What If? Metropolis: Critical Presentation

Crit Presentation by Terry Brunt on Scribd

What If? Metropolis: Art of

The Art of Sake Amfani by Terry Brunt on Scribd

What If? Metropolis: Digital Set Pipeline

Digital Set Pipeline

Wireframe

Ambient Occlusion

Lambert Shading

UV Map

Standard Surface Shading

Final Render

What If? Metropolis: Final Render

What If? Metropolis: Digital Painting GIFs

Concept Art

Matte Painting

What If? Metropolis: Matte Painting

Development

What If? Metropolis: Key Assets

What If? Metropolis: Thumbnails

What If? Metropolis: Influence Map Final

Dilomprizulike's Art Work Influences

 Final Metropolis Influence Map

Film Review: Alien

Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) is a film that features numerous transhuman elements. This review will be exploring transhumanism and how it connects to Alien. The key sources are: Julian Huxley’s Religion without Revelation (1927), Nick Bostrom’s A History of Transhuman Thought (2005) and H. R. Giger’s personal website. The key points covered: What is transhumanism? Who is H. R. Giger? And how does Giger’s work on Alien show transhumanism?

Fig 1. Alien Poster (1979)

Transhumanism is the futurist belief that humanity can transcend its current and natural limitations, usually with the assistance of technology. “The human species can, if it wishes, transcend itself – not just sporadically, an  individual here in one way, an individual there in another way – but in its entirety,  as humanity. We need a name for this new belief. Perhaps transhumanism will serve:  man remaining man, but transcending himself, by realizing new possibilities of and  for his human nature.” (Huxley, 1927, quoted from Hughes, 2004). Some believe it to human nature to want to evolve and become more than what we already are. While there is debate as to where the term first came from, it is largely agreed that many of the foundational ideas come from Sir Julian Sorell Huxley. The basic idea is that transhumanists want to advance the human race in anyway possible. This is something reflected in the work of H. R. Giger.

Fig 2. H. R. Giger (2012)

Hans Ruedi Giger was a Swiss artist that created many unusual art pieces. “H.R. Giger’s fusions of human and machine can be profoundly disturbing, yet somehow beautiful, alien and recognizable all at once.” (Bellot, 2017) Giger’s work showed a bizarre relationship between human and machine, which indicates to him being a transhumanist. 

Fig 3. Birth Machine (1967)

In 1977, Giger compiled a collection of his work into a book, titled Necronomicon (After the fictional Lovecraftian book of the same name). The Necronomicon contained many different pieces of art, including Necronom IV (1976), which became the inspiration for Ridley Scott’s Alien.

Fig 4. Necronom IV (1976)

Alien is a film set in the far future. The crew of the spaceship Nostromo find a strange structure, inside they the remains of a long dead alien, called the space jockey. Further inside they find a large batch of eggs. One of these eggs hatch and a facehugger attaches itself to a crew member. They take him back to the ship to remove the creature, which they are unable to do. Eventually it detaches and everything seems to go back to normal, until a chestburster rips out of him and escapes somewhere into the ship. The rest of the film becomes a 3 way conflict between Ash (an android with the hidden mission to bring back alien life), the remaining crew and the alien Xenomorph.

There are numerous transhuman elements in the film, starting with the alien environment and the space jockey.

Fig 5. Space Jockey (1979)

To keep the designs consistent, Scott hired Giger to be the head of designing everything non-human in the film. The derelict ship has a very peculiar and otherworldly feel to it with the unusual patterns and structures. The space jockey also shows something very distinctly ‘other’. But it is also shown in a way that it could have been possible that this being was more advanced than humanity, but it was simply a victim of time and probably a Xenomorph attack.

Fig 6. Xenomorph (2004)

Xenomorph XX121, or as it is more commonly known as, the Alien, is a parasitic life form based on the designs of H. R. Giger. The creature has a very graphic life cycle; starting with an egg, a facehugger will emerge and latch itself onto a person's face, it then proceeds to lay an egg down the person’s throat and will then promptly die. The egg inside the person hatches and a chestburster will tear itself out of the host’s body. Quickly, the chestburster grows into a Xenomorph drone. This life cycle could be seen as transhuman, because a human is required for this version of the Xenomorph. In the lore of Alien, Xenomorphs change depending on the host creature. Typically a Xenomorph is seen as being an upgrade from its host creature, meaning that in theory, it is transhuman.

