Future Noir:the making of Blade Runner
Dublin Core
Title
Future Noir:the making of Blade Runner
Subject
Blade Runner
Description
Contents
1.The Film
2.The book
3.Development
4.The director and the deal
5.Script wars
6.Designing BLADE RUNNER
7.The cast and crew
8.The shoot
9.“BLOOD RUNNER”friction on the set
10.The special effects
11.Postproduction and the music
12.Sneaks and panic
13.Voice-overs,san diego,and a new happy ending
14.The theatrical release
15.The cult
16.The workprint
17.The director’s cut
18.Final shots
Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner is a detailed and in-depth film companion book by Paul M. Sammon that comprehensively chronicles the making of the classic 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner. Published in 1996, author Paul M. Sammon conducted more than seventy interviews with the director and the film's production crew and included more than two hundred hours of transcribed speeches, which have been meticulously compiled to show the film's most interesting production context. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, is based on Philip K. Dick's novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”. As a companion book, this book is arguably a very detailed account of the film Blade Runner, from the beginning of the writing of the novel to the director's cut. The book has 437 pages and is 39mm thick.
In June 1980, the author was assigned to write a special 'double issue' of Cine Fantasy magazine on the making of Blade Runner. Already on the way to making the film (1980–1982), the author had gathered much material and data and was acutely aware that Blade Runner not only revealed adult narratives and complex characters but also proved that the complexity of the subject matter was as complex as the much-discussed visual complexity. This book has enough background and brickbats for filmmakers and enthusiasts alike to understand the great journey of Blade Runner as a film. The book Blade Runner, published in 2012, also uses author Paul M. Sammon's understanding of cinematography (Bukatman, 2012).
The novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" written by Philip K. Dick. went through rounds of screenplay adaptations after its publication in 1968. After producer Michael Deeley raised the budget for Filmways Pictures from $13 million to $15 million, Scott took over directing duties and titled it Blade Runner. Scott said in an interview, 'There are moments in a film where the setting can be as important as the actors, and the design of the film is the script' Scott then began rewriting the initial script with Hampton Fancher. The writer mentions that because production design has always been one of Scott's strongest professional strengths, Blade Runner also provided Scott with a larger canvas, thus allowing Scott to create his unique style of film during the screenwriting sessions.
During filming, Scott envisioned Blade Runner's futuristic-driven metropolis as a huge urban center made up of two large cities growing together, one of which is New York. Blade Runner shares many similarities with Fritz Lang's Metropolis, including a densely built-up urban environment in which the rich actually live above the workers, dominated by one massive building—the Stadtkrone Tower in Metropolis and the Tyrell Building in Blade Runner (Bukatman 2012).
The author admits that Blade Runner is a highly controversial piece of work. Director Scott showed an obsession with detail in Alien, yet in Blade Runner, Scott's fascination with 'layering' is very apparent. And the brilliance of Blade Runner is its visual density. Scott's 'layering' effect produces endless complexity and infinite surfaces to encounter and explore (Bukatman 2012). The relationship between the director and the actors was uneasy during filming, and even weeks before principal photography began, there were rumors that the expected quota was insufficient. However, the crew was able to resolve the issues and complete the shoot. In the post-effects chapter, the author describes in great detail how the director directed the effects work, including sound effects and musical content. But the part that came up as controversial during the production of BR was about Harrison's off-screen voice. The authors polled about 200 friends and strangers about BR and found that about 30% preferred the off-screen voice. So ultimately, whether or not to use Harrison's version required further thought. And after the release of the film, which provoked reflections on anti-utopia and true humanity, several literary texts in the film can be collaged to establish connections between biblical, classical, and modern traditions and postmodern aspects, thus examining the cyberpunk and anti-utopian elements of the film (Torres Cruz, 2014).
'The main characteristic of Scott's films is an obvious love of special effects, coupled with a craftsman-like determination to tell a good story with heart-drawn characters' In the appendix section at the end of the book, the author records the contents of six conversations with director Scott between September 1980 and mid-December 1995, a detailed textual record of director Scott. The second part of the appendix describes the six different versions of Blade Runner that exist, such as the director's cut (theatrically released in 1992) and the broadcast version (TV) (aired on USA Network TV in 1996). The third part of the appendix describes the mistakes made during the making of the film. The fourth part is the information received on the web. Part V is a catalog of sound tracks. The sixth part is Blade Runner on tape, laserdisc, and television. Part VII is a cited catalog of the book. The eighth section is about the sources and authors of the pictures in the book. The last part is the film credits.Throughout the book, the author not only objectively describes the detailed production of the film Blade Runner but also provides his own insights and comments on various aspects of the film.
