BLADE RUNNERS - A highly experimental mix of both movies into one.

Goal:
To mix the original 1982 Blade Runner with 2017's Blade Runner 2049, making one compelling movie (within a reasonable running time). The focus of the film will be about replicants ability to love and have children / create life. I propose intercutting the two films, so when Deckard is going through his investigations, so is K. "BLADE RUNNERS" is a working title, but as good as any. (Note, I have another edit "Blade Runner 2049: The Lifespan Cut" over in the pending approval forum, but this project is unrelated to that).



Changes I propose to Blade Runner:
- Focus on Deckard & Rachael's romance.
- Minimalise scenes with periphery characters from the first film (Leon, Zhora, JF, Tyrell etc).
- Focus on Batty's love for Pris and, at the end, his love of life in general.

Changes I propose to Blade Runner 2049:
- Entirely remove the replicant army subplot. This means no Wallace, no Freysa, no Luv, no Mariette.
- Make Sapper Morton's character more sympathetic by adding the "Nowhere to Run" short. I'd like to imply that Sapper alone is the man who helped Deckard and Rachael during the childbirth: "You older models are happy scraping the shit because you've never seen a miracle".
- Due to time restrictions, remove K's girlfriend Joi. It might have been useful to leave some of this in to tie into the "love" theme, but I don't want this to become a 4 hour epic.
- Remove anything that supercedes the technology present in the first film, i.e the eyeball scanning instead of the V.K test. I'm also thinking of removing any reference to the unlimited lifespan that newer models have. This is to make the two time periods feel more interconnected and make the film flow a better without having to explain how the technology has changed over time.



The original Blade Runner had magnificent visuals but you can obviously tell it's an old film now. To combat this, I'm considering presenting the footage from the original film in black & white and footage from 2049 in full colour. This will help differetiate between past and present for the viewer, also.

Here's a test intro I've put together: 
(password: fanedit.org)

The climax of the film I see as flitting between the fight with Deckard/Batty and the fight with Deckard/K. Anyone who has seen the excellent Alien/Prometheus fanedit "Derelict" by JobWillins will have some idea of what I'm going for. The epilogue of the film would be K deciding to take Deckard to his daugther, rather than turn him and his child over to the police.



The biggest hurdle I'm having is how to deal with the reveal that Ana is Deckard's child, not K, as this edit won't have the scene with the one-eyed woman (Freysa) telling him he's not the child. My thinking is... if I remove the line about Ana Stelline's parents leaving her on earth, is it enough to allow the viewer to assume the following:

- Ana never had any adoptive parents and so yearns to find her real ones. However, due to her immune system she is stuck in a cage and needs an ally to help her. She does this by implanting a police replicant (K) with her memories in the hopes that one day he will track down the wooden horse.

- (With the above considered) Being a cop, K figures out she is Deckard's daugther "off camera" and the reveal is at the end when K takes Deckard to her lab. Or perhaps retain the flashback "there's a bit of every artist in their work" line.

Sadly the more you think about these plot elements of BR2049, the more the original movie falls down, so a heavilty edited version of these events could be even more confusing. Anyone have any suggestions?

not sure why you chose b&w for the original
if you are going that route why not just do the entire edit in B&w and try to match the brightness, contrasts, etc.

Considering that many have gotten the original down to just over an hour and still kept all the core elements, that 2049 is unnecessarily slow, and the quantity of what you wish to cut is relatively large, I can't imagine it being too difficult to get both down to one reasonable runtime - so I wouldn't worry about it turning into a 4 hour epic. If you cut nothing it'll be a 4.5 hour epic, and you're definitely already planning on cutting way more than half an hour. Just make the changes you want and see where you stand afterwards. 

I haven't seen Derelict yet, but I've seen other JobWillins edits with the same non-linear narrative style and it works really well for the most part. 

Your opening works visually, though there isn't really much context for the viewer in terms of narrative. Who are these two people that are  talking? What are they talking about? The audience probably needs a bit more info before plunging into Dekards backstory. 

Also, the original BR footage seems a bit jittery. Have you slowed down any of it?

[font=Raleway, sans-serif]not sure why you chose b&w for the original[/font]
[font=Raleway, sans-serif]if you are going that route why not just do the entire edit in B&w and try to match the brightness, contrasts, etc.[/font]

Click to expand...

It's a technique that other films have used to differentiate between past and future. American History X would be a famous example of this. Both Blade Runner movies use colour effectively so it would be a shame to make the entire thing black and white. I was hoping the B&W might give the original an old movie noir feel, as another indication that it's set in the past and a throwback to the glory days of police movies.

[font=Raleway, sans-serif]Your opening works visually, though there isn't really much context for the viewer in terms of narrative. Who are these two people that are  talking? What are they talking about? The audience probably needs a bit more info before plunging into Dekards backstory. [/font]

Click to expand...

