Alien Explorations

Alien Covenant: Elizabeth Shaw corpse

leading from

(still collating)

a) Working on the Elizabeth Shaw corpse
 
a.i) Sculpted by Colin Ware
 
With the head based on Noomi Rapace's this is said by Colin Ware to be based on Giger artwork. Perhaps loosely inspired by the Li Tobler painting Li I.

He wanted to pay homage to Giger and do justice to the art department designs but it also something that he would be doing quickly and the project would come together in a couple of weeks and he had to work out how to do that with internal organs and bones.

He wanted her to be an artistic experimentation with fertility after he saw amazing art department sketches, but the organic structures round her head could plausibly be from her, maybe a few cultivated parts.

While Colin worked away on the piece, he listened to music such as the German folk metal band, Equilibrium

The prop had been seamed, finished and painted by Alice Baueris and Colin Ware , while Adam
Johansen wrangled it on the set

At a time when people were still asking what became of Elizabeth Shaw in Alien Covenant, a photograph of the Elizabeth Shaw corpse was leaked onto the internet some time before the release of the movie.

The final thing body had been digitally altered in post production but Colin didn't find out why, however the eyes had been digitally closed, perhaps at peace while before they were open as in the painting Li I.

a.ii) Too disturbing for Michael Fassebender 

This actual body itself, Michael Fassbender found too disturbing to act with and didn't want to be on the set with it but perhaps Colin could take this as a compliment.
 
a.iii) Noomi's head stuck on Penelope Cruz's corpse? 

Matt Hatton the illustrator's view was that the body was based on Penelope Cruz and while the composition was based on Giger's Li I for which he did a Photoshop montage transplanting Noomi's face onto Giger's painting.  But he welcomed the fact that Noomi's head appeared to be stuck on someone else's body because as far as he thought, David the android was an unreliable narrator because he's not quite right and one can not believe what he says.
 
a.iv) Elizabeth Shaw was dead, whatever 

However it could only be argued that it was supposed to be Elizabeth Shaw who was dead and there was no other conclusion to make anyway. 


b) Photos
 
b.i.a) The Elizabeth Shaw head environment
    Source: https://www.instagram.com/

    Comments with the instagram photo relating to it:
    b. i. b) The Elizabeth Shaw head environment


    Odd Studios: Alien: Covenant.  Some fun, old school make up effects on 2 unit. Davids Lab, Shaw. This piece based on Gigers artwork, sculpted by Colin Ware, seamed, finished & painted by Alice Baueris & Colin and dressed and wrangled on set by Adam Johansen & Colin.  (https://www.facebook.com/oddstudiopl/ 19th February 2018)

     
    b.i.c) The Elizabeth Shaw head environment closeup)
     
     
    1. Colin Ware: Sculpting on Alien Covenant , the head was done first in monster clay then the autopsy bits were water based clay and bits of skeleton , the final piece was silicone with latex fabrication.. paint job and hair ..😀dd and my fav thing I did on the job .. (https://www.instagram.com/p/Br_EjSslspE/ December 29, 2018)

     
     
     
    b.ii) Colin Ware working on the final corpse,


    Source: https://www.instagram.com/

    Detail from above Photoshop montage by Matt Hatton showing
    preliminary for Shaw corpse head based on Giger's Li I


    HR Giger's Li I (1974)


    Comments with the instagram photo relating to it:
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix : Sculpting the Shaw/ Geiger corpse for Alien Covenant & listening to Equilibrium 😀dd
    • saint.halo: Giger 
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix: @saint.halo I know ! I just love corrective typing 😀 
    • saint.halo: Sorry ... but i am the nephew from hr. 
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix@saint.halo : It made me so happy to base a sculpture on my favourite Giger painting, always loved his work , always will !
    • menavem : This piece is a masterwork. Initially your sculpture portrayed the eyes as open,as it is in the piece that inspired it. Can you tell us why this was altered before it was filmed?
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix@menavem : Digital alteration in post production , not sure why !
    • menavem@prosthetix : Is that so. I've studied the images of each,and thought it must've been altered on set by the team at last minute. How do you feel about the effect as it appears in the film? I think it made a more terrifying impression as you sculpted it,and now a more mournful,melancholy chord is struck upon seeing it with eyes closed, peacefully.
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix@menavemYes , mine was based on the design & Fassbender found it too disturbing to act with , I prefer mine over the image in the film , I wanted to do internal genetic experiments with embryos and aliens but that was vetoed..
    • muthur9000 : What is the stuff around her head supposed to be, I know it looks like the small intestines. I heard it was supposed to be a re-breathing device of some sort. Beautiful work!
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix I wanted to pay homage to Giger and do justice to the art dept designs , I decided to approach the piece for David’s lab as an art / autopsy / science expt piece , I had to figure out how to do that with internal organs and bones .. no rebreathing device ..& thanx


    b.iii) Shaw corpse image shared on 28th February 2018


    Odd studios: Alien: Covenant. Some fun, old school make up effects on 2 unit. Davids Lab, Shaw.  This piece based on Gigers artwork, sculpted by Colin Ware, seamed, finished & painted by Alice Baueris & Colin and dressed and wrangled on set by Adam Johansen & Colin.
     (Source: https://www.facebook.com/oddstudiopl 28th February 2018)




    b.iv) Creating the shaw corpse:

