Latest News

Prey Creature Designer Talks Feral Predator’s Anatomy & Design Philosophy

Posted 354 Comments

With Prey now available to watch on Hulu, we’re now entering that juicy post-release period where the people behind the making of the film are starting to share behind-the-scenes imagery and commentary on what went into making Prey!

Michael Vincent, the concept artist responsible for Feral Predator’s creature and mask design, has taken to Twitter to share a really interesting thread on why Feral looks the way he does!

Genetic isolation with different environmental pressures yields a variant of yautja… adapted to a drier climate… thinner, waxier dreads, thicker oral tissue, & scalier skin for moisture retention, favors crushing bite for different diet…

Breathes primarily through spiracles in the casque (not those 2 big cavities, those are heat sensitive “pits”!), an adaptation for a less jungly, less oxygenated atmosphere…

Thicker brow houses heat sensitive organs, which the mask is designed to interface with… thinner casque loses less water…

Bone has a special cultural significance to the Feral subspecies… not only their armor but as a diet staple… a careful look at the mouth reveals molars outfitted for osteophagy…

Naturally Michael also fielded various questions on the design process that went into Feral! When a fan commented that he took Feral as being a more primitive version of the Predator, Michael stated that while the design process included that kind of exploration, it wasn’t intended as being present in the finished design.

Something else that Michael was asked about was the often seen complaint post-Predator 2 of why the mandibles don’t seem to fully close.

Michael was also asked about how the Predator is able to see with the bone obscuring where we would usually find the visor on the Predator mask.

Be sure to keep your targets set on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for all the latest Prey news! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to get the latest on your social media walls. Be sure to join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums as well!


Related Articles
Prey Early Reactions Are Here! And...
Dan Trachtenberg Talks Feral Predator,...
See The Feral Predator Unmasked in New Prey...
The Feral Predator Stalks SFX Magazine With...
New Prey TV Spot Shows Feral...


Post Comment
Comments: 354
Refresh Comments
« Newer Comments 12345678 Older Comments »
  4. SiL
    Posted
    And while the extra grip pads on the hands look interesting that's just extra latex on an area where you need it to be as thin as possible.

    They also seem to disappear in CGI.
    Reply
  10. choccy milk
    Posted
    Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on Sep 04, 2022, 06:39:43 AMAs long as I don't break the rules, I'm going to post whatever I want. If someone doesn't like it, please feel free to use the ignore button. Or cover your eyes if the post was quoted or you are lurking without having logged in lol 🙈 ;D  ;)
    This a thousand times

    You posted nothing offensive (unlike those people who've repeatedly referred to derogatory slang terms) & also, we're on a forum board discussing an R-rated film & also, penis fingers?

    https://media0.giphy.com/media/t0okbfzkLuOlUQ4Qyz/200w.gif

    Quote from: SiL on Sep 02, 2022, 07:40:13 PMI'm guessing the weird stubby design was precisely what Dan asked for, and then he saw it in practice and tried to fix it on the CG shots.
    Precisement...
    Reply
  13. Immortan Jonesy
    Posted
    As long as I don't break the rules, I'm going to post whatever I want. If someone doesn't like it, please feel free to use the ignore button. Or cover your eyes if the post was quoted or you are lurking without having logged in lol 🙈 ;D  ;)
    Reply
  23. SiL
    Posted
    I'm guessing the weird stubby design was precisely what Dan asked for, and then he saw it in practice and tried to fix it on the CG shots.
    Reply
  29. 426Buddy
    Posted
    I didn't have an issue with any of ADIs work here. The CG hands just looked better than the gloves. I don't mind the glove work here though. I mean everytime I watch P2 I see the suit folding at the back of the knee, when he's carrying Willy's head. Sometimes there are some limitations to practical.
    Reply
  30. BlueMarsalis79
    Posted
    I never said the clay sculpt for the hands were different from the final product though, just the heads and nearly always, I only said the hands look not great which I believe to be true.

    Dan Trachtenberg opted to go for that sculpt, but for all we know that's ADI's fifth go round on the gloves and he just decided to move on than have them do them again, we just do not really know.

    We do not even know how far back he planned to alter everything with CGI additions or replacements, could be  just like Alien Covenant where everything or most everything got designed as a CGI stand in from the get go.
    Reply
  33. SiL
    Posted
    Considering their Predators' hands haven't been an issue before this movie, yes, it does make sense that issue is not their fault.

    Look at the sculpt of Feral's hands. It's exactly what's in the movie. The photos are freely available for you to look at.
    Reply
  34. BlueMarsalis79
    Posted
    Yes... it's the director's fault, four times in a row, not ADI, the one consistent element always in each project. Sometimes the sculpt looks far better than the final product. Fugitive comes to mind.

