My Deckard ID card

[QuartZ]

Hello. I'm really in a Blade Runner mood these days (it happens to all of us right?). With all the threads going around about the ID card, I wanted to start a thread to focus on my own replica of said item without discussing, fakes, comparisons to other replicas, etc. First a peek at what I worked on this weekend:

* watermark is just to deter duplication

I'm looking for suggestions on what might improve the front of the id. It was all drawn from scratch in Illustrator, so things are easy to adjust, and the lines are perfectly sharp (no pixels). I'll give a run down on everything I can think of:

POLICE 995: I drew this from scratch and think I've definately nailed it. I've seen other variations that have had the proportions a bit off, to thin here and there, certain corners not 90 degrees angles, etc. Even the two '9' numbers are not exactly the same. This one lines up 99.99% with the original.

Name Area: The 'RICK DECKARD' text has puzzled me. We can't see from the movie what's in that oval. My font is close, but could be improved if I can locate a better one.

Pattern above ID: This was tedious to recreate (and print out mind you) but I've figured out a nice trick to make the lines clean on printing. Took 15 failed print out to figure it out...but it works great now. I am thinking about making this a separate piece that gets put on top of the card. Not sure if the movie props had this laid on top.

Badge Number: After seeing the 'Con' ID card, the # of numbers and the lack of a "-" separating six digits makes it look a bit off.

Diamond 8: The only thing I can think of is color reproduction on this. I tried to match the 'Con' ID card (because the film is heavily color corrected.) This is certainly open for discussion.

Circle thing: This little bugger was pretty straight forward.

Red X: In my comp print out, I've got it printed on the card. I'm picking up some Amberlith and Rubylith this week to do some tests. However, it would make assembling/laminating this thing so much easier if printed on.

Deckard Photo: I can't divulge the source for the photo. The Blade Runner Mafia will get me. Just kidding...I created this photo in hi-rez using a rare photo of Ford. A lot of compositing, light/shadow adjustment, cleanup, and color correction was required.

Many thanks to the photographer of the 'Con' card and the members here who have done a bunch of leg work discussing the cards details at length.

-Dana

 

[Darkknight0667]

Other than the fact that an official ID would have his full name (likely, Richard), rather than the shortened version of Rick, I'd say that it looks damn good. Excellent work.

 

[QuartZ]

thanks Dk0667- The name thing definately bugs me. Is his full name 'Richard Deckard' ever referenced in the script, or anywhere in the movie? I'm looking for any bread crumbs that might lead to getting the name area pegged.

Also, I'm going to update the badge numbers. tylerdurden_soap_maker was kind enough to send me a scan of the original 70's type face for the numbers. I was using a free font that looked really close. But these are much better. I'll trace the font in illustrator for even more accurate numbers. Thanks.

-Dana

 

[franz bolo]

Looks Great.. The font Data70 is dead on to the old school Rub Down type. Phase Pistol likes the Tilde in the

They have real cool round corner cutters at the hobby shops. You might have print it without rounding the corners.

Use Amberlith instead of Rubylith.

Do you have a close up of the "Pattern above ID"? Initially, when I did mine in Illustrator, it didn't print out right. It took some time, but I got mine to print out clean and sharp.


Great Job..

FB

 

[eltee]

<div class='quotetop'>(Darkknight0667 @ Oct 16 2006, 10:29 AM) [snapback]1339118[/snapback]</div>

Other than the fact that an official ID would have his full name (likely, Richard), rather than the shortened version of Rick, I'd say that it looks damn good. Excellent work.
[/b]

Only partially true. Many police ID cards (including my own) only put a first initial and last name. Since you are "flashing" badguys when working in plainclothes, or wearing it inside courts and police buildings, you don't necessarily want every thug to see your full name. On the BACK of my police ID is my full name.

I always thought Ricardo or Ricky Deckard had a nice sound to it

 

[Darkknight0667]

<div class='quotetop'>(eltee @ Oct 16 2006, 03:34 PM) [snapback]1339185[/snapback]</div>

Only partially true. Many police ID cards (including my own) only put a first initial and last name. Since you are "flashing" badguys when working in plainclothes, or wearing it inside courts and police buildings, you don't necessarily want every thug to see your full name. On the BACK of my police ID is my full name.

