Research: Blade Runner

So I was having a conversation about my series with Pete Bishop (the director, not the guy from Fringe), and he mentions this film Blade Runner. I wouldn't go as far as to say I've never heard of it. I don't live under a rock. But I'd never seen it until today.
After watching it, I can see why Pete had told me to watch it. It's like Ridley Scott wants me to set my series in the exact same location as his brilliant film! Okay, granted the 80s sci-fi synth music was starting to get to me a bit, and there were moments when I was a little lost, but the setting! It's so hard to believe that this is a film of the 80s! It's definitely the type of dystopian world I'm looking for Wonderland to be set in. And you know, I actually like that I got a bit lost with the plot. It's very fitting with the hectic nature of the film, with the bustling slums sprawling as far as the eye can see (which, granted is not very far) and the occasional fast paced chase through a crowd. So, I'll definitely be giving it another watch to understand it a little more (hopefully the remastered version this time!).

Just to make things look pretty, here are a few images:

Okay, so this one's actually a recent CG render that someone's made to test out a game engine. Or show it off, whichever. Either way, you can see it's a very dark and gritty looking place. Unfortunately, this image is lacking the prominent bustling crowds that are ever present in the film, so it loses a bit of the atmosphere. Having said that, this is actually more appropriate for my series. I can't very well expect to have a bustling crowd in each of the 52 episodes. That kind of stuff is for live action. Or insanely high budgets. 

Here's one from the actual film. If memory serves, I think this is from the beginning of the film. Beautiful, yet horrifying. The lights give the sprawling, dystopian metropolis an almost magical look. But then there are those threatening flames, I'd assume from oil burning or something...I'm no expert, but they look pretty threatening. And there's that prevalent smog. Clearly, those towers aren't doing the atmosphere much good. So it's actually quite a horrifying vision of what probably isn't a totally distant future (okay, I'm not expecting flying cars any time soon). Also, I've not managed to get out of the country much in my almost 21 years, and I haven't seen many densely packed, sprawling cities. I can't say I've ever seen New York, but I imagine it wouldn't look this big. It's all very threatening, and a city this large would provide ample room for a series! After all, it was enough for a film. 

Just how many people live here?! That's a lot of windows! I'm liking these big advertisements too. Like I said, my knowledge of large cities spans about as far as Manchester for the time being. Ah, if only I had the time and funds to hop on a flight to New York for research. Anyway, I'm sure this kind of advertising exists in the world today, but there's something about it that seems almost intrusive in this film. It sets a good atmosphere.

And here's a rather blurry image, another one from near the opening. I could screen capture so many image of the Oriental theme of the film, but instead, here's one that really sets the scene. A lot of the film (if not all of it) takes place in this Chinatown, and it really shows in the architecture. Not just the buildings either, but the interiors too. It creates an odd juxtaposition with the towering sci-fi skyscrapers. Nevertheless, it's a cool contrast. Also, those neon lights? This film has A LOT of neon lights. Yup, this was the vision of 2019 way back in the 1980s. Although, it's not the most far fetched I've ever seen. 

And there you have it, me rambling on about Blade Runner. Hope you enjoyed!