    I mean... just look at Harbinger Down for ADI unrestrained.

    Reply
  35. SiL
    Posted
    Nah, the claws are stubby in the sculpt and the sculpt is what gets approved. If Dan wanted them start there he should've asked for them sharp there.
    Reply
  36. BlueMarsalis79
    Posted
    Or... like their prior Predator faces, what they delivered was not quite right in final realisation, for the fourth time- so Dan Trachtenberg opted to replace what he could when he could. 

    I believe this to be true considering the practical fingers do not look stubby or sharp, they just look awful, like Halloween shop gloves. 
    Reply
  37. SiL
    Posted
    Considering that ADI has no problem making pointed claws, no, I can't blame them for that one. They very deliberately sculpted stubbier claws and then the CG model has them sharp. Something went horribly wrong in communicating between departments and since the CGI is later, it feels like ADI got shafted.
    Reply
  38. BlueMarsalis79
    Posted
    I reckon it is ADI's honestly.

    And here's another example of ADI practical application compared to the CGI, I think you would have to be intellectually dishonest to not say that the CGI iteration's both better and clearly reflects the Director's intent in comparison to what ADI delivered. 

    https://64.media.tumblr.com/e9d087984dd7bf22473d9a622acff20c/d405a9f704785ddd-ca/s540x810/c524739247677a5f606b2ca9b9d3d5b2e72517cb.gif
    https://64.media.tumblr.com/14f179848a00737e6d75d96632a50df5/d405a9f704785ddd-d2/s540x810/cf23c28cffc0517ae059a5b1456c7188a749c360.gif
    Reply
  39. SiL
    Posted
    So is it ADI's fault the thing dried up or is it the material limitations of trying to create the design?

    The original moist Predators are seen in pretty quick cuts, easy to respray each time.
    Reply
  40. BlueMarsalis79
    Posted
    https://64.media.tumblr.com/1d8cec0430e8f3c6a3ecebd07b40614d/2862fe305a4a24ca-5e/s540x810/f33830df92976f3929e4cf10fafd8b61558c90f7.gif
    https://64.media.tumblr.com/3aa9b484930e19a1044377684107eaf0/2862fe305a4a24ca-1b/s540x810/a9fa879622713921bf7edc6e5c9d8ac9378b30db.gif
    https://64.media.tumblr.com/2b19d7a089130c38ea234ec22be720bd/2862fe305a4a24ca-86/s540x810/dcd66dc7fb25b8e12800769d823c621c0bc6158e.gif
    https://64.media.tumblr.com/a5992661d7fac15ce7613dfbc6620f52/2862fe305a4a24ca-2b/s540x810/c7280d45e0b1e0b44b8b5e59c00ba49c0ca80cbc.gif

    Looks pretty moist to me honestly, and ADI has spoken about Dan Trachtenberg wanting it even wetter than ever before and them being unable to accommodate, because the K-Y Jelly solution that they use just dried up constantly.

    As for the mandibles in concept art sometimes they are present sometimes they are not for the sake of clarity. 

    Four times now I have seen the final design for the face of a Predator by ADI in either concept art or maquette form looking good, but then the actual practical head, does not look good. At some point here "what the director wants" stops working as an excuse for the final practical iteration, especially in the case of Prey, where it got replaced by CGI probably wisely.
    Reply
  41. SiL
    Posted
    Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 30, 2022, 06:52:50 PMIt's almost like when it comes to the practical application, ADI's never put the concept in practice as good as the drawings. When it comes to the Predator in particular.
    These concepts clearly aren't the final approved design, given they lack mandibles.

    It's not up to ADI if the director says "Nah version 800 with dry skin and hella drool is where I wanna be."
    Reply
  42. frasermaxx
    Posted
    Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 30, 2022, 06:52:50 PMIt's almost like when it comes to the practical application, ADI's never put the concept in practice as good as the drawings. When it comes to the Predator in particular.
    Yeah it was a bit too clean/smooth and lacked the fine details, grit and wet look that is present in the concept art. Had they pulled this design off like the art on screen I say we would've got the second best face design after the original Stan Winston one. It doesn't matter here that the mandibles don't close in an 'X' fashion but the concept art is very cool and intense looking like the original predator. Its all in the eyes, look at the eyes in the artwork, brilliant. The CGI ruined it too.
    Reply
« Newer Comments 12345678 Older Comments »
AvPGalaxy: About | Contact | Cookie Policy | Manage Cookie Settings | Privacy Policy | Legal Info
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Patreon RSS Feed
Contact: General Queries | Submit News