The special effects in the movies: cosmic horror film "Alien"

At the end of the 1970s, the film came out, still frightening the audience as it is not possible any modern "horror". Like Alfred Hitchcock thriller, directed by Ridley Scott turned the genre of fantasy genre, which sparkle with new, hitherto unseen colors. Paints horror and despair.




Cool space, deep loneliness and acute tension become the hallmark of the universe "Aliens." Remember how fidgeted in his chair and closed his eyes theater in separate episodes? Told about Lost in Space ship "Nostromo" grim story bogey pohlesche global cataclysms. Today, we recall how to create a masterpiece of world cinema, which has become a landmark event for the entire film industry.
Actors, directors and most disgusting scene
We often mention in the category of films considered budgets. Usually, they are very modest and well show that for relatively little money at great talent can be removed masterpiece. "Alien" was no exception. Its creators tape cost $ 11 million, or $ 35 million, adjusted for inflation. This is almost four times less than the budget of the recent "Prometheus».



Not surprisingly, the "alien" as such effects almost was not. Why did the people in the movie became ill, some ran in terror from the theater, some fainted, and others sick? As always, the whole thing in skill, commitment and little tricks.
Take, for example, the famous episode of the "birth" stranger. This scene is one of the most impressive in the history of cinema. According to the founders, at the premiere, almost half the spectators turned a blind eye at the moment from a torn T-shirt began to whip the blood. There are people who still could not bring myself to watch the episode entirely, and some of those who looked regret it.



Excerpt from bursting out breast Kane Alien calf was to become the most powerful movie scenes. Many publications have written, if at the time of its capture almost all of the actors do not know what will happen in the next moment, so the screen - not a game but a genuine reaction to what is happening in the supporting cast. In fact, the actors knew what their colleagues from the breast should seem a little alien and evil. They did not know just what all the action will be accompanied by a mini-explosions and dozens of liters flowing bovine blood on them.
The episode was shot in two takes. In the first Kane becomes ill, he gasps and falls on the table. In the second double at the table we see the artificial torso with a tight shirt on him. Inside were containers with blood and guts, bought at the nearest abattoir. All of this "good" high-pressure pumps are pumped.



Some problems have arisen with Mike, who did not want to break through the efforts of a newborn alien. I had to spray it with an acid to make less strong, but also a little incision.
Curiously, I played one of the two women astronavtok actress Veronica Cartwright warned - during the filming of the episode it will drop a little bit of blood. In fact, it literally poured from a hose. The girl was in genuine shock, screaming hysterically, and even dropped - it all fell into the final version of the film.





Himself embryo originally looked more like a plucked chicken furious. Then there was a small dinosaur, which in the end "amputated" leg, leaving the head and tail. The table on which the baby escapes from the cabin was divided into two parts, between which there was a gap width of about 15 centimeters. At the bottom of the man on a cart like a skateboard held mock mini Alien on a stick, and another assistant at the right moment abruptly pulled the truck over.
By the way, Veronica Cartwright had to play Ripley, is the director did not show begins film actress Sigourney Weaver. She was so glad the suggestion that hid allergic to cat, which here and there flashed in the film. The actress was afraid that the director, learning about the disease, get rid of it rather than from the cat to find a replacement that much more difficult.



In the first version of the script and did the main role was assigned to man. Ripley turned into a woman purely commercial reasons - in the late 1970s, it was fashionable to make films about women. It was a trend by which any belt won in the eyes of critics only by the fact of the presence of the female lead.



The name "Alien" also appeared not at once. There were a lot of other options, such as "Star Beast". However, all this smacks of the films "B" category. By "alien" screenwriter Dan O'Bannon came directly from the text of the dialogue - characters of the film often mentioned the word.
None of the big-name directors did not want to take up the tape recording. They flip through the script and saw it as "a silly movie about a monster, get out of my chest." Ridley Scott was then known as the author of commercials and a feature film - "Duellists". He immediately agreed to the proposal of Hollywood bosses, seeing a chance to withdraw his "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in the genre of science fiction.



Shooting of "Alien" were in the studio near London. Ridley Scott made his own storyboards, choosing lenses, showing where and how to shoot the camera (and indeed control the camera), came up with the biography of the actors of their heroes.
Many techniques borrowed from film director Alfred Hitchcock. He preferred not to show the audience all relying on the game of imagination - that it draws the most terrible pictures.



Actors recall that Ridley Scott was very demanding, but with almost all the actors had developed a great relationship. The exception was the African American Japhet Cotto, who got so directed by his advice about how to "correctly" to shoot that he was hiding from him, trying not to meet once again. Actor attacked Ridley Scott hundreds of ideas every day and even offered to rewrite a scene in which his character Alien kills. On the set of Japhet Cotto he said he's not going to die and "kill the bastard-alien».
The real star of the tape, though behind the scenes, was the Swiss artist and designer Hans Rudolf Giger. It was he who invented and created the image of a terrible Alien - not just wrong, but also beautiful, and even sexual biomechanical humanoid insect.



