Ideology in Blade Runner

Explicit
Pro-humanity
Future gets worse - dystopian
Fear of Asian/Japanese culture
Freedom
Man vs Machine
Isolation
Dystopian future, negative ideology, plays on fear of time about nuclear holocaust

Implicit
Humanity can be achieved by things other than human beings

Psycho

Similarities between Psycho and Vertigo:
Extended opening sequence
Blonde female protagonist
Orchestra mask stunts - incidental
Norman's face half in darkness
Focus on eye in the shower scene
Mental illness
Norman emascualted

Strange things about it:
Black and white even though colour was around - thought it looked creepier and more effective in terms of shadows
The protagonist dies half way through, massive twist, similar to Vertigo with Madeline's death half way through - both films have fake protagonists
Breaks conventions

Technical elements:
Loads of shot-reverse-shots
In Norman - Marion (protagonist) conversation, she's in centre with Norman on the right, with out matching in her shot - predator

Auteur

French word that means author

Concept that a filmmaker has such a distinctive style that they can be regarded as the 'author' of the film - it's down to them. And hat their style is so recognisable you can tell who made it without being told. In order to do this, the auteur must be someone which has direct control over the production, and has ouvre - a substantial body of work. They will have certain characteristics in their films that are consistent, e.g:
Aesthetics
Repeated themes
Crew (performers + crew)
Motif cinematography
Any film form features (mise en scene, cinematography, sound, editing)

Christopher Nolan
Favours non-linear narratives
Reuses actors

Wes Anderson
Reuses actors
High colour contrast
Symmetry
Steady cam
Unusual framing
Similar themes, settings

Quentin Tarantino
Use of music - late 60s-70s pop music
Excessive violence
Non-linear narrative
Expletives
Reuses actors

Ridley Scott
Strong female characters
Cutting away from violence - Often to 'seeing' - Woman on billboard, searchlights from blimp after Priss' death
Sci Fi
Realistic acting in unrealistic setting - Dialogue, attitude
Low key lighting, high contrast colour - Neon, umbrellas, woman looking billboard
Themes of humanity and identity
Isolated protagonist - Deckard (but only the Replicants aren't isolated in BR)
Long takes
Title card
Voyeurism - But to a more limited extent than Hitchcock - ie shots before entering eye shop

Alfred Hitchcock
Eccentric characterisations
Mystery and suspense via omniscient narrative - Finding out Judy/Madeline's true identity
Plays with audience nerves
Slow paced
Use of music
MacGuffin - Paranormal in Vertigo
Voyeurism - Scotty's stalking of Judy
Black comedy
Purposeful
Placement of objects - everything intentional
Cameo
Emasculated males - Scotty submissive to Midge, weak due to acrophobia
Themes of undeserved punishment (stems form childhood)
Plot line of films often relate to characters having psychological issues - Scotty's paranoia/delusion


Two types of Auteur - Thematically and Cinematically

Comparison of auteur trits between Scott and Hitchcock
Rachel a passively strong character, Priss and Zhora combatants, in comparison to debateably no strong characters in Vertigo
Vertigo Mise-en-scene - shot in studio vast majority of time, costume main focus of the last section but say nothing personal about them. Differs massively to Blade Runner, as each costume is unique
Both films have very active spectatorship - opinions on actions and motives of characters and over all themes

Vertigo Themes

Identity
Fake person, Scotty obsessed with them etc.

Psychological Orders
Scotty not sure what is real, vertigo all prisoners of own psychology
Sets up acrophobia as the theme

Appearances
Scotty seemed to be recovering, but was revealed he was always unstable since the opening scene. Supposed supernatural theme that turns out to be fake - things never what they seem, Scotty's opinion on the supernatural at the start.

Death
Seen as attractive and frightening, brushed over, not treated seriously
The death at end - holds no consequence

Supernatural
Fake theme - red herring. Still prevalent.
Ethereal glow when Judy dresses up as Madeline

Romance
Differs to normal, shows its a bad idea and only ends badly
Every relationship fails. We assume Scotty + Midge get together (close up shows she's interested)

Reality
Lots of Scotty's motivations based on a lie

Masculinity + Femininity
Flawed genders. Man has the weakness
Madge looks after Scotty not other way round. Women who aren't 'fallen' seen positively - Midge.

