Alien: Romulus is one of the creepiest films ever – here's how the architecture was made

Alien architecture tutorial; a dark corridor
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

This tutorial will break down the process I followed for designing the conveyor hall and hive setting in Alien: Romulus. The aim is to show you how I apply architectural thinking when designing a feature-film set, and use methods of proportions, scale, lighting, composition and materiality to develop a dramatic environment that matches perfectly with the Alien universe.

My workflow will be broken up into four phases: sketching a plan and section to break hesitancy and get ideas onto paper; blocking out in Blender to explore the initial idea in 3D; applying details, lighting and materials to ensure the design ties into the aesthetic of the first two Alien films; and finally painting over the render to add details, atmosphere and hive elements that would have been too time-consuming in 3D.

Headshot of Nick Stath
Nick Stath

Nick is a concept designer in the film and entertainment industry, including Love, Death & Robots, Alien: Romulus and Secret Level.

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Nick Stath

Nick is a concept designer in the film and entertainment industry, including Love, Death & Robots, Alien: Romulus and Secret Level.

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