Alien Movie Universe

The design of the XENO. The true creator.

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pulserifle187

MemberOvomorphApr-11-2014 10:20 PM

    The design of the xeno from the alien movie has always impressed me. It was based on a design from H R Giger. The creature itself was one of the main driving factors for the success of the film. I was to learn later the H R Giger wanted more money for his input in designing the creature itself.

   I have heard through media sources that the issue was debated and H R Giger's share was not increased. Part of the reasoning was that the Alien movie made H R Giger famous . This made his work more well known and thus increased the prices for his art.

  Viewing docomentries about the making of the alien film, I noticed that the final design of the alien was not the orginal design. The orginal had eyes, and by ridley's request the eyes were removed ( thank god).

  There are alot of factors, and quite afew people had influences in the creation of the alien. Stan winston, Dan o'bannon, H R Giger and Ridley scott. Who do you think had the most influence in the creature? And if you had to choose one of the designers who would it be? And why?

"how do you feel?"-" great, next stupid question"
18 Replies

Something Real

MemberTrilobiteApr-11-2014 10:59 PM
This girl goes with Stan Winston! His work on the Terminator and other iconic creatures has left a lasting legacy for monster features! That being said, I absolutely LOVE Giger's work; theres something, hmm, both eerie and sensual about it that I find appealing. :)

Necronom 4

MemberNeomorphApr-12-2014 2:53 AM

@Pulse; I'm not entirely sure what you're asking here? Stan Winston had zero input into the original design of the alien.

Before Giger was brought on-board, there were many attempts by different artists to create the monsters, which all looked ridiculous.

It was Dan O Bannon who had a copy of Giger's Necronomicon which he showed to Ridley, as they were struggling to create a terrifying monster.

Ridley found the images very disturbing, but beautiful. He eventually came across the painting Necronom number 4 which he instantly knew was going to be the Alien he wanted. It was Giger whome had the idea to re-design it without eyes, as he felt it would be even more terrifying.

Let's face it, without Giger, ALIEN wouldn't have been the success it was!

The poster was good though!

 

pulserifle187

MemberOvomorphApr-12-2014 4:37 AM

I'm looking for an opinion on who you think had the greatest influence on the overall design of the alien. Not just the visual aspect, all the other attributes as well eg acid for blood, life cycle etc. I realize that it was closely base on the necromom painting, but it's not the only aspect of the xeno that makes it unique. Dan O'bannon incorperated  the idea of the facehugger laying the egg in the chest and then the following chest bust. I'm not totally sure if it was his idea but it worked very well.

I guess in those regards the idea of the alien creature as a whole was not just H R Giger. I was wrong about Stan Winston having an influence in the design of the alien in the first movie, but he did work on the design in the second movie, aliens. But I'm sure that it was Ridley who guessed the removal of the eyes.

 

"how do you feel?"-" great, next stupid question"

Necronom 4

MemberNeomorphApr-12-2014 5:14 AM

Oh, i see what you mean now.

In that case, it's a difficult question to answer. For me, there are 2 fundamental elements that make the alien so unique and terrifying:

1) Giger created the aesthetic which is original, believable and very "Alien."

2) It was Ron Shusset who gave Dan o Bannon the idea of the alien's horrifying method of reproduction.

So, for me, it would be Giger and Ron Shusset.

Ridley also played a massive part in making the alien something that scared the bejesus out of people and showing something that had never before been seen; in the way it stalks its victims from the shadows and picks them off one by one, not revealing it fully until the final act.

Indeed, Stan Winston worked on the creatures for the second film ALIENS, but he didn't have very much to do because the aesthetic of the alien had already been created. All they did to the alien, in the second film, was to remove its carapace to reveal a more detailed cranium. 

He and Cameron designed the queen, but again, alot of the aesthetic was already there from Giger's work, so there wouldn't have been much imagination required for that one. They just basically ripped off something that a great artist had already created and reworked it slightly. That's the way i see it.

The poster was good though!

 

Lone

MemberPraetorianApr-12-2014 11:38 AM

There's no doubting that Dan O'Bannon, Ron Shussett and Ridley Scott were all influential. Also, lets not forget Carlo Rimbaldi who made the head mechanism!

But if I have to choose one creator, as you ask, then it has to be Giger! Without him there never would have been the ALIEN as we know it. Not only was the final creature based on his concept, but he also sculpted/built the suit, which was key to having it turn out well!

Ron Cobb and Dan O'Bannon both had whimsical attempts at designing the creature, before Giger came on board. As Necro said above, it was O'Bannon showing Giger's work to Scott that brought Giger onto the project, and no one else could have so successfully transformed his paintings into the final form.

Giger gave the Alien life! 

THE LONE GUNWOMAN

"Let The Cosmic Incubation Begin" ~ H.R. Giger

Fleshvessel

MemberOvomorphApr-12-2014 4:09 PM

I'd like to weigh in and say that drugs most likely played their part as well. 