Guilt
Shown in all characters and develops plot
Scotty develops vertigo due to guilt and he says his problems come when remembers. Madeline confesses because of it

Obsession + Control
Everyone has control of someone else in a pyramid shape. None of it ends well. Once someone becomes obsessed they become the protagonist
Elster's control of Scotty and Judy, Judy's control of Scotty as Madeline, Scotty's control of Judy. In restaurant camera work hints that Madeline knows Scotty's watching. Scotty gradually becomes obsessed - line blurs between doing his job and stalking.

Music constant and dramatic/atmospheric
Performance overdramatic

High key colour, strange for the genre                                                                                                                                             

Mise-en-scene - shot in studio vast majority of time, costume main focus of the last section but say nothing personal about them (differs massively to Blade Runner)
Editing - loads of cross fades - all scene transitions are fades, loads of long takes

Blade Runner Research

Ridley Scott
Studied at Royal College of Art, where he helped establish the film department. Made his first film, Boy and Bicycle, there. Early work also included working on the TV programme Tonight, Z-Cars and Out of the Unknown. First directing job was in 1965, directing an episode of Adam Adamant Lives!
First film called The Duelist (1977), was nominated for the main prize in the Cannes Film Festival, and won Best Debut Film.
Did advertising in the '70s, e.g. the Flake advert, 1978
Inspired by the success of Star Wars, Scott decided to make Alien (1979) which made him internationally famous. Created themes that he'd follow after - strong female protagonist, dystopian future etc.
Blade Runner (1982) followed this and gained him even more success, although at the time it was commercially unsuccessful.
Other work that solidified his title as a successful director early in his career is the Apple advert 1984 and Legend.
Later on he directed Black Rain, which was the first of six collaborations with Hans Zimmer, Thelma and Louise (1991) which got him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director.
Gladiator (2000) was his next big success. It won 5 Academy Awards, and Scott was nominated again for Best Director, which happened again for Black Hawk Down (2001). The successful Hannibal (2001) was also made in this year.
The next large success Scott had was The Martian (2014), which was commercially Scott's most successful film and was positively received.
Always has female leads/strong females
Highly concentrated visual style
Very atmospheric films
Often focus on issues such as identity, isolation, invasion/colonization, humanity etc.
Need to know about him an as auteur (French word for author, when someone makes such an impact on their work that its instantly recognizable as theirs, i.e. how they use film form micro-features, aesthetics, repeated use of performers, use of music, could be a common thread of themes and ideas within their films)

Harrison Ford
Interest in acting started at University, where he took a drama class to get over shyness. His experience with student radio and newfound interest in acting took him to LA to become a radio voice-over artist, but he was unsuccessful in finding work.
Joined the New Talent program with Columbia Pictures to find bit-work in films, his first was in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966). First speaking job was in Luv (1967).
As he needed to support his family and he wasn't happy with the acting jobs he was getting, he became a carpenter. He worked for many celebrities, which would eventually gain him contacts.
Fred Roos, a Casting Director, got him a role in American Graffiti (1973) by George Lucas. From this and doing carpentry for the director he got small roles in The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979).
Worked with Lucas casting for Star Wars (1977) and from this was cast as Han Solo, the role that would make him internationally famous. Starring as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) also did this, and he was now one of the most famous stars of the time.
His next major success was starring as Deckard in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982), which although not majorly successful at the time became a cult classic.
Films from then on were hit-or-miss, with varying levels of success overall. Examples include Patriot Games (1992), Sabrina (1995), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Firewall (2006) etc.
His latest big commercial successes were in reprising his titular roles in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which was also well received by fans and critics.



