Topic: Empire's ALIEN COVENANT Exclusive Cover, and Image Scans Revealed!!

• Watch Illfonic’s Predator: Hunting Grounds Panel @ PAX South
• NECA Officially Announces The Ultimate Alpha Predator!
• Dark Horse Announces New Comic Series, Alien: The Original Screenplay!

[SM]

There is a version that does just that and it looks way better.

[Scorpio]

There is a version that does just that and it looks way better.

There is?  I disagree though, that shot works because later on they cut back to Ash's head and it's the dummy head again, so it's like every time he gets deactivated he goes back to the dummy head.

Besides, you can't fool the audience with a reaction shot.

[Predaker]

Then who's in the Derelict pilot's chair?

For all intents and purposes they are extinct by the time we get to ALIEN ... If we're really lucky, we might see one more die in this prequel series.

Hopefully not David, Shaw, Daniels, Tennessee the "pilot," etc. I personally prefer it remain ancient as originally intended. If they are going to keep retconning the space jockey any further, I wouldn't mind if it turns out to be David (after he "enhances" himself into a biomechanical being.)

[SiL]

There is?  I disagree though, that shot works because later on they cut back to Ash's head and it's the dummy head again, so it's like every time he gets deactivated he goes back to the dummy head.

It doesn't work though, because it's a really obvious cut from the dummy to the live head.

Besides, you can't fool the audience with a reaction shot.

Of course you can. Even worked for the chest bursting.

[Scorpio]

There is?  I disagree though, that shot works because later on they cut back to Ash's head and it's the dummy head again, so it's like every time he gets deactivated he goes back to the dummy head.

It doesn't work though, because it's a really obvious cut from the dummy to the live head.

It is, and Ridley Scott knew that and he couldn't trick the audience so he made it part of the narrative.

Besides, you can't fool the audience with a reaction shot.

Of course you can. Even worked for the chest bursting.

But that's a super dramatic moment where you have to cut to people's faces to show emotion.

[Rabbit2100]

Lightened up the alien scan. The skull face is pretty neat to see again on screen.

[SiL]

But that's a super dramatic moment where you have to cut to people's faces to show emotion.

A reaction cut to Lambert disgusted by the idea of turning Ash back on would work just fine.

[Scorpio]

Lightened up the alien scan. The skull face is pretty neat to see again on screen.

Notice the lack of slime as well.  The alien from A:R to AVPR always was covered in slime.

But that's a super dramatic moment where you have to cut to people's faces to show emotion.

A reaction cut to Lambert disgusted by the idea of turning Ash back on would work just fine.

That sounds cheesy.  I'm sure Ridley Scott did the best with what he had to work with.

[7Xenos]

I've been hoping for a long time that we would actually get to see a planet or moon being vase/egg bombed and the resulting chaos.

Good things do come to those who wait!
That tall structure most def has a Predator architecture vibe.

[SpeedyMaxx]

Then who's in the Derelict pilot's chair?

One of millions of Engineers who died millennia ago, just like the ones on LV-223. That was my takeaway from Prometheus - that they'd been wiped out by their own plague aeons ago and that what had happened on 223 was representative of what had happened with the jockey on LV-426. The story in the film followed the same details as what Scott had been saying about the jockey for decades, that it was carrying a ship full of bioweapons that got out of control and died long ago. This has always been the story and Scott's never seemed keen on f**king with it, including in Prometheus - until maybe right now.

Making up some entirely new story for what became of the jockey on LV-426 seems pointless and silly to me given that well-established framework. As does potentially sealing someone in there (or seeding the ship) only 20 years before Alien. I find that incredibly dumb.

[St_Eddie]

There is a version that does just that and it looks way better.

There is?  I disagree though, that shot works because later on they cut back to Ash's head and it's the dummy head again, so it's like every time he gets deactivated he goes back to the dummy head.

Besides, you can't fool the audience with a reaction shot.

