by Karel Segers

Rarely does a memorable movie scene lack the main character; this one does. And Blade Runner lacks a lot more… like a plot that works. Despite all the hype before and after the release, the movie was a commercial disaster, grossing only $14m in 1982.
There is absolutely no shame in loving a movie failure, and Blade Runner is still one of my all-time favourites. As a young boy I was obsessed with sci-fi and Vangelis’ music was prominent in my vinyl collection. No matter how much I love the music though, it has always had a soporific effect on me (Kathryn Bigelow’s brilliant Strange Days is an other one that always puts me to sleep) and as a result I would always struggle with the plot. But when I screen a film with my students, I do it early in the day – and I have an incentive to stay sharp.

I THINK THEREFORE I AM

I have written before about what I believe to be some of the key story flaws, namely the shallow character setup and the resulting 8-mins Act One. The film has a monumental second act with minimal stakes for the main character – and very little empathy; it is more an intellectual discourse on humanity. Some of my students watched the film for the first time and others taught me a few things I didn’t know or had not picked up. Did you realize ‘Deckard’ (Harrison Ford) is a reference to French philosopher René Descartes ? I couldn’t believe I had never figured that one out, as I once hosted a radio show with the tag line “Audio ergo sum” (“I listen therefore I am”). To me, Blade Runner has always been a meditation on free will, one of my favourite mindf***s: the droids are limited in the way they were programmed by their Maker… and perhaps so are we

FUTURE NOIR

Watching the film’s ‘Final Cut’ again on BluRay, it struck me how dark this sci-fi film noir really is. The one scene that stood out above all others was Roy Batty’s scene with Tyrrell, his creator. We are approaching the end of Act Two after a late mid point, in which Deckard and Rachel engage in a long, awkward semi-love scene. In the following ‘threshold sequence,’ Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) schemes his way into the Tyrrell tower using a game of chess. By the way, skilled screenwriters often introduce important scenes by showing the effort characters make to reach the location. It sharpens our attention and primes us for the scene the come.

THE MOMENT: I WANT MORE LIFE

The scene is about Roy asking Tyrrell to extend his life beyond the programmed 4 years. I find this scene interesting for countless reasons, one being the human kind’s obsession with extending our lives. However, screenwriter Hampton Fancher put the 4-year lifespan in the script simply as a reference to the way car manufacturers keep commerce running by using built-in obsolescence. Interesting to know is that the writer’s intention with Roy’s kiss was no more than a “Good-bye, Pa”. Much has been written about how Roy is in some way more human than Deckard and perhaps this is the very scene where his human side takes over. Ultimately, killing its maker is a bizarre action for a machine – one that perhaps only a human would contemplate…

THE UNICORN

Nope. I’m not talking about the unicorn. You watch it (again) and figure that one out for yourself.

– Karel Segers

Blade Runner screenplay(1981.05.15 draft)
Script Excerpt: I Want More Life

(first published for ScripTips)

Karel Segers is a producer and script consultant who started in movies as a rights buyer for Europe’s largest pay TV group Canal+. Back then it was handy to speak 5 languages. Less so today in Australia.

Karel teaches, consults and lectures on screenwriting and the principles of storytelling to his 7-year old son Baxter and anyone else who listens.
He is also the boss of this blog.

Karel FG Segers

Karel Segers wrote his first produced screenplay at age 17. Today he is a story analyst with experience in acquisition, development and production. He has trained students worldwide, and worked with half a dozen Academy Award nominees. Karel speaks more European languages than he has fingers on his left hand, which he is still trying to find a use for in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The languages, not the fingers.

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With a prequel to the 1979 hit flick Alien directed by Ridley Scott in the works, Bryn Tilly re-opens the case on the original film and dissects what is brooding under its surface…

“The people who made the first Alien were artists, Ridley Scott, Giger, the writers – they invented everything. The rest of us who follow are artisans. That first film is a work of art, an entity all its own.” -Jean-Pierre Jeunet

I heard through the cyber-grapevine that my favourite horror movie Alien was going to be remade. I was dreadfully upset, thinking how any director and production team could do anything as remotely atmospheric and powerful as Ridley Scott’s seminal sci-fi flick from 1979.