Related books on this topic are The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy and Jurassic Park. They are both film companion books and cover the making of the film. In comparison, Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner is the most detailed book on the making of the film and is aimed at an audience of critics, professional film makers, etc. The British Film Institute has included the film as part of its Major Film Classics (Bukatman 2012). The book The Making of Jurassic Park displays a large number of illustrations and images that add to the interest. And it is more of an objective record of the whole making process. The audience for this book is more of a film buff. The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy covers the making of all three films and features over 300 cast photos, pre-production model stills, make-up locations, costume design, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and more. It was published almost a full year after the release of the first film and was produced for existing fans. Therefore, the audience targeted was mostly the film's fanbase. Related books under the same theme have the wrong type of pointing and specificity, which is something to think about in film archive induction.
Works cited
Bukatman, Scott. Blade Runner. 2nd edition., BFI Publishing, 2012, https://doi.org/10.5040/9781838712303.
Torres Cruz, Décio. Postmodern Metanarratives: Blade Runner and Literature in the Age of Image. 1st ed., Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137439734.
1.The Film
2.The book
3.Development
4.The director and the deal
5.Script wars
6.Designing BLADE RUNNER
7.The cast and crew
8.The shoot
9.“BLOOD RUNNER”friction on the set
10.The special effects
11.Postproduction and the music
12.Sneaks and panic
13.Voice-overs,san diego,and a new happy ending
14.The theatrical release
15.The cult
16.The workprint
17.The director’s cut
18.Final shots
Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner is a detailed and in-depth film companion book by Paul M. Sammon that comprehensively chronicles the making of the classic 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner. Published in 1996, author Paul M. Sammon conducted more than seventy interviews with the director and the film's production crew and included more than two hundred hours of transcribed speeches, which have been meticulously compiled to show the film's most interesting production context. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, is based on Philip K. Dick's novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”. As a companion book, this book is arguably a very detailed account of the film Blade Runner, from the beginning of the writing of the novel to the director's cut. The book has 437 pages and is 39mm thick.
In June 1980, the author was assigned to write a special 'double issue' of Cine Fantasy magazine on the making of Blade Runner. Already on the way to making the film (1980–1982), the author had gathered much material and data and was acutely aware that Blade Runner not only revealed adult narratives and complex characters but also proved that the complexity of the subject matter was as complex as the much-discussed visual complexity. This book has enough background and brickbats for filmmakers and enthusiasts alike to understand the great journey of Blade Runner as a film. The book Blade Runner, published in 2012, also uses author Paul M. Sammon's understanding of cinematography (Bukatman, 2012).
The novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" written by Philip K. Dick. went through rounds of screenplay adaptations after its publication in 1968. After producer Michael Deeley raised the budget for Filmways Pictures from $13 million to $15 million, Scott took over directing duties and titled it Blade Runner. Scott said in an interview, 'There are moments in a film where the setting can be as important as the actors, and the design of the film is the script' Scott then began rewriting the initial script with Hampton Fancher. The writer mentions that because production design has always been one of Scott's strongest professional strengths, Blade Runner also provided Scott with a larger canvas, thus allowing Scott to create his unique style of film during the screenwriting sessions.
During filming, Scott envisioned Blade Runner's futuristic-driven metropolis as a huge urban center made up of two large cities growing together, one of which is New York. Blade Runner shares many similarities with Fritz Lang's Metropolis, including a densely built-up urban environment in which the rich actually live above the workers, dominated by one massive building—the Stadtkrone Tower in Metropolis and the Tyrell Building in Blade Runner (Bukatman 2012).
