Synopsis:

These two edits (ALIEN V rt 132min and ALIEN COVENANT:EXTENDED CUT rt 154 min) restore the three act structure by creating a new first act from supplemental and deleted material. There is also a new Coda, tightened up restored scenes to develop character and score and audio enhancements to give it a more A L I E N feel all over.

Intentions:

I disliked Alien Covenant when it first came out because you could feel that the first act was missing. Why have James Franco in it for 2 scenes to just rub him out? That is now fixed. And these versions PROVE you needed the first act AND that the extra 30 minutes COULD have been kept if the rest of the movie was tightened up.

Change List:

I wanted to restore the missing first act to Alien Covenant and give it a more A L I E N overall feel. I used 5 sequences from pre-publicity viral videos which run 27 min in total. These were trimmed, re-editted and had sound and music work too in order to bring them into the edit. I also incorporated the 11 deleted scenes from the blu ray, but again trimmed them down from their 18 minutes total in order to fit and make sense. If a scene does not enhance character or plot, it was not used. I also removed bad dialogue from the movie and made many micro edits, corrected some continuity issues, overall score enhancements and more. Two additional shots from the official trailers were also added in which were missing from the theatrical version. Of the 45 minutes of available additional material, 32 minutes were used. The 13 minutes not used were removed for pacing and narrative or could not be made to work or just would be adding back for the sake of. At 154 minutes ( and it could have been 167 min) it is respectfully satisfying. I did however then compress this version down to 134 min (just 11 minutes longer that the original). Even the 134 min version (ALIEN V) preserves most of the added back materials albeit, with some further tightening up and some further scenes removed from the original version (see bottom of cut list for details). So there you have an Extended Cut of 154 minutes and an Extended Cut of 134 minutes (to prove the filmmakers could have kept the three act structure and hit a 2 hourish run time). In fact I do have a version running 121 min, but it is rushed and this story needs the characters to engage you and the pauses are vital to develop tension. The only material not used for either edit was the SHE WONT GO QUIETLY TRALER. This has a great poker scene NOT in the edits or original. It just can't be made to fit without jarring or ruinning the pace. Same for the open shots but a few tiny bits got used....IT MUST ENHANCE and not feel out of place; otherwise JETTISON!!!! Cuts and Additions: 11 deleted scenes from the Official Blu Ray - Prologue 4min56sec - Ghose 57 sec - Walt Dan 1min 30sec - Oram Dan 1min 4sec - Flash 1min 37sec - Funeral 1min 26 sec - Lee Fall 39 sec - Plaza 55 sec - Dan thanks 1min 19sec - Pray 1 min 6sec - Report 39 sec - Stairs 31 sec VIRALS - Meet Walter 2min 21 sec - Phobos 9min 10 sec - Supper 4min 37sec - Prologue 2min 34sec - Advent 6 min 42 Sec Trailers Used missing shots She Wont go Quietly (one shot used. The poker game cannot be to work without it feeling out of place tonally) 2010: The Year we Make Contact. ALIEN Collectors Edition and Anniversay CDs to use many unused and alternate versions of the Jerry Goldsmith score Alien Covenant Score CD Public Domain Sound effects from Free Sounds.org Alien Covenant Trailers (for pieces NOT in the movie) She Wont Go Quitely (pre-release viral publicly available) PHOBOS (pre-release viral publicly available) ADVENT (pre-release viral publicly available) PROLOGUE (pre-release viral publicly available) SUPPER (pre-release viral publicly available) MEET WALTER (pre-release viral publicly available) __________DETAILS__________CONTAINS SPOILERS_____________ ALIEN COVENTANT EXTENDED 154 minutes 2 hours 34 min 29 secs 001 - WRAITH logo and disclaimer added 002 - Pre opening Logos are removed and replaced with a clean 20the Century Fox Logo 003 – New pre opening captions added acting as a “previously in Prometeus”… 004 – Prologue voice over of David “look on my works…” is moved to play over the “Scott free/Brandywine” credits 007 – WRAITH credit added 008 – Jump to opening David / Wetland chat using a titleless version: WHY WOULD YOU RUIN THIS SEQUENCE WITH CREDITS. SOOOOOO distrcting. The scene is worth of KUBRICK. You would not have had captions over the white room scene in 2001. 009 – After Extended David intro, ALIEN COVENANT title screen plays 010 – New establishing shots to introduce the PHOBOS sequence (footage from 2010:The Year we make contract) 014 – New captions used to introduce the training vessel, establishing it is Orbiting Phobos. The ship was calle the Leonov, and is now renamed EPIMETEUS, who was Prometheus brother. The same fonts and audio is used as in the theatrical version with the caption length sequenced to match the audio reveal. 