Alien: Finishing touches to the Nostromo

leading from

Alien: Creating The Nostromo

a)  The final moment
They were delegated a specific job, the freedom to get on with it but to look out if they didn't get it done in time.

Brian Johnson told "Jon Sorensen, finish and spray it black, NOW!" , Jon was dithering and it was his own fault. He just wanted to add one more detail to the Nostromo and then another and Brian had told him three times to finish.

The moment came to send the Nostromo over to the shooting stage and still Jon couldn't let go of her.

b) Jon Sorenson as the photographer
Experienced with photography, while test shots were being done on the tug, Jon was sent to take large photographs of it plus a collection of 35 millimetre shots from which he was then to spend an additional six weeks painstaking recreating all the detail on a small version about five feet long.

c) Costs
Bill Pearson estimated that £86,000 was spent on the Nostromo's construction when at the beginning they were working with materials costing a couple of hundred pounds.

The studios didn't care about the money, because they knew that they had a hit on their hands

Source quotes

1. Dennis Lowe: The thing I remember well was the ability to delegate a specific job and you were left to get on with it, look out if it wasn't ready on time though!!....... (Re: ALIEN Makers Documentary June 23rd 2009 )
2. Jon Sorenson: Absolutely right, Dennis. I got Brian telling me one day, "Jon Sorensen, finish and spray it black, NOW!!" I was dithering and it was my own fault. Just one more detail, and then one more...this was on the back end of the big Nostromo. Brian got exasperated. And right he was too. He had told me three times to finish. I never made that mistake twice. The Nostromo then went over to the shooting stage and I wanted to follow her, which I did soon after for the remainder of the schedule. It was love and I was pining. (Re: ALIEN Makers Documentary June 23rd 2009 )
3. Bill Pearson: At the start, we were working with a couple of hundred quid's worth of materials, but by the end of it I could order whatever I wanted. I think it worked out I'd spent £86,000 on the Nostromo in the end, but the studio didn't care. They knew they had a hit on their hands. (SFX#6, p35)