Behind The Scenes of ALIEN's Spooky Set Design | Making Alien

The design of the Nostromo’s interior in Alien (1979) is meant to make you feel uneasy. The walls are closing in, you are suffocating, and you have no idea what is lurking around each corner. In this video, I will tell you the behind-the-scenes techniques Ridley Scott and the design team used to make the spaceship sets give you anxiety–from concept to execution.

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#Alien #RonCobb #RidleyScott

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Sources:

(Rinzler 132) The Making of Alien by J.W. Rinzler
(Cinefantastique V09) Making Alien - Cinefantastique V09
(Alien Commentary) Alien Blu-ray Commentary
(Mediascene #35) Mediascene Issue #35
(Martin for Starlog) Starlog Magazine Issue 026
(Nathan) Alien Vault: The Definitive Story Behind the Film by Ian Nathan

Music:
Epidemic Sound

[snakeplissken]

The low ceilings was brilliant. Submarines have tight quarters because space is expensive. It makes sense that a spaceship should be a tight, cramped space...and it helps the suspense to add that claustrophobic feeling.

[BAGGStheAugmented]

Everything about how this movie was made blows my mind. SO much creativity and talent and hard work was involved with all of this. And the end result still holds up to this day. Amazing and inspiring.

[mrtrek]

ALIEN is a cult classic that for me is absolutely a stand-alone movie and concept. Still stands up today. Incredible!

[JustWastedHoursHere]

The detail and design of the whole thing is amazing, but what stands out in my mind is the self-destruct mechanism. It just _feels_ so real, like this is exactly how such a thing would look and operate: Intentionally over-complicated so that there is NO question that you INTEND to really do this. I also love the fact that Ridley Scott wanted the crew to be like truck drivers in space. It fits this environment perfectly. And no clean surfaces - except the hibernation chamber - adds to the overall "used" aesthetic of the design.

[KneelBBacon]

I really love the self-destruct system in the Nostromo. It looks exactly like the sort of real, overly-complicated system you would expect to find on such a big starship. And it takes a long time to arm. The audience knows that the alien is loose on the ship somewhere and could attack Ripley at any moment, so they're thinking, 'Come ON! Get the hell off that ship already!" The Director understood the need to build tension during that scene. A modern director would miss this completely and probably just put a big, red "self-destruct" button right next to the door of the escape shuttle.

[wattsnottaken]

The claustrophobic nature of the ship combined with the fact the Nostromo is GIANT, and knowing there’s a 7 foot tall walking nightmare skulking through the corridors

[jamesdrynan]

An astonishing amount of pre-production and set designs. The end result holds up forty-five years later as a true horror film.

[nealwhaley]

You’ll notice that as much as the crew gets on each other’s nerves, they do gravitate towards each other. In the mess hall scene after they have finally departed the alien planet, they are not snacking as far apart as possible as you would expect. They’re all tucked into a side niche for company.

[carlossaraiva]

Decades later this movie keeps inspiring and awe.

[randywatson]

The mother of all space horror movies. It set the bar high for decades. The set design is trully detailed and realistic .

[jaymac]

Damn just imagine how much those awesome sets helped the actors get into character? Amazing stuff.

[HeavyK.]

Actor Yafet Koto lifted this film into reality. What a masterpiece.

[OuterGalaxyLounge]

1979 was an incredible year to be a movie fan. I was reviewing these films for my high school newspaper back then. I saw this in a suburban movie house and was thrilled by what I was seeing, but at the same time had no idea that this movie would have the legs to be praised decades later. Cinema Tyler is, pound for pound, the best movie channel on the platform.

[AIHumanMind]

Woohoo another episode! You make some of the most professional looking movie documentaries on youtube

[brettpaterson]

How knowledgeable you are with your information, I’m fascinated by film making and only discovered your channel so I will keep watching.🎬

[sauronthegreat]

I just loved the sets. So detailed and claustrophobic. Just the right atmosphere for the movie.

[stephensmith]

I'm a big fan of how they made the ship design interior look. I always think the movie would've been creepy even without the alien on board and the crew just going it alone throughout the ship corridors and basement sections. Especially in the deleted scene when Ripley crawls down the ladder into the basement during the countdown sequence. Imagine going down there alone to grab something even without the alien on the ship. Or worse yet, Jonesy just happened to be making noise down there. Same deal with the room that Brett gets attacked in with the chains hanging from the ceiling. They really knew what they were doing back then.

And for the life of me, I can't figure out why the newer Alien franchise films don't go back to using these elaborate dark creepy set designs. I think that's one of many pivotal things that every movie after Alien 3 was missing. A creepy, rusted, mechanical, grimey, claustrophobic set.
The ships in Resurrection, Prometheus, and Covenant just look too clean, bright, and basic looking without that dark dingy feel or look. That and the alien creature itself looking too fake in those movies. Even the puppet in Alien 3 looked lousy in certain scenes. Nothing beats good lighting and practical effects with a man in an alien suit. I doubt any new alien movies will ever get the formula right ever again. The studio execs just miss a lot of pivotal details and they don't care. Same with musical scores in movies. New movies just don't have the good musical scores they used to have.

[mattirealm]

Really loving your series on Alien Tyler! Despite all the amazing documentaries with the Anthology Set, you keep digging up so much great stuff on this one. Definitely one of my favorite movies ever!

[bsways]

Alien and The exorcist are two of the best horror movies ever made. Both masterpieces. Hasn’t been anything as good since but there has been a few worth mentioning.

[Doc_-_Savage_]

Seeing this FILM in the theatre for the first time this spring, and having waited for 39 years of my life for the chance, this film is AMAZING on the big screen! Amazing enough to go twice to see it.