Then I was corrected; it wasn’t going to be a remake, but instead a prequel and Ridley Scott had signed on to direct. How bizarre; what on earth could possibly be done with a prequel to Alien?! Two possibilities floated around my mind, both of them tenuous at best.

The first idea was that the prequel would concern an earlier attempt by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation at trying to bring back the alien species to earth. But I dismissed this as a rather pointless plot.

The second concept was that perhaps the prequel would tell the plight of the alternate alien species in the giant derelict spacecraft that the crew of the Nostromo come across on the planetoid; the infamous long-dead Space Jockey astride his driving console (or could it be some kind of monstrous biotech laser cannon?). That idea didn’t really seem plausible either since it wouldn’t involve any human actors.

I’m relieved Scott is at the helm, but I’m not very impressed at the whole idea of a prequel. It is a lot better than the remake I was dreading. I suppose a remake is inevitable, and sooner rather than later. But I digress.

With Alien being topical for the first time since French visualist extraordinaire Jeunet tried his hand directing Alien Resurrection (and a flawed, but under-rated movie it is) back in 1997, I thought I’d illustrate the sexual symbolism of Alien, which layers the movie’s mise-en-scene: the subtle elements of sexuality; vaginal and phallic imagery, penetration, copulation, and reproduction.

Much of this symbolism is rife in the phantasmogorical, biomechanical production design aesthetics of Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger. But Ridley Scott, coming from an art department background and being a stickler for detail, is also very much responsible for the graphic and implied carnal imagery, both sensual and violent.

Much can be made of Freudian associations to Alien’s production design, symbolism and special effects, but I like to think of these elements as less intellectually singular, and instead a broader more immediate scope of primal carnality within a male-female context, or to be more precise; a maternal perspective, a sub-textual nightmare of life and death.

The following is a chronological dissection of scenes and sequences:

The Hyper-Sleep Chamber

The crew of the commercial mining spaceship Nostromo slowly rise one by one from hyper-sleep, each member has been cocooned in a pristine, womb-like existence; the surrounding whiteness and time lapse creates a false sense of security, a protective, maternal realm.

They’ve had their travel hibernation interrupted courtesy of ship computer Mother who has intersected what appears to be a distress signal from an unknown nearby planet.

The Derelict Spacecraft

After landing on the planets inhospitable surface Captain Dallas, Navigator Lambert, and Executive Officer Kane track the source of the signal, which leads them to a strange-looking spacecraft shaped like a massive horseshoe.

Upon closer inspection they discover an entrance, which is in the middle of the ship’s curve; a kind of vaginal-orifice between rounded thighs.

The Space Jockey

Once inside the giant and apparently derelict ship the intrepid explorers climb up onto an enormous round platform, which reveals an extra-terrestrial creature astride some kind of huge phallic driving console pointed upward.

The pilot is long-dead, sporting a nasty looking explosive wound from its chest. The sight of the “space jockey”, fossilized and seemingly fused bio-mechanically to its erect hardware is grotesque and perverse.

The Alien Eggs

Kane explores further down into the ship’s bewilderingly cavernous hull beneath the bridge leaving the other two above. While edging along a ledge-like protrusion he slips and falls into a bed of thousands of large, leathery-looking eggs. He approaches one of them, the light from his helmet illuminating a fluttering embryo inside, and one of the eggs (sensing his proximity) reacts, its top peeling open like a blossoming flower to the eager bee. Kane peers inside where he sees what appears to be a fleshy, throbbing muscle. Suddenly the life-form shoots out like a jack-in-the-box.

