Alien 3 filming location in Durham— help needed!

[HighwayGem]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forum but thought I'd throw out an ask, anyway 😝

I operate a horror movie locations website and I'm hoping to visit the Seaham Beach — aka Blast Beach — in Durham this week. I'm English but live in the US now so try to make the most of trips!

Anyway— I've done a fair amount of research and know that the opening establishing shots were lensed on the beach. The assembly cut features Clemons walking and discovering Ripley, but those shots of Charles Dance were filmed on the Pinewood backlot, and intercut with the broader beach shots.


So I'm trying to figure out any info on WHO shot this footage— doubt it was Fincher but heard rumours it was original DP Jordan Cronenwerth. I can't find any production call sheets detailing the shoot in Durham, which also included the nearby Blyth power station. Struggling to figure out which exact shots were captured there too!

Any help whatsoever on nailing down these details would be hugely appreciated. Thank you so much!
Gem

[SM]

George Gibbs ran the explosion effects. I doubt it'd be Cronenweth filming, but it might. They went through a few second unit directors.

[Acid_Reign161]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forum but thought I'd throw out an ask, anyway 😝

I operate a horror movie locations website and I'm hoping to visit the Seaham Beach — aka Blast Beach — in Durham this week. I'm English but live in the US now so try to make the most of trips!

Anyway— I've done a fair amount of research and know that the opening establishing shots were lensed on the beach. The assembly cut features Clemons walking and discovering Ripley, but those shots of Charles Dance were filmed on the Pinewood backlot, and intercut with the broader beach shots.


So I'm trying to figure out any info on WHO shot this footage— doubt it was Fincher but heard rumours it was original DP Jordan Cronenwerth. I can't find any production call sheets detailing the shoot in Durham, which also included the nearby Blyth power station. Struggling to figure out which exact shots were captured there too!

Any help whatsoever on nailing down these details would be hugely appreciated. Thank you so much!
Gem

Ahh, the shot of the blast beach from the cliff tops is an easy one to recreate now (I am from Seaham, and thanks to work done by Durham Heritage Coast, there's now public footpaths around that take you right by there (when I was a kid, no such access existed, we used to (stupidly) take our mountain bikes and carry them down the cliff by the chemical beach 🤣

The shot of Clemens however will be a harder one to pinpoint exactly now, as what used to be a wasteland now has a business park with call centres and a gym there, with a "new" (relatively speaking) road linking the coast to Dalton retail Park in Murton and the A19. Best you are going to get is to walk along the blast beach southwards towards the cliff side into the water where you saw Ripley washed up. There should be a 2nd world war bunker on the beach, from the bunker, if you are looking out to sea, do a 180 degree turn and walk towards the cliffs behind you...there will be a rough (if not overgrown) trail up the cliff (you'll know you are on the right track as there is a second lookout bunker half way up the cliff side), continue up to the top... (this could be awkward now, as when I was a kid you just walked up there, but the new Durham heritage coast path may have this fenced off, I'm not so sure!) but once at the top, walk a little way inland and I believe you are roughly where they had the Fury 161 'arch' set with chains (But as I say, this will most likely be a big road and business park now) from the second bunker however, if you walk back on yourself Northwards a little, you should be roughly around the right height for the shot of the EEV on the beach with ox 😊👍

[SM]

Per original post, Clemens was shot at Pinewood. We never see him on the beach.

[Acid_Reign161]

Per original post, Clemens was shot at Pinewood. We never see him on the beach.

You're right RE: Clemens(my bad) though I could have sworn a single arch was erected (not on the beach, but above)🤔 Unless I've seen set photos from Pinewood and I'm getting my wires crossed. 😅

Either way, OP still wants to be around that area for the EEV/ox shot. 😊👍

[HighwayGem]

Ahh, the shot of the blast beach from the cliff tops is an easy one to recreate now (I am from Seaham, and thanks to work done by Durham Heritage Coast, there's now public footpaths around that take you right by there (when I was a kid, no such access existed, we used to (stupidly) take our mountain bikes and carry them down the cliff by the chemical beach 🤣

The shot of Clemens however will be a harder one to pinpoint exactly now, as what used to be a wasteland now has a business park with call centres and a gym there, with a "new" (relatively speaking) road linking the coast to Dalton retail Park in Murton and the A19. Best you are going to get is to walk along the blast beach southwards towards the cliff side into the water where you saw Ripley washed up. There should be a 2nd world war bunker on the beach, from the bunker, if you are looking out to sea, do a 180 degree turn and walk towards the cliffs behind you...there will be a rough (if not overgrown) trail up the cliff (you'll know you are on the right track as there is a second lookout bunker half way up the cliff side), continue up to the top... (this could be awkward now, as when I was a kid you just walked up there, but the new Durham heritage coast path may have this fenced off, I'm not so sure!) but once at the top, walk a little way inland and I believe you are roughly where they had the Fury 161 'arch' set with chains (But as I say, this will most likely be a big road and business park now) from the second bunker however, if you walk back on yourself Northwards a little, you should be roughly around the right height for the shot of the EEV on the beach with ox 😊👍

Ah, thank you so much AcidReign! 😊 How beautiful to live right there; were you around when they filmed? I'm excited to capture the cliff shot, the wide view where they used the matte paintings of the cranes— it'll be beaut!

