The Making of AVP is a 2005 documentary that details the production of the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator. Created for the film's home video releases, it uses interviews with the film's cast and crew, as well as a wealth of behind the scenes footage and imagery, to examine the development and filming of the movie.
Overview[]
The documentary is divided into two chapters, each dealing with a different phase of Alien vs. Predator's production. It features no formal narration but instead relies on interview clips to tell the story of the film's development, interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage and images.
The Beginning[]
The first section looks at the pre=production stage, including the genesis of the movie and the origins of the Alien vs. Predator concept as a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics. It then goes on to examine the development of the story, including writer/director Paul W. S. Anderson's intention to tie into the writings of Erich von Däniken. The conceptualization process is also covered, including the development of the architecture of the pyramid in which most of the film takes place, before the documentary looks at some of the rpactical effects work used to portray the titular creatures.
The segment includes interviews with director Paul W. S. Anderson, producer John Davis, production designer Richard Bridgland, and effects artist Tom Woodruff, Jr.
Production[]
The second and longest chapter looks at the production stage, including the elaborate sets used to realize the Piper Maru, the whaling station and the pyramid beneath the ice. The documentary also examines the movie's casting, including the hiring of Lance Henriksen to provide a thematic link with the Alien franchise. The shoot itself is covered, with the filming of Quinn's fight with a Predator, the Alien vs. Predator combat sequences and the final showdown with the Queen in particular being focussed on. The decision to use practical effects rather than CGI as far as possible is also touched on, before cast and crew reflect on their experiences making the movie.
The segment includes interviews with Paul W. S. Anderson, producers John Davis and Chris Symes, actors Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Colin Salmon, Agathe de La Boulaye and Carsten Norgaard, Richard Bridgland, director of photography David Johnson, visual effects supervisor John Bruno, miniature effects supervisor Richard Van Den Bergh, effects artists Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., and snow effects specialist Lucien Stephenson.
Availability[]
The Making of AVP has been included on the Alien vs. Predator: Extreme Edition DVD (exclusive to the United Kingdom) and the Alien vs. Predator: The Unrated Edition DVD. However, it was not subsequently included on the Blu-ray release of Alien vs. Predator, meaning it has yet to see a high-definition release and remains exclusive to the DVD home video releases.
Trivia[]
- On its DVD releases, the documentary is split into its constituent chapters, somewhat similar to how the extensive making-of documentaries created for the Alien Quadrilogy DVD box set were originally presented, although in the case of The Making of AVP, there is no option to play the complete documentary uninterrupted. The chapters The Beginning and Production are actually labelled Conception and The Making of AVP on the disc menus, although the correct titles appear in the on-screen graphics within the documentary itself.
- During the first chapter "The Beginning", copies of issues 1, 3 and 4 of the comic Dark Horse Classics - Aliens versus Predator can be seen mounted on the wall of the film's design office. This comic is a reprint of the original Aliens vs. Predator comic series, which marks the origin of the Alien vs. Predator franchise and served as the impetus for making the movie.