1982 BLADE RUNNER PRODUCERS NOTES

1982 Ridley Scott classic Blade Runner went through a long and tortured development process, including several recuts and the addition of a monotone voice-over that was famously hated by star Harrison Ford. Despite being included partly because of executive pressure to make the film less confusing, at least one of the film's producers seemed to loathe it as well, according to an apparent page of screening notes posted on Reddit. Dated from January 1982, around six months before the film launched, the notes are mostly from executive producers Jerry Perenchio and Bud Yorkin at Tandem, one of the three production companies attached to the film. "This movie gets worse every screening," writes Perenchio. "Why is this voice-over track so terrible, hopefully this is not being dubbed in. He sounds drugged, were they all on drugs when they did this?"

​A fascinating look inside the depths of the process. Read the entire set of notes below.

TEDx RVA

Robert Meganck, Peter Martin and I are going to be giving a TEDx talk on Friday, March 22nd in Richmond, VA.  â€‹

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​Click on the image to find out more about our talk and how you can attend or watch the live stream.

​Click on the image to find out more about our talk and how you can attend or watch the live stream.

FREEFLY CINESTAR WITH 3 AXIS GIMBAL

Amazing.​

A beautiful video by the guys at Freefly Cinema using their Cinestar 3 Axis Gimbal, which I composed & produced the score for! Writing it has been the most enjoyable few days of composition so far this year - although it wasn't hard to be inspired by the incredible footage!

DAVID BOWIE IS...

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The David Bowie Is exhibition, at the V&A from March 23 to July 28, is one of London's biggest cultural events in 2013 for art, design and music fans alike. It features more than 300 kaleidoscopic artifacts from The David Bowie Archive, tracing his pioneering style and reinvention across five decades.

On display in the exhibition, curated by the V&A's Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, are more than 60 of the musician's stunning stage costumes, impressive set designs, music videos and album artworks, plus more personal items like handwritten lyrics and instruments.​

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Highlights include the Freddie Burretti-designed jumpsuit from Bowie's Ziggy Stardust era, which he teamed with flame-orange hair, make-up and red patent boots, Natasha Korniloff's Pierrot costume, designed for the Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) album and Ashes to Ashes music video, and a set model for Bowie's 1974 Diamond Dogs tour designed by Jules Fisher and Mark Ravitz.

The exhibition will explore the broad range of Bowie's collaborations with artists and designers in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theatre, art and film and is supported by a series of talks, workshops, performances and late-night openings.

David Bowie Is runs at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, SW7 2RL, from March 23-July 28. vam.ac.uk.

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350 SQUARE FEET

An incredibly efficient use of space. The only thing I'm not liking so much is the stove set up and the uber-tiny fridge. But either way, its an impressive feat of design and engineering.

RISE OF THE DRONES

Drones. These unmanned flying robots–some as large as jumbo jets, others as small as birds–do things straight out of science fiction. Much of what it takes to get these robotic airplanes to fly, sense, and kill has remained secret. But now, with rare access to drone engineers and those who fly them for the U.S. military, NOVA reveals the amazing technologies that make drones so powerful as we see how a remotely-piloted drone strike looks and feels from inside the command center. From cameras that can capture every detail of an entire city at a glance to swarming robots that can make decisions on their own to giant air frames that can stay aloft for days on end, drones are changing our relationship to war, surveillance, and each other. And it's just the beginning. Discover the cutting edge technologies that are propelling us toward a new chapter in aviation history as NOVA gets ready for "Rise of the Drones."

Click the image below to watch the program online.

METROPOLIS & C-3P0

Robot maintenance.

The Maschinenmensch (German for "machine-human") from Metropolis, is a gynoid (female robot and female android) played by German actress Brigitte Helm in both its robot form and human incarnation. Named Maria in the film, and "Futura" in the Novel, she was the first robot ever depicted in cinema. Robot Maria's haunting blank face, slightly open lips, and pronounced female curves in the film have been the subject of disgust and fascination alike.

C-3PO was played by Anthony Daniels in all six Star Wars films. Daniels initially did not agree to be cast as C-3PO; but changed his mind after reading C-3PO's part in the script and seeing a concept painting by Ralph McQuarrie, who based his early design largely on the Maschinenmensch from the Fritz Lang masterpiece Metropolis.

Lang (right) checks preparations for an upcoming scene.  Metropolis, 1927.

A young George Lucas confers with Anthony Daniels as C-3P0 on location in Tunisia, 1976.

PROMONTORY SUMMIT 1869

In May 1869, the railheads of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads finally met at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. For some reason I cannot explain, I've always loved this image. It sparked my imagination as a kid. 

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UPSTREAM COLOR

Writer/Director Shane Carruth's new film "Upstream Color" has a new trailer. Carruth is best known for his independent film "Primer", which was honored at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival with the Grand Jury Prize. Carruth, a former software engineer with an undergraduate degree in mathematics, utilized his technical knowledge on the project. "Upstream Color" is his first film in almost 10 years. His next project, a science fiction film tentatively entitled, "Topiary", is currently in development.

© Matt Wallin. All rights reserved.