Halcyon Alien Space Jockey TheB version

[Theb]

Oh Pooh!

 

Only just seen (8 years late) that the book I really could've done with is Alien Diaries.

 

Now trying to rehearse the lines as to how I can justify the £80 price tag to the partner. I've already had the next 10 years worth of early Birthday and Christmas presents so far this year

[Peter2]

The Halcyon base reminds me of the wrong-scale mistake in Spinal Tap's Stonehenge concert set. Is that lengths of coiled telephone cable or similar inserted to make the side edges of the chair for the moulding process? If so, it seems a simple but effective method to ensure fidelity to the original, as well as a consistent repeatability of the template, which appear to be the hallmarks of this scratchbuilt model. Noble work so far.

[Peter2]

You might get a loan of that book through a public library or a university library. Several UK universities have the legal right to request copies of books for their college library if it was published in the UK (I don't know if the English version of Giger's book was published in the UK though.) Many people don't think of those sources, so I just offer it as a suggestion.

[Theb]

Public Library is a good idea... If they haven't been sold off by the council to a private construction company for re-development into multi unit abode's for stonking money... with a couple thrown in for good measure and appearances of doing their part for the local community and classed as 'affordable rent'.

 

Just put my order in for the book! This one I won't have on the desk and allow to become covered in all sorts of stuff whilst working.

[spruecutter96]

On 10/28/2022 at 11:22 AM, Theb said:

Only just seen (8 years late) that the book I really could've done with is Alien Diaries.

If you don't have it, I would thoroughly recommend the "Alien Vault" - I think it was about15 quid on Amazon a while ago. It is just about everything the true Alien fan could ask for (and then some).  

 

Chris. 

 

PS: Considering the first movie's budget was somewhere in the region of $14 Million, I think they did an amazing job. It's funny... I would think many modern films spend that kind of money on catering and security, combined. 

[Theb]

Hi Chris.

 

Yes I do have that one. Bought at considerable cost too if I remember rightly (more like £50 rather than £15). Has some good insight but I always thought it was a little 'childish' maybe. The author is a true fan though and that comes across. The Making Of Alien by J.W. Rinzler I find is a better book but then I'm a big fan of the man as the job he did with the original Star Wars trilogy is phenomenal (yay! I actually managed to spell phenomenal without having the red squiggley line under it,,,whilst the word squiggly does!). Also have the Making of Aliens by the guy too. Wanted the Indy ones but at £40 a pop it gets a little costly.

 

I think that maybe I might have the wrong kind of pastime as the genre is vast and expensive. The movie posters the model kits the soundtracks and the books and the toys and the Blu Rays then there's the other memorabillia stuff (red squiggly line under the word memorabilia!) the replica helmets and the attending various memorabilia events at great cost just for the privilege (just had to google privilege as I tried to type that word 8 different ways to remove the red squiggle before I conceded!) of spending even more money for a signed picture of some celebrity, and the original Graflex 3 Cell flash handle that I refuse to convert because it's too pretty as it is and then there is the prolonged pain of collecting anything by Deagostini. It takes approx 2 years to collect the damn thing at stupid money only to sit somewhere for more years to come.

 

I should've been more like the guy I used to work with. His weekends were spent by all accounts, cleaning and tidying his household... He even ironed his socks!

 

Did I mention the Graflex 3 Cell?

 

Brian.

[Pete in Lincs]

So, you're an addict then? 👽

[Theb]

Hi Chris.

 

Quote

PS: Considering the first movie's budget was somewhere in the region of $14 Million, I think they did an amazing job. It's funny... I would think many modern films spend that kind of money on catering and security, combined. 

The other truly amazing fact about the amount that Alien cost is that if you do the conversion to adjust for inflation it still comes in at todays price, well under what a movie of it's calibre would cost. Another truly amazing thing is that there was only around 200 crew on it. You wouldn't believe how many worked on Avatar!

 

It's shocking how much movies cost these days... Moonfall anybody. I'm pretty sure that Mr Emmerich will be thinking strongly about his next movie (if a studio will touch him ever again). Back in the day, movies could bomb at the box office because there was always the home video market to pick up the slack. How many years did Spielberg have to wait for the news that 1941 turned a profit. These days it's make it so at the box office cause there ain't no other revenue other than what ever deal you can strike up from streaming services.

 

Apparently the original Space Jockey set cost $500,000 to create. I'm trying to bring mine in under £500!

 

Keeping it small.

Brian.

 

[Theb]

2 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

So, you're an addict then? 👽

Nope!

 

🤔

 

Although my partner says that I've gone to Egypt when ever I claim not to be.

 

In De Nile.