The Face-Hugger

Kane – with creature attached – is rushed back to the Nostromo. Warrant Officer Ripley cites quarantine protocol, but Science Officer Ash intervenes. A crab-like face-hugging life-form has attached itself to Kane; and an x-ray reveals the creature has a tube running down his esophagus, keeping him alive. When they try to cut off one of the face-hugger’s digits, its acidic blood burns a hole through several decks, almost breaching the hull.

The Chest-Burster

With Kane apparently unharmed, the crew decides on a meal before re-entering hyper-sleep, but Kane begins to choke on food. His choking turns to violent convulsions and the others try to help him. Suddenly blood spreads across Kane’s torso, and seconds later a large eel-like creature bursts from his chest spraying blood everywhere. It momentarily eyes its dumbstruck audience, screeches, and escapes.

The Adult Alien

After disposing of Kane’s body – his mummy-like coffin being shot like a missile into deep space – the others begin searching for the alien. Engineer Technician Brett separates from the others to recover Jones the cat. He locates the terrified animal, along with the alien, now fully grown into a nine-foot tall humanoid beast.

Brett is transfixed by the monstrous creature as it towers in front of him, revealing its salivating twin jaws, one lascivious set of razor-sharp teeth opening, whilst another phallic projectile set shoots out directly into Brett’s forehead at lightning speed.

Ash, Ripley, and the Magazine

Ripley tries to get answers from Mother, and accesses classified information indicating the alien was to be brought back to earth, with crew expendable, and Ash knew all along. Ash confronts Ripley and tries to suffocate her with a rolled up magazine by stuffing it into her mouth. He overheats with a milky (semen-like) perspiration. Chief Engineer Parker comes to Ripley’s rescue and after overpowering Ash Ripley knocks the traitor’s head off, the white artificial substance spraying everywhere. Ash is revealed as an android.

The Alien that Kills Parker and Lambert

The surviving crew decides to abandon the ship in the escape shuttle. Whilst Ripley is trying to locate Jones, Lambert and Parker go to gather the coolant tanks for the shuttle’s life-support system. But the alien intercepts them, tearing a deadly chunk from Parker’s chest with its ferocious jaws, and impaling (suggestively) Lambert with its powerful spiked tail.

The Alien’s Demise

After failing to convince Mother to disengage the Nostromo’s self-destruct system (“You bitch!) Ripley is safely in the escape shuttle with Jones in his special box, and the Nostromo destroyed. Ripley prepares for hyper-sleep, but the alien has stowed away on board. Ripley dons a spacesuit and manages to provoke the alien, opens the airlock, fires a grappling gun at the beast pushing it outside, where it clings and climbs into one of the huge thruster pipes. Ripley guns the engine and the creature is incinerated.

As described the movie has numerous references to phallus-like extensions, penetration, ejaculation, impaling and protrusions; including Ash’s surgical probe, Brett’s electrical cattle-prod, Dallas and Ripley’s flame-throwers, the pistons of the self-destruct mechanism.

Special note must be made of the life-cycle of the main alien. After killing the first life-form (the space jockey) the main alien was obviously using their spacecraft as an incubator for its eggs. From the egg comes the face-hugger which deposits another embryo in its host, which when large enough bursts free to grow swiftly into an imposing creature with arms, legs, and a tail, and a phallic-like head and mouth. The sequel, Aliens, elaborates on the life-cycle to include the alien queen mother.

H.R. Giger’s sexually-charged designs are deeply and potently provocative; from the bone-like meshes of the first alien spacecraft, complete with its erectile jockey and womb-like hull, to the primordial, serpent-cum-crustacean-like parasitic alien with acid for blood and the morality of a demon.

Ridley Scott and screenwriter Dan O’Bannon counter Giger’s dual alien designs with the Nostromo’s claustrophobic interiors, especially the air-shafts and those creepy mechanized junction gates, Mother’s womb-like communication room, juxtaposing with the crews’ “virginal” white undergarments and tranquil hyper-sleep chamber, and the movie’s most abstract scene in the expansive freight facility freely dripping condensation, where Brett locates Jones, and inadvertently the adult alien coiled in hiding.

