American Cinematographer - December 1988 - 55

Apogee's work
is

on

My Stepmother

Alien.

an

Apogee's extensive contri¬
butions to Stepmother also included
a wide
array of miniatures, stop
motion animation, matte paintings
(in collaboration with Illusion Arts)
and

numerous

animation enhance¬

ments.

or 50 scenes. The
bag comes alive
through the use of the 'worm,'
which has a large eye at one end. It
was
operated by two puppeteers,
one
working the mechanical move¬
ments, and the other controlling the
lights and electric eye details with
an electronic box. The worm's
eye is
able to light up and strobe or flash

40

Although the crew's ap¬
proach to their work is focused and
intense, at Apogee, the creation of
the grand illusions of motion pic¬

different rates, and there are ser¬
vos inside to blink the mechanical

tures is business

which

at

wrap,

dressed with

foam latex, is

slipped

over a copper
one end.

armature and anchored at

This combination

can

be bent to

and when a variable
speed motor turns the armature in¬
side the wrap, the tendril twists and

any curve,

convulses in

a

realistic fashion.

"When the

worm

corrodes and dissolves. To

Alien, Dan Aykroyd plays Steve, an

mechanics. The

plish this,

unsuccessful

whose

real time, live action. For the pup¬

making contact with a
faraway planet are fulfilled in a
freak accident. Unfortunately,
Steve's beam affects that planet's
gravity, and the natives don't appre¬
ciate it. The planet's technologically

peteers, it was cramped quarters on
the set, crouching underneath ta¬

In

usual.

My Stepmother is
scientist

an

dreams of

advanced residents send

a

beautiful

emissary named Celeste (Kim Ba¬
singer) to investigate and eliminate
this threat. Celeste is accompanied
by a worm-like advisor, concealed
in her handbag, which counsels
her as to the ways and mores of
humans. She finds that earthlings
aren't such a nasty bunch after all,
but her superiors, appearing to her
as three ethereal
"planet elders,"
insist

on

earth's destruction. With

Basinger's awkward attempts at as¬
similation and Aykroyd's scientific
bumblings, My Stepmother is an
Alien has plenty of opportunities
for comedy. The story also pre¬
sented Apogee with the oppor¬
tunity to create a wide variety of
spectacular visual effects.
Apogee's model depart¬
ment constructed

iatures and

a

move

worm

was

shot

bles or scurrying along with Kim
just out of frame."

climactic scene near
the end of the film, the worm is
In

a

destroyed by landing on the high
voltage Klystron machine, which
powers the radio dish. For these
scenes,

Lazzarini and the

structed

crew con¬

larger version of the eye¬
ball, complete with motorized
tendrils, gnarly veins, and a huge
optic nerve. The translucent iris fa¬
cilitates interior lighting effects
a

lands

the

Klystron, it goes nuts. The
stalk starts waving around and the
eyeball detaches. It starts to get big¬
ger and bigger in frame, and then it
on

are also servos
the eye from side to
side. Mike Sorenson did the main

as

eyelids. There

polyethylene

accom¬

made an 18-inch di¬
using two Styrofoam
globes. It started out rather pristine
looking, with a network of pulsing
bladdered veins. A methylcellulose
mixture provided a nice sheen. Be¬
tween the two Styrofoam shells we
placed a plumbing system, which
ameter

doubled

we

eye

as more

veins. At the prop¬

moment, a manifold

pumped
methylene chloride through the
vein/plumbing system to the Sty¬
rofoam, which disintegrates on
er

contact with the chemical.

Meth¬

Opposite page: The
spaceship,

alien

which flies in two
unconnected

tions, lands

sec¬

on

Hermosa Beach.
Below: The satel¬

lite dish, through
a series of freak

accidents, finally
makes contact
with another

plan¬

ylene chloride's relatively nonflam¬

et. The miniature

mable

dish is matted

nature

made

it

more

over

the

appropriate than something like ac¬
etone. With acetone's volatility, we
might have had a bigger destruc¬
tion scene than we planned for,"

sky back¬
ground plate and

the tendrils operate on a very sim¬
ple and time-honored principle. A

chuckles Lazzarini. "The destruc¬

posite frame
blowups)

December 1988

American

simulate the smaller, stalkmounted version of the eye. In or¬
der to maintain organic movement,
to

tion

was

shot at four frames per

the colored beam
and

lightning are
animated. (Com¬

number of min¬

puppets for Stepmother,

including the spaceship; the planet
Saturn (originally to be a matte
painting); the radio dish, which
sends Steve's signal to the heavens;
a
copy of the GTE building in Westlake; and the prop most likely to be
identified with

the

show

-

the

strange worm-like creature that
plays the role of Celeste's guide and
advisor. Rick Lazzarini supervised
the ten-person crew responsible for
the construction of the
"The

bag,

puppet.

Celeste's connection
with home base, has a pretty signif¬
icant part," says Lazzarini. "It's in
as

Cinematographer

53
American Cinematographer - December 1988

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