One need only glance at any of Giger's other beautiful aboninations to know that He is it's creator. It's a penis monster, for God's sake! You guys see that, right? Every part of the Alien and it's reproductive cycle is pure sex As well. (Rape-y sex, but sex nonetheless.) 

 

 

THETRICKISNOTMINDINGITHURTS

Something Real

MemberTrilobiteApr-12-2014 10:07 PM
FLESHVESSEL - Hahahaha! Very true. :)

pulserifle187

MemberOvomorphApr-12-2014 11:39 PM

If you came across it you're pretty much f@#ked wether you like it or not.

"how do you feel?"-" great, next stupid question"

Something Real

MemberTrilobiteApr-12-2014 11:44 PM
PULSERIFLE187 - Hahaha! Warn somebody when you're going to do that! You nearly made this girl choke on her water, goofball! :)

brego

MemberOvomorphApr-13-2014 12:15 AM

The genius of Giger wasnt just his design of the Alien... It was his design of the whole LV426 planet surface, the Derilict Space Craft, The Jockey and the egg chamber. Without these amazing images and themes Alien would just have been another BMovie.... Giger is unique. His amazing horrific yet beautiful airbrushed designs pre date the movie Alien. Ridley was shown the work of Giger during pre production and he realised that Giger's work was totally unique and used it and him for the Movie (thank God). Every subsequent movie has degenerated the original Xenomorph (in my book) and has simply simplified its true magnificence. From James Cameron removing the Aliens beautiful semi opaque cowl to the sad veloceraptor Aliens in resurection. There is only one true Alien and it is truly that.... Alien. Beautiful and Scary as Fuck. Giger deserves more respect and money. His designs for Alien 3 were ripped off and he was used in Prometheus and I fear watered down.

Other than the Alien Queen, which I believe Giger quite like Im sure he would now be rather depressed by what has become of his amazing creation.

pulserifle187

MemberOvomorphApr-13-2014 3:54 AM

Giger's work is totally amazing . His contribution to the alien movies is fantastic. Combined with a excellent script, the creature's life cycle and acid for blood. All these are unique characteristics not found before in earlier films and nothing as compelling has been done since.

I would credit Giger with the greatest influence. But I think that there are other characteristic that made up the creature that were not done by Giger. Ron Shusset, Dan O'Bannon and Ridley Scott all made contributions that made the creature compelling as it was.

"how do you feel?"-" great, next stupid question"

cuponator3000

MemberChestbursterApr-13-2014 9:38 AM

I definitely think Giger could be said to have the most responisbility in creating the alien we all know and lvoe, but not one person should get all the credit of course. Evryone who helped with its on screen depiction deserves credit for creating something so fantastic, mysterious, scary, and beautiful at the same time thats beauty will last ages. haha whoa I really like the Alien today 

Not a map, an invitation

BigDave

MemberDeaconApr-14-2014 4:53 AM

There was a number of people who gave us the Alien we all know and love, but indeed yes it would have to be Giger who gave us the look of the creature based off his Necronom IV work, but the Aliens final design was more like Necronom V or was it VI

This artwork had the more Xeno look that he then went on to produce a number of drawings etc based off this image and Necronomicon 4. The first of these designs especially made for Alien did have eyes they was more like Typical Grey Alien Eyes.

Here is the first design for Alien

His 2nd which is just side view of the 1st

His 3rd concept work is more of the Alien look

Here is the same design from the side

However it would seem that O'Bannon may had liked his work but first tried to take some inspiration from it maybe with his own design. Or could he had drawn this before he saw Gigers work?

This looks very similar to the design of the Fresco Prometheus Creature, well a little lol

So i think Giger gave us the creatures design that was very unique nothing had looked like this before.  While Shussett  gave us the creatures reproductive cycle which has many unique elements and i feel Gigers work gave us the beauty that was the Alien but it was with Shussett's ideas of how the creature reproduced that married with Gigers design to give a truly unique Alien Monster.

Giger also has to take a lot of credit for the designs of other elements from the Derelict to its Pilot the Space Jockey and also the Eggs, Face Hugger and every other visual note we get to see in Alien that the Franchise then expanded upon.

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

brego

MemberOvomorphApr-14-2014 11:26 PM

Great work Big Dave... having said that being credited doesn't mean $..... I think Giger would be disapointed in some aspects of Prometheus.....

pulserifle187

MemberOvomorphApr-15-2014 1:47 AM

Who came up with the acid for blood idea?

 

"how do you feel?"-" great, next stupid question"

Necronom 4

MemberNeomorphApr-15-2014 10:01 AM

@Pulserifle; It was Dan O Bannon and Ron Shusset.

The poster was good though!

 

Necronom 4

MemberNeomorphApr-15-2014 10:09 AM

@Pulserifle; You will find most of the answers you seek about ALIEN, in the documentary;

The Beast Within!

You've probably seen it, but i've provided a link to it just incase you haven't.

The poster was good though!

 

pulserifle187

MemberOvomorphApr-16-2014 12:46 AM

Thank you Necromom. I'll have to have a look.

 

"how do you feel?"-" great, next stupid question"
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