After exploring with RunwayML's YOLO object detection model I obtained a depository of every frame with a person in it throughout Alien.
I haven't really considered characters too much throughout my exploration of film. Not due to lack of interest more down to being more involved in other aspects of filmic information.
But I am particularly interested at the depiction of people in Alien and science fiction set in space in general. From a young age I've had an infatuation with space travel and the occupation of an astronaut.This has only been made more prominent through my love for film and their depictions of astronauts.
I think its something that feels so distant and disconnected yet relatable and so engrained in popular culture. The moon landing and space race being such a pinnacle moment in our history. We have a connection with this infinite search for something bigger and something more.
I found these works to be symbolic of what these characters mean to the system they are in and the enhancing of the depiction of the "crew expendable" to the space travel corporation.
These nameless faces and blurred images represent a kind of loss of identity within the greater meaning of the role of 'the astronaut' and moralises its glamorisation.
I took these examples into processing to manipulate them further and to focus on contrast and depth of the images.
I considered the approach of creating a design based off of binary coding in science fiction film production design. I thought it would be an interesting avenue to look at these people through the technology they operate and the relationship between user and interface.
Some of these outcomes were really interesting and I really enjoyed the stylisation of this processing sketch.
below was more experimentation with these images and changing shapes blend modes and sizing of objects.
I liked this branch of outcomes but it didn't quite communicate my ideas fully. I wanted to create a contrast between the glossy depictions of "the astronaut" in a filmic setting compared to the banality of aliens blue collar workers.
These representations could be an interesting representation of the future space travel being privatised and the colonisation of lands off planet.
In Space No One Can Here You Unionize is an article that discusses these themes within alien.
"Alien is so committed to its drab vision of democratically shitty space travel that Ripley emerges as the hero almost by process of elimination. There are no early “hero shots,” nothing to clue us in that Ripley is the one to root for. As far as we know, she is just another cranky space jockey."
The symbolism of the astronaut in Hollywood is an interesting one that I'm surprised hasn't been written about more. These representations of people who are so human yet experience something so different from what we know has fascinated audiences for decades.
I constructed an astronauts helmet in Blender first as I wanted a 3D artefact to project these images of people from runway onto.
I'm not knew to blender but certainly learned lots watching my fair share of "building a sci-fi helmet in blender" videos on YouTube.
I used the image below as a reference for creating a helmet (Not my work/couldn't locate artist)
Considering materials I either wanted something reflective or white to work well with these images.
Seven dreamers. You must understand that they were not professional dreamers. Professional dreamers are highly paid, respected, much sought-after talents. Like the majority of us, these seven dreamt without effort or discipline. Dreaming professionally, so that one’s dreams can be recorded and played back for the entertainment of others, is a much more demanding proposition. It requires the ability to regulate semiconscious creative impulses and to stratify imagination, an extraordinarily difficult combination to achieve. A professional dreamer is simultaneously the most organized of all artists and the most spontaneous. A subtle weaver of speculation, not straightforward and clumsy like you or me. Or these certain seven sleepers.
I first took the helmet into unity as its the 3D platform I'm most comfortable with. I made the material reflective and used a light probe and surrounding images planes to create these reflections in the helmet.
I then took the helmet into after effects to create a smooth animation by using key lighting and other effects to create this kind of morphing of the two artefacts.