 The film was to make use of several themes that have since become recurring elements within David Lynch 's works , with a write @-@ up for The A.V. Club describing its contents as " idealized 1950s culture , industrial design , midgets , [ and ] physical deformity " . In addition , the film features two separate but connected worlds , another hallmark of Lynch 's writings . The film 's art direction would have featured a heavily industrial backdrop , setting the action against an " oil slick , smokestack , steel @-@ steam @-@ soot , fire @-@ sparks and electrical arcs realm " , similar to the direction ultimately taken in the depiction of Victorian England in The Elephant Man and the planet <unk> Prime in Dune . Although Lynch 's first two feature @-@ length films were shot in black @-@ and @-@ white , he had hoped to film Ronnie Rocket in color , inspired by the works of French film @-@ maker Jacques Tati . Lynch planned to experiment for some time in order to find the right balance and application of color for the film . 