Alien is a seething, pulsating, throbbing, visceral lair of carnality that is at once blatant, as it is suggestive. Very few science fiction or horror movies have come close in incorporating such sexually provocative imagery in such imaginative and nightmarish ways since.

Bryn Tilly is a shameless cinephile, freelance writer and pro DJ who spends his daytime hosting Horrorphile and Cult Projections. At night he spins deep funk for jazzed souls at Sydney’s glam hotspots such as The Ivy and The Opera Bar. He provides a ‘Movie of the Month’ review for lifestyle website FreshMag.

Cherie Lee

I studied acting for three years and hold a graduate diploma in writing from Sydney’s UTS. My interest in film and writing was solidified through interning at The Story Department and gave me the opportunity to fine tune my skills. I’ve been involved with several film projects, the most recent of which was shortlisted for Tropfest.

With the knowledge gained from university and my experience at The Story Department, I’m now specialising in professional feedback on short films and documentaries.

Here is an attempt to analyse the structural dynamics of this wonderful screenplay and film.

ACT ONE

SEQUENCE A (8.5mins): Preparations.

00.00 Opening Titles: Landscapes that express freedom.
02.00 At diner, Louise is serving & advises against smoking, then smokes.
03.00 Thelma at home, hasn’t asked husband yet for permission to leave.
03.30 Darryl patronises Thelma, humiliates her, she still doesn’t ask.
04.30 Darryl leaves in sportscar, shouts at workmen.
05.00 T. calls L.. After the manager’s innuendo, they arrange their departure.
06.00 Louise leaves, montage shows both getting ready.
07.00 Louise picks up Thelma, who carries half household with her. Polaroid.

SEQUENCE B (13mins): Departure and disaster.

08.30 Driving. T.: I didn’t ask. L.: You get what you settle for (i.e. Darryl).
09.30 Thelma is smoking, looking in the mirror: “I’m Louise.”
10.30 Dusk, Silver Bullet, going to have fun. Different responses to Harlan.
13.30 Louise is reserved, it makes Thelma nervous. Harlan shouts drinks.
15.00 Dancing, line dancing. Thelma dances with Harlan.
16.30 Louise back to table, Thelma keeps dancing. Louise wants to leave.
17.30 Thelma is unwell, they go outside. Louise is looking for Thelma.
18.30 Harlan: Not gonna hurt you. T. resists. He hits her and attempts rape.

19.30 Louise appears with gun. “Suck my dick”. She shoots. (I.I.)

SEQUENCE C (11mins): Figuring out what to do.

21.30 They escape. L. blames T. for her behaviour. Police won’t believe them.
22.30 Louise vomits. Trucks & noise everywhere. Let’s have a coffee & plan.
24.00 They try and figure out what to do. Thelma calls Hal. Nobody home.
25.30 Detective Hal with waitress: Harlan deserved it! She defends T&L.

27.30 No money. Need to figure out what to do.
28.30 They argue. Go to police? Not ready to go to jail.
29.30 T. at the pool, L. calls Jimmy for money. Do you love me?
31.30 L. & T. leave in a hurry. They have decided to run. (PP1)

END OF ACT ONE: The decision has been made to go on the run.

ACT TWO

SEQUENCE D ( 8.5mins): Organising money.

32.30 Hal’s boss: Possibly interstate. Let the FBI in on this.
33.00 Louise: Let’s go to Mexico. Are you up to this? I’m going.
34.30 L. calls Jimmy. He will send the money. I miss you, Peaches.
36.00 T. calls Darryl, he’s watching a game, judging but not concentrating.
39.00 Young handsome JD asks for a lift. Thelma is keen, Louise says no.

SEQUENCE E (10.5mins): To Oklahoma for the money pick-up.

