Alien: Covenant Concept Art/Behind-the-Scenes Thread *spoilers*

[Baron Von Marlon]

Can anyone tell me why concept art always look better than what we get in the end? Are they sabotaging themselves on purpose???

Changes in the script aside, concept art doesn't have to take the budget into account.

Originally Alien included a temple but it was merged with the Derelict to save money.
If you look at the concept art for Prometheus, you'll notice how everything besides the humans and their vehicles, are a lot bigger than what we got.
It's just a lot more expensive to create such sets. There's the green screen/cgi route (not sure if it's cheaper or not) but it never looks as good as real set.

[Scorpio]

If you look at the concept art for Prometheus, you'll notice how everything besides the humans and their vehicles, are a lot bigger than what we got.
It's just a lot more expensive to create such sets. There's the green screen/cgi route (not sure if it's cheaper or not) but it never looks as good as real set.

Not sure what you're trying to say, but they used the Bond stage at Pinewood studios to build the sets for Prometheus, which is the largest studio in the world, and they still didn't have enough room for the sets. 

[Baron Von Marlon]

Not sure what you're trying to say, but they used the Bond stage at Pinewood studios to build the sets for Prometheus, which is the largest studio in the world, and they still didn't have enough room for the sets.

I meant that it was financially and practically possible, everything but the humans would've been bigger.
The Engineers would've been the size of the Jockey and the environment would've been adapted to their size.

[Scorpio]

The Engineers were about the same size as the Jockey, when in their suits:



For comparison:



Without their suits they are 9 feet tall.  With their suits they are much bigger.

There's a myth going around they shrunk the jockey for Prometheus, which is not true.  Just look at the above pic.  The Engineers in the their suits are clearly the same size as the Jockey in Alien.

[Gash]

Hmm, I'll defend Prometheus endlessly but no they did shrink the Jockey a fair bit. Remember they used child actors in ALIEN to add extra scale, and any shots on set of Giger working on the Jockey show that it was already pretty huge..

[Biomechanoid]

Remember they used child actors in ALIEN to add extra scale

But that first image, that adult would be roughly the equivalent size of a child.

and any shots of set shots of Giger working on the Jockey show that it was already pretty huge..

On screen canon scale cannot be judged by behind the scenes on set photos. Technicians and artists are not required to be in scale with the sets they are working on. If you're going to judge it by that, then model makers who build entire cities, by your logic the makers must be 100 foot tall giants.

[Scorpio]

I know they used child actors, that's precisely the point.  The real life scale was not big enough so they needed to put kids in spacesuits for the wide shots.  The closeup shot that I posted used the adult actors and the scale is much smaller.

Kids in spacesuits:



Adult actors:

[Immortan Jonesy]

The Engineers were about the same size as the Jockey, when in their suits:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ftn7RUAL_c/UDt5CtrnxqI/AAAAAAAADCg/N2Bb3fDcZEQ/s1600/page20-1007-full.jpg

For comparison:

http://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01-engineers02.jpg

Without their suits they are 9 feet tall.  With their suits they are much bigger.

There's a myth going around they shrunk the jockey for Prometheus, which is not true.  Just look at the above pic.  The Engineers in the their suits are clearly the same size as the Jockey in Alien.

There are small pedestals under the statues

[Biomechanoid]

Now that last image. If David actually stepped on the pedestal, the statue would seem smaller. Weird, can't seem to get a consistent read on its scale.

[Scorpio]

Those pedestals only add about 1 foot, they would still tower over Fassbender, who according to IMDB is 6 feet tall.

[Immortan Jonesy]

Hmm, I'll defend Prometheus endlessly but no they did shrink the Jockey a fair bit. Remember they used child actors in ALIEN to add extra scale, and any shots on set of Giger working on the Jockey show that it was already pretty huge..

Yep

[Gash]

Remember they used child actors in ALIEN to add extra scale

But that first image, that adult would be roughly the equivalent size of a child.

and any shots of set shots of Giger working on the Jockey show that it was already pretty huge..

On screen canon scale cannot be judged by behind the scenes on set photos. Technicians and artists are not required to be in scale with the sets they are working on. If you're going to judge it by that, then model makers who build entire cities, by your logic the makers must be 100 foot tall giants.

What? Where is that my logic? There a set photos that show the true scale of the Jockey as Giger is working on it. It's big. They chose to use child actors to make it look yet bigger - that is the point. I'm not saying the Derelict is only ten feet big because the model is ten feet big - I'm fully aware of scale models and forced perspective and every other trick in the film making book.

They wanted the Jockey to look as big as possible, by making it big and then using child actors to make it look twice as big again. The crew member standing next to the suited Engineer might look child sized compared to him, but he'd have to actually be a child for the scales to come close to matching ALIEN.

Close up views of Skerrit and Cartwright don't reveal much in terms of scale. And as Crazy Shrimps pictures above show, the original Jockey could cradle Giger (Scott, Van Lint, anyone) like a baby. I'm not critical of Prometheus, it's a different, less ancient ship so any explanation could cover why there are differences, but there's the facts.

[Scorpio]

Giger was not a tall guy though, here he is standing next to Ridley Scott, who is about 5' 8'', according to IMDB:

[Biomechanoid]

What?

I understand all that. I'm just saying you can't judge on screen canon scale by behind the scene images. Look how tiny Giger looks right next to the space jockey....off screen. Dallas was at a much larger scale than that when standing right next to it.....on screen.

Off screen scale can be misleading.

[Immortan Jonesy]

Now that last image. If David actually stepped on the pedestal, the statue would seem smaller. Weird, can't seem to get a consistent read on its scale.

The same height of Ian Whyte, maybe?