038 – The PHOBOS sequence plays out in full but is shortened and re-ordered from 9min 36 sec by 1 min. This was done to maintain pace, keep it flowing, with a break for a further mid way shot of the “EPIMETEUS” to imply the passage of time. A total of 35 changes to the visuals 073 – There are 14 score enhancements used during the new PHOBOS sequence. The source tracks are: 02 The Covenant, 22 Alien Covenant Theme by Jed Kurzel from the Alien Covenant CD and 24 – Main Title (rescored Alternative), 29 The Cupboard Alternate version, 27 The Skeleton (re-scored alt version) from the Limited Edition 2CD Anniversary ALIEN Score. 078 – There are 5 Foley enhancements to the PHOBOS sequence to add rumble, spaceship fly by etc. 079 – Cut to COVENANT establishing shot and original captions 080 – New transition to Walter holding the torch by having a lens flare from the engines segue to the torch light Walter is holding. 081 – The SUPPER scene plays out extended. 085 – Cut to Walter in the DLETED hydroponics with some minor trims to have a better flow 086 – The scene is now scored with Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Source) - Jerry Goldsmith – Alien CD_ Alternate Cues as a tie in to the movie franchise...the piece is used in ALIEN when Dallas is in the dome. 088 – The Alien Covenant theme cuts in earlier during the hydroponics 092 – The meteor strikes now without warning and the reaction is re-cut to remove a clumsy section from the movie. 098 – The post emergency sequence is unaltered and segues to the deleted scene “Cabin on the Lakes“ scored with the track of the same name that was clearly meant for that scene originally. 101 – Scolex sound FX and flash used to establish that the scene which follows is a flashback 105 – Flashback Scene plays out in full with a scolex and flash exit to her the pod which perfectly align on her eyes WHICH PROVES this is where the scene was meant to go. It was obviously removed coz some SUIT wanted to get on with the story….Stuff character development and audience engagement!!!!!!!!!!!! IDIOTS. 107 – The next 8 minutes play out and after Walter closes the scene speaking to Dan two dleted scenes pplay out…Dan Oram and Walt Dan. 111 – The two scenes are scored with 18 – Lonley Perfection and 04 – Cabin in the Woods from the AC Score CD. 112 – Ship Ambience Foley is added to the end of the second scene and used to bridge back to the Theatrical version 114 – After Wlater and Oram are in the hold, the extended Funeral plays out 115 – From 0:39min to 01h:06m the film plays out per the theatrical version 117 – The extended LEE FALL scene plays at 01h:06m and then unaltered until 01h:17m where the EXTENDED PLAZA WALK plays out 118 – Small trim at 01h:21m after Daniels speaks to Walter in the rain. Oram Line “there is so much here that doesn’t make sense” followed by Walter’s “I’ll speak to him, brother to brother” are removed. We don’t need to be telegraphed of David and Walter’s forthcoming chat. 122 – The Dan Thanks deleted scene plays at 01h:23m 129 – The movie plays unaltered to 01h:34m until Walter reports back on his chat with David. 6 minor trims for over exposition and now scored to 27 – The Skeleton (alt cue) from the ALIEN 2 CD collectors edition CD. 131 – This is followed by the deleted PRAYER SCENE which creates a great tension build for the ensuing creature appearance. 136 – 01h:36m to 01h:43m play out unaltered until Dan Walks in on David with 2 trims for tone and pace 138 – The deleted scene on the stairs plays out at this point and the film is unaltered until 2:11:36 when a single shot from trailer is dropped in. 139 – MAJOR SPOILER: Movie plays unaltered to 02:18:20 when David sends Daniels to sleep. Small trim for tension and then segues into the ADVENT VIRAL sequence for Davids report. 142 - Additional Space ship ruble added and some trims and image re-sequencing to avoid the ADVENT section from being too long. 148 – Advent cust to a repurposed additional POV of the Covenant playing out over custom end titles 157 – Post credit sequence added introducing a New Walter. 158 – Custom Captions WRAITH at the end. A L I E N V rt 132 min Additional trims the being compiled 4 trims totaling 32 Sec of Weyland David white room chat 10 trims totaling 63 sec from PHOBOS training evaluation 8 trims totaling 96 sec from the drinking scene 7 trims totalling 47 sec from the spacewalk repair 3 trims totalling 65 sec from the post spacewalk argument 5 trims totaling 49 sec from the landing sequence 2 trims totaling 39 sec from post landing 11 trims totaling 98 sec from the walkabout up to explosion 3 trims totaling 11 sec post explosion action 3 trims totaling 154 secs up David and Walter flute 3 trims totaling 49sec from David Walter flute 10 reims totaling 85 sec from Flute to post prayer attack 7 trims totaling 16 sec from bridge tension 6 trims totaling 49 sec fromWalter David final chat 3 trims totaling 8 sec from take off 27 sec silly putty surgery scene removed 102 sec from David watching to end of attack removed 7 sec corridor shot removed 6 shots totaling 79 sec removed from Coda 12 Sec shot of Covenant removed 3 Trims totaling 79 sec from post credit ad removed

