Historical

Beyond the Frame: Alien

Behind the scenes with Ridley Scott and cinematographer Derek Vanlint, CSC.

David E. Williams

Behind the scenes with Ridley Scott and cinematographer Derek Vanlint, CSC.


At Shepperton Studios, director Ridley Scott (center) oversees shooting a close-up on the creepy, translucent “facehugger” creature while filming Alien (1979), photographed by Derek Vanlint, CSC. The iconic beast was designed by a team that included H.R. Giger, screenwriter Dan O’Bannon and illustrator Ron Cobb — resulting in recurring nightmares for generations of filmgoers worldwide.


Scott was honored in 2016 with the ASC Board of Governors Award.


Alien was selected as one of the ASC 100 Milestone Films in Cinematography of the 20th Century.








If you enjoy archival and retrospective articles on classic and influential films, you'll find more AC historical coverage here.





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