EXCLUSIVE! – Sneak peak at this month’s Cinefex Prometheus issue!

Cinefex is THE essential guide for fans of movie special effects, from traditional make-up and animatronics to the latest cutting-edge CGI.

I have been long-time reader, and when I saw that their latest issue includes an extensive Prometheus feature, I dropped them a line, and they were kind enough to provide the following exclusive sneak peak at what you can expect to find inside!

If you’re one of the legions of Alien fans who have waited more than three decades for filmmaker Ridley Scott to bring his Alien mythology back to the big screen, then you won’t want to miss the newest issue of Cinefex, due out June 8, featuring a 25-page article on the making of “Prometheus.” Look for in-depth interviews with the film’s leading effects artists and learn the secrets behind the movie’s mind-blowing visuals. Accompanying the article are 31 color images – frame clips from the film and behind-the-scenes shots — many of them exclusive to Cinefex. You can pre-order your copy now by visiting their online store at:

http://www.cinefex.com/next_issue.html

Here’s the cover and an exclusive excerpt from the article.

David returns to the dome where he investigates a chamber containing Engineer hibernaculum and a control desk that activates a holographic star chart. Dubbed the ‘orrery’ — after the antique mechanical astronomical model — the hologram was conceived as an immersive and spectacular story-telling tool. “When we filmed the scene, we didn’t know how the effects would take form,” said Richard Stammers, “but we knew it had to build and grow. Ridley set the mood by playing Pink Floyd music as Michael Fassbender watched the projections take form; and once it was fully on, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski used a gobo effect to create a refractive water ripple on the walls.

Fuel VFX generated orrery set extensions, adding a ceiling to the room, and blocked out holographic animation. “The orrery contained a map of the entire universe,” explained Paul Butterworth. “The Big Bang was at the center, and contained galaxies and nebulae as points of light. The Engineers studied stars by dragging spheres of data into the central area, and then expanded them until they held a planet in their hand.” Orrery animation was based on a system of rings and nested spheres. “Rotating hoops had planets attached to them, and each ring contained data of genetic material for the species in that star system, each with its own little bits of alien language and DNA maps.

Thanks again to the kind folks at Cinefex for this advance look at their latest issue. You should also look for an exclusive chat we had with Fuel VFX, which will be online next week!

Prometheus is directed by Ridley Scott, from a screenplay by Damon Lindelof and Jon Spaihts. The film stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Logan Marshall-Green, Patrick Wilson and Kate Dickie, and is due for release on June 8th 2012 in the USA, and June 1st 2012 in the UK.