I'm sorry but that's nonsense.  As someone whom does a lot of editing with fan edits, I can tell you that you more or less never want to cut from a shot of a person, straight to another shot of the same person, especially if you're trying to hide a switch from a dummy to a real person.  That's editing 101. There are exceptions to the rule (for example, a frantic sequence of someone freaking out on drugs might work quite well with multiple quick cuts to different angles of the same person) but the Ash edit in 'Alien' is not one of these exceptions.

It is, and Ridley Scott knew that and he couldn't trick the audience so he made it part of the narrative.

Of course you can fool the audience.  That's a large part of what editing entails.  You wouldn't cut to one of the characters looking shocked or anything.  You'd just cut to them standing there and watching (maybe just looking around the room nervously).

[Scorpio]

There is a version that does just that and it looks way better.

There is?  I disagree though, that shot works because later on they cut back to Ash's head and it's the dummy head again, so it's like every time he gets deactivated he goes back to the dummy head.

Besides, you can't fool the audience with a reaction shot.

I'm sorry but that's nonsense.  As someone whom does a lot of editing with fan edits, I can tell you that you more or less never want to cut from a shot of a person, straight to another shot of the same person, especially if you're trying to hide a switch from a dummy to a real person.  That's editing 101. There are exceptions to the rule (for example, a frantic sequence of someone freaking out on drugs might work quite well with multiple quick cuts to different angles of the same person) but the Ash edit in 'Alien' is not one of these exceptions.

It is, and Ridley Scott knew that and he couldn't trick the audience so he made it part of the narrative.

Of course you can fool the audience.  That's a large part of what editing entails.  You wouldn't cut to one of the characters looking shocked or anything.  You'd just cut to them standing there and watching (maybe just looking around the room nervously).

That's actually very cliche editing technique (even in the 70s) just to hide bad effects.  Alien is gritty and real.  If they tried to hide it via editing it would look cheesy.  Just watch any b movie from the 50s.  But the point of Alien is that it's not a b-movie, so they can't cut away to hide a bad effect.

[acidreign]

Then who's in the Derelict pilot's chair?

One of millions of Engineers who died millennia ago, just like the ones on LV-223. That was my takeaway from Prometheus - that they'd been wiped out by their own plague aeons ago and that what had happened on 223 was representative of what had happened with the jockey on LV-426. The story in the film followed the same details as what Scott had been saying about the jockey for decades, that it was carrying a ship full of bioweapons that got out of control and died long ago. This has always been the story and Scott's never seemed keen on f**king with it, including in Prometheus - until maybe right now.

Making up some entirely new story for what became of the jockey on LV-426 seems pointless and silly to me given that well-established framework. As does potentially sealing someone in there (or seeding the ship) only 20 years before Alien. I find that incredibly dumb.

Yeah I agree that it would be dumb to go down that route. Ironically the same sort of scenario was what I dreaded would happen in Prometheus after I first saw the trailer with the falling Juggernaut. I assumed that it must be the Derelict and not just a similar ship.

[St_Eddie]

That's actually very cliche editing technique (even in the 70s) just to hide bad effects.  Alien is gritty and real.  If they tried to hide it via editing it would look cheesy.  Just watch any b movie from the 50s.  But the point of Alien is that it's not a b-movie, so they can't cut away to hide a bad effect.

How "gritty and real" is it to blatantly switch from a dummy head to a real one, without even attempting to disguise the switch?!  Just ask a magician about how important distraction is when performing a magic trick.  Also, clichés usually exist for a very good reason.

I had a quick play around in my editing software to help illustrate my point...

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9l0_GoiZKB3QVdCbDFfUGVsV2c

[SiL]

One of millions of Engineers who died millennia ago, just like the ones on LV-223.

But if David creates the Alien, the Engineer couldn't have died millenia ago with a cargo hold full of eggs. That's the question being raised: if David makes the Alien, who's in the chair?

If David makes the Alien, either there's still Engineers around, or someone else is in the pilot chair. If David recreates the Alien, then the Engineers might be wiped out here and there's no problems.

Making up some entirely new story for what became of the jockey on LV-426 seems pointless and silly to me given that well-established framework. As does potentially sealing someone in there (or seeding the ship) only 20 years before Alien. I find that incredibly dumb.

Likewise, but it looks like that's precisely where we're headed.