In the studio, working first Giger did not take because of excessive disgusting that repels people. Ridley Scott insisted Alien, feyskhagger and eggs, which also came up with the Swiss, still appeared in his film, because it removes the horrors, not thrash comedy.
The crew shunned Giger. He was considered strange compared with Count Dracula, and did not want to once again meet. There were even rumors that in his basement he hides a skeleton bride committed suicide.
Alien, Jockey, feyskhagger and other creations Giger
Whatever it was, but Giger able to create impressive images. By the way, he also worked on the interior design of the ship, Jockey manner and appearance of the planet on which lands "Nostromo».
Before Giger his forces tried another artist. But it immediately rejected the version of the Alien - the stranger looked like a giant squid and came to B-movies, but not for the fact that the filmmakers wanted to do.
Actor for the role of the stranger found in a bar. Boladzhi Badedzho for whom this experience in the movie was the first and last, is the best suited for Alien - he was very skinny and very high (growth of Nigerian reached almost 2 meters and 20 centimeters).



Newly-born alien immediately sent to engage in plastics and pantomime to learn to move slowly and smoothly. For Boladzhi Badedzho made very thin rubber suit. In some scenes it wears gymnast hanging on the ropes.



In addition to the latex suit extraterrestrial monster included all sorts of things: the tube from the old Rolls-Royce, the spines of snakes, plasticine, a human skull, and God knows what else. They make even a mechanical tail, but he has not earned, so we had to limit ourselves to a rubber layout.



The most difficult part was the Alien's head. For close-up shots created a structure consisting of 900 moving parts, most of which was used in the mechanism of the mouth. The actor was not wearing this design, for him to make easier the stranger's head.





Giger is specially made so that monsters do not have eyes. The artist believed that so much worse when the viewer does not know where to look a stranger. To simulate the slime dripping from it using a lubricant.
No less terrible by Giger turned feyskhagger. Swiss pririsoval him enormously long "fingers" because I always thought that the imitation of the human hand - it is very scary. Naturalistic episode preparation was achieved using purchased on the market oysters, sturgeon, caviar, and other fish delicacies.



As a basis for eggs translucent fiberglass and a hydraulic mechanism for opening the wall. Inside the tank were cow stomach, intestine and lamb in the hands of director dishwashing gloves. He stirred them to simulate life inside the egg.





A luxury and an example of unnecessary wastage for producers was the layout jockey. Its construction was drawn as much as 500 thousand dollars. And this despite the fact that the dummy is involved in only a small stage, and does not carry the special story load. Management proposes to use a miniature puppet layout, but the director insisted that decoration was a "real».



Gothic "Nostromo" and other decorations
Because decent special effects team of cinematographers banal no money had to impress the audience in the old. To create fantastic entourage can not do without scenery, so they labored over their creation more than 120 people.



It was built several models of "Nostromo" in which Ridley Scott had seen a fantastic embodiment of a Gothic castle. The director wanted to make the exterior of the ship-tech, with thin flat displays, but due to limited budget and perseverance Giger opted retrotehnologiyam. That is why in the cabins, cabin corridors and we see unsightly tumblers and large convex screens.







The largest model of "Nostromo" reach a length of several tens of meters. Another has a length of about 10 meters, but weighed an impressive 250 kilograms. This construct was raised by a camouflaged truck velvet, creating the illusion of smooth movement of the ship. In most episodes, where the surface of "Nostromo" is shown up close, it shows this layout. As an understudy performed another lightweight model a length of about one and a half meters.



To hide the visual flaws, widely used light and shadow, and the smoke is dispersed throughout the set fans. Fog coating hostile planet - is not a "trick" and the handwriting of the director, and the cheapest and quickest way to hide the fact that the viewer is better not to see.



The studio near London was created a huge decoration, construction of which is exactly the same architecture and interior design "Nostromo." Shoot in such circumstances was not easy, besides the actors pursued claustrophobia.



In order to create the illusion of more extensive than it was actually, space, had to resort to a very simple but effective method. For example, the corridor of the spacecraft made of metal, and in the end it was placed mirror that visually increases the length of the room.
The decoration of the ship Jockey used animal bones. There was an attempt to use fresh material from slaughterhouses, but because of the unbearable smell of this idea was abandoned. Giger had to look old dry bones and generously coat of clay.





The largest at that time in Europe was a decoration desert planet. To create the desired ambiance, had to bring tons of sand.
The big challenge for the actors began to suits in which their heroes are exploring the planet and extraterrestrial craft. Costumes get huge, soft and hockey gloves included. The suits did not have holes for breathing, so after a while the actors began to choke. Because of the heat of them sweated so that nothing is seen wearing a helmet and was on the verge of losing consciousness.



To emphasize the enormous size of the ship and the pilot's seat with the jockeys in the scene with the general plan were filmed dressed in suits children of Ridley Scott. Once they both lost consciousness right during filming. Only then spacesuits organized supply of fresh air.



That's right, on a limited budget, but with the invention and wit Ridley Scott left his name in fiction as a director of one of the worst films in cinema history. It turned out that for naturalistic and frightening scenes do not need special effects, rather improvised. Remember the episode with impressive decapitated robot Ash? For him, it created an artificial head, but it turned out not at all similar to the actor Ian Holm. Budget mess was not, so it just poured milk profusely, "seasoned" macaroni, onions, and glass beads. It turned out great!

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Source: tech.onliner.by

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