'Blade Runner' scene analysis

 Blade Runner - Ridley Scott - First scene with Deckard 

The scene starts out with establishing shots of the city scape of the world 'Blade Runner' is set in, creating a tone and aesthetic from the outset of a futuristic dystopian world. The overall dark tones contrasted with the very bright artificial light coming from the city-life connotes this feeling of a broken setting in which the characters live; a darkness underlying that of the bustling world of its population, and that this is in no-way a utopian world set in the future. The world building through the visual aesthetics by Scott from the very start of the film, and the overall detail that he puts into his settings is a signature feature in much of his work, with some people even being critical of this and accusing him of putting style over substance in his films. Though this eye for detail in some of the minor focuses of the film to create such a strong setting, such as the digital advertisements found throughout the establishing shots of the city buildings, stems from his past career in marketing and so therefore can be found throughout most of his films. 

The long shot of the digital blimp in the scene conveys a stereotypical theme that runs through a lot of Scott's narratives; the theme of colonisation. The 'golden opportunity' of a new life and to begin again on a new world follows this prevalent theme which has featured in films such as Alien and Prometheus, alluding to a recurring concept in most of his Science Fiction narratives. This inspiration is possibly credited to his work on Sci-Fi television shows like 'out of the unknown' in which he worked as a trainee set designer. As well as the blimp's nod to the theme of colonisation, the idea of starting a 'new life' is another nod to an integral theme that is explored further into the film of that of life and death as well. 

The lighting within the scene when we come down to the actual city streets, is heavily surrounded by blue neon lights and blue hues throughout most of the rest of the scene. The blue luminous lights featured in shots such as the medium shot of the neon dragon as well as the long shot of Deckard sat in front of a shop window overwhelmed with these neon lights connotes a coldness within the setting as well as an artificial feeling to the world surrounding the characters. This artificial lighting could reflect the narrative of the film which includes the theme of artificial life as well as connoting a sickliness and inescapable presence that a dystopian world heavily features. This feeling of coldness due to the blue colour connotations of the lighting could also reflect the set up of the ongoing representation of the replicants in the rest of the film, with them being seen as unfeeling and inhumane objects, presenting a society which seems to have a detached and perhaps broken view on empathy and the people who also live in the world around them - another point of the film truly being set in a dystopian time. 

This urban metropolis set up by Scott at the start of the film is a common feature which can be seen in some of his other films such as that of 'Black Rain', as well as the harsh neon lights and overwhelming presence of digital media taking inspiration from that of both the city landscapes of the USA and that of far east cities like Shanghai. The bricolage aesthetic that Scott uses to create a new futuristic world is a reason as to why the film is considered to be an innovative work for science fiction in cinema. 

The first scene with Deckard also features another common style choice from Scott's work, with the use of heavy rain. The use of the rain within the scene could connote a feeling of melancholy within the setting and this feeling of misery for the people that live in the world, especially with it being a dystopian city in which society has become corrupt, rather than advanced. The signature use of the rain is a technique from Scott that reflects the environment of the hometown he comes from in Northern England and bringing that inspiration into his work, from movies such as Alien and The Martian also including rain or stormy weather to highlight the low mood of the situation. Not only that but due to Scott's perfectionist outlook on his visuals, using heavy rainfall managed to mask some of the imperfections of the sets in the shots as well. 

The mise-en-scene of Deckard's clothing in the first introduction to him for the audience, is dark coloured costume with murky browns and blacks, a common colour palette for some of the abandoned settings in the rest of the film. This use of dark clothing could connote to the audience Deckard being a dark character, or perhaps a character of moral complexity, and that, although he may be the hero, that's not to say he is pure and innocent in how he set things 'right' in the world he lives, especially as his job as a blade runner is to 'retire' (kill) any replicants on Earth. As well as Deckard's clothing giving away some of his personality tropes, the film taking inspiration from the style of film noir also effects the character of Deckard as well, with the male character in these films usually being stubborn in their attitude and not the most compliant with authority, something that from the very start of the film Deckard seems. This character personality is further highlighted by the medium close up of Deckard sat down at the restaurant bar eating noodles whilst he's being told he's under arrest, as it connotes a sense of power and individual authority within the start of film from Deckard as he isn't at all phased by the looming presence of the authorities behind him. 

As the sequence continues with Deckard now in the police hovercraft flying over the city, we see another instance of the heavy use of light throughout the setting. The light shafts pushing through specific spots in the scene creates a sense of depth to the setting as well as a three dimensional world that suggests life and activity beyond the darkness of the frame. This heavy use of light also could link back to the theme of dystopian oppression, with no real privacy, and no place is truly dark and isolated.