This would become clear as the viewer watches. We are introduced to Deckard in the next scene (in the past), and K in the scene after (in the future). Then the film builds back up to this point where they are talking. It's a mystery that unfolds.

[font=Raleway, sans-serif]Also, the original BR footage seems a bit jittery. Have you slowed down any of it?[/font]

Click to expand...

That's just a rendering error, I'll sort that out.

Bad Wardrobe said:

not sure why you chose b&w for the original
if you are going that route why not just do the entire edit in B&w and try to match the brightness, contrasts, etc.

Click to expand...

It's a technique that other films have used to differentiate between past and future. American History X would be a famous example of this. Both Blade Runner movies use colour effectively so it would be a shame to make the entire thing black and white. I was hoping the B&W might give the original an old movie noir feel, as another indication that it's set in the past and a throwback to the glory days of police movies.

Click to expand...

I think it would work if both were colour, which many films do; both were black and white, as JobWillins frequently does; or the way you're doing it. The way you're doing makes perfect sense in my mind.

This would become clear as the viewer watches. We are introduced to Deckard in the next scene (in the past), and K in the scene after (in the future). Then the film builds back up to this point where they are talking. It's a mystery that unfolds.

Click to expand...

Cool. Sounds good! 

That's just a rendering error, I'll sort that out.

Click to expand...

The Scribbling Man said:

Your opening works visually, though there isn't really much context for the viewer in terms of narrative. Who are these two people that are  talking? What are they talking about? The audience probably needs a bit more info before plunging into Dekards backstory.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say this scene contains less context than similar opening flash-forwards in movies like Inception or Fight Club. With the latter, the audience is given but a name and a perilous situation- exemplified by the image of a man with a gun in another man's mouth. All the while, the viewer is going crazy with speculation and intrigue. Why does he want to blow up that building? Will he kill this man? If so, why? Who is Tyler Durden?

Assuming the viewer has no history with the Blade Runner movies, there should be a similar sense of intrigue. Who is the woman they are discussing? What's K's interest in her? Why does he have a serial number instead of a name? Why is he all bloody and bruised? etc.

Bad Wardrobe said:

[font=Raleway, sans-serif]not sure why you chose b&w for the original[/font]
[font=Raleway, sans-serif]if you are going that route why not just do the entire edit in B&w and try to match the brightness, contrasts, etc.[/font]

Click to expand...

It's a technique that other films have used to differentiate between past and future. American History X would be a famous example of this. Both Blade Runner movies use colour effectively so it would be a shame to make the entire thing black and white. I was hoping the B&W might give the original an old movie noir feel, as another indication that it's set in the past and a throwback to the glory days of police movies.

[font=Raleway, sans-serif]Your opening works visually, though there isn't really much context for the viewer in terms of narrative. Who are these two people that are  talking? What are they talking about? The audience probably needs a bit more info before plunging into Dekards backstory. [/font]

Click to expand...

This would become clear as the viewer watches. We are introduced to Deckard in the next scene (in the past), and K in the scene after (in the future). Then the film builds back up to this point where they are talking. It's a mystery that unfolds.

[font=Raleway, sans-serif]Also, the original BR footage seems a bit jittery. Have you slowed down any of it?[/font]

Click to expand...

That's just a rendering error, I'll sort that out.

Click to expand...

im aware of the technique,  and it may have worked fine it other movies
but in my opinion you are cheating the view who is familiar with both films of the cinematography
of the original by removing the color- for whatever reason you intended

jswert123456 said:

not sure why you chose b&w for the original. if you are going that route why not just do the entire edit in B&w and try to match the brightness, contrasts, etc.

Click to expand...

jswert123456 said:

im aware of the technique,  and it may have worked fine it other movies. but in my opinion you are cheating the view who is familiar with both films of the cinematography of the original by removing the color- for whatever reason you intended

Click to expand...

Why is removing colour from both of them okay, but removing colour from one of them cheating the viewer?

This sounds great!

Bad Wardrobe said:

The biggest hurdle I'm having is how to deal with the reveal that Ana is Deckard's child, not K, as this edit won't have the scene with the one-eyed woman (Freysa) telling him he's not the child. My thinking is... if I remove the line about Ana Stelline's parents leaving her on earth, is it enough to allow the viewer to assume the following:

Click to expand...

No I don't think viewers will assume those things.

If the one-eyed woman telling K he is not the child goes, then some other way has to be found to show us how K arrives at this conclusion. K seems pretty damned convinced he is the child, flipping out, having a breakdown, cutting all ties with his former life and going on the run from the cops. To have just him suddenly say "Go meet your Daughter" in the final scene, with no material showing how and why he reversed his opinion on this soul shattering revelation is a bit much.