Fig 7. Ash (1979)

The biggest example of actual transhumanism in Alien, however, is nothing to do with Giger. Ash is an android. An android is a robot that is designed to be as close to a human as possible. Androids are usually made with artificial intelligence, which is a major aspect of transhumanism. An advanced A.I. could easily outsmart and surpass humanity and a robotic body could continue functioning without sleep or sustenance, making androids truly superior beings in the eyes of transhumanists.

Transhumanism is the concept that humanity can evolve. Ridley Scott’s Alien shows a couple paths into that evolution with the Xenomorph and with Ash, while H.R. Giger’s work shows a possible relationship between human and machine.


Bibliography

Bellot, G. (2017) Transhumanism: More Nightmare Than Dream? [Online] At: https://lithub.com/transhumanism-more-nightmare-than-dream/ (Accessed on 8th December 2018)
Bostrom, N (2005) A History of Transhumanist Thought [Online] At: https://nickbostrom.com/papers/history.pdf (Accessed on 8th December 2018) H.R. Giger (1996) At: http://www.hrgiger.com/ (Accessed on 8th December 2018) Hughes, J (2004) Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future.

Huxley, J. (1927) Religion without Revelation [Online] At: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.90330/page/n5 (Accessed on 8th December 2018)

Illustrations List

Figure 1. Alien Poster (1979) [Poster] At: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poster-Ridley-Sigourney-Weaver-Ripley/dp/B018YHJU4W (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 2. Belz, M. (2012) H. R. Giger [Photograph; Close up] At: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/HR_Giger_2012.jpg (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 3. Giger, H. (1967) Birth Machine. [Art] At: https://www.allposters.com/-sp/Birth-Machine-Posters_i9588836_.htm (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 4. Giger, H. (1976) Necronom IV [Art] At: http://alienexplorations.blogspot.com/1979/04/development-of-necronom-iv.html (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 5. Space Jockey (1979) From: Alien, Directed by Ridley Scott. [Film Still] United Kingdom/United States: 20th Century Fox. At: https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/33592/what-happened-to-the-alien-that-came-from-the-space-jockey
(Accessed on 08.12.18)
Figure 6. Xenomorph (2004) From: Alien vs. Predator, Directed by: Paul W. S. Anderson. [Promotional Image] United States: 20th Century Fox. At: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/Alien_vs._Predator_%282004%29_-_Alien.jpg (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 7. Ash (1979)  From: Alien, Directed by Ridley Scott. [Film Still] United Kingdom/United States: 20th Century Fox. At: http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Ash (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Film Review: Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (1990) is a film that shows a very clear divide between the perfect American suburb and a character that is 'other'. This review will be delving into the American dream, specifically the nuclear family, and how Edward Scissorhands, as a character, doesn't fit into it. Key sources include: James Truslow Adams' The Epic of America (1931), Graeme Harper and Jonathan Rayner's Cinema and Landscape (2010) and Carley Tauchert's Revisiting Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands (2009). The key points of this review are: What is the American dream? What is a nuclear family? How do these appear in Edward Scissorhands? and how does Edward contrast this ideology?

The American dream is a concept held in the United States that makes people believe that they can achieve anything. "The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Adams, 1931: 214) The basic idea of the American dream is that all Americans should be able to achieve their ambitions if they can earn them. This ideology came into existence in the 19th century as the California Dream, it was then expanded upon, renamed and popularised by, writer, James Truslow Adams in 1931. The American dream was used as an opposite for concepts like Soviet Communism and quickly became the foundation for what American life should be. With this came a want for individuality and the normalisation of the 'traditional' nuclear family.
A nuclear family is defined as a family unit consisting of two parents and at least one child. In recent years, this definition includes multiple additions: the parents are not required to be married, they can be a same-sex couple and the children can be in the family by adoption(Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2015). However, when the American dream was popular, this definition was much more restrictive; Two married parents of opposite gender and their biological children. During Cold War America this version of the nuclear family became a common goal, along with moving into peaceful and friendly suburbs.
This structure can be seen in Edward Scissorhands.

Fig 1. Edward Scissorhands Poster (1990)

Edward Scissorhands is a film about an artificial human, named Edward, being taken into a family in the American suburbs. At first the inhabitants take a liking to Edward, however they turn on him by the end of the film and he flees back up to his castle.