Blade Runner
Released in 1982
Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer
Based on the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
Budget $28 million, box office $33.8 million, although since then it has become far more prolific
Themes - humanity (what makes us human, religion, paranoia)
Film noir
Casting for Deckard was difficult, many actors were considered before settling on Ford (Gene Hackman, Dusting Hoffman, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery etc. were all considered), as Ford was prolific at the time they wanted him to attract attention
Philip K. Dick wasn't consulted for production, and as a result Scott had his own take on the world. However, Dick approved of the version and said that they enhanced each other.
Need to know about critical reception

Vertigo Research

Alfred Hitchcock
Began his film career working as a Title Card Designer at Famous Players-Lasky, the production branch of Paramount Pictures.
Moved to a new firm run by Michael Balcon after being noticed for his work on Always Tell Your Wife, the firm eventually became Gainsborough Pictures. He went from a Title Designer to a combination of Screenwriter, Art Director and Assistant Director for 5 pictures. Working on The Blackguard meant he worked in Germany, where he watched production of The Last Laugh by F.W. Murnau. Impressed by this, and his techniques influenced Hitchcock's productions from then.
Started directing in 1922 with Number 13, which was cancelled. His next few films were unsuccessful.
His first thriller, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) was very successful. Was influenced by techniques seen in Germany.
His 10th film, Blackmail (1929) is a landmark film, considered the first 'British Talkie' (uses sound). It began his tradition of using landmarks as iconography in his films - i.e. the British Museum.
Worked again with Balcon in 1933 at Gaumont British, on films such as The Man Who Knew Too Much and The 39 Steps which was well received in the UK and in the US, making him internationally famous.
Next success was The Lady Vanishes (1938), which was the first film that got him a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director. Directed many successful films from there, e.g. Stage Fright (1950), Strangers on a Train (1951), I Confess (1953) etc.
Had his own TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-65), making him even more famous.
1954 - 1960 were the peak of Hitchcock's films. With Rear Window, Vertigo, To Catch a Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wrong Man. With Later peak years including North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds. 
Need to know about him an as auteur (French word for author, when someone makes such an impact on their work that its instantly recognizable as theirs, i.e. how they use film form micro-features, aesthetics, repeated use of performers, use of music, could be a common thread of themes and ideas within their films)




James Stewart
Nominated for 5 Academy Awards.
Voted the third greatest male screen legend.
Was initially a stage actor but due to the Great Depression many theatres went bankrupt and most of the plays he was with never made it to release. Moved to LA to work in Hollywood.
His first film Spencer Tracy (1934) was poorly received, but The Murder Man (1935) and Rose Marie (1936) were more popularly received, as was After the Thin Man (1936), his first very dramatic role.
Worked intensively with Margaret Sullivan, who helped him work on his acting and mannerisms and was instrumental in getting him the leading role in Next Time We Love.
Partnered with director Frank Capra many times from 1938 onwards (You Can't Take it With You, It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington).
Received his only Academy Award for The Philadelphia Story (1940).
Began his military service in the Air Force.
The first film he made after his military career was It's a Wonderful Life (1946), which was nominated for 5 different Academy Awards but received mixed reviews, as did many of his following films.
Returned to Broadway after his spate of unsuccessful films, appearing in Harvey (1944) which gained him a dedicated stage following.
In the 1950s he went into Western (due to working with Anthony Mann - Bend of the River, The Naked Spur, The Man from Laramie etc)and Suspense films (the latter thanks to work with Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo, Rope, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too much etc)
Continued westerns into the 1960s, working with John Ford on Two Rode Together, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance.
Looked normal and acted down to earth, which gave him appeal to play those types of roles - exceptionally relatable

Vertigo
Made in 1958
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak
Based in the 1954 novel D'entre les morts (From Among the Dead), which was written for Hitchcock to film as he lost out on a film from the author in 1955
Budget $2.5 million, box office $7.3 million
Themes - 'male aggression and visual control'
Filmed mainly around the San Francisco area in which it was based - although wherever possible studios were used as Hitchcock preferred them as the environment was more controlled
Hitchcock and Costume Designer Edith Head used colour to heighten emotions - grey was used for Madeleine's character because it wasn't typical for blondes (i.e. creating suspicion), while white was used for Novak's as it was more 'natural' for the hair colour
Set the trend to use high-contrast colour, especially in film noir
First film ever to use reverse dolly zoom
Wasn't immediately commercially successful
Starts off with a restricted narrative, but after Novak's reveal scene it's an omniscient narrative
People didn't like that Stewart was older than the love interest
There was an alternative ending where the bad guy was caught, as some countries didn't allow antagonists to get away