 

Brian.

[Pete in Lincs]

Good on you. Follow your star, wherever it may lead.

Hey that sounds quite philosophical (no red squiggly line!) doesn't it?

[spruecutter96]

Yep, the cost of modern movies really makes my eye water. I've said it before.... the producers will happily spend $150 Million on ridiculous, over-the-top, generally unconvincing Visual FX, but are loath to spend $100.00 on making the script worthwhile. It's a really simple equation, folks.... a dreadful script equals an equally awful film. You can't get around that. 

 

I've often wondered if the cost of modern films is (at least partially) down to dozens of suppliers over-charging for everything they supply. I read about the shooting of the Liz Taylor / Robert Burton "Cleopatra" in Rome in the mid-60's. Apparently, the cost of EVERYTHING supplied to the studio increased by at least 500% overnight when it was announced. Pencils were the (then) equivalent of 10 quid a throw, according to this book. The suppliers squeezed every last drop of money out of the production (and the movie was not a great success, even after all the hype, ironically). 

 

Chris. 

 

PS: I'm fairly friendly with Tony James of Timeless Hobbies. When he had his London model-shop (Comet Miniatures), he said HR Giger came in on a few occasions. He was telling me that Giger never, ever wore shoes, never had a penny on him and would trade movie-props and models for the kits he wanted. He was definitely as odd as his reputation made him out to be.  

Edited October 29, 2022 by spruecutter96
Amending some information.

[GrahamS]

On 10/26/2022 at 9:31 PM, spruecutter96 said:

but in the expensive, poorly-written garbage that was Prometheus,

At last! I’m not the only one who thought Prometheus (and Covenant) was shi……💩💩💩

 

Graham

[Theb]

1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Good on you. Follow your star, wherever it may lead.

Hey that sounds quite philosophical (no red squiggly line!) doesn't it?

Hi Pete.

 

I did try the following of my star. Mark Hamill in fact but a restraining order put an end to all that… Something to do with stalking!
 

🤪

[Theb]

2 minutes ago, GrahamS said:

At last! I’m not the only one who thought Prometheus (and Covenant) was shi……💩💩💩

 

Graham

All that attention to detail and the obvious went right by the way… Lacklustre story and poor delivery. Sometimes I wish that Tony was still alive.

 

imagine! Top Gun Alien

[spruecutter96]

3 minutes ago, GrahamS said:

I’m not the only one who thought Prometheus (and Covenant) was shi……💩💩💩

 

Truth be told, I've watched it a few times, but it could have been an AMAZING movie, instead of the DEEPLY mediocre one they served up. I don't think that Ridley Scott really knows a great script when it's in front of him (A Dry White Season, GI Jane, White Squall, House of Gucci, The Councilor.... all VERY, VERY bad films). 

 

I think Scott's much more interested in the visual side of things, as opposed to great storytelling. He's made some stunning films, but more than his fair share of real stinkers. Having said that, what director has only ever made great movies? (The first person to volunteer Stanley Kubrick will be pelted with eighty-seven, out-of-date McDonalds Filet-O-Fish, at a time of our choosing).

 

Chris.      

[Theb]

Seems to be wide spread that Ridley is a visualist first and foremost and the director part comes second or maybe even third in his list of priorities. The Duelists as a first movie is sublime and as close to a Kubrick in my opinion as anyone can get. I still love watching that movie. When he films the main argument seems to be that he will jump on the camera and set up the shot even though they have paid camera men on set. Harrison Ford was at odds with him on Blade Runner because apparently on an occasion, he asked as to what he would like for a scene and Ridley would say something along the lines of ‘Your the actor,,,Act!

 

Ridley Scott movies are a little like Knitting.

 

Knit one.

Pearl one.

Drop one.

 

There is another reason for my build but that may not make it into the final cut. It’s a nod to the movie but also the things surrounding it with some other stuff in and around it but that’s another tell.

 

Brian.

[spruecutter96]

3 hours ago, Theb said:

Harrison Ford was at odds with him on Blade Runner because apparently on an occasion, he asked as to what he would like for a scene and Ridley would say something along the lines of ‘Your the actor,,,Act!

That's about the worst thing you can say to a hugely-famous American film-actor. I've read comments that US actors kind of expect LOADS of direction and don't like not being told what to do. It's not the environment / working-condition they're used to.

 

Sigourney Weaver told an interesting story about John Hurt (RIP). Apparently, Hurt was winding Scott up, in the scene where the crew are discussing their bonuses. He was demanding to know how to hold his cup of tea, IIRC. Scott ignored him and raised his voice at Weaver, instead. It being her very first movie, she got a little emotional and walked off set. Scott caught up with her and instantly gave her a big apology, explaining he really wanted to shout at Hurt, but couldn't. 

