Blade Runner Vidphon

[kurtyboy]

Joberg at Propsummit asked me to post this as he is not a member here.

The story Joberg got is that this is a screen used phone (the one in the bathroom scene) but so far we can't agree on that. Too many differences.

I did an HD screencap (on the right) for comparison. Even the hinge style on the back of the hair dryer (as you will see later) is different.

It could of course be a prototype that was not used on screen.

Does anyone have any more info on the origins of this piece? Also, feel free to discuss identifying any of the detail parts (the top greeblies in particular!)

Here's Joberg's posting and photos from Propsummit:

"Well, it's not really mine, I only took pics of it a few weeks ago while on vacation...the owner, which I've met only recently, knew about my fondness for all things BR(I guess we have a mutual friend) and told me that he had an original prop from the movie he acquired from a friend living in Cali (didn't name the friend, or if the friend worked in the industry, nor the city when I asked

). Since I have a digital camera and he wants to sell the prop on Ebay we decided to meet at his place and take the various pictures you see here (I have more but I'll have to ask him if it's o.k. to post them here...told him about the RPF and if he was o.k. for somebody on this board to post them on their site also?)

He agreed to post them on this board because, like me, he wants to make sure it's the genuine article before putting it for sale.

Told me that it was the first mock-up of the Vid-Phone and that same prop served as the one in Deck's bathroom slightly modified. It came with another piece (the one replacing the hair-dryer and the Bic tray, wich I'll name "intercom") that you could attach, via screws, to the main body.

From my first observation (he handled the prop and I never saw the bottom

) the hair-dryer nozzle is damaged and the sides are holding with pieces of tape! There seems to be some kind of lense inside the hair-dryer with the text CAM on a straight black line applied on the lense itself As you can see in the pictures the Bic tray has only the bottom with the grooves and the top is whole.
Also the tray has an L shape to accomodate the hair-dryer handle.

Then there's those "wires" coming from the handle into the main body as well as one "wire" from the other piece ( "intercom"...weird piece that one!)
Holding the hand piece is a "dome" at the rear and 2 "pegs".
No sign of any attachment for the calculator (he doesn't have it and said to me that the model is not the one seen on the other Vid-Phones

)

There, hopefully we can come up with a clear analysis of that piece, but as for myself I don't think this is the genuine article...too many things are bugging me about it Marcus, there's so many things that bug me on that Vid-Phone

When I first saw it, I thought that it could've been an original piece, but after seeing it up close and looking again and again at the pics I think this is a fake prop!

First: would it be possible for you to draw lines on the Vid-Phone pic, from the movie, to see the angles as to show how crooked it is?
Then doing the same thing with my pics and comparing? I'm asking this because the prop I photographed is really crooked, the angles of the box for the screen are all over the place+it seems that they used parts of the screen-view for greeblies on top and at the back also...

Second: the hair-dryer nozzle seems to have been run over by a truck; as I said, some of the pieces are holding with tape.

And 3rd but not least: the "intercom" piece. Question: why would you present a prop/mock-up to a director that can be transformed to something else? Wouldn't you build 2 separate props? One with the tray and the hair-dryer and the other with the intercom?
Isn't it better, then, to choose between 2 separate and distinctive props?

And what about the calculator? MQ-11 or ML-90 were not used. But there's no trace of holes, or glue that could show something was attached to the prop under the screen

 

[Nobby]

something wrong with your pics dude

 

[kurtyboy]

They're not my pics, dude. Only the first one is mine.

They were fine yesterday when I looked at them. Now, for some reason the RPF is taking forever transferring the data from where they are hosted (at Propsummit.com).

something wrong with your pics dude

 

[kurtyboy]

Try a refresh as they just loaded up for me find now.

 

[kurtyboy]

Gone again. F-ing PITA. I'll have to upload them to another host just don't have time this minute...

Try a refresh as they just loaded up for me find now.

 

[kurtyboy]

OK, I uploaded the pictures to Photobucket. For some reason the RPF does not like Propsummit or vice verca! :darnkids

 

[GKvfx]

Further complicating this is the fact that there was a another group of prop guys on the film besides the ones on the studio lot. And, on top of that, some of the guys at EEG (the VFX facility) built props too.

In talking to them specifically about this Vid-Phone, none of them remember it as their handiwork, though they acknowledge that it does have the stylings familiar to BR props. Further, they both say that many of the props they worked on were last minute requests and done in two hours using a big box of junk that they picked up at Apex or C&H. The VK took a little longer (3 days), though it was a rush job. The big Vid-Phon (the one Deckard uses to call Rachel) was planned out because it required fairly complicated electronics and they had to build multiple copies. But the stuff we see in the Spinner (that overhead rack) and some of the other gizmos were, literally, thrown together on the fly.

Gene

PS - (Isn't there a gizmo like this visible in the Leon interrogation scene that opens the film?)

 

[kurtyboy]

Thanks for the info, Gene.

It is specifically claimed that this prop was the one in Deckard's bathroom which it clearly isn't. It doesn't match any of the other phones seen on screen either (including the one in front of Leon). There were actually two on Holden's desk in the Leon scene.

I made all the screencaps that I could. This is Deckard's personal phone on his desk:

These are of that phone and also the one on top of Deckard's Esper machine:

Here's another of Deckard's in his bedroom, and the two in the Leon scene (on the right). You can clearly see that the hairdryer (i.e. the camera) hinge is completely different.

Further complicating this is the fact that there was a another group of prop guys on the film besides the ones on the studio lot. And, on top of that, some of the guys at EEG (the VFX facility) built props too.

In talking to them specifically about this Vid-Phone, none of them remember it as their handiwork, though they acknowledge that it does have the stylings familiar to BR props. Further, they both say that many of the props they worked on were last minute requests and done in two hours using a big box of junk that they picked up at Apex or C&H. The VK took a little longer (3 days), though it was a rush job. The big Vid-Phon (the one Deckard uses to call Rachel) was planned out because it required fairly complicated electronics and they had to build multiple copies. But the stuff we see in the Spinner (that overhead rack) and some of the other gizmos were, literally, thrown together on the fly.

Gene

PS - (Isn't there a gizmo like this visible in the Leon interrogation scene that opens the film?)

 

[The Prop Stop]

The "antiquing" of the piece looks awfully amateur. I'm not sure if that reflects the original vision or an attempt to make it look roughed up.

Either way....I wouldn't buy it.

 

[Mechinyun]

The "antiquing" of the piece looks awfully amateur. I'm not sure if that reflects the original vision or an attempt to make it look roughed up.

Either way....I wouldn't buy it.

My first thought too.

 

[Apollo]

Too much going on, it is probably Bogus

 

[kurtyboy]

Here's the response from the owner that Joberg posted at Propsummit:

"I would like to give a big thank you for your comments and your time looking at the prop. While I would've liked it to be the genuine article I'm glad to know that it will not be sold under false premise; my reputation and my name are dear to me and I would not jeopardize these under any circumstance.
Please, give my thanks and regards to the members of the RPF also; as for the rest of the pictures taken by Mr. Bergeret (aka "Joberg") we have agreed not to release them since they could not bring more details or info about the prop."

Well, here you go folks...he mentioned that he'll keep the Vid-Phone and since it was a gift, nothing is loss, nothing is gain.
I'm sure we'll have some more discussion about it in the days to come.