Need to know about critical reception

Blade Runner Themes

Humanity
What makes you human - ie are the Replicants human. People have friends/family contact are Replicants
Basically Frankenstein - man plays God, creation destroys him
Roy enters eye shop in shadow, slight low angle, at end bathed in unnatural blue light

Identity
When the Replicants find out their memories are fake, it brings into question what makes you you
After Rachel finds out she's a replicant she's lit from the back in harsh white light

Dystopia
Japanese imagery - foreign threat
High contrast light, smoke effects - industry. Iconography - pyramid

Ridley Scott Thematic Traits:
Dystopian Futures
Identity
Humanity
Isolation
Corporation Corruption


Aesthetic Traits:
High contrast colour low key lighting
Shooting through smoke
Long landscape establishing shots
Cinematography used for world building rather than narrative (possibly because the world is more interesting than the characters, at least the protagonist
Eye close ups

Even in 1982 still has ideas of toxic masculinity - women like forceful men

Analysis of the costumes in Blade Runner

Deckard

• Trenchcoat - Typical sleuth so used to violent confrontation and so we're fine with him killing . Gives belief in intellectual ability, piece of iconography of detectives. Leaves coat when leaving flat, left life behind - view of his job changed (potentially by Roy). No hood or hat, very open. Scott wanted him to wear a Trilby because iconography, but as Deckard doesn't 'fit the mould' he didn't
• Oversized Trousers - Shows instability, unkempt, epitomised by flat
• Shirt + Tie - Multicoloured, could look cheap, rundown, trampy, but is similar to Indiana Jones. Brown/earthy ie nature - uses newspaper even though its futuristic 1019, traditionalist? Doubles as umbrella. Mismatched brown with coat connotes mismatched character, man out of time - doesn't match. Also verisimilitude - makes it look real. Future fashion, doesn't look like anyone in 1982 when it was made
• Gun - Wooden handle, 1940s police, traditional but futuristic. Big, shotgun-like shot designed for Replicants. Simple like him, no futuristic additions

Almost overuse of brown/normality could suggest a 'factory issue' detective

Rachel

• Massive Suit/Dress - Looks slim, weak. Leather sexualises her. Shoulder pads make her stand out, cardboard cut out-ish, not of this world (hints at Replicant). Large could make her more important in society and in the narrative. Bright red lipstick stands out - only place she's bright, dangerous - femme fatale-esque. Grey colour in betwen good and evil. Looks like a femme fatale - dangerous and attractive. Doll-like wth big hair and eyes+walk. Fur = wealth even if artificial. shows she's pure as well. Cigarette holder 1940s femme fatale theme

Tyrell

• Make up - Makes him look plastic-y, reflects what he does and how he sees the world
• Glasses - Very magnified, big physically - all seeing plays into his idea that he's God, like Saruman in LOTR, intelligence overwhelms him
• Robes - Lab connotations, comfy, religious - playing God

Big ego - stereotypical recluse, as does everyone in the film. Chess pieces have real people. Has a mythological Egypt theme

Roy

• Similar to Deckard - foreshadowing Replicant reveal. Both a bit human, both the same. Coat is similar but 'cooler', wears his fastened to show more control than Deckard. Black leather has sexual connotations
• Lat Scene - Naked-ish - primal, minimalistic, opposite to robotic, more human feel to gain empathy
• Looks very Germanic - Nazi or just intimidating connotations, shows he's the enemy
• Hair - Looks overly artificial compared to rest of him, but shows most emotion. Light from head like a halo, angelic. Christ like almost - persecuted, nail in hand like Stigmata/Crucifix

