The Predator Behind-the-scenes Thread

[The Old One]

Its too bad we didnt get an actual answer from Alec Gillis. Im not sure if he understood what he was be asked exactly and got a lil defensive.

He did?

I'll be honest, I didn't listen to the interview
when I heard the question wasn't answered.
I'm sad if it's true he took offense
because I annotated the question
with praise for their work on Alien³.

[426Buddy]

Yeah it was a very quick exchange. Hicks asked why, he kinda said well why not? why do they all have to be the same? Or something to that effect, i'de have to re listen to remember exactly. It wasnt satisfying though.

[The Old One]

Well, that's kinda shitty.

I even articulated the question
to ask if it was either a design
choice or a technical limitation.

[SiL]

I'm pretty sure "Why not?" says it's a design choice.

[Voodoo Magic]

So, sculpting can get the X- But not whatever animatronic utilisation they have access to.

Of course they can. They just frequently over-animate it.

Though, over-animation has nothing to do with it's inability to close its mouth.

Its too bad we didnt get an actual answer from Alec Gillis. Im not sure if he understood what he was be asked exactly and got a lil defensive.

I was so happy to hear Old One's queston raised, and was looking forward to finally understanding the drastic design changes. But Alec did sound a bit defensive in my opinion, and was quick to dismiss the question as nonsense. Also, Hicks surprisingly even had trepidation in asking her question, which confounded the situation even further.

[SiL]

Though, over-animation has nothing to do with it's inability to close its mouth.

That's a design consideration. They don't sculpt them to have fully closed mouths.

Although, I mean, neither does the P2 Pred in that screenshot you used. Elsewhere in the movie it does.

[The Old One]

I'm pretty sure "Why not?" says it's a design choice.

  It's still unclear on whether they can or can't close the mouth.
Or articulate it into the shape of the "X" seen on the thumbnail.

I haven't seen one frame from AVP, AVPR or The Predator
when it was articulated into the "X" shape or the mouth
closed in that "X" shape. This includes Behind the Scenes.

[Voodoo Magic]

Though, over-animation has nothing to do with it's inability to close its mouth.

That's a design consideration. They don't sculpt them to have fully closed mouths.

Hence one of many reasons why I'm not thrilled with ADI designs.

Although, I mean, neither does the P2 Pred in that screenshot you used. Elsewhere in the movie it does.

My screenshot was taken from YouTube. Let's not get nit-picky. It's close enough and something the ADI designs could never come close to doing.

[426Buddy]

I do think that Fugitive is ADIs best effort regarding the Predator, i like it a lot. Its just that the skin/cheeks around the mandibles look so fake. The way the skin folds it just hurts the overall effect.

In the original its pretty much perfect.

[SiL]

It's still unclear on whether they can or can't close the mouth. Or articulate it into the shape of the "X" seen on the thumbnail.

It's not unclear at all. They fit the animatronic into the sculpt. There's no mechanical reason they couldn't make that shape -- ADI's not incompetent when it comes to their machinery. They just aren't designed for it.

The "sculpting the Fugitive" video clearly shows the mandibles aren't sculpted to fully close over the mouth to begin with.

As the for X shape, it makes it a few times in the film. Most of the time the upper mandibles are angled and the lower are straighter -- much like the original Predator they were mimicking (See Voodoo's stills)

[Voodoo Magic]

I do think that Fugitive is ADIs best effort regarding the Predator, i like it a lot. Its just that the skin/cheeks around the mandibles look so fake. The way the skin folds it just hurts the overall effect.

In the original its pretty much perfect.

I agree my friend, on all counts.

[SiL]

Ain't nothing topping the original.

Hell, Winston's own team couldn't do it

[Voodoo Magic]

It's still unclear on whether they can or can't close the mouth. Or articulate it into the shape of the "X" seen on the thumbnail.

It's not unclear at all. They fit the animatronic into the sculpt. There's no mechanical reason they couldn't make that shape -- ADI's not incompetent when it comes to their machinery. They just aren't designed for it.

The "sculpting the Fugitive" video clearly shows the mandibles aren't sculpted to fully close over the mouth to begin with.

Hence the problem. It results in The Crabator, unnecessary, widely unappealing changes to the fictional character's inherent design.

[426Buddy]

Ain't nothing topping the original.

Hell, Winston's own team couldn't do it

Yeah but i had no issue with the P2 pred effects (aside from that one shot with the wide eyes, but thats just one shot.), even if they werent better than the original. I would be happy to get back to even that level of qaulity when it comes to the mandibles/mouth.

[The Old One]

It's still unclear on whether they can or can't close the mouth.
Or articulate it into the shape of the "X" seen on the thumbnail.

It's not unclear at all. They fit the animatronic into the sculpt.
There's no mechanical reason they couldn't make that shape --
ADI's not incompetent when it comes to their machinery.
They just aren't designed for it.

The "sculpting the Fugitive" video clearly shows the mandibles
aren't sculpted to fully close over the mouth to begin with.

So, the problem comes from not sculpting the mouth to close to begin with-
I wonder then is that a choice ADI made or it just so happens to be a choice;
Paul Anderson, The Strause Bros and Shane Black all made.


Then you've got KNB- that got the "X" correct, but otherwise the mouth
couldn't close or articulate much, to quote Leonna and then Danny boy-
"What the f**k is going on?"
"This is not good Mike, not good at all."