 

He explained that he felt unable to give an actor of Hurt's stature a verbal reprimand, so he (unfairly) directed his feelings at her. It's interesting that the actor/director relationship is so subject to this kind of on-set "hierarchy".   

 

I've read that Weaver also had a "walking-off-set" incident on the very disappointing "Alien Resurrection". She did not get on well with the French director by all accounts, who didn't have a great grasp of English and had a fairly abrasive personality. Weaver was on a very big salary for the fourth film and was also credited as an Executive Producer, so she had some influence.

 

Still.... actors, eh? 

 

Chris.  

Edited October 30, 2022 by spruecutter96
Correcting a typo.

[spruecutter96]

Correction... Alien was not Sigourney Weaver's first film. I believe she was in a very brief scene in a Woody Allen film, before that one. 

 

Chris. 

[Peter2]

Interesting that the Space Jockey set cost $500,000. If the film's budget was $14 million, that's one-twentieth-eighth of the budget for a scene that has quite a short duration compared with the overall picture length. Wonder what the production accountant said about that? And after filming was complete, that set was eventually consigned the proverbial skip (or an actual skip), like so much cinematic firewood (the most expensive form of fuel). Today Elon Musk would probably buy the retired Space Jockey set (when time travel is invented he will, I predict - or has done already, on some timeline). He would then restore it and display it, perhaps next to Theb's accurate model (whose model may have inspired HR Giger's design in another alternative timeline).

[Theb]

Peter2

 

lost for words . Thankyou.

 

Forget Elon though. If I won the Euro millions I’d be building this full scale myself with glass balconies and all sorts. I’d also throw in a full sized Millenium Falcon and Hoth rebel base hanger to boot. 
 

on the subject of bare feet. Me too! I hate shoes or anything restricting on my feet but it does have its downsides like kids leaving Lego on the floors and when I take the rubbish out there’s usually a slug or two. Giger did have a pair of shoes once though albeit carved from two loaves of bread!
 

Back to the sanding and cleaning…desperately looking to get the end pylon mood ready by Saturday😵‍💫

[Theb]

Yay!

 

The courier has just delivered my package with my order of Alien Diaries in it!

 

Boo!

 

The company I ordered it from has wrongly labelled a novel by Don Winslow.

 

Not quite the same thing.

[Moggy]

On 26/10/2022 at 22:31, spruecutter96 said:

As I'm sure many folks will know, in the wide-shots of the Space Jockey set, Ridley Scott had children in the environment-suits, to make the set look that much bigger. 

 

I've always thought it a bit of a con that, in the first Alien, the Space Jockey must have been around 15 feet tall, but in the expensive, poorly-written garbage that was Prometheus, the "Engineers" are around 8 feet tall. Maybe their species was just that much bigger in those days? 

 

Also, the idea that the Engineers were the forefathers of Earth's human-race never seemed that logical to me, but we'll let that one slide.   

 

Anyway, all the best for your build. 

 

Chris.

 

PS: The laser that created the blue, smoky effect in the Egg Chamber? Apparently, that was borrowed from the band The Who, who were rehearsing for a tour at Shepperton Studios at the time Alien was in production.     

I agree - hollywood's usual mix: extremely expensive effects + extremely crappy script 🤮

[Moggy]

The modelling is incredible - together with the creativity 😜

 

Cheers, Moggy (who loves Alien)

[Theb]

On 05/11/2022 at 23:09, Moggy said:

The modelling is incredible - together with the creativity 😜

 

Cheers, Moggy (who loves Alien)

I hate Alien. For what was originally intended or rather laid out as a B movie, it’s a work of art at every turn. The production value without Giger would’ve been superb but noooo! Gotta have a weird Swiss bloke added to the fold to turn what should’ve been a bog standard Blueberry Muffin into a top of the range Molly’s Cupcake (had to Google the best cupcakes in the world and this Chicago based company came up!). I hate the bloke so much! I should’ve done my art dissertation on some other numb nuts named Cy Twombly but my art tutor was a little unsure about a scribbler so I went for number two…and got an A+ 
 

it’s gotten to the point where I’m wearing black clothing whilst barefoot and listening to jazz and staring at things in a way that others would consider strange so I now have to wear dark shaded lenses everywhere…even in the swimming pool because of this guy and this movie.

 

Alien sucks!
 

be afraid. Be very afraid… another movie but fitting

 

Brian. 🤪
 

 

Pylons going into mould this week. Yay!

Edited November 7, 2022 by Theb
Addition

[Theb]

The Blob