Additional Notes:

The Extended version restores a true 3 act structure by adding in the material where the crew train and are tested for their emotional responses. This section ran near 30 minutes. I tightened it up and added in audio and music from Jerry Goldsmith to give it an original ALIEN feel. I also added back many other deleted portions but again, tightened them up and added ambience and music where needed. The rest of the film has a variety of tweaks to improve character, dialogue, delivery and continuity. There is a fair amount of tweaks towards the end as well to keep things both logical and tense, plus a new coda derived from supplemental publicity material publicly available. Additional material from 2010: The Year we make Contact was used to create establishing shots for the newly created first act. Additional caption work to match the font and style of the original movie was also made. This runs 154 min. EPIC The Alien V version takes the above, and tightens it all up to run 134 min. Why? I wanted to prove that the 3 act structure could have been preserved in a near 2 hr run time. I hated Alien Covenant when it first came out because you could feel that the first act was missing. Why have James Franco in it for 2 scenes to just rub him out? That is now fixed. And this version PROVES that the extra 30 minutes COULD have been kept if the rest of the movie was tightened up. For those interested, the 20 min removed from ALIEN COVENANT EXTENDED to make ALIEN V was 3 min from the added deleted material, 17 min from the theatrical cut. A video is available on request that is fully annotated. Of the deleted scenes added back to the Extended 154 min version, 4 min of the deleted material used was removed for pace and narrative.

Other Sources:

2010: The Year we Make Contact. ALIEN Collectors Edition and Anniversay CDs to use many unused and alternate versions of the Jerry Goldsmith score Alien Covenant Score CD Public Domain Sound effects from Free Sounds.org Alien Covenant Trailers (for pieces NOT in the movie) She Wont Go Quitely (pre-release viral publicly available) PHOBOS (pre-release viral publicly available) ADVENT (pre-release viral publicly available) PROLOGUE (pre-release viral publicly available) SUPPER (pre-release viral publicly available) MEET WALTER (pre-release viral publicly available) 11 deleted scenes from the Official Blu Ray

Special Thanks: