Special effects in cinema: space horror in the movie "Alien"

In the late 1970‑ies, the film was released, is still a frightening viewers as it fails any of the modern "horror". Like Alfred Hitchcock thrillers, directed by Ridley Scott turned the genre cinefantastique that will sparkle with new, hitherto unseen colors. Colors of horror and despair.

Cold space, deep loneliness and acute stress have become the hallmark of the universe "Strangers". Remember how fidgeted in the chair of the theater and closed his eyes in some episodes? Learn about lost in the space ship Nostromo dark scared beyond world disasters. Today remember how to create a masterpiece of world cinema, which became a landmark event for the film industry.

The actors, Director and the most disgusting scene

We've often mentioned in section budgets considered films. As a rule, they are very modest and well show that for relatively little money when remarkable talent can be removed masterpiece. "Alien" is no exception. Its creators ribbon cost about $11 million or $35 million adjusted for inflation. This is almost four times less than the budget for the recent "Prometheus".

It is not surprising that in a "Foreign" as such effects almost was not. Why do people in movies became ill, some in horror ran out of cinemas, some fainted, and was sick of the other? As always, it's all about skill, dedication, and small tricks.

Take, for example, the famous scene with the "birth" of a stranger. This scene is one of the most impressive in the history of cinema. According to the creators, at the premiere screening of almost half of the audience closed their eyes at the moment when from a torn t-shirt was beginning to whip the blood. There are people who still are unable to bring myself to watch this episode completely, and some of those who looked to regret it.

Excerpt from escaping from the chest of Kane cub someone else had become the most powerful scene of the film. Many publications wrote that during her shooting almost all of the actors did not know what was going to happen next, so the screen is not a game, and the genuine reaction of the performers on the events. In fact, the actors knew that from the breast of their colleagues should be small and angry alien. They not only knew that all the action will be accompanied by a mini-explosions and dozens of liters pouring on them bovine blood.

The episode was filmed in two takes. In the first Kane becomes ill, he gasps and falls on the table. In the second brace on the table we see artificial torso stretched it to the t-shirt. Inside the boxes were blood and guts, bought at the nearest slaughterhouse. All this "good" high pressure pumps pumps.

Some problems arose with the shirt, which did not want to break through the efforts of the newborn alien. Had to spray it with acid to make less strong, as well as a little incision.

Curiously, who played one of the two women astronauts actress Veronica Cartwright warned — during the filming of the episode it will drop just a little bit of blood. In fact, it literally poured from a hose. The girl was in genuine shock, screamed hysterically, and even fell it fell in the final version of the film.

The first variant of the newborn Alien

The embryo was originally more like an angry plucked chicken. Then there was a small dinosaur, which in the end is "amputated" legs, leaving the head and tail. The table on which the cub escapes from the cabin was divided into two parts, between which there was a crack width of about 15 centimeters. A man down on the truck like a skateboard holding a mini layout-Another stick, and another assistant at the right time dramatically dragged the cart itself.

By the way, Veronica Cartwright was supposed to play Ripley, while the Director showed the young actress Sigourney weaver. She was so happy to offer that hid allergic to the cat, which here and there glimpsed in the film. The actress was afraid that Director, learning about the disease rather get rid of her than the cat, a replacement which is much harder to find.

Veronica Cartwright

In the first versions of the script the main role was given to the man. Ripley turned into a woman from a purely commercial considerations — at the end of the 1970s it was fashionable to make movies about women. It was the trend, thanks to which any tape won in the eyes of critics only by the fact of having the main female role.

Sigourney Weaver

The name "Alien" also appeared not at once. There were many other options, such as "Star beast". However, all of this smacked of films of category "b". To the "Alien" screenwriter Dan O'bannon came directly from the text of the dialogue — the characters often mentioned is the word.

One of famous Directors did not want to take up the shooting of the film. They were going through the script and saw him as a "stupid movie about a monster coming out of the chest". Ridley Scott was then known as the author of the commercials and one full-length picture of "the Duelists". He immediately agreed to the proposal of Hollywood bosses, seeing a chance to remove his "Texas chainsaw massacre" in the science fiction genre.

Ridley Scott

Filming "Alien" took place in a Studio not far from London. Ridley Scott personally did the storyboard, choosing lenses, showed where and what camera to shoot (and he operated the camera), invented for the actors biographies of their characters.

Many methods directed borrowed from Alfred Hitchcock. He chose not to show the viewer all, relying on the play of the imagination — that it draws the most terrible picture.

Japhet Cotto

Actors remember that Ridley Scott was very demanding, but with almost all actors, he had a great relationship. The exception was African American Japhet Cotto, who took so directed their advice on how to "properly" remove that he was hiding from him, trying not to meet once again. Actor attacked by Ridley Scott hundreds of ideas every day, and even offered to rewrite the scene where the Alien kills his character. On the set of Japhet Cotto stated that it will not die and "kill that son of a bitch of a stranger".

The real star of the ribbon, albeit behind the scenes, was a Swiss graphic designer Hans Rudolf Giger. He invented and created the image of a creepy xenomorph is not just scary, but also beautiful and even sexy biomechanical humanoid insect.