A thought just occurred to me (so I might not have thought it through) but would it be possible to remove K thinking he is the child in the first place? Plus could the audio/video montage where he figures out who the child is be mixed into footage of the other wood carvings in Deckard's flat, to show K putting the pieces together that way? Maybe intercut audio of Deckard talking about hiding the child and Ana talking about her parents to make it clearer. Add some of Ana saying "Somebody lived this" etc. I'm sure a new revelation montage could be created but it would take some work.

---

As for the opening clip (yes the original film footage looks jittery) it would be better to more clearly establish that the old dude, is the young dude. e.g. crossfading old Harrison's face, onto young Harrison's face would achieve this neatly. The "I did your job once" dialogue could come in handy.

jswert123456 said:

in my opinion you are cheating the view who is familiar with both films of the cinematography 
of the original by removing the color- for whatever reason you intended

Click to expand...

Righto, listen chief. I had enough comments about what I should and shouldn't do about colours with my first fanedit. So, other than whatever reason I intended, I'll just point out the obvious. This is a fanedit. It's purpose is to present an alternative experience to the original. The original and its cinematography can still be enjoyed, just pop the bluray in and watch that instead 

TM2YC said:

Plus could the audio/video montage where he figures out who the child is be mixed into footage of the other wood carvings in Deckard's flat, to show K putting the pieces together that way?

Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion, cheers for that. Logically this looks like the only place the reveal could go, as K directly handles another of Deckard's wood carvings in this scene. Makes you wonder why K seemed to think nothing of it in the theatrical cut, really. I'll have to look into whether it could be removed that K thinks he's the child. Will be very tricky, as you've got all those tense scenes at the furnace with him on the verge of tears when he finds the horse. Hopefully I can pull it off but it will certainly take a lot of work, you're right!

Bad Wardrobe said:

jswert123456 said:

in my opinion you are cheating the view who is familiar with both films of the cinematography 
of the original by removing the color- for whatever reason you intended

Click to expand...

Righto, listen chief. I had enough comments about what I should and shouldn't do about colours with my first fanedit. So, other than whatever reason I intended, I'll just point out the obvious. This is a fanedit. It's purpose is to present an alternative experience to the original. The original and its cinematography can still be enjoyed, just pop the bluray in and watch that instead 

TM2YC said:

Plus could the audio/video montage where he figures out who the child is be mixed into footage of the other wood carvings in Deckard's flat, to show K putting the pieces together that way?

Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion, cheers for that. Logically this looks like the only place the reveal could go, as K directly handles another of Deckard's wood carvings in this scene. Makes you wonder why K seemed to think nothing of it in the theatrical cut, really. I'll have to look into whether it could be removed that K thinks he's the child. Will be very tricky, as you've got all those tense scenes at the furnace with him on the verge of tears when he finds the horse. Hopefully I can pull it off but it will certainly take a lot of work, you're right!

Click to expand...

people are just trying to give advice and help you when they make suggestions.
and thats all i was trying to do.

I like the opening scene - can this cut to Rachel in 2019 having her VK test when Deckard first meets her - or is this too soon in your cut - is your edit working towards that scene?

I like the idea of using "Nowhere to Run"

Last Impressions said:

I like the opening scene - can this cut to Rachel in 2019 having her VK test when Deckard first meets her - or is this too soon in your cut - is your edit working towards that scene?

I like the idea of using "Nowhere to Run"

Click to expand...

Thank you! Sadly it would be a bit too soon in the cut, as we need to establish Deckard first. It's not long after that we meet Rachael though. 

I need to have a good think about how all the scenes will come together but currently my rough idea would have Rachael's first scene from 2019 directly after the scene in 2049 when K finds the box of her bones! So technically the first time we see Rachael in this edit she is already dead! Eep!

It's edits like this that are why I'm on this site. I'm so excited to see what you accomplish. I don't have much input or advice but you have support from this guy. Keep it up, it looks awesome!

Love the opening with Deckard and K at the bar!  Good choice on withholding Rachel's name at the end.   That was all done brilliantly.


Some suggestions/ideas:

(1)  What about having the captions display with the opening sequence of the original film in the background?  (as opposed to jumping to another black background/introduction)  For me personally, I didn't like being 'interrupted' by a second set of captions when I was trying to enjoy the brilliant opening sequence.

(2)  In terms of wording, how about combining the "means of control" sentences into one?   same with the "This is called ___" ones.

(3)  Also for wording, how about "those who desert their post"  instead of "those who disobey their masters"?  since it's also about their going AWOL than strictly not doing as told.

(4)  Since it ends on the unspoken word of 'Rachel', what I was hoping to see next as a viewer was Rachel, so was confused why it shifted back to Deckard.  As I think others have suggested, what about starting it off with a scene with Rachel (after the bar scene and captions)?


All in all though, cool idea and so far so good!

