Alien: Covenant | \'Rare Breed\' | Official HD Featurette 2017

[Corporal Hicks]

Looks like a lot of footage and interview b-roll we've seen already. But there's what looks like a quick shot of the practical Alien suit on set. I'll post a cap shortly.

Spoiler

[close]

There we go!

[Evanus]

Was that practical alien even in the film?

[cucuchu]

Was that practical alien even in the film?

Based on the actor they hired to play the alien, he seemed a perfect fit for the practical alien shots. I was under the impression that there would be a practical alien used for most of the shots but with CGI overlay. But everyone that has seen the film seems to think its all CGI aside from some mouth close up shots. I'll be seeing the film in the theatre at least 3 times once the 18th rolls around so I'll study the shots during 2nd/3rd viewing and see if I can make notice of how much practical is actually used. It might be hard to tell though if its overlayed with CGI and I could see that tricking people into thinking its full CGI.

[John Doe]

That practical Xeno it´s amazing. I saw the movie and the CGI Xeno looks bad. It looks good on the trailer in the last shot, but when you see it running it looks like a Dog Alien from Alien 3.

[cucuchu]

That practical Xeno it´s amazing. I saw the movie and the CGI Xeno looks bad. It looks good on the trailer in the last shot, but when you see it running it looks like a Dog Alien from Alien 3.

So when it is up close with someone, its still CGI? Because that is when it would be most easily noticed I would think. Did they not hire that insanely tall Spanish fellow to play the alien? Such a missed opportunity if the close up interactions with the Xeno were not practical.

[Corporal Hicks]

Until the Blu-ray comes out or we start to see Odd Creatures talk in more detail, I don't think we'll know for sure. They had an Alien on set to perform, we know this. They were told at the test screening that a lot of the creature effects would be supplemented with CG and most of what I saw looked CG to my eyes (apart from one sequence with the head).

There's also a shot in the b-roll footage where we see a stand-in for the Neomorph doing his thing. We won't know for sure for a while.

[cucuchu]

Until the Blu-ray comes out or we start to see Odd Creatures talk in more detail, I don't think we'll know for sure. They had an Alien on set to perform, we know this. They were told at the test screening that a lot of the creature effects would be supplemented with CG and most of what I saw looked CG to my eyes, apart from one sequence with the head).

There's also a shot in the b-roll footage where we see a stand-in for the Neomorph doing his thing. We won't know for sure for a while.

Understood.

Javier Botet is his name. Just googling his name and seeing his photos, he could of pulled off the Xeno from the original Alien so well, especially if they chose the minimalist approach to exposition of the Xeno. Such a shame.

[Corporal Hicks]

There was a second performer as well. I can't remember his name off hand. Andrew something.

[Evanus]

There was a second performer as well. I can't remember his name off hand. Andrew something.

Wasn't it Andrew Crawford?

[Corporal Hicks]

Yeah, that's it! http://www.avpgalaxy.net/2017/03/05/new-alien-actor-named-andrew-crawford/

[shawsbaby]

It just doesn't quite make sense for Ridley to suddenly have a preference for all-CGI monsters especially when the practical stuff was being made as well. Perhaps they just got overzealous in their touching up with CGI?

[Predaker]

It just doesn't quite make sense for Ridley to suddenly have a preference for all-CGI monsters especially when the practical stuff was being made as well. Perhaps they just got overzealous in their touching up with CGI?

Simple, an actor in a suit can't do what CGI can. It's not about him wanting CGI for the sake of it, it's about how he wanted the alien depicted.

[cucuchu]

It just doesn't quite make sense for Ridley to suddenly have a preference for all-CGI monsters especially when the practical stuff was being made as well. Perhaps they just got overzealous in their touching up with CGI?

Simple, an actor in a suit can't do what CGI can. It's not about him wanting CGI for the sake of it, it's about how he wanted the alien depicted.

That could be it. I am not too familiar with the process, but would it not also take more time to shoot if you were relying primarily on practical Aliens? Maybe they had a limited amount of time to shoot the film and decided to take upon the bulk of the work-load on the back-end of production with CGI.

[El Diablo]

I posted this in another thread but apparently the intention was to go digital early on.

At the very first screening I attended in October it was stated before the film began that there would be unfinished creature effects, and that whatever practical work seen would act as a placeholder for digital re-creation.

Spoiler

I saw stunt suits and a creepy full size Neomorph for just a handful of seconds, which looked great (both cuts I saw had different close-ups and angles). The shot you see in the TV spot of the Neomorph standing silently before lunging forward with its mouth open was originally performed by a costumed actor with an animatronic head. Nearly every shot of the Xenomorph was unrendered CGI.

[close]

[John Doe]

It just doesn't quite make sense for Ridley to suddenly have a preference for all-CGI monsters especially when the practical stuff was being made as well. Perhaps they just got overzealous in their touching up with CGI?

Simple, an actor in a suit can't do what CGI can. It's not about him wanting CGI for the sake of it, it's about how he wanted the alien depicted.

If Cameron succesed, why Ridley no?. It was not necesary to have fast runners CGI Aliens, we only needed a man in a suit like Aliens or Alien or maybe a puppet.