Alien: covenant
Trevor Hogg discovers the challenges MPC faced when unleashing a more organic-looking Xenomorph and a new Neomorph in Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant
Trevor Hogg discovers the challenges MPC faced when unleashing an updated Xenomorph and a new Neomorph in the latest Alien film
Following the divisive Prometheus, Alien: Covenant marks a more critically accepted return of filmmaker Ridley Scott to the monster in space franchise that he launched in 1979.
MPC Montreal looked after 600 shots that included the Neomorph and Xenomorph, while MPC London did 100 shots focused on flashback and environment work, as well as the shower scene. “We had meetings with Ridley Scott in London and he showed us original pieces by HR Giger of the Xenomorph and scenes that he liked in Alien,” says MPC VFX supervisor Ferran Domenech. “Ridley wanted to make the Xenomorph more organic, which is a departure from the purely biomechanical look of the original.” Ferran adds that for the classic curved head of Xenomorph, Ridley was aiming for the thick translucent quality and the consistency of gelatinous aspic.
Digital Xenomorph
An actor wearing a Xenomorph suit and a practical puppet were filmed, but Ferran says the action demanded a digital version
too: “there was always the need to make a CG version because we had scenes where the Xenomorph runs, jumps and attacks.”
there are colour variations from browns to black as well as various specular qualities to the skin. “Some parts of the Xenomorph are more skeletal, where you get these drier, more porous bones. there’s also gelatin and goo in many areas. the corridors have all of these artificial lights, so you get to play a lot with how the specular light catches the surfaces of Xenomorph along with the Subsurface Scattering, so you have light going into the softer bits of flesh.”
References for the behavioural attributes of the Xenomorph ranged from footage from the original Alien, crabs and the praying mantis. “it’s all about the alien quality that insects have,” says Ferran. “if you look at nature documentaries about praying mantises, for example, they have eyes, but they also sense a lot of their environment. there’s a still quality to them as they cock their heads and make these quick changes of speed. We brought that body language to the Xenomorph. it’s all done by body posture and head tilts. it’s like a blind creature looking around for its victims with its sensor organ, so he can almost see in all directions. We also played with his tail, which he can use as a fifth limb and the tip like a spear.”
the goblin shark was a big influence for the look of the Neomorph, which has soft translucent white skin. “We looked at
the more organic scenes, with lots of blood and Gore when the Neomorph is born, were technically difficult Ferran Domenech, VFX supervisor, MPC
you Get to play a lot with how the specular light Catches the surfaces of xenomorph along with the subsurface scattering, so you have light GOING into the softer bits of flesh Ferran Domenech, VFX supervisor, MPC
greyhounds when they’re going really fast and how the bones canter because they’re almost upright,” explains Ferran. “We had reference from a performance artist from Spain, who is almost doublejointed. He has such a thin muscular body that he can achieve these almost impossible postures, and was therefore good for modelling the Neomorph.”
David, portrayed by Michael Fassbender, attempts to tame the creature that evolves into a Xenomorph as the consequence of his genetic experiments. “through body language, tension in the neck, and the speed of his breathing and the screeches of the Neomorph, we have this dialogue between the two characters.” the reflection of David was then integrated into the lighting set-up, creating the illusion that the blood on the chest of the creature is acting as a mirror.
“Ridley Scott specifically asked for the Neomorph to grow in front of your eyes,” explains Ferran. “if you watch the medical bay sequence when the Neomorph bursts out of Leward’s [Benjamin Rigby] back, it lands on the floor as a foetus and immediately grows into baby form, then it becomes a teenager and a moment later you see it outside as an adult. From a technical point of view, we had to develop four versions of the Neomorph: from foetus to baby, baby to toddler, toddler to teenager and teenager to adult. these four variations of the rig allowed us to grow the limbs at different speeds and to go from one body shape to another. it was a challenge for the rigging and animation departments.” Developing new tools A new MPC proprietary software tool called Machi was utilised to distribute 15,000 buildings, 250,000 dead engineers and 500,000 trees for a sequence that takes place in a massive Engineer city. “We started with the New Zealand photography and incorporated some other mountains from the united States,” says Ferran. “the environment department worked on integrating the houses into the rock in a way that felt like they blended into the
landscape.” Different types of architecture were referenced, such as Classical Greek, Roman, and Brutalist. “When you see the flashback scene, the Engineers all die at the same time when a pathogen comes out of the ampules of Prometheus that is hovering above the city. the black smoke has a life of its own and flies into the mouths, ears, and eyes of the Engineers. they slowly and painfully turn into these black burnt husks of their own bodies.”
Running a tight ship
MPC was also responsible for the ships: “the Lander lands in shallow water and created challenges to our effects team, who had to lift all of this steam on water as the ship is landing,” says Ferran. “then there’s a particular light that the engines create, which lights up the environment as they go through it. they’re like Harriers. Each engine moves independently. the Lander was an interesting ship based on the space shuttle. they built about 20 per cent of the ship. one of the engines and the door.” the Lifter, which is a cargo ship, needed modifications. “the way the Lifter was built on a gimbal on-set, there was always going to be a top up, but we made it extra large to allow the ship to look more functional. it also has more cargo area. the cockpit was fully functional.”
the biggest challenge for MPC was bringing back the Xenomorph that everyone knows. “the movements and the qualities of the Xenomorph are always challenging,” says Ferran. “Equally difficult were some of the more organic scenes with lots of blood and gore when the Neomorph is born. that was quite challenging technically, to be able to replace practical effects with full CG blood, simulations of the flesh and a semitranslucent sack inside, which is the baby.”