Giger's Alien - 1979 Documentary

Giger's Alien - 1979 Documentary. Featuring behind-the-scenes on Ridley Scott's Alien with H.R. Giger. 

These scenes are from the science fiction horror movie *Alien*, produced by 20th Century Fox and filmed at Shepperton Studios in England. Our documentary will showcase some of my work behind the scenes. I was responsible for all the fantasy scenery in the movie, designing the unknown planet, the wreck of the alien spaceship and its interior, the so-called Exile, and various types of alien monsters.

I created the initial sketches and designs in my studio in Zurich after discussing the project with director Ridley Scott. Subsequently, I flew to England multiple times where my paintings were evaluated, and we discussed possible alterations.

Here are a few variations of the alien figure that I envisioned, all emerging from my personal visual world, which I call biomechanical.

- **The Exile**: An unrealized project.

- **The Landscape of the Unknown Planet**: Conceptualized with intricate details.

- **The Alien Spaceship Derelict**: Including its structure and specific details.

- **Entrance of the Derelict and its Passages**: Designed with meticulous detail.

- **The Pilot's Seat and the Pilot**: Crafted with precision.

- **Shaft with a Membrane**: Detailed interior design of the Exile.

- **Model of the Exile**: Constructed meticulously.

At Bray Studios, a team of specialists constructed the models needed for the special effects scenes. My colleague, Evo Z, will explain how these models were made and used in the movie.

“The advantage of using plasticine,” Evo Z explains, “is that we can embed pieces of plastic pipe into it, and it holds well. For areas like this, we use pieces of plastic tube, cut and fitted, securing with nails or pins, and then dress up with plasticine. This model is currently being painted; the details will be finished later. We've cut through the polystyrene in specific areas to form parts of the alien spacecraft. This section was built full-size on a large stage at Shepperton Studios, approximately 12 to 13 meters high. You can get an idea of the scale from this small figure.”

Inside Shepperton Studios, where movies like *The Omen*, *Superman*, and parts of *Star Wars* were filmed, the science fiction scenery was set up in huge studios called stages. Here, the models were built to their original size for shooting the scenes.