As the podcast 99% Invisible describes in episode 172: On Location, Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott in 1982, has an extremely dark setting and tone during the entirety of the film. Scott’s decision to use the Bradbury building as a location was strategic in the sense that the film is supposed to make the audience believe that this is what reality will look like in the far future of November 2019 in Los Angeles. The Bradbury Building is an iconic film location as it’s used in various commercials and films for many different kinds of scenes. Using such a recognizable set allows for the audience to connect more strongly to the idea that this really is Los Angeles in the future by showing them what a place to which they are familiar, (the Bradbury Building) looks like in this dystopian universe.
The building, although not what most people imagine when they think of a far far away future so different to that of the present, works for the specific aesthetic of the future Scott created for Blade Runner. Usually, when we try to imagine what a totally new future would look like we think of advanced technology for the good, an easier life due to world issues being solved, more effective ways of communication and transportation such as fancy flying cars. Well, while Blade Runner does have flying cars and advanced technology, they aren’t the cool bright flying cars one may think of and the advanced technology has turned out to be for the worst.
The Bradbury Building is large, with unique architecture that allows for endless angle options when filming and the amount of levels in the building while being an open building allows for creativity to run free while directing a scene in this location. For the Blade Runner movie in particular, the Bradbury building works for the mysterious, dark, scary tone that the film carries as the sort of helicopter/blimp lights from above are shown throughout the entire building because of its openness. The location works great for a dark action scene as there are so many ways/levels to run around rather than running in a straight line on a street. Overall, the Bradbury works for almost any scene it feels like, however, the architecture truly allows for crazy good action
Ava Ganz 