And thank you for the EEV locale! I knew they filmed ocean footage as like a rear projection or a backplate for the EEV so that'll be neat to film as well.

Really appreciate you taking the time to respond, thank you ☺️

[Acid_Reign161]

Ahh, the shot of the blast beach from the cliff tops is an easy one to recreate now (I am from Seaham, and thanks to work done by Durham Heritage Coast, there's now public footpaths around that take you right by there (when I was a kid, no such access existed, we used to (stupidly) take our mountain bikes and carry them down the cliff by the chemical beach 🤣

The shot of Clemens however will be a harder one to pinpoint exactly now, as what used to be a wasteland now has a business park with call centres and a gym there, with a "new" (relatively speaking) road linking the coast to Dalton retail Park in Murton and the A19. Best you are going to get is to walk along the blast beach southwards towards the cliff side into the water where you saw Ripley washed up. There should be a 2nd world war bunker on the beach, from the bunker, if you are looking out to sea, do a 180 degree turn and walk towards the cliffs behind you...there will be a rough (if not overgrown) trail up the cliff (you'll know you are on the right track as there is a second lookout bunker half way up the cliff side), continue up to the top... (this could be awkward now, as when I was a kid you just walked up there, but the new Durham heritage coast path may have this fenced off, I'm not so sure!) but once at the top, walk a little way inland and I believe you are roughly where they had the Fury 161 'arch' set with chains (But as I say, this will most likely be a big road and business park now) from the second bunker however, if you walk back on yourself Northwards a little, you should be roughly around the right height for the shot of the EEV on the beach with ox 😊👍

Ah, thank you so much AcidReign! 😊 How beautiful to live right there; were you around when they filmed? I'm excited to capture the cliff shot, the wide view where they used the matte paintings of the cranes— it'll be beaut!

And thank you for the EEV locale! I knew they filmed ocean footage as like a rear projection or a backplate for the EEV so that'll be neat to film as well.

Really appreciate you taking the time to respond, thank you ☺️

No trouble! Sadly, whilst I was living there at the time of filming, I was introduced to the Alien trilogy and fell in love with it a year or so later at a friend's house (we usually watched Star Trek TNG or the then-new X-files together, but he had Aliens on in background one day, and loaned me the three videos)! It was gutting to think had I only been shown the first two movies sooner I may have had chance of watching from afar! 😅

[BigDaddyJohn]

Still, it must be cool to think it was shot near you, I would be really excited just thinking of it.

[HighwayGem]

Ahh, the shot of the blast beach from the cliff tops is an easy one to recreate now (I am from Seaham, and thanks to work done by Durham Heritage Coast, there's now public footpaths around that take you right by there (when I was a kid, no such access existed, we used to (stupidly) take our mountain bikes and carry them down the cliff by the chemical beach 🤣

The shot of Clemens however will be a harder one to pinpoint exactly now, as what used to be a wasteland now has a business park with call centres and a gym there, with a "new" (relatively speaking) road linking the coast to Dalton retail Park in Murton and the A19. Best you are going to get is to walk along the blast beach southwards towards the cliff side into the water where you saw Ripley washed up. There should be a 2nd world war bunker on the beach, from the bunker, if you are looking out to sea, do a 180 degree turn and walk towards the cliffs behind you...there will be a rough (if not overgrown) trail up the cliff (you'll know you are on the right track as there is a second lookout bunker half way up the cliff side), continue up to the top... (this could be awkward now, as when I was a kid you just walked up there, but the new Durham heritage coast path may have this fenced off, I'm not so sure!) but once at the top, walk a little way inland and I believe you are roughly where they had the Fury 161 'arch' set with chains (But as I say, this will most likely be a big road and business park now) from the second bunker however, if you walk back on yourself Northwards a little, you should be roughly around the right height for the shot of the EEV on the beach with ox 😊👍

Ah, thank you so much AcidReign! 😊 How beautiful to live right there; were you around when they filmed? I'm excited to capture the cliff shot, the wide view where they used the matte paintings of the cranes— it'll be beaut!

And thank you for the EEV locale! I knew they filmed ocean footage as like a rear projection or a backplate for the EEV so that'll be neat to film as well.

Really appreciate you taking the time to respond, thank you ☺️

No trouble! Sadly, whilst I was living there at the time of filming, I was introduced to the Alien trilogy and fell in love with it a year or so later at a friend's house (we usually watched Star Trek TNG or the then-new X-files together, but he had Aliens on in background one day, and loaned me the three videos)! It was gutting to think had I only been shown the first two movies sooner I may have had chance of watching from afar! 😅

Isn't that always the way?! Ha. Still, it's really lovely it's so close to where you live. Closing the gap between where we exist and the film begins is such a joy (why I started a horror locations website, tbh!). Kinda gives you goosebumps when you're in those spots!

I'll report back with photos/videos if I can get out there 😊 fingers crossed the travel agenda permits!!