41.00 Hal is on the case, looks up Louise’s car: ’66 Ford Thunderbird.
41.30 Louise doesn’t want to Mexico go through Texas.
43.00 Hal is investigating at Louise’s place.
43.30 Thelma and Louise are enjoying the ride.
44.00 Detective Hal is investigating at Louise’s Diner.
44.30 They see JD again; Thelma begs to pick him up. Louise gives in.

45.00 Detective Hal interviews Darryl, who is more concerned about himself.
46.00 JD to T.: Your husband sounds like a real asshole. T: he is. They bond.
47.00 JD warns them, they avoid an approaching police car.
47.30 Hal has info on Thelma’s gun etc.
48.30 They go to pick up the money. Jimmy is there, he books rooms.
50.00 JD leaves them and each go to their rooms. L. to T.: Guard the money.

SEQUENCE F (16mins): Mid Sequence, cross-cut.

51.30 Jimmy is jealous & violent. He calms down and proposes to her.
54.00 JD knocks on door. T invites him in. They have fun and make love.
1.00.0 Over breakfast Louise and Jimmy kiss goodbye.
1.04.3 T. arrives: Finally got laid properly. Left money in the room. Run!

1.06.0 Money gone. Louise breaks down. End of Thelma’s innocence.
1.07.0 T. cheers L. up, takes control and drives. Move! (MPR)

SEQUENCE G (10.5mins): Thelma has found her calling.

1.07.3 Hal & Co with Darryl. When she calls, be gentle. Women love that shit.
1.10.0 Thelma robs Store. Drive us to Mexico.
1.11.0 FB: This is a robbery // Hal & Darryl watching. Everybody is shocked.

1.12.3 Thelma brags about her robbery. Found your calling. You’re Disturbed.
1.14.0 Sexist truck driver. They think we like it.
1.15.0 Police now with Jimmy.
1.16.0 Louise with old man, gives him her jewellery.
1.17.0 L.: murder one, little defense. T.: How do you know all these things?

SEQUENCE H (8mins): Fugitives.

1.18.0 Hal blames T.’s robbery on JD. They wouldn’t have otherwise.
1.22.0 Thelma calls Darryl. He knows. L. calls, asks for police.
1.23.3 Hal knows about Mexico. T. talked. L. angry: We’re Fugitives now.

SEQUENCE I (11.5mins): Speeding towards Mexico.

1.26.0 Darryl with cops changes channel, annoys cops, changes back.
1.26.3 Driving through National Park by night.
1.28.3 Dawn. Passing sexist trucker.
1.31.0 T.: Texas. You was raped. L.: I’m not talking about that.
1.32.0 Stopped by cop: clocked at 110km/h. In trouble.

1.34.3 Thelma with gun, shoots radio. They put cop in trunk.
1.37.0 Thelma: I’ve got a knack for this shit.

SEQUENCE I (5.5mins): Dead or alive.

1.37.3 Hal: Brains only get you so far & luck always runs out.
1.38.0 Louise has doubts & regrets. Thelma justifies. Having fun, not sorry.
1.39.0 L. calls Hal: charge w/ murder;knows about Texas. Dead or alive?
1.41.3 Not giving up. Not making any deals. Dead or alive. (PP2)

END OF ACT TWO: Their fate has been sealed. T.’s arc complete.

ACT THREE

SEQUENCE J (6.5mins): Revenge.

1.43.0 Thelma feels awake.
1.44.0 They see macho trucker again. Ready to get serious? Yes.
1.46.0 They ask for an apology. Fuck that! They shoot, truck explodes.

1.48.3 Drive on.

SEQUENCE K (8.5mins): Freedom at last

1.49.3 (POV) Stoned bicycle rider, smoke into air hole.

1.50.3 Police helicopter: closing in.
1.51.3 Police cars chasing them, they go off the road. Cars follow.
1.54.0 Temporarily shake them off under bridge. Eerily quiet.

1.54.3 Thelma: crazy, first chance to express yourself.
1.56.0 They reach the edge of a cliff: Grand Canyon. Hal appears in heli.

