Giger's shed in the sound stage

 
 
 
 
 
leading from
 
 
The Studio Shed in stage A
 


Giger's shed on the far end of the studio, while the rest of the studio is 
taken up by the parts that make up the Nostromo's garage and the leg room
from the photos collection of Charles Lippincott, taken by Bob Penn


Work on the Alien head


 
a) Life in Giger's studio
In the studio, people with a right to be there could go in to the cubicle and talk to Giger but he was very intense about getting his work done. 

Mia Bonzanigo would be working away on the alien with the help with the likes of Eddie Butler. Dan O'Bannon would come in and make recommendations such as adding the opposing digit. 

Ridley would come along to see how the alien was getting along and then later the studio bosses would also want to have a look
 
 
Peter Voysey and Eddie Butler  with HR Giger as he works on the Alien head
 
Ivor Powell, Gordon Carroll, Ridley Scott, HR Giger and Eddie Butler
My source https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/386/shooting

 
 HR Giger, Gordon Carroll, Ridley Scott and Eddie Butler
My source https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/386/shooting


 
 
Gordon Carroll, HR Giger (with Ivor Powell behind), Ridley Scott and Eddie Butler
My source https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/386/shooting

Gordon Carroll and Ridley Scott,
My source https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/386/shooting
 

 
Rear of Alien head.
My source https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/386/shooting
 
 
Rear of Alien head.
My source https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/386/shooting
 
 
Alien sculpture without the alien head
 

 
 
Giger sculpting the alien, from the documentary Giger’s Alien
  directed by Mia Bonzanigo and JJ Wittmer (My source https://madmuseum.org)
 
 
 
 
 the alien
My source https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/386/shooting
 
 

Shirley Denny and Eddie Butler working on the alien



Art studio rooms (Bob Penn - Alien ©1979 20th Century Fox Film)
scanned by Charles Lippincott

 
 
Art studio rooms
 
My source https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/386/shooting
 

 


 
b) Ghost in the Shed 
Mia disliked being in the Studio for too long, she thought that she could hear voices or sounds, and felt a presence, to the extent that she became creeped out by the experience and hated being there alone

To wonder about the nature of that experience, one might draw all kinds of associations because of the nature of Giger's work for the film, and perhaps the fear being generated by the film's story as a horror movie. 

Perhaps the studio simply haunted by the presences of actors and film crew from over the decades or perhaps the human skulls used in the alien sculpture had brought their own ghosts and it would be some years later that their secret would dawn on Dan O'Bannon.  
 
(See Human skulls from India in Giger's Alien head)

However no one encouraged Mia to walk around the set and mingle, so she stayed with Giger working, often still after the crew and wrapped for the day and left and perhaps for that reason she might have been glad when the film finally wrapped.
 
 

 Art Studio rooms (from The Book of Alien)

 
 
 
 
c) In the photo above , in the room at the front of the photo, we see paintings; part of the egg silo and derelict pilot chamber below to the far left, and the derelict as seen from above in the middle and the derelict as seen from a distance at the right. 

At the bottom of the left is a maquette of the space jockey by Peter Voysey. 

d) In the room in the background, this is the main workroom where work is done on the Alien sculpture and in the background , the second and third versions of side view concept paintings for the alien.
 
 
Giger working on the Alien sculpture
 
Giger working on the Alien sculpture.
 
My source https://www2.bfi.org.uk

 
Giger at work on the alien sculpture

 
 
Giger at work on the alien sculpture

 
Giger working on the Alien sculpture.
 
My source https://www2.bfi.org.uk

 
 
Giger working on the Alien sculpture.
 
My source https://www2.bfi.org.uk


 
 
e) Giger would be moved on to another room on July 18th 1978, once this studio has been torn down to make room for the landing leg set.

f) See also Sculpting the alien costume and Giger's Alien head


Source Quote
  1. Charles Lippincott: Giger and his girlfriend were always in their little cubicle working. You could go in and talk to him, but he was very intense about getting his work done. His girlfriend disliked being in the studio all the time. She thought she could hear voices or sounds and was creeped out remaining in the studio all the time, but no one encouraged her to walk around the set and mingle, so she stayed with Giger working. I think she was glad when the film wrapped. (Charles Lippincott, 4th September 2014, www.facebook.com)
  2. Charles Lippincott: Mia and Giger worked for hours preparing the Xenomorph for shooting, often working after the crew had wrapped and left. She hated being on the set alone, saying she felt some kind of presence there. ( Charles Lippincott , Thursday Jauary 29th 2015, www.facebook.com)

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