Alec Gillis is a name that is as synonymous with the creature effects of the Predator and Alien series as the creators themselves are. Having been involved with both franchises as part of Stan Winston’s team at the very beginning, before forming Studio ADI with fellow effects wizard Tom Woodruff Jr, and then going it alone with Studio Gillis in 2022, Alec Gillis’ involvement has continued through to the most recent films of both series – Alien: Romulus & Predator: Badlands.
In a recent interview with Blue Screen Reveals, the effects maestro discussed the evolution of the Predator over the decades since Stan Winston saved the first film after agreeing to an “impossible eight-week delivery.”
Despite Dan Trachtenberg’s initial reservations that Gillis and Woodruff would be “too stuck in our ways” while developing Prey, Studio Gillis has since become another mainstay of Trachtenberg’s Predator films, with Gillis and his studio developing designs and concepts for Predator: Badlands before the first draft of the script was even complete.
Explaining the early concepts for Dek and his malformations, Gillis talked about some of the early ideas that were being explored:
“Dek was going to be small and frail. He was a runt, so everything that we designed had him being a very thin, pre-adult character–a fourteen-year-old boy. Dan at one point had a very bold idea that he was totally blind and had a visor that would allow him to see through sonar through his own clicking noises. That was kind of a big deal–it was affecting a lot of action in the movie. He said, ‘Well, maybe he’s blind in one eye’, so we played around with that. Maybe he’s got a deformed mandible. We have to give him some reason why father thinks he’s not worthy to even live, right? And that he was a little bit delusional himself about what his potential was. But, as always with Dan, it’s about the characters’ belief in their own potential in spite of the world around them. Those were sort of the character things that we played with, knowing that he would evolve into an unlikely success story.”
And while Gillis has been a champion of practical effects throughout his career, he knew when he had to suggest other ways to achieve the right effects for what Predator: Badlands was trying to achieve.
“When the script started coming in and we started having conversations more about technique and technology, Dan said, ‘Can this animatronic head give me the moment at the beginning of the film where Dek goes from pride and excitement when he sees his father to confusion, to betrayal, to anguish–blending all those moments?’ I had to say, ‘That is a really difficult thing to achieve animatronically.’ And the other thing was that 20th [Century Studios] was releasing the latest Planet of the Apes film right around the same time, and that’s Wētā Digital’s work of those exquisitely performing faces–in particular the orangutan that had so much soul and can sit around a campfire and tell a heartbreaking story.
I had to say, ‘I think given the production requirements, we’re out in the wilds of New Zealand, driven by a single actor’s performance, I think you’re better off going with digital faces.’ There’s nobody doing it better [than Wētā Digital]. This story needs the hybrid approach of digital and practical.” The result is impressive, with 80% practicality and 20% digital elevating the actor’s emotions–a momentous achievement in film. “I had to be more of a filmmaker and less of a carrying the torch of practical effects … I had to support the director and his vision.”
Throughout Predator: Badlands, Dek’s character arc sees him realize he needs to stop attempting to be just like his brother or like a typical Predator, and embrace his own limitations and knowledge and become his own Yautja. To that end, he makes use of the resources Genna has to offer, including the taming of several creatures including the imbre anguis, aka Squirt, which Studio Gillis also explored designing:
“This was a rare opportunity for a designer such as myself to jump in at the conceptual level and assist to tell the story,” Gillis shared. “I just love how biology is weaponized–how Dek harnesses it on Genna and makes it his own. He learns that the Squirts are trainable by food, so that’s a logical way to get one of these horrible creatures to sit on your shoulder. They’re aware and can shoot at whatever you’re aiming them at. Design wise, I started off with practical concerns like, ‘How big in proportion should it be?’ We want it to sort of be roughly the size of a shoulder cannon, so we don’t want a big body. It became like an eel or a snake that can wrap around his arm and cling to him. Then it has two chambers where it squirts chemicals that join [and create a corrosive reaction]. It’s a very plausible, but also fun, unlikely animal friendship!”
Prior to Predator: Badlands, Alec Gillis had traditionally had a hands-on role with the realization of the creature effects, in addition to designing. Predator: Badlands has been the first time that that duty fell on another studio. Speaking of the collaboration with Weta Workshop, Gillis elaborated that:
“A really fun collaboration where for the first time the weight was not all on my shoulders. It gave me freedom to play around a little bit with things. This was my opportunity to finally work with Wētā Workshop. I’ve known Richard Taylor for a few decades, but only superficially when he would come to LA. This was my first time going there and seeing the workshop–the vast scale of it and the amazing talent and the kind of expertise that they’ve developed over the years. Shoutout to: Vaughan Flanagan who was the supervising art director and concept design; Jake Evill, the art director and partly in charge of the manufacturing of the creatures, and Ben Fairless, art director for costumes and weapons also involved in the manufacturing. [Wētā Workshop] gets viewed as a single entity, but there are individuals who deserve credit.”
Be sure to head on over to Blue Screen Reveals to check out the entire interview where Alec Gillis discusses his involvement in the earlier Predator films!
Keep your targeting lasers locked on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest Predator news! You can follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, BlueSky, YouTube, and TikTok to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums.
Want to support what we do here at AvP Galaxy and get exclusive perks while doing so? Check out our Patreon! Looking for collectables? Head on over to our partner BigBadToyStore for a wide selection of Alien, Predator, and AvP merch!
Tags: AliendanDan TrachtenbergDekNew ZealandPredatorPreyScriptStan WinstonStudio ADITom Woodruff
Categories: Predator: Badlands News | Forum Topic