Just below is a gallery of several images featuring unused visual effects work from Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus. The scene depicted is the moment Fifield (Sean Harris) is infected and returns back to the ship in a dramatically changed state. Today a collection of images from the latest issue of Cinefex (via Bloody Disgusting) have arrived showing an alternate look at what the character looked like rather than what you saw in the final film. To go along with that I also have several other pieces of concept images from artist Ivan Manzella (via the Weyland Chronicles) of the character in his altered state.
The first image in the gallery is a look at the practical effects used on Harris and how they are largely seen in the film outside of some slight digital work done by WETA, but after that is a look at four images of the CG work that was attempted, the first of which includes the following description of how exactly the process went.
To mutate Fifield beyond what was possible using practical makeup effects, Weta Digital generated a digital character with elongated limbs and an engorged, transluscent head, incorporating a semblance of Harris’ face. Scott filmed the sequence both with the actor in makeup and without, providing clean plates that would allow for the insertion of the digital character. The final cut featured mostly makeup effects, which Weta enhanced with digital wire removal, bullet hits, and one shot of the digital creature’s body blended to the actor.
You can browse the gallery of images below and decide which you like better. For me, the scene in question wasn’t one of my favorites in the film, but as for the question of practical over CG, I don’t think there is even a case to be made. I have to assume I would take practical over computer-generated most every day. What do you think? Beyond that, is it just me or does Fifield sort of look like a Mars Attacks! alien in the CG pics? Gak, Gak!
