February 28, 2018

DZ-48: One-Shot - Blade Runner 2049 - Agency vs Choice

1 hour 53 minutes

Listen to discover how characters can be dramatised through binary choices (and understand the difference between choice and agency).

To kick off 2018, Chas and Stu take a deep dive into one of their favourite movies of 2017: Blade Runner 2049. However, they abstained from “Fox News-ing this shit” by being joined by the most accomplished screenwriter they know, C.S. McMullen (Blood List 2017, Black List 2017, also a lover of Blade Runner 2049).

For a film that is thematically about choice, Stu and Chas thought this would be an excellent opportunity to explore how characters can be dramatised through binary choices. And yet, CS opened their eyes to the idea that characters can still be given choices without having agency. Without having choice in their choices. Not having choices that lead to different outcomes.

It is perhaps the lack of agency (rather than the lack of choice) that lead to some of the troubling depiction of women and minorities in Blade Runner 2049, which our intrepid hosts explore in detail.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

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CHAPTERS

00:02:29 – Blade Runner 2049

00:10:33 – Wallace And Luv

00:26:18 – K And His Mission

00:30:19 – K And Joi

00:36:00 – K's Choices And His Arc

00:47:34 – Deckard And The Las Vegas Sequence

00:58:26 – Luv And Joshi

01:01:52 – K's Hero Choice

01:04:45 – K And Luv

01:10:57 – Tears In The Snow

01:19:24 – Depiction Of Women And Minorities

01:35:36 – Wrap Up And Key Learnings

FILMS

BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) — (w) Hampton Fancher, Hampton Fancher, Michael Green (d) Denis Villeneuve

SCRIPTS

Study the script: BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) — Hampton Fancher, Hampton Fancher, Michael Green

LINKS

Read: Find: C.S. McMullen

Read: JustWatch: Blade Runner 2049

YouTube: Watch: Blade Runner 2049 - Alternate Trailer Blu-Ray (Fan-made)

Read: Blade Runner 2049 Script

YouTube: Watch: Black Out 2022

YouTube: Watch: 2048 - Nowhere to Run

YouTube: Watch: 2036: Nexus Dawn Short

YouTube: Watch: Baseline Tests

YouTube: Watch: Joi Virtual Girlfriend Scene

YouTube: Watch: DNA Searching Scene

YouTube: Watch: K vs Luv Scene

Read: The Conversation - Blade Runner's problem with women remains unsolved in its sequel

Read: The Guardian - Is Blade Runner 2049 sexist - or a fair depiction of a dystopian future?

Read: Digital Spy - Can we talk about Blade Runner 2049's problem with women?

Read: NY Post - You'll love the new 'Blade Runner' -- unless you're a woman

Read: Mashable - The hidden feminist message buried inside 'Blade Runner 2049'

Read: New Statesman - Blade Runner 2049 is an uneasy feminist parable about controlling the means of reproduction

Read: Mary Sue - Director Denis Villeneuve Tries to Defend His Portrayal of Women in Blade Runner 2049

Read: The Mary Sue - Blade Runner 2049: Bad Representation Is Not Representation

Read: EXTREMES OF LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE: NOTES FROM THE SET OF 'BLADE RUNNER 2049'

YouTube: Watch: I want more life

RELATED EPISODES

DZ-20: Writing Strong Secondary Characters - Trinity, Bechdel and a Bamboo Killer

DZ-41: Theme and Worldview

DZ-42: One-Shot - Character Worldview & Macro POV in SPLT

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We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2018/dz-48/

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By Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis

4.8

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