    Colin Ware working on the corpse Source: https://www.instagram.com
    [Poster December 1st 2017)
    Comments with the instagram photo relating to it:
    • Colin Ware/ prosthetix : Working on the Shaw corpse from Alien Covenant , this was a fast turnaround and based on one of my fav Giger paintings .. more pics to come ..featured in the latest makeup artist magazine, fun with 😀dd 
    • puffjockey : How fast? 
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix : @puffjockey came together in a couple of weeks 😀
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix : I originally wanted her to be an artistic experimentation with fertility after seeing amazing art dept sketches , but the stuff round her head could plausibly be from her, maybe a few cultivated parts ... fassbender couldn’t be on set with her 😀(compliment I guess) I’ll post more pics soon !

    b.v) Colin Ware working on the corpse at the set, helped by Adam Johansen

    Source: https://www.instagram.com
    Comments with the instagram photo relating to it:
    • Colin Ware/prosthetix: Onset with my good bud Adam Johansen fun with 😀dd, Alien Covenant .(November 25th 2017)

    b.vi) Shaw corpse image shared on Facebook on February 6th 2018



    Odd Studios : Alien: Covenant. Some fun, old school make up effects on 2 unit. Davids Lab, Shaw.
    This piece based on Gigers artwork, sculpted by Colin Ware, seamed, finished & painted by Alice Baueris & Colin and dressed and wrangled on set by Adam Johansen & Colin.
    (Source: https://www.facebook.com/oddstudiopl/   6th February 2018)

    b.vii) Leaked photo of Elizabeth Shaw corpse head

    Photograph leaked before film's release of final prop


    b.viii) Shaw corpse image shared on 9th February 2018



    Odd Studios: Alien: Covenant. Some fun, old school make up effects on 2 unit. Davids Lab, Shaw. This piece based on Gigers artwork, sculpted by Colin Ware, seamed, finished & painted by Alice Baueris & Colin and dressed and wrangled on set by Adam Johansen & Colin.
    (source: https://www.facebook.com/oddstudiopl/ 9th February 2018)


    b.ix) Shaw corpse image shared on 12th February 2018


    Odd Studios: Alien: Covenant. Some fun, old school make up effects on 2 unit. Davids Lab, Shaw.
    This piece based on Gigers artwork, sculpted by Colin Ware, seamed, finished & painted by Alice Baueris & Colin and dressed and wrangled on set by Adam Johansen & Colin.
     

    (source: https://www.facebook.com/oddstudiopl, 13th February 2018)

    b.x) Shaw corpse image shared on 15th February 2018


    Odd Studios: Alien: Covenant. Some fun, old school make up effects on 2 unit. Davids Lab, Shaw.
    This piece based on Gigers artwork, sculpted by Colin Ware, seamed, finished & painted by Alice Baueris & Colin and dressed and wrangled on set by Adam Johansen & Colin (Source: https://www.facebook.com/oddstudiopl/ 15th February 2018)

    b.xi) Shaw corpse from the


    1. Studio Yutani: From the Muthur9000 archives, Shaw's corpse for Alien: Covenant by Odd Creatures (@odd_studio + @creaturesincltd) It depressed me to no end seeing what happened to Dr Elizabeth Shaw. It took a long time to reconcile that David could even do this to her. Beautiful practical effects work for such a shocking reveal.  (source: Studio Yutani facebook: 11th June 2019,  https://www.facebook.com/yutani.studio/photos/a.259775317848133/609088536250141/?type=3&theater)



    1. Studio Yutani: From the Muthur9000 archives, Shaw's corpse for Alien: Covenant by Odd Creatures (@odd_studio + @creaturesincltd) It depressed me to no end seeing what happened to Dr Elizabeth Shaw. It took a long time to reconcile that David could even do this to her. Beautiful practical effects work for such a shocking reveal. . . (Source Studio Yutani on Facebook 11th 2019 https://www.facebook.com/yutani.studio/photos/a.259775317848133/609090716249923/?type=3&theater)

    b.xii) The corpse is briefly seen in the final movie in David's laboratory very briefly


    Final Elizabeth Shaw corpse head as seen in the film
    Final Elizabeth Shaw corpse head as seen in the film
    Elizabeth Shaw corpse body  as seen in the film.




    Other source quotes
    1. Matt Hatton:  actually think that er the one in the movie, because we couldn't get hold of of erm scans or or or erm castings or whatever of of of Noomi erm,  I think that body is actually Penelope Cruz and and yeah absolutely it's it's based on Giger's Li and that sort of stuff, um um, yeah yeah, er tha.. a...a.. there are contradictions and that sort of thing, I know people who've been like "ooh, they don't match" but that's also the sort of the point. They don't match, that David is an unreliable narrator, we've known that for the whole movie now, um, you know, that something's not quite right and we can't rely on him and and I intentionally did a lot of the drawings contradicting each you know that so that it, like you say, is not clear, i i it's, you're not quite sure what's going on, did it happen this way, did it happen that way, that that's intentional because you know that's David's not quite right and you can't believe what he's says. (Perfect Organism 65)

    2 comments:

    1. The question: what happened to Shaw in the hibernation chamber?.

      ReplyDelete