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What makes Mega-City One Mega-City One?

Started by HunterZolomon, 25 May, 2012, 02:56:37 PM

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Danbo

Skysurfers and Fatties and lots of concrete.
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

Michaelvk

I doubt you'de recognize cape town in the film. The fact that it was shot on south african roads will have little bearing on what you'll eventually see, because, quite simply, if you're driving a practical vehicle, you need a road. The rest I can only assume would have been left to the VFX department. The last thing anyone wants is a movie that looks like every second commercial on tv.
You have never felt pain until you've trodden barefoot on an upturned lego brick..

Roger Godpleton

He's only trying to be what following how his dreams make you wanna be, man!

Michaelvk

...Cape town isn't.. Nor is Joburg for that matter.. Pretty though. Cape town.. Not Joburg.. Joburg's a shithole..
You have never felt pain until you've trodden barefoot on an upturned lego brick..

Steve Green

If they can get a fair few raised roads, I'll be happy.

2 or 3 times the height of this would do.



Bubba Zebill

Bladerunner is always sighted and for good reason and MC1 could be a Bladerunner type environ ....but the unique elements for me are the distinct block shapes and the block footprint. The way the structures narrow toward the top makes a certain sense in that it would allow more light down into the canyons below. And for a city that seems so oppressively crowded the sheer scale of the blocks means there are often very wide open spaces between blocks. The deep shadows and the wide-open spaces create a deeply creepy isolation. I'm thinking of Mike Macmahon and Cam Kennedy here. Those are signature elements for me that make it unique...not so many boxes.

http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/frank-lloyd-wrights-war-boxes
Judge Dredd : The Dark (Gamebook)
http://tinmangames.com.au/blog/?p=3105

Grimmyx22

"For me its a sense of chaos trying to be restrained. Mega-City One grew out of a desperate struggle and hence in my mind never had the chance to have a plan. That's echo'd 'today' in the crazy variety seen in the citizens, the almost organic curves of the city blocks and the height of it all, layer built upon layer, all trying to get it right, all just adding to the confusion."

"The Statue of Justice standing over the Statue of Liberty is a great symbol to be seen, but rather for the desperate failure it represents. The Justice Department does indeed tower over the city and all that lives in it. But its a show of impotence strength, for all its might The Statue of Liberty still stands, as a symbol of the choices and craziness that the city offers. The Justice Department intimidates but never quite crushes the people who squirm out of its iron grip in all sorts of crazy ways."

Just had to say- superb. Could not have put it better. So wont try.

darnmarr

Quote from: BOODA on 03 June, 2012, 07:06:51 PM
Bladerunner is always sighted and for good reason and MC1 could be a Bladerunner type environ ....but the unique elements for me are the distinct block shapes and the block footprint. The way the structures narrow toward the top makes a certain sense in that it would allow more light down into the canyons below. And for a city that seems so oppressively crowded the sheer scale of the blocks means there are often very wide open spaces between blocks. The deep shadows and the wide-open spaces create a deeply creepy isolation. I'm thinking of Mike Macmahon and Cam Kennedy here. Those are signature elements for me that make it unique...not so many boxes.

http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/frank-lloyd-wrights-war-boxes
Mega City One in my head is also like this.

Bubba Zebill

Of course anything goes in MC1. Last night I looked for some Kennedy and McMahon drawings that would illustrate what I mean as key signature images. At a glance I'd know a corner of Bespin, Bladerunner's Los Angeles, The Emerald City. Same with MC1, it has its unique signature...as well as everything else. Bit of a digressive boast but when I was a little boy my father took me on one of his deliveries to ride the elevators of The Bradbury, this was 4 or so years before Bladerunner. A beautifully kept antique even then. We also visited the Bonaventure (again to ride elevators, these on the outside of the building), the newest building on the skyline at that time - this one would fit well in MC1, but it's a signature LA building, one shot in a film and you know where you are. The Bradbury, as beautiful as it is, could be any city in the US or London, Glasgow or Liverpool.

The Bradbury
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradbury_Building

Bonaventure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westin_Bonaventure_Hotel
Judge Dredd : The Dark (Gamebook)
http://tinmangames.com.au/blog/?p=3105

Mardroid

Quote from: BOODA on 04 June, 2012, 10:55:19 AM
The Bradbury
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradbury_Building

That one looks more like something I'd see in Downlode than Megacity One.

I agree that the shere size of Megacity One allows a lot of room for different styles though.

Bubba Zebill

But such a memorable setting in Bladerunner....when dressed down. ;
Judge Dredd : The Dark (Gamebook)
http://tinmangames.com.au/blog/?p=3105

Stu101

For me the main draw that kept JD as my favourite strip through years of subscribing to 2000ad was Mega City One itself.
The sheer size and levels of the city. It's capacity to be really busy, yet still have dark scary back streets with juves who wouldn't think twice about a GBH or worse.

This is my wallpaper:



My window over MC-1, it's great to imagine what craziness would be going on, the Judges dispensing judgement, the fatties with their belly wheels, the biters, the futsies, the wreckers planning their next job, the muties fresh in from the cursed earth and the skysurfers buzzing the eye in the sky, the list could go on and on.

I do however appreciate the movie won't be attempting anything like this picture, but that's the beauty of the comic strip, right?

Nice thread by the way.

ABCwarBOT

Quote from: Stu101 on 07 June, 2012, 11:43:24 PM
For me the main draw that kept JD as my favourite strip through years of subscribing to 2000ad was Mega City One itself.
The sheer size and levels of the city. It's capacity to be really busy, yet still have dark scary back streets with juves who wouldn't think twice about a GBH or worse.

This is my wallpaper:



My window over MC-1, it's great to imagine what craziness would be going on, the Judges dispensing judgement, the fatties with their belly wheels, the biters, the futsies, the wreckers planning their next job, the muties fresh in from the cursed earth and the skysurfers buzzing the eye in the sky, the list could go on and on.

I do however appreciate the movie won't be attempting anything like this picture, but that's the beauty of the comic strip, right?

Nice thread by the way.



Cool picture.   I'd like to see it looking like that in the film.

The Bissler

Yep, fingers crossed it looks like that in the sequel!  That would be magnificent!

Beaky Smoochies

Quote from: The Bissler on 12 June, 2012, 12:59:34 AM
Yep, fingers crossed it looks like that in the sequel!  That would be magnificent!

For better or worse, MC-1 won't look like that in Dredd, I think we've been given a pretty representative view of the city from that new shot just released, and Andrew McDonald, one of the producers on Dredd, stated in the Empire article last July that he always wanted Dredd to be "more real", and besides, that MC-1 depicted in the drawing posted above would require a substantially larger budget than the $45m they have, and would be completely CGI in it's creation, something the Dredd people neither have the budget nor the inclination to do, judging by what they've said and what we've seen thus far... my personal opinion is I'm glad they're going for the the more grounded decade-after-next look in Dredd, that MC-1 drawing may look fine on the page, but I don't think it would work onscreen, it looks too out-there for the general audience to buy into...
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