Prometheus Footage Screening and Q&A

[Predaker]

i dont understand all of the fuss about the rating, so what theres not much more gore, its not like the entire plot is going to hinge on the rating. its not 'watered down' or 'kid-ified' or anything of the sort, its the same film.

Please read the thread, because we are not asking for more gore. Ridley Scott himself said the movie basically deals with R-rated material. It's what he wanted to do, but the suits at FOX think it will make more money after they water it down for kids.

[T Dog]

There's no way someone like Ridley Scott would just release the film, trimmed down to his distaste just to make money. The film will be great - I have faith

Dude, Ridley has been pandering to the suits since 1982.

[ChrisPachi]

Ridley will make sure he releases the film that he wants to release. There's no way someone like Ridley Scott would just release the film, trimmed down to his distaste just to make money. The film will be great - I have faith

Have a read of some of Scott's recent comments regarding the rating issue. Sadly, he disagrees with you.

[Eva]

If the trailers and all the released promo material until now is any indication, the film looks solid no matter the rating. It's the film of the year as far as I'm concerned.

I've watched so many pathetic R-rated (15/18 where I live) horror and thriller movies the last years, movies that made we want to put a flamethrower to Hollywood. And they weren't scary...

I'd prefer a R-rating as well, but it ain't happening. Accept it and move on... 

[T Dog]

If the trailers and all the released promo material until now is any indication, the film looks solid no matter the rating. It's the film of the year as far as I'm concerned.

I've watched so many pathetic R-rated (15/18 where I live) horror and thriller movies the last years, movies that made we want to put a flamethrower to Hollywood. And they weren't scary...

I'd prefer a R-rating as well, but it ain't happening. Accept it and move on... 

I accept that I'm most likely getting a film that's been edited from a film suitable for adults to a film suitable for 1st year secondary school kids.

[alex.isonfire]

If the blu-ray comes with the added footage/ R-rating, im content. After we see it, we can all look forward to the BR and added content. My main argument for R is, i dont want to look like an ass in the cinema for yelling at loud teens on dates being rude and havong no knowldge of the franchise. Hate loud kids.

[OpenMaw]

I accept that I'm most likely getting a film that's been edited from a film suitable for adults to a film suitable for 1st year secondary school kids.

Okay, please explain this to me. What exactly makes you think they took intelligence out of the movie? Gore and violence do not equal suitable for adults.

[T Dog]

We don't know what they took out.
But they could have toned down a sexual undercurrent.

Anyway, I don't know how you do a PG-13 p*ssy burster. Sorry in advance. That sounds horrible.

[Predaker]

They took out the space tapir.  That thing would scar kids for life.

[T Dog]

Tapir. Great design Neville Page.

[Le Celticant]

ALIEN when it was re-released in france as its director's cut version was PG-13...
Time have changed and it's not like both ALIEN & ALIENS were ULTRA GORE.
In fact it wasn't at all, the only scene I can see pretty bloody is the chestburster but everything else was off screen and too quick and didn't spoil much.

So I don't really see the problem since most of the time a film that is planned as R-rated MUST aim to an audience that wants R-rated things (SAW, AVP REQUIEM, PIRANHA, CHAINSAW MASSACRE, etc.) and I ABSOLUTELY don't want Prometheus to turns to be like this.

But if you do, it's fine, I mean we all want another AVP requiem, right? 

This isn't about adding more blood, gore, and dirty language. It's about combining violent and sexual imagery together, mixing in a way that raises more questions than answers. These are adult themes.

Flailing about like a madman, squirting blood, and dropping "F" bombs is more PG-13 adolescent material to me. Prometheus should deal with adult themes of violent and sexual imagery mixed together to draw a sense of dread and bewilderment from the audience. Making the audience exit their comfort zone (for 119 minutes)

Nice to know YOU know how it should be...

If you think it should be more like the first AvP movie (PG-13) I have no issue with that. I prefer to see it shown in a different light, however. My personal opinion, nothing more and nothing less.

You pointed the worse example in the world.
AVP has a R-rated cut (which is... worse I thought.)
And there is another AVP which is R-rated known as Requiem.
And obviously the R-rated added SO MANY good elements HAHA!
You made me laugh for the night, thank you so much 

Keep in mind also that every country has a different system of rating.
I went see Matrix in theater when I was 7... just saying.
And the fact 2001 a space odyssey wasn't R-rated didn't ruin the master piece.
In fact it made it even better since everything was subtle and well thought. A true piece of art.

[OpenMaw]

We don't know what they took out.
But they could have toned down a sexual undercurrent.

Anyway, I don't know how you do a PG-13 p*ssy burster. Sorry in advance. That sounds horrible.

Well... I'm pretty sure said lil "Vaginal Excavator" (Makes the space squid sound like a bull fighter... Or something.) is actually just a glorified and horrifying c-section.


There's a scene in "Time After Time" right at the beginning of the film. We see from Jack The Ripper's POV as he stalks  a woman and kills her in an alley. We see a little blood, very little... But we never see the knife penetrate her, and we only see the look on her face, and the sound of fabric tear. It's an incredibly effective moment.

...See, making the scenes in Prometheus unnerving is going to come down to the editing, acting, and sound. Not the gore. I trust Noomi to know how to act, because she does. I know Ridley can direct a damn good movie when he's got his A-game on.

So how would I personally shoot this scene to be intense, yet PG-13 friendly?

Shoot pretty much the same way Scott has. Using lots of close up shots on Noomi, shooting across her body, putting things in the extreme foreground of the frame in front of her so we can't quite see what the thing is. (It's very reflective of her own perspective. She's strapped in, with limited view of these things happening right in front of her. TO HER.)

Have her strapped in, the arm comes down and starts cutting her open to extract this thing. We watch her reaction as she looks away, biting down on her lip, trying to stifle cries of pain, afraid to look at whatever might be inside of her.

We don't have to see the gaping hole in her side where this thing is extracted to get the horror of the scene. The vulnerability is going to be in the actresses face. That's where the focus should be if you want this to be adult and real. Not on a bunch of effects. You use those to season the scene, of course. (showing a shot of her stomach with something moving under the skin. Something bulging up.) but you don't have to have gobs and gobs of blood and blood everywhere to make it work.

The reason the burster scene is so damned good isn't the gore. Though it's all done very well. What really sells it are those actors who are giving such a fantastic performance, and the great use of editing.

[Deuterium]

Anyway, I don't know how you do a PG-13 p*ssy burster. Sorry in advance. That sounds horrible.

I presume the AutoDoc is going to perform some type of caesarian section on Shaw.

[T Dog]

Anyway, I don't know how you do a PG-13 p*ssy burster. Sorry in advance. That sounds horrible.

I presume the AutoDoc is going to perform some type of caesarian section on Shaw.

That's not really a chest burster equivalent scene then really is it?

[Michael Harper]

We don't know what they took out.
But they could have toned down a sexual undercurrent.

Anyway, I don't know how you do a PG-13 p*ssy burster. Sorry in advance. That sounds horrible.

Haha! This was the best thing I've heard all day! I'm gonna bring that up in a general conversation in the morning. Sicken my girlfriend! P*ssy burster!!!!!!!!