I always thought Ricardo or Ricky Deckard had a nice sound to it
[/b]

Good point, Eltee. I hadn't considered that.

 

[phase pistol]

<div class='quotetop'>(QuartZ @ Oct 16 2006, 01:06 PM) [snapback]1339107[/snapback]</div>

Many thanks to the photographer of the 'Con' card
[/b]

You're quite welcome.

And your card looks darn nice. :thumbsup

- k

 

[QuartZ]

Good ideas about the name. Hmmm I'll leave it as is I suppose until someone has ref showing different.

I picked up Rubylith AND Amberlith during lunch today. Gonna check out both out all though I suspect everyone is right on with Amberlith.

Yes. Thank you Karl.

-Dana

 

[eltee]

Hi Phase Pistol

The world of BR fans owe you big time. If you are ever up in the San Francisco area, dinner is on me...and of course cops know the best places to eat (or at least where the food is free).

There was another small card that I glimpsed in the display case with the BR stuff. May have been a business card or something else. Could you tell us what it was??

Thanks again for opening the veil of secrecy. I'm serious about dinner.

Eltee

 

[Noeland]

is it the card that says "Harrison Ford's Blaster"??

 

[phase pistol]

<div class='quotetop'>(eltee @ Oct 16 2006, 04:50 PM) [snapback]1339237[/snapback]</div>

Thanks again for opening the veil of secrecy. I'm serious about dinner.
[/b]

Thanks. I'm NYC based but if I ever get out there... you're on.

As to a "little card"... you mean the little white cards that look like business cards? Those are just to identify the props in the case...

- k

 

[SFPROPS]

<div class='quotetop'>(QuartZ @ Oct 16 2006, 04:35 PM) [snapback]1339226[/snapback]</div>

I picked up Rubylith AND Amberlith during lunch today. Gonna check out both out all though I suspect everyone is right on with Amberlith.
[/b]

I disagree.

Having used both, I think that the amberlith to be too orange for the X. I believe that the rubylith will be a closer match. But, I'm not a betting man so....:lol

 

[QuartZ]

that's why I bought giant sheets of both. I will post photos of it with ruby and with amber.

 

[PHArchivist]

Awesome.

 

[juno]

What was your trick for getting the lines straight? Printing it rotated?

 

[QuartZ]

Thanks PH, with a little luck I may have a finished one to show you real soon.

juno: It was more of a hack really. To get my inkjet to align the nozzles correctly for the line pattern thing, I made it on a separate layer and printed it onto the card first. Then I hide the layer, turn on the rest of the card artwork (with a white box where the pattern was) and reprint onto the same card. Voila.

I'm not using this hack anymore as it was just to get a good comp/proof of my completed front artwork. I've separated things out now. The photo gets printed/cut separately, the card background, and the red X will all be combined before lamination. And I'm running the card backgrounds off on a much higher end printer now :

-Dana

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

I think the name should read "R. DECKARD" like the vid-phon card, and I think his number is actually "B, two sixty, three fifty-four" (B 260~354) rather than "B two sixty-three fifty-four" (B26354).

 

[MattMunson]

Looks great dude. Put me down for three.

 

[QuartZ]

Miniaturizer Ray- I think you're right about the badge number being B 260-354. I've made a second version with those numbers already and I'm printing off both kinds. The 'Con' id certainly has me thinking that and I've run the HD screen cap through photoshop a few times and think I faintly see a longer string of numbers with 2 spaces in it (one actually being a hyphen I suppose)

About the name, Seeing as the 'Con' id spells out the other cop's name entirely, I think it would be odd for the prop makers to have handled the deckard name any differently. But, I'm open to the idea if there's any other evidence that deviates from the style-guide given by the 'Con' id.

 

[SFPROPS]

Oh...and put me down in the column for those who think the badge number is "B 260-354" as well. Or at the very least with a dash or tilde between the 0 and 3.