Project: Drive (2011)

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The unnamed protagonist in Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive (2011) is a man of few words.

The Driver (Ryan Gosling) speaks seldom, as the film instead revolves around subtle details about his life. It's this approach that creates sublime moments of interaction between The Driver and Irene (Carey Mulligan), almost to the point where their time together resembles a dream.

In a particular scene, The Driver and Irene embark on a ride together, along the Los Angeles River, which was filmed between Victory Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard. In this short scene, rather than The Driver showcasing his skills as a professional driver and doing donuts with his car, or other conventional moves evidenced in similar "driving" films, we instead see a genuinely touching scene between two people, achieved by the interactions of the car and the empty space that surrounds them.

This includes the opening shot of the scene, a point-of-view of The Driver's car racing down the river bank, the sun’s reflection dancing across the “water freeway,” a narrow strip of water that runs at the base of the concrete slabs. The lyrics of the song that plays over the scene, "A Real Hero" by College, resonate with the narrative as well.

“Back against the wall and odds
With the strength of a will and a cause
Your pursuits are called outstanding
You’re emotionally complex
Against the grain of dystopic claims
Not the thoughts your actions entertain
And you have proved to be...

A real human being and a real hero”

Project: Blade Runner (1982)

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Tyrell Corporation Offices
Temple-like and open with high ceilings. An owl inhabits the room, representing the nocturnal nature of the world. The office is a warm, sterile place of worship. The Director, Ridley Scott, frames the space using one point perspective which is, in most cases, how the interiors of churches are typically photographed. The vertical lines of the grid leads the audience’s eyes to the very end of the office where a large table is located. The table acts as an altar and emphasizes the layout of the space and the religious themes of the film. This is the only moment in the film where the sun is shown directly on screen. 

Deckard's Apartment
Unlike Tyrell’s Offices, the camera never shows the entirety of Deckard's apartment, but rather, fragments of the space to create the narrative. This is done by the use of sharp cuts and close-up shots to achieve the claustrophobic and labyrinthine spatial qualities. In Film Noir, Architecture is represented like this to create a feeling of hopelessness for the characters and the audience. Both the Office and the Apartment are spaces of nostalgia, hints of the past littered everywhere.

Ali El-hashimi is an architecture student at the Architectural Association School of Architecture. His projects are based on the relationship between film and architecture.  If you would like to submit an architectural project that looks at film, please email us at contact@INTJournal.com.

Note: Apartment Drawing was based off of an Original SketchUp Model created by Benjamin Wigley.