Paul's Brain Trust - The Blade Runner Screening

June 14th marked an unforgettable day in Hollywood. Scores of film fans from all over the globe descended on the Warner lot at 2 PM that day for a screening of Ridley Scott's landmark film, Blade Runner. This wasn't any ordinary screening, however, as all the proceeds from the event were going to Paul's Brain Trust, a charity benefitting Paul Prischman. For those of you who haven't seen the notices in the forums or any of the links on other sites, Paul, a DVD producer who worked on the Blade Runner Blu-ray set from last year, was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. The Brain Trust was established to help his family with medical bills and expenses.

I arrived about an hour prior to the start of the screening and made my way slowly through the lot. "Nerd Herd' cars from the popular show "Chuck" were parked all along the path to the Steven J. Ross Theater, as were cast and crew trailers for several other popular TV shows.

Upon arrival at the theater, it was immediately clear that there was a huge sampling of film buffs present from, literally, all over the world. One particular fan arrived all the way from the UK while others came from as far away as Japan. I immediately took my seat and sat back and watched the fans and filmmakers find their seats. After an introduction from Producer Charles de Lauzirika, Paul's wife Cristin gave a short speech and thanked the crowd for all of their support. This is a very emotional time for the Prischman family and Cristin's words were a touching reminder as to how these kinds of events can really make a difference.

Once the screening began, the crowd was treated to an amazing 2k master-quality presentation of Blade Runner. The Steven J. Ross theater is, quite possibly, the finest theater I've ever had the honor of screening a film in. The sound and picture quality was nothing short of amazing and I didn't hear even the slightest peep from the audience for the duration of the film, save a few gasps from the audience when the visuals on screen overwhelmed!

As the film ended to a rousing standing ovation, Charles de Lauzirika made his way up on stage for the second part of the event. We would be treated to a panel discussion featuring most of the major players involved in the making of the film. Of course, no Blade Runner discussion would be complete without Sir Ridley Scott, himself. The master director didn't disappoint, either, as he and screenwriters Hampton Fancher and David Peoples debated the true meaning of the film. The subject of whether Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard is truly a replicant was subject number one for the film's fans and the film's creators seemed to relish the opportunity to state their opinions on the matter. For the record, Sir Ridley Scott believes definitively that Deckard is a replicant while his screenwriters disagree. It's an interesting example of how directors and screenwriters can have completely opposing views on the films they make together, and still find enough middle-ground to produce great work. Visual Futurist Syd Mead spoke at length on his design philosophy for the film. He thought of the world of Blade Runner to be a world that is built on top of the world we live in now. Literally. Actress Joanna Cassidy spoke of filming her new scenes for last year's special edition and we were even treated to a best wishes message from Rutger Hauer.

Alas, all good things must come to an end and my time on the Warner lot had ended. It was an event I'll never forget and for all of you who missed out on this particular screening, there was a promise from all involved that there would be more Paul's Brain Trust screenings in the very near future. Be sure to check back with Blu-ray.com and at www.paulsbraintrust.com for information on future screenings and events.

As always, if you'd like to donate to the Brain Trust, please visit www.paulsbraintrust.com