1.57.3 Surrounded. Hal lands. Orders to surrender.
1.58.3 Louise: not giving up. Thelma: let’s keep going. (C&R)
2.00.0 They drive, hal runs.

I.I.: Inciting Incident (or Call to Adventure)
PP1: Plot Point 1 (Act 1 Turning Point / Crossing the 1st Threshold)
MPR: Mid Point Reversal
PP2: Plot Point 2 (Act 2 Turning Point / Ordeal & Reward)
C&R: Climax & Resolution (Resurrection)

PROTAGONIST

In my view, Thelma is the protagonist, for the following reasons:

1. She is prominent in the setup and we empathise/sympathise with her.
2. We may hope that she will become less submissive and find freedom.
3. Her story has a clear Inciting Incident (a major event happening to her).
4. She has a clear Mid Point Reversal.
5. She has a clear character arc.

Interestingly, if you look at Thelma’s story in isolation, the first half (before the Mid Point Reversal) she is a passive protagonist, mostly just following Louise. Only after that, she becomes an active protagonist. This passivity is counteracted by Louise’s initiative until the Mid Point.

ACT STRUCTURE

The Inciting Incident is clear: two major events happen to Thelma: Harlan’s rape attempt and Louise’s shooting Harlan. Although Louise later argues that Thelma started it because of her behaviour, Thelma’s actions are two degrees away from the Inciting Incident (Harlan’s death) that kicks off the story. Therefore, this is clearly an event happening to Thelma, not an action by her.

This leaves Thelma with the necessity to act.

The 1st Act Turning point is more problematic: Louise takes the initiative, Thelma agrees by following her. After a period of considering their options, they have decided to go on the run. Although the destination won’t be known until later, Act Two is now set in motion. In my view, this act break is reinforced by the next scene in which we learn the FBI will be on the case. This increasing of the stakes by showing the antagonist’s power is a frequently used technique to open Act Two.

The Mid Point Reversal is at the same time a reversal of fortune (loss of the money) and proof of Thelma’s change of heart. She is now committed to her inner journey towards finding her true identity (or essence) and freedom. Two events trigger this: her first fulfilling sexual experience and the realisation that she has failed to take responsibility by constantly relying on Louise. The evidence in her commitment lies in two immediate actions: she drives the car and robs the store.

The crisis occurs when they learn about the major setback that Hal knows where they are heading and he will charge them with murder. It is a crisis moment for both women: Louise has doubts and regrets, so Thelma has to make a choice. Her newly found strength is the Reward, as well as the fact that Louise hasn’t made a deal with the police. It is a strong Ordeal moment as 1) the image of death occurs when they realise it is now a matter of life or death and 2) it signifies the death of Thelma’s old identity.

At the climax, two important actions take place: 1) Thelma demonstrates her new strength when she stands up for herself in the confrontation with the sexist truck driver and 2) by saying “Let’s keep going” she commits to her new principles with her life and seals it with the ultimate act of defiance.

POINT OF VIEW

After the characters have been set up, every scene has the hero (Thelma) or the antagonist (Harlan/the police), except perhaps one or two.

Any scenes that are not told from Thelma’s POV either add to the jeopardy (as the police makes progress) or they provide comic relief (the black cyclist blowing smoke into the trunk with the cop in it).

Karel FG Segers

Karel Segers wrote his first produced screenplay at age 17. Today he is a story analyst with experience in acquisition, development and production. He has trained students worldwide, and worked with half a dozen Academy Award nominees. Karel speaks more European languages than he has fingers on his left hand, which he is still trying to find a use for in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The languages, not the fingers.

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“Ron Cobb: Concept to Creation”

Karel FG Segers

Karel Segers wrote his first produced screenplay at age 17. Today he is a story analyst with experience in acquisition, development and production. He has trained students worldwide, and worked with half a dozen Academy Award nominees. Karel speaks more European languages than he has fingers on his left hand, which he is still trying to find a use for in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The languages, not the fingers.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!