PAPER PROPS - The Magazines Reimagined

[joberg]

Tom, since you worked with so many famous Art Director, conceptual artists and illustrator was Alien really, as you said, something that different from other films, or was it the first time you saw all that work beeing showed to the public in general?

Also, just looking at my Letraset collection I discovered a font called: Chalkline; it reminded me of the letters you created for Fash Magazine

[Replicant 13]

Every once in a while I have to get my ALIEN fix. Although I've seen it countless times, the original will never be bettered - even with its flaws. It's a masterpiece.

After its release, like you, I collected everything I could get my hands on - sometimes surprising difficult, living dead-center in the Bible belt (Giger's images were appallingly sexual to most). I was fascinated by its startling originality on all fronts.

I recently came across my original NOSTROMO Thinking Cap® baseball cap, which inspired me to pull out their companion ALIEN Portfolio. As you know, one sheet is a cheap reproduction of Ron Cobb's designs.

Before I knew too much about the film, picked up a publication with a cover showing a conceptual image by MOEBIUS (my first exposure to his work). Still have that somewhere . . .

My rambling point is that while STAR WARS had renewed my faith in the potential of science fiction, it was A L I E N that sealed it, taking sci-fi to an unforeseen level. Until then, only 2001:ASO had been the alpha omega. The three flavors of sci-fi.

That same year I started my subscription to CINEFEX. Never miss an issue.

I envy those, like you and Mr. Cobb, who were there at that magical time.

- R13

BTW - After seeing Carpenter's "THING", I had nightmares of having my arms cut off by that damn stat camera . . .
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Gosh, you've really got some nice toys here . . .

[Replicant 13]

Joberg - Although not Dead-on, Dom Casual may be closer. I will have to locate the others I found.

In my earlier research I stumbled upon the creator of two fonts I believe were used throughout Blade Runner - COMPANY and CHALLENGE, the latter of which appeared to be used on the magazines. Both were designed by Martin Wait. His name appears atop the Letraset® sheet Tom posted earlier here for the font Company, that he stated was used on all city-related signage.

Challenge is also similar to your find -



Ronda was also used on Tom's FASH cover, but it's the pre-digital version with a couple of alternate fonts (caps A & M), but we covered that earlier.

HAB1! - R13
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Gosh, you've really got some nice toys here . . .

[joberg]

I think the main title is closer to the Chalkline Bold fonts. You're right about Challenge for the other text

[Tom Southwell]

Joberg,
The thing that was so different about the Alien art was Giger. The sexual as well as the horror/ nightmarish effect but also his illustrations were more like fine art drawings from daVinci, Michelangelo, Francis Bacon, or a medical illustrator. That's all I meant by my comment. Cobb, Foss, Moebius, and others had taken a shot at the alien and his environment but Ridley wanted something else. The story I heard ( could just be legend) was one of these guys brought in Gigers Necromicon book to discuss darker ideas to explore. And in this legendary story Ridley looks at the book and says " this is the ugliest fucking shit I've EVER seen. ...
I'm hiring him." ( to paraphrase )
TS
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...

[Replicant 13]

BLEMISHED SMOKER
Having enlarged our friend the pipe smoker, and scanning it at a high resolution, I noticed what seems to be a rather obvious flaw in the image.

At first I thought I had the unfortunate luck to purchase the one copy of "Early Advertising Art" with a blemish on this particular image, but in checking back to the image Tom posted here, it seems our friend was an unwilling victim of a rather large fly-by -



Of course this leaves its solution open to interpretation. I took a shot at finishing what seems to be an inverted delta shape on the front of the turban, but I think perhaps Retro, with his earlier attempt to re-illustrate the smoker, had the better solution - a button or dot.

When greatly enlarged, the image does suffer overall from poor source material. But for use on a re-creation of the cigarette pack it should be fine. For the purist it needs no enhancement.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em! - R13
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Gosh, you've really got some nice toys here . . .

[SKIN JOB 66]

[SKIN JOB 66]

[SKIN JOB 66]

[joberg]

Thanks Tom for you thoughts on these...Giger/Cobb, surely the mix was a great idea from the start. Two different worlds colliding on the screen.

The space/tech of the Nostromo vs the Natural/sexual of the Derelict and ultimately the Alien.

Fred, you might have a point about the Art Nouveau vibes that Giger's Art convey. He uses a lot of the same pattern to airbrush some of the effects on his painting (I've seen use combs for example to get an effect) and that repetition of pattern makes it very Art Nouveau and also McIntosh and even some of the patterns on FLLW's early houses (stain-glasses, details on the facades).

[Replicant 13]

I DO feel extremely lucky to have seen so many of what are now rightfully considered classics, in their first release on the Big Screen. I only regret I couldn't have been on that "other side".

As Fred confirmed, it was the late Dan O'Bannon who introduced Ridley to Giger's "Necronomicon". He lost no opportunity to say so whenever interviewed. He seemed quite proud of that fact.

- R13
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Gosh, you've really got some nice toys here . . .

[Tom Southwell]

Fred said:

[Tom Southwell]

This work REALLY "upped the ante" for us artists making concept art for films.
I am standing in the lobby of The Egyptian Theater on Hollywood
Blvd studying these VERY originals. 30 x 40 inch illustration boards
(like I use) but these belong in a museum of art like the Louvre.
Boy was I humbled. If ever an artist deserved an Oscar it was him
(and he got it as you all are very aware).

While the truth may be that Dan O'Bannon brought Giger to Ridley,
the question remains :why did he wait so long? Dan wrote the story
and screenplay Ridley read on day one of this journey. (Dan was also
visual design consultant).
A lot of time and artwork and money went into earlier failed works
that went into a pile once Giger started. If you knew Sir Ridley you
would understand why I could never touch on questions like this.
TS
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...

[Replicant 13]

Not the same as the real thing, but now I have to pull out my Giger books again!

Even though it's almost 35 years later, I can't think of any single artist or designer who has made such an impact on the genre, however you define it - Horror or Science Fiction.

- R13
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Gosh, you've really got some nice toys here . . .

[Tom Southwell]

Skin Job 66,
(Fred) My Mom had some of these long clay pipes as display items at home.

I think she got them at "Colonial Williamsburg", a historical recreation of an
18th century town complete with costumed residents demonstrating early
crafts. I asked Mom why the pipes were so long. She said you go into a
tavern and these would be on a rack and you would use one and crack off
the tip where you would put your mouth. Then leave it for the next guy.

Does this sound correct?
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...

[Tom Southwell]

Oh, one more thing, ...
Has anyone talked about the FAT cigarettes in Blade Runner?
...(while we are covering the subject of smoking.)
TS
_________________
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...

[SKIN JOB 66]

[SKIN JOB 66]

[SKIN JOB 66]

[joberg]

I think that I was like anybody that saw, for the first time, Giger's work for Alien...flabergasted was not the word.
Lots of that Art is made using airbrushing free-hand, and the lighting effect makes the surfaces have a translucent/diaphanous; I always used the analogy of the skin of a sausage (in all the respect to Giger's art) that semi-lacy organic stuff that's moving under that surface.

Yes, that was horrific for sure