“Holy Shit.” These are the first words I write in my notes when I step onto the set ofAlien: Covenant. I’ve been on a lot of movie sets, but I’ve never seen anything like this. This isn’t like walking through a film production. This is like walking into another world.
The entire soundstage is atmospheric, thick smoke sticking like cobwebs wherever you turn. From the entrance, it’s lit up enough that you can make out the artifices of filmmaking: the planks and platforms holding the set together, the lighting rigs and camera setups, and the bustling crew members, always moving from A to B between takes. But once you step onto the set itself, you are transported. You are in anAlienfilm. It’s movie magic in real life, and it’s so cool that it takes a minute to remember that is kind of terrifying.
But there’s a sensory element to being on the set that creeps through the wonder with surprising quickness. The sticky walls that actually drip and perspire in the thick atmosphere, the grit and gravel under your feet that threaten to throw off your balance. You take all that in and then suddenly, a few paces later, you’re standing in those familiar ribbed hallways of the Juggernaut ship, making your way down a tunnel that always veers just slightly too far to see what lies around the corner. There are lots of dark corners to go ‘round on anAlienset.
It’s at the end of the hallway where the real “holy shit” stuff comes in. There, a right turn leads to another short corridor, just long enough to permit a chill to dance up your spine in the darkness. Just long enough for you to notice the giant “Space Jockey” suits – the spacesuits of the Engineers – towering over you on either side. When you finally make your way into the light, you’re standing on the iconic bridge of the Engineer spaceship. You know the one.
It’s a near picture perfect replication of that same type of spaceship that featured prominently inPrometheus –the same type of bridge where the crew members of the Nostromo found the fossilized Engineer pilot on their ill-fated detour inAlien. Basically, it’s like walking into movie history; a tangible, textured trip into cinema that builds an immediate sense of reality, from fleshy, gelatinous buttons on the ship’s navigation board, to the deep ridges scored across the floor, forcing you into an unfamiliar gait. It’s notlikebeing there. Itisbeing there.
Such is the way ofRidley Scott, a director well known for a detail-oriented eye and a passion for practical in-camera realism, who has returned to his revered sci-fi franchise once again withAlien: Covenant. The follow-up to his 2012AlienprequelPrometheus,Covenantfollows the crew of a terraforming mission who respond to a distress call on the way to their destination. That signal leads them to a picturesque planet where death, and yes, a whole fuckton of alien creatures lie in wait.
Back in June of 2016, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the set ofAlien: Covenantin Sydney, Australia where the film was shooting at Fox Studios Australia. There, I joined a small group of journalists on day 60 out of a planned 75-day shoot where I had the opportunity to tour the sets for the film, obsessively pore over the concept art and models, and speak with a generous portion of the cast and crew, including a brief chat with Ridley Scott himself. We also talked with cast membersMichael Fassbender,Katherine Waterson,Billy Crudup,Demián Bichir,Tess Haubrich, andNathaniel Dean, as well as producerMark Huffam, special effects supervisorNeil Corbould, production designerChris Seagers, Creatures supervisorConor O’Sullivan, 2nd Creatures SupervisorAdam Johansen, Costume DesignerJanty Yates, and Associate Spacesuit Costume DesignerMichael Mooney.
As you might guess from that enormous list of names, I learned a whole lot of intel on the set, and I’ve put together of all the most pertinent bits and need-to-know details below.
Cast and Characters
Sets, Visual Effects, and Production Design
Peruse the links to the rest of my set visit coverage below.Alien: Covenantopens in theaters on May 19th.
