Film Analysis – Blade Runner

MAC 170 INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES ASSIGNMENT ONE FILM synopsis FILM CHOSEN stain outgrowth (1982) EXTRACT INT Sebastians Building, starting with the shot of Deckard climbing up the fence. Duration 9 minutes (Chapter 30, Blade Runner The Final Cut, 2007) The fol modesting essay willing be a close analysis of an extract from the 1982 film Blade Runner, which was directed by Ridley Scott. Blade Runner is a science-fiction film based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep which was written by Phillip K. Dick.This essay will also explore how Ridley Scotts put on of mise en flick and change in Blade Runner crumb designate him as an auteur. An auteur is known as the author of the film a director that rehearses recognisable and similar traits and themes passim a number of their films. The auteur was created through the auteur theory, which argues that the director is the most grave person female genitals do a film. It was first established by an establishment of film makers in 1950s Paris. Some of these film makers were Francois Trauffaut, Jean Luc-Goddard and Jacques Rivette.They were angered by a critical establishment in France that lauded a films fidelity to a screenplay or novel and regarded the film director as merely a translator of material from the verbal medium to the cinematic. For this view Trauffaut and company substituted a tactile sensation of personal cinema a cinema in which the director, not the screenwriter, could be seen as the controlling drive behind the film. (Allen & Gomery, 1985 71-72) This quote explains how the auteur theory was established, and how Trauffaut created la politique des auteurs, which is a policy in which the director is the of import creative force when making a film.Ridley Scott brook be classed as an auteur for his repeated use of quick female characters, which are present both in Blade Runner, Alien (1979) and Thelma & Louise (1991), the future and the unknown, and the created human. This e ssay will explore these points using the close analysis of Blade Runner, whilst also comparing Blade Runner to Alien. Ridley Scott can be classed as an auteur for his use of even offting in his films he tends to create a post-apocalyptic setting, mainly set in the ot-so-distant future. This can be seen in the extract of Blade Runner, from the wide angle, long shot of Deckard on the cover. The tall buildings, which are close together, help to connote an industrialised city, and the lack of organic matter helps to sight the futuristic world as very desolate, old and dirty. The use of space surrounding Deckard when he is wall hanging from the roof help to establish that the city lacks people and is very de-humanised and an nigh dystopia, which is very similar to Alien.Alien and Blade Runner warn us against a capitalist future gone wrong, where such feelings and bonds are so severely truncated that a quite literal dehumanization has become perhaps the gravest danger. (Byers, 1990 39) This dehumanization deliver which Ridley Scott has placed into both Blade Runner and Alien gives both films a sense of fear to the audition when both films were first released, that the possibility of the earth being dehumanized is quite great.The shot of Deckard hanging from the roof also figures how high the building is, with the interview barely being able to see the floor, which helps to connote a sense of incredulity from the audience, as they are unsure as to whether or not Deckard will fall. The use of rain in this crack is very powerful, as it makes the scene feel very depressive, creating a bleak aspect to the film whilst also creating a bad feeling for the audience, as it connotes to the audience that something bad is going to happen.This helps to establish a bleak, industrialised future, a one in which at that place are little earth on earth in Blade Runner, similar to Alien which can help to describe Ridley Scott as an auteur. Ridley Scott can also be defin ed as an auteur for his use of strong and determined wizards, especially in Blade Runner and Alien. In this scene extract, Deckard can be seen as a strong protagonist due to his determination to retire Roy. This scene however, also shows the audience the similarities between Roy and Deckard.The cross acute editing used at the start of the scene when both characters are dealing with their similar hand injuries helps to show the similarity between Roy and Deckard as they are both dealing with the same sort of pain. Deckard in this scene seems very determined to retire Roy, however when Roy does die, the audience seem to get the feeling that Deckard seems sad somewhat this. The editing in this extract is quite slow at first, using long shots before cutting helping to create a slow pace to the scene.The extract then changes pace however, when Roy is hunting Deckard, the editing becomes quite fast and rapid making it exciting for the audience to watch. The shot when Roy smashes his m anoeuvre through the wall helps to show the slow pace turning fast. The way the editing is quite slow and then there is a jolt the point where Roy smashes his head through the wall the editing then speeds up a little after this shot, until Roys death where the editing slows down rapidly, using slow-motion to evoke sadness from the audience.The Roy smashes his head through the wall helps to show a sense of power from Roy, which creates a sense of danger toward Deckard from the audience, making them feel like he is not safe. There are a lot of cross-cuts between Roy and Deckard, which helps the audience to see the similarities between the two characters, almost hinting that Deckard could be a replicants too. The fading between the dead Roy and Deckard, and the use of close ups on Deckards sad face makes the audience feel quite sad too.In this scene we learn that Roy just wanted to live and not be a slave which creates empathy from the audience. The significance of the peacenik whic h is released when Roy dies connotes that the bird was almost a representation of Roy and the shot of the bird flying away is a symbolic representation of Roy finally being free which leaves the audience feeling sad and almost regretful that they saw Roy as the villain, especially when we see him jumping in and out of the shadows at the beginning of the scene, as if this was almost a game to him.In this scene, Roy can be seen as the anti-hero. The use of lighting surrounding Roy when he has died makes him appear almost god-like, signifying him as powerful, which he has been throughout this scene. The long shot of Roy and Deckard, when Roy has just pulled the dangling Deckard from the roof to safety signifying that Roy can be seen as an anti-hero, connotes that Roy has more power over Deckard. The way Deckard is lying on the floor at Roys feet shows Deckard in a submissive way, that humans are powerless against replicants.The close up, low angle on Roys face after this, makes the au dience feel quite scared of Roy. His look are big, almost crazy and the way Pris blood is running down his face make the audience feel scared of Roy. Ridley Scotts lack of lighting in this extract can help to signalize Ridley Scott as an auteur, as he also uses a lack of lighting in Alien. The shot of Roy behind the barbed wire, almost signifying a caged animal which replicants have shown similarities to throughout the film, creates a sense of fear and uncertainty for the audience.The way the light is shining behind him creating a lot of shadows, makes Roy seem a little privy as the audience are uncertain as to what is going to happen next. The way the lighting throughout the extract creates a lot of shadows, making the extract feel bleak and dark, creating almost a word picture Noir feel to the film, creates a bleak, and dark feel for the audience. Throughout the extract, the entirely lighting we see is conventionalised, as the only light comes from lamps, bright lights from a Spinner advertising the new world or bright northeastward billboards which helps to give the film an artificial and futuristic tone.Ridley Scotts use of dark color in this scene, such as grey, black and blue, creates a sinister feel to the scene making the audience know something bad is going to happen. This is similar to Alien, as all the lighting in that film is artificial too, coming from the lights from the ship, and the 1984 Mac advert which Ridley Scott directed, can define him as an auteur. The way Ridley Scott continually uses similar features and themes among his films helps to exhibit him as an auteur.Blade Runner and Alien are very similar in terms of editing and mise en scene, the use of this in Blade Runner helps to establish Ridley Scott as an auteur as he uses these themes and effects in many more of his films. Word Count 1505/1602 Bibliography Allen, R. C. & Gomery, D. (1985) Film History Theory and Practice, McGraw Hill Byers, Thomas B. (1990) good Futures in Kuh n, A. (ed. ) Alien Zone, Cultural Theory and Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema, London Verso. Caughie, J. (ed. ) (1981) Theories of Authorship, London Routledge Nelmes, J. (ed. ) (2003) ledger entry to Film Studies, London Routledge