could be hitched onto the peg, anchoring the dancers to lean much farther forward, and thus blowing the world’s collective mind.
Genius! A cut in a shoe, a peg from the floor. Magic.
I had to dig up my Michael Jackson cassette collection last night:
I played each tape. I still know all the words. I also had to reminisce about how much Captain EO ruled / scared the crap outta me, as a wee kid at Disneyland, circa 1984-1993:
Fierce out fit, yo.
As a kid, I was always terrified by the Metal Queen – suspended from wires, woefully discontent, and rocking metal, long nails, she ordered wave after wave of guards against Captain EO. But then he would make them dance, after blasting them with some sort of Good People Plasma from his suit and changing their outfits to white outfits (um?). Her nails were terrifying. This was before I realized that metal, gothy outfits, suspension and long nails were totally fucking awesome.
…Angelica Huston! That is all.
My reaction to Michael Jackson is complex and hypocritical. I detest child molesters and could wish them all to peril, but I make an exception for Michael Jackson. Not a total exemption, because there is no way I condone his actions and crimes towards children. I just always wanted him to get help, to untie the knots of pain and suffering he obviously carried around and eventually took out on other people. But he never really got better, and I don’t think he was ever in a position to truly understand what he was and what he did.
Now that he’s gone, we definitely know what he did for us, as an international society. That is something to consider.