Fig 2. Suburbia (1990)

The suburbs in Edward Scissorhands show the American dream's version American life. “American suburban life has also been criticized for its ‘conformity and sterility’, the ‘anomic life of the nuclear family’, gendered space and undifferentiated cancerous sprawl. Culturally, suburbs are often centres of consumption for the products of the city. Edward Scissorhands brings characteristics of a stereotypical suburban life into sharp relief.” (Harper & Rayner, 2010). Looking at figure 2 and this quote, you can see that America's dream for achievement and individuality is nothing more than an illusion. All of the cars are the same, all the men leave for work at the same time and most of the women are stereotypical housewives; the only sense of 'Individuality' comes from the different colours used to paint the cars and the houses.

The nuclear family is also shown in Edward Scissorhands, mostly with the Boggs family.

Fig 3. Edward and the Boggs Family (1990)

The Boggs family is a near perfect example of an American dream nuclear family; a working father, a housewife mother (she does have a job, but she's only seen doing it at the beginning of the film), a two children, specifically one son and one daughter. The system with this family is perfectly in line with American dream, until Peg Boggs (the mother) goes up to an old gothic mansion near the suburbs. While there she finds Edward and decides to bring him home with her. Edward instantly clashes with the old nuclear family dynamic.

Fig 4. Edward eating peas (1990)

For much of the film, Edward is forced to fit into the neighbourhood. He is forced into normal clothes, he struggles to eat dinner from a plate, he is forced by the men into thinking business. It is pretty clear to the viewer that American conformity is too much for Edward. "A man with the soul of a child, when he first steps into the real world it is a whole new experience for him but his innocence is slowly chipped away, basically by the American dream, the perfect suburb, whose inhabitants are always looking for something new and exciting, but who are easily turned.” (Tauchert, 2009). Edward struggles with fitting in and ends up being painted as a villain by the locals by the end of the film. He feels out of place because he is. He conflicts with the American dream, because he can achieve what the American dream is supposed to.
Edward is a character that can achieve whatever he puts his heart to, he has a strong feeling of individuality and he comes from a family that conflicts with the nuclear family, the single parent.
Edward was created and raised solely by his father, the Inventor, before his death prior to the events of the film (told in flashbacks).

Fig 5. Edward on the side of the road (1990)

The American dream is a concept created to give American's freedom and individuality, however when confronted by a character with true freedom and individuality, like Edward, people panic and turn against him, favouring the outdated concept. Edward Scissorhands shows the flaws of the American dream by pointing out how restrictive it really is.


Bibliography

Adams, J. (1931) The Epic of America. United States: Simon Publications

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2015) Nuclear Family [Online] At: https://www.britannica.com/topic/nuclear-family (Accessed on 8th December 2018)

Harper, G. & Rayner, J. (2010) Cinema and Landscape [Online] At: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zA-ngYdpUkIC&pg=PA289&lpg=PA289&dq=nuclear+family+edward+scissorhands&source=bl&ots=94sazGqqtI&sig=09CD85iPzm-jB6uH4f77K3GvErw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAz7eIh5DfAhXZQRUIHXdlBu4Q6AEwDXoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=nuclear%20family%20edward%20scissorhands&f=false (Accessed on 8th December 2018)

Tauchert, C. (2009) Revisiting Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands [Online] At: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/14887/revisiting-tim-burtons-edward-scissorhands (Accessed on 8th December 2018)

Illustrations List

Figure 1. Edward Scissorhands Poster (1990) [Poster] At: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/Edwardscissorhandsposter.JPG (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 2. Suburbia (1990) From: Edward Scissorhands, Directed by: Tim Burton. [Film Still] United States: 20th Century Fox. At: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/heres-what-the-edward-scissorhands-suburb-looks-like-25-years-on-a6763486.html (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 3. Edward and the Boggs Family (1990) From: Edward Scissorhands, Directed by: Tim Burton. [Film Still] United States: 20th Century Fox. At: http://thefancarpet.com/movies/edwardscissorhands/ (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 4. Edward eating peas (1990) From: Edward Scissorhands, Directed by: Tim Burton. [Film Still] United States: 20th Century Fox. At: https://variety.com/2015/film/news/edward-scissorhands-25th-anniversary-johnny-depp-tim-burton-1201653236/ (Accessed on 08.12.18)

Figure 5. Edward on the side of the road (1990) From: Edward Scissorhands, Directed by: Tim Burton. [Film Still] United States: 20th Century Fox. At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099487/mediaviewer/rm3528545024 (Accessed on 08.12.18)