Deckard
Costume
Always wears brown overcoat in typical sleuth fashion, although it has a slightly futuristic twist. Lack of hood even though its always raining (a point pointed out in the film) could show detachment  - too cool/got other things to worry about/stuck in ways etc. Also wears shirt and tie, but warm orange and neutral blues (mix between old and new, Sci Fi and traditional action) combined with the overall smart-casual look give connotations of cowboys - shows his personality. Holster and pistol combine the two connotations.
Everything around him is perpetually grubby - even his flat and the police car he rides in is disorganised and and is constantly dark, which connotes to the audience his personality - messy and darker than is traditional in a protagonist, almost anti-hero status, but still overall the good guy.

Tyrell
Costume
He wears a suit, typical formal attire for a businessman at the time (assumedly). However, it appears that everything he wears is of very high quality, for example his suit appears to be velvet or another expensive material, his bowtie (which hints extravagance and eccentricity - or trying to put himself on another level to the general wealthy population) and shirt appear similarly. All of this combines to offer a high opinion of himself. When he is killed he wears a flowing white robe. This is used to connote divinity and innocence, which his his opinion of himself, but also overall highlights Roy as the antagonist even if at the time the boundaries are unclear.
His accommodation is a solid gold palace, which not only connotes that he is exceedingly rich, but sees himself in a king or even god role (which is heavily hinted at in the film with the theme of creating life).

Rachel
Costume
Wears large dresses. Poofy, extreme, eccentric. Reminiscent of Victorian/Earlier nobility, looks important, possibly to encourage ideas of femininity. Contrasts with the thinner, more minimal clothing common in rest of film - possibly showing a naivety or inexperience, hinting at the truth. As she's close to Tyrell it could show that he's protecting her from the truth.
Fits in perfectly in the 'prefect' palace of Tyrell, her extravagant clothes matching the gold surroundings. However, on the street or in Deckard's flat she appears out of place, lost, which suits her growing characters development as an out of place replicant.

Roy
Costume
Dresses similarly to Deckard in that he wears a large overcoat, which could suggest a ying yang relationship between the two (in terms of their role in the film, Roy can be seen as easily overpowering Deckard). However, the coat is leather and black, which overall results in a more sinister tone - almost robotic, possibly gives connotations of Nazis (especially given his slight accent and bleach blonde hair). The popped up collar especially is similar to Deckard's, as attention has been drawn to it earlier in the film. However, the tucked in t-shirt and dark trousers creates a more authoritarian and generally more sinister look then Deckard's, and is also reminiscent of German culture. In the ending action scenes he is only in his underwear, which highlights his imposing presence, and connotes to the audience that he's returning to his base 'urges' or 'functions', killing.
Roy fits in well with the dingy world, his neutral clothing similar to the colours of both the world and the people in it. However, regardless of where he is, he always presents himself as an authority figure due to his large stature.

American Cinema

Come out of America/US produced
Ie Bladre Runner, although directed by Ridley Scott who is British, is made with US money, US studio, US backing

Compare and contrast Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock) to Blade Runner (Ridley Scott)

Blade Runner

Stars Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer
Music composed by Van Grelis

End dialogue of Rutger Hauer was improvised
Harrison Ford said nothing in end sequence
Roy to Deckard at end almost like talking to a pet, RH superior being OR Deckard doesn't think there's any point reasoning because Deckard's a superior being
Lighting - Tyrell's candle-lit room, natural light contrast with fake/synthetic world to show wealth
Owl watched Tyrell die, similar to cat watching Parker die - typical of Ridley Scott
Never seen Sebastian killed - not showing something can make it much more powerful. Similar to horror in that we use imagination to make it scarier. Also possible to show Roy in a better light, if we see him kill the innocent Sebastian before the redeeming end scene our opinion of him is negative
Deckard is morally ambiguous character - almost antihero, similar to Roy, connoting end scene
Dominant Asian culture encourages dystopian viewpoint - alien and scary for western world
Deckard's apartment seems claustrophobic, no wide shots, just bits
Only strong colours are neon - human-less
Dystopian future - something bad has happened