Update 08/28: Shipping Update - Aliens Expanded will ship to backers a few days after payment for shipping has been received. Requests for this are now being sent out via email, and you should receive an email by September 6th 2024! For more information, please read this support article.
Update 06/28: Digital rewards have been sent to backers!
Update 05/09: We're delighted to announce Sigourney Weaver has joined Aliens Expanded!!
Update 05/02: Our recent abundance of new interviewees, including James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, and Paul Reiser, has pushed back our schedule slightly and so we are now accepting orders until 05/13.
--
Join the Aliens cast & crew, including James Cameron (Writer & Director), Gale Anne Hurd (Producer), Sigourney Weaver (Ripley), Michael Biehn (Hicks), Lance Henriksen (Bishop), Paul Reiser (Burke), Mark Rolston (Drake), Jenette Goldstein (Vasquez), William Hope (Gorman) and Carrie Henn (Newt), on a deep dive into this science-fiction classic.
Brimming with stories, insight, and wonderful personal detail, this four-hour documentary is the most passionate and sophisticated exploration of Aliens ever made; a love letter to the people who made it and the communities who adore it, reflecting and enhancing the incredible legacy of this beloved epic.
This limited edition collector’s item features your name in the credits alongside the cast & crew of your favorite movie, as well as exclusive merchandise you can’t get anywhere else! Orders for this highly-collectable edition close at midnight on the 13th of May
Your Ultimate Companion to James Cameron’s Aliens
The backbone of the documentary is an analysis of the crucial scenes of Aliens in chronological order. Using an innovative graphical ‘scanner’ we travel inside the movie to focus on not just scenes, but individual elements within those scenes, including characters, weaponry, and sets.
As we examine these elements, the crew, including Creature Effects Supervisors Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr., Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Skotak, Model Maker John Lee, and Graham Hartstone (Sound Department) add their own stories to those of the cast.
Along the way, we offer up a fresh and expanded take on the incredible story behind the film: the chance encounter that led to Cameron taking it on, the intense writing process, the intuitive casting of the marines, winning over Sigourney Weaver, finding Newt, the nightmare shoot, and the ultimate triumph. Famous tales are retold, but enriched with new perspectives.
But this isn’t just the story of Aliens - it’s also a story about how we relate to it. Together, we investigate the broader elements of the Aliens experience, examining how our love of Cameron’s film, then and now, has been influenced by a wide range of factors, including:
- The Merchandising, including the novelisation and James Horner’s atmospheric soundtrack.
- The Expanded Universe, including the books, comics, video games, film sequels, and cosplay.
- And the Fan Communities that enable us to continue to show our appreciation for the film all these years later
In these sections, Alan Dean Foster (Author, Aliens Novelization), Mark Verheiden (Author, Aliens Comics), V. Castro (Author, Vasquez), Charles de Lauzirika (Director, Superior Firepower: Making Aliens), and Derek Dafoe (Alien Theory) add their own insights to those of the cast and crew.
Across the four-hour runtime, we dive into innumerable stories that take you behind-the-scenes and under-the-skin - here are just a few of our favorites:
Winning Over Ripley: Director James Cameron and the cast recall what it took to persuade Sigourney Weaver to return after her contract had lapsed, including Cameron’s cunning plan to persuade the studio to make her the highest paid actress in Hollywood.
Remembering Bill Paxton: in a highly emotive segment, Jenette Goldstein (Vasquez), Mark Rolston (Drake), Cynthia Scott (Corporal Dietrich), Carrie Henn (Newt), and James Cameron recall working with Bill Paxton, and how he became the untameable, beloved, heartbeat of the production and a friend to everyone.
The Film that Never Ages: Alec Gillis (Creature Effects Coordinator, Aliens), Tom Woodruff Jr. (Creature Effects Coordinator, Aliens) and Matt Winston (Co-Founder, Stan Winston School) discuss how the sets, models, and complete lack of CGI give Aliens an authenticity that would be hard to beat with today’s technology.
The Battle with the British Crew: With great humor (in hindsight), James Cameron and his cast recall the culture clash with the dyed-in-the-wool British crew: the tensions, stand-offs, and the legendary confrontation between Cameron and a tea lady, and how the edginess on set fed into the tension within the movie.
All Hail the Queen: The cast & crew explore the creation of one of the greatest screen monsters of all time, the Alien Queen. From design concepts to the fabled “garbage bag” test to the giant, 14-foot puppet operated on set, to the amalgam of pigs, tigers, and other animals in her “vocalization,” this was a triumph of imagination realized at thrilling scale.
Orders close at midnight on May 13th. Purchase your copy today to get your name in the credits as well as posters, sew-on patch and more.
