The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049

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In 2049 we find little evidence of the kind of high-tech gadgetry and interactive, holographic computer screens that we have become used to in sci-fi films. Instead we find what Set Decorator Querzola described to me as a “sidebar” view of the future. Villeneuve and the production team wanted to create a future which extended the vision of the first movie and they found a grounding in this vision by imagining how the year 2049 might look if Steve Jobs and Apple hadn’t existed.

Blade Runner 2049 Poster Art - Etsy UK Blade Runner 2049 Poster Art - Etsy UK

In Joshi’s (Robin Wright) LAPD office in Blade Runner 2049 we find an oh-so-beautiful grey metal E63 Table Lamp (also called the Ruspa Table Lamp) designed by Umberto Riva. So what the hell is this dude doing? Whether a plot hole or simply evidence of Wallace’s madness, this particular bit of motivation remains a mystery. The production and art department teams found plenty of Brutalist inspiration when scouting the angular, concrete buildings in Budapest where the movie was shot but there has been some debate on the use of this word as a visual style or as reference to Brutalism, the architectural movement born in the 1950s. Brutalist architecture has its roots in socialism and is so much more than a look or style – which is actually at odds with the film’s take on a future born from capitalism, as pointed out in an interesting article on Failed Architecture. K and his Spinner in Blade Runner 2049

I adore the 300-story Wallace Corporation’s interiors and vast architectural spaces. These palatial, cathedral-like rooms were influenced by an ancient temple in Kyoto, Japan. We find wooden floors and walls and a large pond of water in the middle. In Blade Runner 2049 natural resources such as these as so rare that they signify real luxury and wealth. The Wallace Corporation building in Blade Runner 2049

Exclusive Look at Stunning Blade Runner 2049 Concept Art Book

The Blade Runner Wiki t ells us “ Dr. Ana Stelline is a subcontractor under the Wallace Corporation working as a memory designer at an ‘upgrade center’ named ‘Stelline Laboratories’. Although enamored with her work, Stelline is confined within an isolated dome, only visible through a visitor window; due to a ‘compromised immune system’, meaning that if she were to leave, she would die and the sole reason she is not off-world. Her parents had put her there, but gave her enough to make her happy”. The Memory Orb in Blade Runner 2049 The author documented the film’s production for two years, with unprecedented access to the creative process that brought this epic film to life. Exclusive concept art, storyboards, behind-the-scenes photography, and production stills are accompanied by fascinating insights and interviews by the cast and crew. Gassner created what he refers to as a “pattern language” – a core vision which informed the production design, the sets and the choice of many of the objects and artefacts throughout the movie. This began with the redesign of the iconic flying police car – K’s Spinner, which is particularly angular and robust. This is the first of two Blade Runner 2049 art books, the newer one being "Interlinked - The Art" (which I have also recently reviewed). Comparing the two books, this one has much more information about the whole process of making the movie, which was very interesting and gave me a lot of insight that I look forward to considering the next time I watch the film. The art was also beautiful, though including many photographs from production, and being much more focused on detailing the process of making the film. "Interlinked," on the other hand is almost all concept art. An extensive collection of Mead’s visionary film work including ALIENS, Blade Runner, Star Trek The Motion Picture, and Elysium, compiling hundreds of images, sketches and concept arts from a career spanning almost 40 years, many of which have never been seen in print before. Shop Now

What stands out to me - and I suspected this from having watched the movie a few times - is that this movie was made with a staggering amount of practical effects. Miniatures and detailed sets are used for virtually every part of the movie. The miniatures are all over this book, and they're incredible. I can't imagine how much of the budget went straight to Weta Workshop, but it seems like they earned every bit of it considering a huge chunk of this movie would not work without them.