Studio ADI

[proto leech]

A complete bastardisation of Giger's magnificent starbeast if I ever did see one.

and scars face with its flappy mouth folds.
and the terrible predalien

ADI has done great work in other movies but i wont miss them as far as alien goes.

not thrilled they're doing the predator either.

[Corporal Hicks]

Covenant was shot in Australia, so this probably has a lot to do with why Odd Studios was chosen. And it looks like they're doing fantastic work.

I highly doubt that it had to do with any animus toward ADI, who probably would have done a fine job if given the opportunity.

This is likely one of the contributing factors. And that's not sound negative towards Odd Studios because they look like they've done a lot of great work. I doubt there's any animosity towards ADI (I know some folk like to put across Scott as being some vindictive bastard).

In regards to ADI - it's like SM says.

It's what the director wanted.

Their job is create what the director wants. While I'm disappointed that we're still not at Giger's biomechanics, I think ADI would have done a great job at realizing this more biological take on the Aliens. But I'm eager to see more of what Odd Studios has done!

[bobby brown]

Magnificent work. Love their alien.

[St_Eddie]

Their job is create what the director wants. While I'm disappointed that we're still not at Giger's biomechanics, I think ADI would have done a great job at realizing this more biological take on the Aliens. But I'm eager to see more of what Odd Studios has done!

I certainly don't disagree that ADI have the technical know-how to pull off the bio-mechanical aesthetic with considerable aplomb but the fact of the matter is that ADI are on record as saying (and I'm paraphrasing a little here) "we don't like the bio-mechanical aspect of the alien.  Giger is a great artist but he doesn't necessarily understand how biology works.  We felt it was better to move towards a more organic aesthetic for the alien because it's more believable."

It's not just a case of the director's wishes being adhered to (though obviously, such a wont will always trump the effects studios own); the simple fact is that ADI actively don't like the bio-mechancial aspect of the alien and surely such a bias against that style would always end up creeping through into their designs in some capacity.  After all, at the other end of the spectrum; the artists whom worked on 'Prometheus' talked about how they were disappointed at their given direction to cut back on the bio-mechanical aesthetic and so they snuck that Gigeresque element into their designs under the radar whenever they could (this was talked about on the Blu-Ray special features).  ADI likely would have done the same thing but in the completely opposite direction.

They simply don't appear to understand and/or appreciate the brilliance of Giger's bio-mechanical style and what it brought to the series.  I'd rather not have such talent (and ADI are talented) working on the Alien series, regardless of the individual director's own wishes and thoughts on how the creature should appear aesthetically.

[Sgt. Shanx]

Something thats been on my mind lately is the absence of ADI from Prometheus and Covenant. I just cant understand the reasoning for not having them involved.they have been involved in some level since Aliens and their work is amazing, the movies may not always have been but their effects work has always been. any problems usually arise from the directors vision of an effect rather than what Alec/Tom and team are capable of. Although i am super psyched for the new movie, the cg Xeno's in the trailer look awful. ADI wouldve done them all practically. CGI IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO WORK ON ITS OWN! hollywood does not understand this.

ADI had their shot man...the xeno hasnt been scary since aliens...from what im seeing in the marketing and promotion for this movie looks really good in the effects department

[juxtapose]

i have been wanting to ask this question for so long. .but i did not wanne open a whole new thread just for that. .i keep hearing about Giger's original design and all these biomechanical elements in the original design of the alien. .versus the way the alien now apears in covenant. Cause in my mind it looks more or less exactly the same. .i would love if someone can post a pic of these missing biomecanical elements . I.ve heard of missing tubes., .where exactly on the anatomy of the xeno where those located?. .i have rewatched aliens again recently and much as i love that movie. .their really is a few places the aliens look super fake. .the ending while the queen holds on to ripleys ancle. .those arms on the queen are flapping about in such an unrealistic fashion and while repley is in the egg chamber their is a xeno suit that backs away and it just sceams man in a suit. .don't get me wrong. .aliens is easily one of my top 5 best movies of all time. .must have seen it at least 30 to 40 times over the years. .another thing. .i love cg animation. .probably cause i am a 3d modeler and texture artist myself. .only worked on games so far. . But the sofrware used in movies are the same that is ised in movies. .in movies their is simply no polygon budget or texture size limitations. .unlike in games where they will tell u. .u can not use more than lets say 4000 polygons on a craeture design. .in movies their is no limit. .cause u only need to render. .their is no interactivity

[OmegaZilla]

I certainly don't disagree that ADI have the technical know-how to pull off the bio-mechanical aesthetic with considerable aplomb but the fact of the matter is that ADI are on record as saying (and I'm paraphrasing a little here) "we don't like the bio-mechanical aspect of the alien.  Giger is a great artist but he doesn't necessarily understand how biology works.  We felt it was better to move towards a more organic aesthetic for the alien because it's more believable."

[...]

Source?