We Got Nukes, We Got Knives, Sharp Sticks…
In addition to the documentary itself, our physical tiers come with a range of high-quality physical merchandise:
Full Cast
Shipping & Fulfillment
Shipping: Shipping is charged at the point of fulfillment at cost (your shipping cost will be the price we pay and we will not make profit on it). In the current economic climate, shipping costs are fluctuating and hard to predict. Delaying payment for shipping benefits both sides as we avoid overcharging (bad for you) and undercharging (bad for our documentary budget).
We expect shipping prices to be $13 for domestic (US), $20 for international orders without a t-shirt, and $25 for international orders which include a t-shirt.
Fulfillment: Our physical merchandise is manufactured and shipped from California by a trusted partner who we have worked with for many years. Blu-rays are factory-pressed and manufactured to the highest standard possible (the same standard as AAA releases). Backers will receive a tracking number and our items are sent in very study packaging (posters rolled, not folded) to ensure everything arrives with you safely.
Soundtrack
We’ve partnered with our friends at New Retro Wave again to curate our official soundtrack. NewRetroWave is one of the leading voices in the emerging Synthwave scene, providing exposure to Synthwave artists who perfectly complement the ‘80s aesthetic we’re celebrating.
The Small Print
Aliens Expanded is in late post-production, and even at this stage, certain creative elements may still be subject to small changes. By making a purchase you acknowledge that elements of the project, including but not limited to the artwork and content, is subject to change, and that the final project may differ slightly from what is presented while the campaign is active. All customers are welcome to join our community, but to do so they must conform to the community rules which govern appropriate behavior. Repeated failure to act appropriately in the community will result in a ban.Find out a little about us below. If you are a member of the press or an influencer, scroll down to find links to our press kit and information on how to request a review copy.
Our Team
CREATORVC is an independent producer of community-powered entertainment: long-form factual content that is funded, inspired, and shaped by a dedicated community of fans. Our projects include the critically acclaimed In Search of Darkness trilogy and the ‘80s Sci-Fi documentary In Search of Tomorrow.
The team working on this project includes:
Ian Nathan (Writer & Director) - Ian Nathan is one of the UK’s best-known film writers and commentators. He is the author of numerous books, including Alien Vault and James Cameron: A Retrospective. He is also the former editor and executive editor of Empire, still one of the world’s biggest movie magazines, where he remains a contributing editor.
David Weiner (Executive Producer) - David Weiner is the writer/director of the five-hour ’80s Sci-Fi documentary In Search of Tomorrow, and of the ’80s horror genre documentaries In Search of Darkness Parts I-III. David was previously editor-in-chief of the iconic Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, a writer for The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision, senior editor at Entertainment Tonight for 13 years, and is a multiple Rondo Award nominee and winner.
Robin Block (Executive Producer) - Founder/CEO of CREATORVC, the world’s leading crowdfunded factual entertainment company. Robin is also the creator and Exec Producer of the critically acclaimed In Search of Darkness ‘80s horror documentary series and the '80s Sci-Fi retrospective In Search of Tomorrow.
Press Kit & Partnerships
If you are a member of the press you can access our press kit here. If you are an influencer, use this form to apply to join our affiliate program.
Do you accept international orders?
Yes. We accept most currencies through our secure payment processing system. Although payments are processed in U.S. Dollars, you will see the equivalent charge in your currency on your bank or credit card statement.
My payment was declined, what should I do?
Our payments system is hosted by Shopify, the world’s number one ecommerce platform. If you are having problems making a payment we are unable to assist. Please contact your card issuer/bank and ask them to accept the transaction.
What is the format of the digital version?
The digital version of the movie will be MP4 (no DRM), 1080 video resolution (HD).
Will the Blu-ray be region free?
Yes, the Blu-ray will be region free
When will I receive my copy?
Your items will be sent after we have put all the names in the credits. Digital items will be sent out in June 2024 and physical items in August 2024.
What is your refund policy?
We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee from your date of purchase. In the event of a problem with shipping where ourselves or one of our partners is at fault (such as a damaged package) we will send out replacements.
When will shipping be charged?
Shipping is charged at the point of fulfillment at cost (your shipping cost will be the price we pay and we will not make profit on it). In the current economic climate, shipping costs are fluctuating and hard to predict. Delaying payment for shipping benefits both sides as we avoid overcharging (bad for you) and undercharging (bad for our documentary budget).
How much is shipping?
We expect shipping prices to be $13 for domestic (US), $20 for international orders without a t-shirt, and $25 for international orders which include a t-shirt.
Is there a DVD option?
We are not producing a DVD version of Aliens Expanded. Producing physical media is prohibitively expensive at lower volumes, and after surveying ALIENS fans, there wasn't enough demand to make the option viable.
What can I put as my username in the credits?
Names in the credits are limited to 28 characters. We don’t accept bad language, racial, or sexual terms. You can include your online handle or the name of your website/blog/channel if you wish to and it fits within your 28 characters.
My question isn’t answered here - what should I do?
Please contact support@creatorvc.com for other questions
