This article covers the promotional featurettes produced for the films in the Alien franchise. These featurettes are short pieces (typically less than five minutes in length) that touch on the making of the respective movie but are generally created more for promotional rather than informative purposes.
The home video releases on which these featurettes can be found have been noted.
Experience in Terror[]
Experience in Terror is a 7-minute piece produced to promote the film Alien. It is notable as being not only the first piece to look at the making of an Alien movie, but also by far the oldest of such behind the scenes features — the next such piece would not be produced until the time of Alien3, some 13 years later.
It consists of an interview with director Ridley Scott, filmed on the set of the movie at Shepperton Studios, interspersed with behind the scenes footage of the film's sets and filming, as well as clips from the film itself.
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Aliens[]
An 8-minute promotional featurette was produced for Aliens. It gives an overview of the basic story for the sequel, and covers the principle cast members and their characters. It also features some of the principal crew discussing the movie's themes, interspersed with behind the scenes footage of the sets and filming.
Includes interviews with director James Cameron, producer Gale Anne Hurd, actress Sigourney Weaver, and Alien effects creator Stan Winston.
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Grunts in Space[]
Grunts in Space is a 4-minute piece produced to promote the film Aliens. It focuses on the Colonial Marines as depicted in the film, featuring interviews with several of the Marine actors, discussing their characters and the training they underwent for the production.
Includes interviews with director James Cameron, actors Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein and Al Matthews, and stunt coordinator Paul Weston.
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James Cameron Profile[]
James Cameron Profile is a 4-minute piece produced to promote the film Aliens. As its title suggests, it looks at the film's director James Cameron, who elaborates on his thought processes behind the film and the importance of likeable, relatable characters.
Includes interviews with James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd.
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Sigourney Weaver Profile[]
Sigourney Weaver Profile is a 3-minute piece produced to promote the film Aliens. As its title suggests, it focuses on the film's star Sigourney Weaver, covering topics such as her burgeoning acting career since her debut in Alien, her discomfort at having to use the film's high tech weaponry, and her working relationship with young Newt actress Carrie Henn.
Includes an interview with Sigourney Weaver.
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Alien3[]
A 3-minute promotional featurette was produced for Alien3. It includes interviews with some of the principle cast members, and also offers a look at some of the concept art for the film, as well as behind the scenes footage of the sets and filming.
Includes interviews with actors Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton and Paul McGann, and effects artist Tom Woodruff, Jr..
Much of the interview footage seen in the featurette is taken from the more substantial documentary The Making of Alien3.
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Alien Resurrection[]
A 4-minute promotional featurette was produced for Alien Resurrection. It includes interviews with most of the main cast, who tease the plot of the film. It also includes behind the scenes footage from filming, along with clips taken from the finished film.
Includes interviews with actors Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, Dan Hedaya and J. E. Freeman.
Much of the interview footage seen in the featurette is taken from the more substantial documentary HBO First Look: Alien Resurrection - Behind the Scenes.
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Trivia[]
- The interviews conducted for the various Aliens promotional pieces were quite extensive and much of the footage filmed was not ultimately used in the movie's four promotional featurettes. However, a large amount of the additional material was later included in Superior Firepower: Making Aliens.