ADI studied Giger's paintings to a T when they did A3... and the Dog Alienrod puppet and suit testify that. They've often said that they've "improved upon" and similar, but that's strictly talking about sculptural finesse and technological advancement in regards to the quality of the suit, etc. not artistically.

[Ragonk_Force]

This says all you need to know

[St_Eddie]

Source?

I honestly can't remember where the particular source I was citing came from at this point, years down the line.  However, I do know that something to that affect was most definitely said (and pretty darn close to my paraphrasing).  Does anybody else here know the source to which I refer?

[dcsat]

Source?

I honestly can't remember where the particular source I was citing came from at this point, years down the line.  However, I do know that something to that affect was most definitely said (and pretty darn close to my paraphrasing).  Does anybody else here know the source to which I refer?

I recall a similar sentiment as well. I think it could've been from a promo video ADI did during marketing for one of the AVP movies, but not 100% sure myself.

[Ragonk_Force]

Source?

I honestly can't remember where the particular source I was citing came from at this point, years down the line.  However, I do know that something to that affect was most definitely said (and pretty darn close to my paraphrasing).  Does anybody else here know the source to which I refer?

I read or heard that too, instantly made me dislike adi. Dont remember where either, may have been a youtube vid, possibly a making of

[OmegaZilla]

That was a matter of loss in translation within an interview. They explain it here--

but that's not even about the paraphrasing above which I've never heard of. The term "organic" I have seen but they mean it as something integrated within the sculpt. It's a technical term

[St_Eddie]

The term "organic" I have seen but they mean it as something integrated within the sculpt. It's a technical term

I'm sorry but no, they specifically said they didn't care for the bio-mechanical aspect of Giger's work in relation to the alien because it didn't make sense from a biological perspective.  It had nothing to do with the technicalities of sculpting.  They were speaking from a design perspective.  Clearly, a few other forumites here remember the source to which I refer and I'm relatively sure that my paraphrasing is very close to the mark, in terms of what was said, regardless of a "loss of translation", many years later.

[Clowndog]

i have been wanting to ask this question for so long. .but i did not wanne open a whole new thread just for that. .i keep hearing about Giger's original design and all these biomechanical elements in the original design of the alien. .versus the way the alien now apears in covenant. Cause in my mind it looks more or less exactly the same. .i would love if someone can post a pic of these missing biomecanical elements . I.ve heard of missing tubes., .where exactly on the anatomy of the xeno where those located?. .i have rewatched aliens again recently and much as i love that movie. .their really is a few places the aliens look super fake. .the ending while the queen holds on to ripleys ancle. .those arms on the queen are flapping about in such an unrealistic fashion and while repley is in the egg chamber their is a xeno suit that backs away and it just sceams man in a suit. .don't get me wrong. .aliens is easily one of my top 5 best movies of all time. .must have seen it at least 30 to 40 times over the years. .another thing. .i love cg animation. .probably cause i am a 3d modeler and texture artist myself. .only worked on games so far. . But the sofrware used in movies are the same that is ised in movies. .in movies their is simply no polygon budget or texture size limitations. .unlike in games where they will tell u. .u can not use more than lets say 4000 polygons on a craeture design. .in movies their is no limit. .cause u only need to render. .their is no interactivity

I've always been confused by this as well, because the differences have always seemed so minute to me that I don't really understand the issue people have. Or at least I don't see why the minor differences are such a big deal.

The only way I have been able to logically explain the notion is that it comes from Alien purists. Geiger's original art work is heavily based on mixing organic and mechanical imagery into unified objects, ergo the original creature in Alien was bio-mechanical due to it being so influenced by Geiger's work. This means that any deviation from the original design, no matter what that deviation is, makes the creature "less" bio-mechanical somehow.

This of course ignores the fact that the films have never established that the creature is bio-mechanical. Ridley Scott has never seemed to be to overly enamoured with that concept, he has recently started referring to its bio-mechanicalness but I'm convinced that's more to do with selling his movie to the fan base than actually being totally on board with the idea, and James Cameron clearly was more in favour of it being biological.

Until such time that the films actually establish that fact about the Alien I don't understand why people think it's canonically true.

[SuicideDoors]

The creatures would be more angular and spindlier in design, rendered in ochre and blacks, stripped of their metal piping and bones, with the animal design elements magnified. "What we were trying to do was give a little more character to these Aliens, and also do something that was more threatening," Alec Gillis told Fangoria in 1997. "We were given a little more leeway to do some redesigning than perhaps we had been able to do on the last film."

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/alienseries.wordpress.com/2016/04/29/alien-resurrection-hybrid-theory/amp/

Ultimately I know the director calls the shots, but ADI have had more creative licence than one might perceive from their more recent comments. I know the story called for a genetically mutated Alien but it just wasn't a very good design. Definitely hampered by Tom Woodruff in the suit. And the refined hands for Alien vs Predator and redesigned head for AvPr just cemented the fact it was time to give someone else a go, they couldn't get much further away from what made the first Alien design so frightening.