Editing Ridley Scott (section)

==Directorial style==
Scott's frequent collaborator [[Russell Crowe]] commented, "I like being on Ridley's set because actors can perform [...] and the focus is on the performers."<ref name="gangster">''American Gangster'' DVD, ''Fallen Empire: The Making of American Gangster'' documentary</ref> Paul M. Sammon, in his book ''Future Noir: The Making of [[Blade Runner]]'', commented in an interview with Brmovie.com that Scott's relationship with his actors has improved considerably over the years.<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Caldwell |url=http://www.brmovie.com/Articles/Sammon_Interview_11.htm |title=Paul M. Sammon interview |publisher=BRmovie.com |access-date=6 March 2010 |archive-date=7 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407033114/http://www.brmovie.com/Articles/Sammon_Interview_11.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> More recently during the filming of Scott's 2012 film, ''[[Prometheus (2012 film)|Prometheus]]'', [[Charlize Theron]] praised the director's willingness to listen to suggestions from the cast for improvements in the way their characters are portrayed on screen. Theron worked alongside the writers and Scott to give more depth to her character during filming.<ref name="Prometheus_Theron">{{cite news | url=http://movies.inquirer.net/3843/%E2%80%9Cprometheus%E2%80%9D-crew-on-a-mission-collision | title="Prometheus" Crew: On A Mission Collision | newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer | date=29 April 2012 | access-date=7 May 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516075620/http://movies.inquirer.net/3843/%E2%80%9Cprometheus%E2%80%9D-crew-on-a-mission-collision | archive-date=16 May 2012 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> When working on epics, Scott states, "there's always the danger that the characters can get swamped" on a large canvas, before adding, "My model is [[David Lean]], whose characters never got lost in the proscenium."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Michael|last=Sragow|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/ridley-scotts-brilliant-first-film|title=Ridley Scott's Brilliant First Film|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=28 May 2012|accessdate=15 June 2020|archive-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620203457/http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/ridley-scotts-brilliant-first-film|url-status=live}}</ref>

Scott's work is identified for its striking visuals, with [[Girl Power in popular culture#Female action heroes and science fiction|heroines]] also a common theme.<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="Female heroes"/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ridley Scott's History of Directing Strong Women|url=http://europe.newsweek.com/ridley-scotts-history-directing-strong-women-65047?rm=eu|magazine=Newsweek|date=17 December 2016|access-date=17 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220131725/http://europe.newsweek.com/ridley-scotts-history-directing-strong-women-65047?rm=eu|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800015105/bio |title=Yahoo! Movies: Ridley Scott |publisher=Yahoo! |date=30 November 1937 |access-date=6 March 2010 |archive-date=7 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207075403/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800015105/bio |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Los Angeles Times'' film editor Joshua Rothkopf wrote "Scott may be the movies' most consistent stealth feminist".<ref name="Rothkopf"/> His visual style, incorporating a detailed approach to production design and innovative, atmospheric lighting, has been influential on a subsequent generation of filmmakers.<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="Visual style"/> [[James Cameron]] commented, "I love Ridley's films and I love his filmmaking, I love the beauty of the photography, I love the visceral sense that you're there, that you're present."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/james-cameron-has-a-few-thoughts-about-ridley-scotts-alien-covenant | title=James Cameron has a few thoughts about Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant | work=[[Syfy]] | first=Alyse | last=Wax | date=11 August 2017 | access-date=18 September 2021 | archive-date=18 September 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918072908/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/james-cameron-has-a-few-thoughts-about-ridley-scotts-alien-covenant | url-status=dead }}</ref> Scott commonly uses slow pacing until the action sequences. Examples include ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' and ''Blade Runner''; the ''Los Angeles Times'' critic Sheila Benson, for example, would call the latter "Blade Crawler" "because it's so damn slow". Scott claims to have an [[eidetic memory]], which he says aids him in visualising and storyboarding the scenes in his films.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/ridley-scott-magic-comes-over-the-horizon-every-day/ |title=Ridley Scott: 'Magic comes over the horizon every day' &#124; Hero Complex – movies, comics, pop culture |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=26 April 2012 |access-date=24 August 2014 |archive-date=11 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111033906/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/ridley-scott-magic-comes-over-the-horizon-every-day/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Scott has developed a method for filming intricate shots as swiftly as possible: "I like working, always, with a minimum of three cameras. [...] So those 50 set-ups [a day] might only be 25 set-ups except I'm covering in the set-up. So you're finished. I mean, if you take a little bit more time to prep on three cameras, or if it's a big stunt, eleven cameras, and&nbsp;– whilst it may take 45 minutes to set up&nbsp;– then when you're ready you say 'Action!', and you do three takes, two takes and is everybody happy? You say, 'Yeah, that's it.' So you move on."<ref name="gangster"/>

[[Artificial intelligence]] is a theme that appears in several of Scott's films, including ''Blade Runner'', ''Alien'', and ''Prometheus''.<ref>''The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott'', p. 121-142, Lexington Books, 2013.</ref> The 2013 book ''The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott'' identifies pioneering computer scientist [[Alan Turing]] and the philosopher [[John Searle]] as presenting relevant models of testing artificial intelligence known as the [[Turing test]] and the [[Chinese Room]] Thought Experiment, respectively, in the chapter titled "What's Wrong with Building Replicants", which has been a recurring theme for many of Scott's films.<ref>''The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott'', p. 136-142, Lexington Books, 2013.</ref> The chapter titled "Artificial Intelligence in ''Blade Runner'', ''Alien'', and ''Prometheus''," concludes by citing the writings of [[John Stuart Mill]] in the context of Scott's Nexus-6 Replicants in ''Blade Runner'' (Rutger Hauer), the android [[Ash (Alien)|Ash]] (Ian Holm) in ''Alien'', and the android [[David 8]] (Michael Fassbender) in ''Prometheus'', where Mill is applied to assert that measures and tests of intelligence must also assess actions and moral behaviour in androids to effectively address the themes which Scott explores in these films.<ref>''The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott'', p. 140-142, Lexington Books, 2013.</ref>

===DVD format and director's cut===
[[File:Prince Charles Theatre showing Blade Runner.JPG|thumb|right|''Blade Runner: The Final Cut'' showing at [[Prince Charles Cinema]] in [[Leicester Square]], London in 2015]]
Scott provides [[Audio commentary (DVD)|audio commentaries]] and interviews for all his films where possible. In the July 2006 issue of ''[[Total Film]]'' magazine, he stated: "After all the work we go through, to have it run in the cinema and then disappear forever is a great pity. To give the film added life is really cool for both those who missed it and those who really loved it."<ref name="totalfilm"/>

The positive reaction to the ''Blade Runner'' [[Director's Cut]] encouraged Scott to re-cut several movies that were a disappointment at the time of their release (including ''Legend'' and ''Kingdom of Heaven''), which have been met with acclaim.<ref name="Kingdom"/> Today the practice of alternative cuts is more commonplace, though often as a way to make a film stand out in the DVD marketplace by adding new material.