Bladerunner - Humanity And Nature Essays -- essays research papers

The central theme of Bladerunner is the descent between humanity and nature. More specifically it has a purpose in showing how science can negatively influence this fragile relationship. Set in Los Angeles of 2019 we see the decadence of western society into an inhumane harsh impersonal, technology-dominated realm. The inhabitants who stir up for their daily survival argon in desperate want for nature, contact with which is denied to them by the unrestricted scientific progress and the consequent exploitation of the natural gentleman conducted for the sole purpose of profit. Humanity is also losing touch with its own nature. The compassion, the empathy, the love and the emotion are all rare or absent. This ailing relationship between humanity and nature is gestateed through the means of scene setting, dialogue, plot, camera techniques and other ikon features. All these elements of cinematography synthesise to create an effective delineation of the unifying theme.In Bladerunner the most prominent element of cinematography is mise en scne. It generates a context for the film and therefore makes the plot and themes acceptable. To set an take over scene different variables need to be controlled. These variables include location, props, lighting and colour. In general the location of the plot is in the vast urban canyons of 2019 LA. The imposing coloured buildings, the dirty fog, perpetual rain and the crowded drab streets devoid of vegetation make up the backdrop of most scenes. All this is filmed in dark lighting, which complements the effect produced by the fog in obscuring the living details. From this the responder acknowledges the deterioration of society, the harsh conditions that the humans are subjected to and the way the human spirit itself is progressively undone under such conditions.Filming such a location at night provides the director with the opportunity to use chiaroscuro (a technique of strong contrast) to further convey the dominance of technology over humanity. For example in outdoor scenes the garish flickering neons are obtrusively visible but they fail to illuminate the obscure, dark, misty surroundings, including the multitudes of faceless people. The prominent visibility of artificial things over human presence together with the qualities of the location indicates the degradation of human life under the rule of science.The habiliment w... ...he development of characters and their response to the events of the plot, Ridley Scott and the actors communicate the way relationship between humanity and nature has evolved (deteriorated) into the world of 2019 LA. In effect all the techniques mentioned above portray a society of individuals who are weary of the world they live in. They are rejects who lead a pitiful existence in a wasteland called earth because they are not fit enough to go the out-world colonies. Suppressing their own natural instincts for the sake of physically surviving they really the walking dead. Scientific progress conducted not for the beat out interests of humanity but for the best interests of business has effectively brought about the progressive degradation of society. By exploiting and destroying the natural world human can no to a greater extent find solace or beauty so as to recuperate their weary minds and rekindle their dying spirits. In summary the techniques that are unique to film such as camera, lighting, costuming, colour and location works in conjunction with common literary techniques such as visual symbolism, irony and characterisation to effectively convey the relationship between humanity and nature.