Hans Rudolf Giger

In the Studio of the work of HR Giger first received due to excessive hideousness which was to push people away. Ridley Scott insisted Stranger packager and eggs, which were invented by the Swiss, after all, appeared in his film, as he shoots the horrors, not thrash Comedy.

Crew eschewed Giger. It was considered a strange, compared with count Dracula and didn't want to meet. There were even rumors that in his basement he hides the skeleton of the suicide of the bride.

Stranger, Jockey, packager and other creations of H. R. Giger

Whatever it was, but Giger managed to create impressive images. By the way, he also worked on the interior design of the ship, the image of a Jockey and appearance of the planet on which lands "Nostromo".

To Giger your hand tried another artist. But his version was rejected Alien from alien was like a giant cuttlefish and suitable for a b-movie, but not for what I wanted to do the filmmakers.

The actor for the role of an alien found in the bar. Balaji Badejo for whom this experience was the first and the last, could not be better suited for someone else — he was extremely skinny, and very tall (Nigerian reached almost 2 meters and 20 centimeters).

Newfound alien immediately sent to deal with plastics and pantomime to learn to move slowly and smoothly. For Balaji Badejo made of very thin rubber suit. In some scenes it is dressed suspended on ropes gymnast.

In addition to a latex suit of extraterrestrial monster has included all sorts of things: lines from old Rolls-Royce, the spines of snakes, clay, human skull and God knows what else. Made even mechanical tail, but he has not earned, so I had to resort to rubber layout.

The most difficult element of Another was his head. For close-up, created the design, which consisted of 900 mobile elements, most of which was used in the mechanism of the mouth. The actor has worn this design, for it has made easier the head of the alien.

Giger is specially made so that the beast had no eyes. The artist is considered so much worse when the viewer doesn't understand what looks Strange. To simulate the dripping of mucus used lubricant.

No less terrible in execution Giger turned packager. The Swiss drew him a long "fingers", because I always believed that simulating human hand is very scary. Naturalism in the episode of preparation was achieved using bought on the market oysters, sturgeon, caviar, and other fish.

As a basis for eggs used translucent fiberglass and hydraulic mechanism for realizing the walls. Inside the tank was the stomach of a cow, sheep gut, and I wear gloves for washing dishes. He moved them to mimic life inside the egg.

Luxury and example of unreasonable expenses for the producers, was the layout of the Jockey. His erection pulled as much as 500 thousand dollars. And this despite the fact that the hoax involved only in a small scene and does not carry a special story of the load. The user suggested to use a miniature the layout, but the Director insisted that the set was "real".

Gothic Nostromo and other items

As worthy of special effects from the team of filmmakers simply did not have the money, I had to impress on the audience the old fashioned way. To create a fantastic entourage can't do without decorations, so over worked hard to create them more than 120 people.

Built several models of "Nostromo" in which Ridley Scott saw the fantasy Gothic castle. The Director wanted to make exterior vehicle tech with thin flat screens, but due to limited budget and perseverance Giger preferred retrosternally. That is why in cabins, cabin and corridors, we can see the unsightly knobs and large protruding screens.

The largest model of the "Nostromo" reached a length of several tens of meters. Another was with a length of about 10 meters, but impressive weighed 250 pounds. This design is raised with velvet covered truck, creating the illusion of smooth motion of the ship. In most episodes, where the surface of the "Nostromo" is demonstrated at close range, will show this layout. As a backup performed another lightweight model with a length of about five feet.

To hide the visual flaws, were widely used by the play of light and shadow, as well as to disperse the smoke across the set of fans. Covering a hostile planet, the fog is not a "feature" and not the handwriting of the Director, but cheap and quick way to hide that the viewer shouldn't be seen.

In Studio near London was created huge decoration, the construction of which exactly repeated the architecture and design of the "Nostromo". Filming in such conditions it was not easy, besides actors pursued claustrophobic.

In order to create the illusion of more extensive than was really the case, spaces, I had to resort to a very simple but effective methods. For example, a corridor of a spaceship made from scrap metal, and in the end, it put a 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 the slaughterhouse, but because of the unbearable smell from this idea was abandoned. Giger had to look for old dry bones and generously coat them with clay.

The biggest at the time, the decoration in Europe has become a desolate planet. To create the right surroundings, had to bring tons of sand.

A great challenge for actors of steel suits that the characters explore the planet and extraterrestrial craft. The costumes turned out huge, soft and with hockey gloves in the kit. In spacesuits was not breathing holes, so after a while, the actors began to choke. Because of the heat, one of them was sweating, he didn't see anything in the helmet and was on the verge of losing consciousness.

In order to emphasize the enormous size of the ship and the pilot seat, with Jockey up, in the scenes with the General plan starred dressed in suits children Ridley Scott. One day they both lost consciousness during the filming. Only after that the suits are organized supply of fresh air.

So, if the budget is limited, but with the invention and wit Ridley Scott left his name in fiction as a Director of one of the worst in the history of cinema movies. It turned out that for realistic and frightening scenes don't need special effects, is sufficient available funds. Remember the impressive episode with severed robot head ash? To create an artificial head, but it turned out nothing like the actor Ian Holm. The budget for the alteration was not, so it just abundantly poured with milk "flavored" pasta, onions and glass beads. It turned out great!