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Tested and Adam Savage are back with yet another behind-the-scenes video from Alien: Covenant. The latest video is focused around the special effects and the use of practical sets with an interview with Neil Corbould, Visual Effects Supervisor.

The video also features a segment about the creature effects in Alien: Covenant with interviews with Odd Studio co-founder and Creature Effects Supervisor, Adam Johansen, and Damian Martin, Creature Effects Workshop Supervisor.

“Adam Savage explores the massive built sets of Alien: Covenant and chats with visual effects supervisor Neil Corbould about the resurgence of practical effects to complement cg effectrs in blockbuster filmmaking. Adam also gets up close with some familiar Alien universe props in the creature fabrication workshop!”

Keep a close eye on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest on Alien: Covenant! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien fans on our forums!

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Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

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Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

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Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

Quote from: XENOMORPHOSIS on May 17, 2017, 04:07:46 PM
Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

I agree.

Quote from: XENOMORPHOSIS on May 17, 2017, 04:07:46 PM
Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

So true.

Quote from: XENOMORPHOSIS on May 17, 2017, 04:07:46 PM
Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

Absolutely.

Quote from: XENOMORPHOSIS on May 17, 2017, 04:07:46 PM
Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

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Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

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Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

Quote from: irn on May 17, 2017, 04:17:19 PM

Quote from: XENOMORPHOSIS on May 17, 2017, 04:07:46 PM
Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

I agree.

Quote from: XENOMORPHOSIS on May 17, 2017, 04:07:46 PM
Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

So true.

Quote from: XENOMORPHOSIS on May 17, 2017, 04:07:46 PM
Neat, though its a shame the majority of the xenomorph effects were cgi, perhaps they felt that the practical effects didn't hold up the way the filmmakers wanted.

Absolutely.

Yes! Yes! and YES!

Can only triple agree to that. Beside David´s workshop abominations and facehugger and eggs, there was not a single practical creature shot in my observing eye. Maybe the inner mouth attack one was a prob effect. Well, well, at least the creature creatures had a good job and did great art. I deeply hope that we get more and closer look at these in the coming books and BluRay extra disc.

Quote from: locusta on May 17, 2017, 04:22:26 PM
Can only triple agree to that. Beside David´s workshop abominations and facehugger and eggs, there was not a single practical creature shot in my observing eye. Maybe the inner mouth attack one was a prob effect. Well, well, at least the creature creatures had a good job and did great art. I deeply hope that we get more and closer look at these in the coming books and BluRay extra disc.

Reminds me of The Thing (2011), where most of the movie was shot practical and then the bean counters inisted it be replaced with CGI. Wish I could get inside some of these execs heads to see why they inist so much on CGI when the audiences for these are just begging for practical effects.

I'm still looking forward to seeing the movie, but it's a bit difficult not to be discouraged by the creeping suspicion that the movie was dramatically reworked in the 11th hour. Hopefully they at least commit to the story they set up in this film.

I don't think heavy CG painting onto a practical entity works well. It allows more interactivity than straight CG and more freedom for embellishment than practical alone, but it usually still retains CGI's uncanny valley.

Jurassic World used CG painting for its raptors too, and you just wouldn't know you're looking at a practical effect. Kind of the opposite result to what you want to achieve - making a real object look fake.

Really nice looking work here!

Quote from: darcevil on May 17, 2017, 06:28:47 PM
Reminds me of The Thing (2011), where most of the movie was shot practical and then the bean counters inisted it be replaced with CGI. Wish I could get inside some of these execs heads to see why they inist so much on CGI when the audiences for these are just begging for practical effects.

That was criminal what happened with the practical effects in The Thing (2011). Whoever made that decision should be kicked out the industry.

Quote from: Vertigo on May 17, 2017, 06:33:42 PM
Jurassic World used CG painting for its raptors too, and you just wouldn't know you're looking at a practical effect. Kind of the opposite result to what you want to achieve - making a real object look fake.

Damn you're right, they should have kept the practical effects in JW!

(https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/09/01/09/raptors.jpg)

I mean the scene in which they're in their harnesses.  ::)

Err... ::)

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.1m.yt%2FtSzNs-E.jpg&hash=e332b377a5db0f5cd510561ec8d452e8afe03f6d)

Where's this one from?  ???

(https://i.imgur.com/1nSSHcz_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=high)

Thats a lighting/colour maquette. As far as I know it wasn't used on set. 

Actually I could catch more practical effects scenes in the movie: the head during the shower attack, the tail hiding again after touching the girl in the shower was totally practical, the scene were the xeno entered the zone of the las fight with daniels...that alien just walking was practical too and it looked creepy as f**k in that very human way to move (then it started to be in all four again xD), the dead neomorph was practical too, and obviously shaw

Quote from: locusta on May 17, 2017, 04:22:26 PM
Yes! Yes! and YES!

Can only triple agree to that. Beside David´s workshop abominations and facehugger and eggs, there was not a single practical creature shot in my observing eye. Maybe the inner mouth attack one was a prob effect. Well, well, at least the creature creatures had a good job and did great art. I deeply hope that we get more and closer look at these in the coming books and BluRay extra disc.

Spoiler

I wondered if the shot from the working machine the Alien tried to escape (when it's head stuck out from the shattered window) was a practical effect. To me it looked rather natural (even though CGI pimped).

[close]

I am not that bothered as a viewer if a particular effect is achieved using 'practical effects' or CGI. It just has to look convincing and not eject me from the movie. I couldn't tell which portions of this film had green screen or matte paintings; it just worked.

But CG blood never looks right! It certainly took away from the backburster scene for me.

I've said it before - much of the criticism of things looking fake in cgi are about seeing something on screen we know in the back of our brain isn't actually there and isn't possible (or very unlikely) as a practical on set object. Even when it looks great.

The most-CGI looking part I can recollect was when David was watching it moving around the ship on the security cameras and the xenomorph went down through a hatch on a ladder. It looked just very over-animated.

OmarVel1692 Couldn't agree more. That shot of the Xenomorph slowly entering/walking into the hanger at the climax looked terrifying. Was great to see the practical suit in use there. It's just a shame it was a blink and you miss it moment. :( 

Following on from my post above, I saw this clip today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH2CvCHexdk&feature=youtu.be&t=7s

Does anyone remember if the CGI was fixed in the final film? The clipping of the back tubes through the floor in particular!

No they seemed to just go through the floor.

No it wasn't fixed.It was so quick I hardly noticed.

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Hi. In the movie the tubes seemed to actually bend,not go through the floor. At least this is how i remembered it.

Quote from: MrRipley on May 19, 2017, 10:59:42 AM
Hi. In the movie the tubes seemed to actually bend,not go through the floor. At least this is how i remembered it.

Yeah, that seemed to be the case to me too.

Will be seeing movie a second time today, but on my first viewing I noticed quite a bit of practical xenos but with CGI layered on top. I will pay attention to which shots specifically but the only times I saw it as pure CGI was when it was running on all 4 limbs and climbing. Of course, the xenos did a lot of that...

Still, I thought everything looked great and the only time it really jumped out at me (as someone who looks for it, probably not the average viewer) was the neomorph birth when it is just starting to stand up (after it sheds its blood sack membrane junk, that part looked AWESOME), and when the Neo ran up the wall of the temple.

Quite a lot of practical shots on board the Covenant.