Make Believe Films said:

(1)  What about having the captions display with the opening sequence of the original film in the background?  (as opposed to jumping to another black background/introduction)  For me personally, I didn't like being 'interrupted' by a second set of captions when I was trying to enjoy the brilliant opening sequence.

(2)  In terms of wording, how about combining the "means of control" sentences into one?   same with the "This is called ___" ones.

(3)  Also for wording, how about "those who desert their post"  instead of "those who disobey their masters"?  since it's also about their going AWOL than strictly not doing as told.

(4)  Since it ends on the unspoken word of 'Rachel', what I was hoping to see next as a viewer was Rachel, so was confused why it shifted back to Deckard.  As I think others have suggested, what about starting it off with a scene with Rachel (after the bar scene and captions)?

Click to expand...

1/2) Totally agree, I've changed this since the original post and there are only one set of captions now. I'll have another look at the wording.

3) The "masters" line ties into Roy Batty's "that's what it is to be a slave" quote, so I'll keep this.

4) Sadly I can't see how that would work, at least not for the idea I have in mind. It would have to go straight into Rachael's VK test, which would be quite jarring in my opinion. We wouldn't know who Deckard is or why he has been sent to Tyrell Corp. Establishing Deckard as a cop then having him talk to Bryant about the escaped replicants has to come first to set up the story.


Cheers for your feedback, appreciate it!

Got an update on my progress. It's coming along nicely thus far, completed the first 40 minutes or so. I thought I should post up a few clips of what I've been working on.

It was difficult to know what clips to show without providing any context, but I thought these scenes came together quite nicely. There are some similar themes between both films which I've been able to link together (VK Test/Baseline Test etc).
P.S ignore the ghosting on the Tyrell scene, I've since fixed this.
password: fanedit.org



And here is a full cut / change list of what I've done so far. These are all subject to change:

IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
- Brand new opening titles.
- Movie begins with K and Deckard talking in Las Vegas.
- Tweaked establishing shots of Los Angeles (30 years ago).
- Brand new title cards.
- Changed the order in which Bryant introduces the four replicants, so that Batty is announced last.
- Removed any references to incept dates.
- Added "Nowhere to Run" short to establish Sapper Morton (30 years later).
- Cut some of the scenery shots of K flying over the farms.
- Cut some of the dialogue, including a reference to how long Sapper had been on the farm.
- Cut all reference and attempts from K to scan Sapper's eyeball (had to cut Sapper stabbing K as a result). This is to preserve the importance of the Voight-Kampff Test which is shortly introduced to the film.
- Cut Joshi's dialogue referencing finding the rest of Sapper's unit.
- Removed any shots that showed Sapper's eyeball in a bag.
- Shortened the flying to Tyrell building sequence.
- Merged the end of K's baseline test with the start of Rachael's VK test.
- Transitioned from the end of Rachael's VK test to K going to Tyrell archives to find footage of said VK test.
- Removed any references from the receptionist regarding the blackout.
- Retained Luv briefly as a Tyrell assistant who shows K the Rachael/Deckard footage.
- Removed Luv's references to Wallace, the blackout and replicants being "difficult to spot back then" (very tricky, lots of clever audio cuts involved).
- Changed it so Deckard finds Zhora's photo amongst Leon's photos (removed the lengthy photo scanning sequence later on)
- Transitioned from Gaff's stickman origami shot to old Gaff making the paper bull in the retirement home.
- Batty's introduction, removed the Chew interrogation scene entirely. As Leon managed to get a job at Tyrell corp, it seemed logical enough that they would know who JF Sebastian was without the need for Chew.
- Cut Deckard going through Leon's photos / standing on the balcony.
- Mixed Deckard's dream at the piano with K finding the child's sock in the piano.
- Cut K finding Freysa's photo in the piano. He only finds the sock.
- K's flashback to the horse figure presented in black and white. Added a brief flash of the date inscription on the bottom of the horse.

GENERAL CUTS / CHANGES:
- Removed any references to dates from both time periods (with the exception of the horse).
- Several hundred minor tweaks and trims to Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 (mainly 2049) to improve pacing / shorten running time, and all the audio remixing that came with it.

Hard to tell how well these excerpts fit into the overall story, I think, without the overall story, but I like your transitions and you do a great job of connecting the similar sequences / images / objects!

I can't wait to see this project completed! I love both films (the first being my favorite of all time), and I love JobWillins' combo edits, so this is a dream come true for me!

While I do tend to agree to a point with those who would like to see the Blade Runner footage presented in color, whatever way you ultimately want to do it, I support. It's your edit; if anybody wants it done their way and you're just not feeling it, well, then they are absolutely free to make their own edit. This isn't me dismissing anybody, I'm just making a statement on creative expression and the fact that none of us are restricted by each other's projects. If somebody viewed an edit of mine and wished I did it a different way that I didn't agree with, I would encourage them to try doing that themselves and make an experience of it.