Three Stan Winston Studio film projects were released in 2005, including War of the Worlds, Steven Spielberg’s big budget remake of the 1953 film based on H.G. Wells’ classic novel about an alien invasion.
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- The Original Function of the Red Weeds the Tripods Were Spraying
- The Basement Scene's Unseen Baby Alien
- Removing the Pods from War of the Worlds
(On-set image of blood-filled weeds leading to a glowing red pod containing a growing alien embryo.)
The Original Function of the Red Weed the Tripods Were Spraying
While all of the aliens in the film would be computer-animated, Spielberg engaged Stan Winston Studio to contribute alien concept designs, build parts of the Martian Tripod fighting machine, and create practical versions of the reddish, blood-filled weed that grows on the sites of alien attacks.
(Stan Winston Studio concept artwork by Aaron Sims for an adult alien for the movie War of the Worlds.)
(Additional SWS concept art for an adult alien character for the movie War of the Worlds.)
Initially, those weed strands ended with pods in which alien embryos grew.
(Artwork of a pod with an alien embryo inside based on the original script.)
Stan Winston’s crew built the translucent pods out of silicone, positioning a baby alien puppet inside.
(Close-up shot of a pod in daylight on the set of War of the Worlds.)
In this video, you can see SWS testing pods with alien puppets inside at Stan Winston Studio:
The Basement Scene's Unseen Baby Alien
As the film was originally scripted, the pods were integral to the scene in which Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) and his daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning), hide in a basement with survivalist Harlan Ogilvy (Tim Robbins).
In this video, you can see a short tour at Stan Winston Studio while the crew is working on the blood-filled weeds and pods for the basement scene:
Based on the script, Ray was to awaken to Rachel’s screams in the basement and stomp on a pod near her, out of which emerges a baby alien, still alive and moving.
(Concept artwork of Rachel's character in the basement covered in red weed with an alien pod nearby.)
“Ray kills the baby alien,” said project lead Lindsay Macgowan, “and Rachel runs out of the basement and outside — and you see this field covered in red weed, with pods everywhere. Ray starts smashing all these pods, and that’s when the tripod comes and grabs him.” None of that action would appear in the final film.
In this video, you can see a sneak peek of the red weed sculpting process for Rachel's character and scene:
Compilation of SWS crew working on the translucent pods with inserted LED lights:
Joey Orosco and Trevor Hensley paint the tripod's "mouth" for War of the Worlds (2005):
... and the SWS crew work on the sections of the alien tripod for the movie's ending scene:
(On-set image of the damaged tripod from War of the Worlds' final scene.)
Removing the Pods from War of the Worlds
Just days before the sequence was to be shot, Spielberg made the decision to cut all reference to the alien pods.
(On-set image of SWS crew installing red weed with pods for War of the Worlds.)
After three months of building the pods and baby aliens, Winston’s crew spent a weekend removing all of them from the synthetic weed fibers.
(On-set image of pods prior to being removed from the set.)
“It was a shame,” Macgowan stated. “I think the pods and the baby aliens growing in them helped to explain the life cycle of the aliens. It also made it clear what the red weed was all about, which was nourishing those pods. But production was on a very tight schedule, and a good way to cut shooting time was to cut out this pod sequence.”
(On-set image of the red weeds that remained after the Stan Winston Studio crew removed the pods.)
- Blog is excerpted from The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio by Jody Duncan
More H.G. Wells movie adaptations involving Stan Winston Studio:
- The Island of Dr. Moreau Behind the Scenes at Stan Winston Studio
- Creating Morlocks for The Time Machine (2002): Behind the Scenes at the Stan Winston Studio
Courses with the creators of War of the Worlds (2005)
- Special Effects Sequence Design with Shane Mahan
- Hybrid Characters: Blending Practical & Digital FX with John Rosengrant
- Out of the Kit Makeup Effects with Joel Harlow
- Creature Makeup - Multi-Piece Silicone Prosthetic Application with Joel Harlow
- Make a Monster - Plastic Bag Technology with Steve Johnson
- Maquette Painting Techniques with Trevor L. Hensley
- Metallic Painting Techniques - Real Metal Effects with Jamie S. Grove
- Painting Silicone Skin - Realistic Flesh Tones with Jamie S. Grove
- Platinum Silicone Mask Painting Part 1: Surface Prep, Mixing Paint & Airbrushing Flesh Tones with Jamie S. Grove
- Making Creature Eyes with John Cherevka
- Advanced Creature Teeth: Prosthetic Dental Appliances - Part 1 with John Cherevka
- Epoxy Eyeballs Part 1: Casting & Painting with John Cherevka
- How to Make Eyes: Puppets, Masks & Makeups with John Cherevka
- How to Draw Monsters - Drawing Stan Winston Creatures with Tim Martin
- Styrofoam Prop Making Part 1: Designing, Carving & Texturing with Tim Martin
- How to Make a Latex Rubber Mask Part 1 - The Sculpture Process with Tim Martin
- Monster Maquette Assembly, Painting and Finishing Techniques with Tim Martin
- How to Sculpt with WED Clay with Tim Martin
- How To Make Creature Props - Mold, Cast & Paint with Tim Martin