Instagram Account 'Blade Runner Reality' Shows That Ridley Scott's Future Is Now
'I've seen things on Instagram you people wouldn't believe'. Actually, you will believe it. It's an Instagram account run by Ryan Allen and Siddharth Chander called Blade Runner Reality.
Allen is based in New York City and Chander is in Washington, both being fans of the movie and good friends they decided to set up an Instagram account dedicated to it—and you'll be glad that they did.
The idea behind it is pretty simple, find things from the real world that look like the fictional world of Ridley Scott's seminal neo-noir. Photograph them beautifully then upload to Instagram to show how close the director's vision of a dystopian future is to our current reality.
Here's what they told Vantage about the project in a recent interview.
RA: I live in New York and it really is a great place to do this, especially in midtown. But honestly, I really think Asian megacities are the best places to find these shots. Hong Kong today could easily be LA 2019. Ridley Scott has been quoted as saying that the visuals are ‘Hong Kong on a very bad day.’
That being said, it is also cool to see people around the world tag us with their Blade Runner-inspired photos. You can see them all over the world, and even in smaller towns.
SC: Agreed, New York is the best city I can imagine in America for that look, but a lot of Asian cities like Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai would be seemingly perfect for those kind of shots.
We selected some of the many awesome pics from the account below. Follow them on Instagram for more.
"Quite an experience to live in #fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a #slave." ---------- #BladeRunner #scifi #future #futuristic #runner #manhattan #nyc #instaNYC #newyork
"I'm surprised you didn't come here sooner." - 'It's not an easy thing to meet your maker." #bladerunner #tyrell #roy #father ?
Not quite #TyrellCorp, but still a very profitable company in 2019. -------- #neon #neonsign #BladeRunner #nyc #manhattan #newyork #scifi #cyberpunk
"I think it was manufactured locally. Finest quality. Superior workmanship." --------------- #bladerunner #scifi #TimeSquare Manhattan #newyork
"Gosh, you've...really got some nice toys here." #roybatty #bladerunner #film #toys #dolls #future #neon #noir #amazing #explore #travel #instamood #instatravel #manhattan #timessquare #nyc #toys
"Gosh, you've really got some nice #toys here" #bladerunner #roy #scifi #neonoir #film #set #design #lights #neon #instacool #instamood #instagood #instadaily #nyc #newyork #instatravel
"Hi, is J. F. there? "Who is it?" "Uh, this is Eddie. An old friend of J. F.'s." **Phone hangs up** "Ooh. That's no way to treat a friend." - #BladeRunner #Deckard #police #cops #futuristic #SCIFI #RidleyScott #retrofuture #retro #neon #citylights #nightlife #streetphotography #cars #cyberpunk - #Manhattan #radiocity #nyc #instanyc
"#Sushi. That's what my ex-wife called me. Cold fish." ~#Deckard #Bladerunner #film #noir #future #classic #neon #fish #design #instacool #instagood #chinese #food #80s
"I'm at a bar here now down at the fourth sector. Taffey Lewis is on the line. Why don't you come on down here and have a drink?" "I don't think so, Mr. Deckard. That's not my kind of place." - #BladeRunner #seanyoung #HarrisonFord #scifi #cyberpunk #neon #fog #nightlife #citybar #futuristic #futurism #noir #filmnoir - #Manhattan #nyc #instanyc
"B Two sixty-three fifty-four. I'm filed and monitored." ~ #deckard #bladerunner #grid #slaves #film #movies #instacool #timessquare #design #art #nyc #picoftheday
"Questions--Morphology? Longevity? Incept dates?" "Don't know, I don't know such stuff. I just do eyes, ju-ju-just eyes... just genetic design, just eyes. You Nexus, huh? I design your eyes." "Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes!" - #bladerunner #roybatty to #chew. #RutgerHauer #JamesHong #retrofuture #cyberpunk #scifi #lasers #cityscape #futuristic #doandroidsdreamofelectricsheep #1982 #RidleyScott - #Singapore #marinabaysands #asia
"Stop right where you are. You know the score pal. If you're not cop, you're little people." "No choice, huh?" "No choice pal." - #BladeRunner #Deckard #police #cops #nypd #scifi #RidleyScott #cyberpunk #futuristic #law #streetphotography #eye - #nyc #Manhattan #instanyc #timesquare
"Im going to ask you a series of questions. Just relax and answer them as simply as you can." #bladerunner #Deckard #replicants #Rachael #voightkampff #ridleyscott #tyrellcorp #doandroidsdreamofelectricsheep #futuristic #advertisement #1982 #80s #cyberpunk #NewYork #nyc #Manhattan #timesquare #centerofuniverse
"He says "You under arrest Mr Deckard"" -"You got the wrong guy pal." "He says you Blade Runner." -"Tell him I'm eating." #streetfood #bladerunner #film #lincolncenter #fordham #design #architecture #art #instacool #instagood #instamood #instatravel #exploreeverything #urbanexplorers #shotaward #welovenyc #manhattan #nyc #travel #explore #noir #whpgeometry #foodporn
David Dryer, #bladerunner's Effects Supervisor, on #cityscape #advertisements: "Ridley and I had a meeting where he told me,'I want a bunch of phony... commercials where geisha girls are doing unhealthy things.' To kind of continue with the oppressive feeling throughout the landscape... It seemed to make sense that birth control would be heavily advertised in such an overpopulated future."
"Fiery the angels fell. Deep thunder rolled around their shoulders..." #Bladerunner #Film #FreedomTower #nyc
#RidleyScott on #Spinner inspiration: "I knew what it would be like to ride in a spinner. In the years when I was doing a lot of TV commercials, once a month I'd fly into New York. I'd get off the plane at JFK and take a helicopter, which cost $20, to the top of the Pan American building. Winter or summer, high wind or balmy evening — it was hairy. I did that for almost two years. Then, one stormy winter evening, a chopper nearly missed the top of the building because of the wind gusts. It perched perilously on the edge, and they nearly lost it. And that was the end of that. There were no more helicopters; they just closed them down. But I always remembered that." via 2007 @Wired interview. --------- #BladeRunner #scifi #manhattan #nyc #taxi #timesquare