The author admits that Blade Runner is a highly controversial piece of work. Director Scott showed an obsession with detail in Alien, yet in Blade Runner, Scott's fascination with 'layering' is very apparent. And the brilliance of Blade Runner is its visual density. Scott's 'layering' effect produces endless complexity and infinite surfaces to encounter and explore (Bukatman 2012). The relationship between the director and the actors was uneasy during filming, and even weeks before principal photography began, there were rumors that the expected quota was insufficient. However, the crew was able to resolve the issues and complete the shoot. In the post-effects chapter, the author describes in great detail how the director directed the effects work, including sound effects and musical content. But the part that came up as controversial during the production of BR was about Harrison's off-screen voice. The authors polled about 200 friends and strangers about BR and found that about 30% preferred the off-screen voice. So ultimately, whether or not to use Harrison's version required further thought. And after the release of the film, which provoked reflections on anti-utopia and true humanity, several literary texts in the film can be collaged to establish connections between biblical, classical, and modern traditions and postmodern aspects, thus examining the cyberpunk and anti-utopian elements of the film (Torres Cruz, 2014).
'The main characteristic of Scott's films is an obvious love of special effects, coupled with a craftsman-like determination to tell a good story with heart-drawn characters' In the appendix section at the end of the book, the author records the contents of six conversations with director Scott between September 1980 and mid-December 1995, a detailed textual record of director Scott. The second part of the appendix describes the six different versions of Blade Runner that exist, such as the director's cut (theatrically released in 1992) and the broadcast version (TV) (aired on USA Network TV in 1996). The third part of the appendix describes the mistakes made during the making of the film. The fourth part is the information received on the web. Part V is a catalog of sound tracks. The sixth part is Blade Runner on tape, laserdisc, and television. Part VII is a cited catalog of the book. The eighth section is about the sources and authors of the pictures in the book. The last part is the film credits.Throughout the book, the author not only objectively describes the detailed production of the film Blade Runner but also provides his own insights and comments on various aspects of the film.
Related books on this topic are The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy and Jurassic Park. They are both film companion books and cover the making of the film. In comparison, Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner is the most detailed book on the making of the film and is aimed at an audience of critics, professional film makers, etc. The British Film Institute has included the film as part of its Major Film Classics (Bukatman 2012). The book The Making of Jurassic Park displays a large number of illustrations and images that add to the interest. And it is more of an objective record of the whole making process. The audience for this book is more of a film buff. The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy covers the making of all three films and features over 300 cast photos, pre-production model stills, make-up locations, costume design, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and more. It was published almost a full year after the release of the first film and was produced for existing fans. Therefore, the audience targeted was mostly the film's fanbase. Related books under the same theme have the wrong type of pointing and specificity, which is something to think about in film archive induction.
Works cited
Bukatman, Scott. Blade Runner. 2nd edition., BFI Publishing, 2012, https://doi.org/10.5040/9781838712303.
Torres Cruz, Décio. Postmodern Metanarratives: Blade Runner and Literature in the Age of Image. 1st ed., Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137439734.
Creator
Paul M.Sammon
Blade Runner production stills by Stephen Vaughn.
Front cover photograph by Matthew Yuricich
Blade Runner production stills by Stephen Vaughn.
Front cover photograph by Matthew Yuricich
Source
Film :Blade Runner
Novel:Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Novel:Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Publisher
Orion Media
Date
Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published in1996
First published in1996
Contributor
Yuting Luo
Rights
The right of Paul M. Sammon to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Blade Runner screenplays by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples © 1982 Warner Brothers and The Blade Runner Partnership.
All Blade Runner photographs and art ©1982 by Warner Brothers and The Blade Runner Partnership.
Blade Runner screenplays by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples © 1982 Warner Brothers and The Blade Runner Partnership.
All Blade Runner photographs and art ©1982 by Warner Brothers and The Blade Runner Partnership.
Relation
Format
Book :height 242mm; width 160mm; thickness 39mm
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
ISBN 0-75280-739-0
Coverage
1980-1996
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
production process, dialogue.
Original Format
photo
Files
Collection
Citation
Paul M.Sammon
Blade Runner production stills by Stephen Vaughn.
Front cover photograph by Matthew Yuricich
, “Future Noir:the making of Blade Runner,” Archival Encounters: Digital Exhibitions form the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, accessed December 27, 2024, https://humanities-research.exeter.ac.uk/archivalencounters/items/show/5.