Cool News
Not Gort...
Hey folks, Harry here - the art that was on this page was never a production piece. It was never a design that the filmmakers developed - and wasn't even a REJECTED design. This was a work of art that was done out of pure ON HIS OWN status by a very talented artist... who has asked us to remove it and put up this disclaimer.
Merrick here...
Driven to further investigate recent confusion surrounding Gort's appearance in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL remake, AICN reader ThunderChild did some digging and found an interesting item.
Remake director Scott Derrickson recently referenced having considered multiple approaches to Gort, including ideas which deviated significantly from the "classic robot" design of Robert Wise's 1951 film (more on Derrickson's approach HERE).
Such deviation was evident in our early script review of the remake, in which Gort was not even called "Gort" & had a design which shifted between Totem-like & quadrupedal.
Which brings us back to ThunderChild, who found a web site for concept artist Lorin Wood (HERE. Wood's working on THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL remake, and posted a concept rendering of Gort from the new film

ThunderChild notes that this iteration of the robot seems influenced by the current BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Cylon Centurions - and this would be a very fair comparison.
NOTE: Derrickson has clearly indicated that the Gort we'll see in the remake was, ultimately, significantly informed by the design of the original robot...evidenced by this glimpse of the robot from the trailer:
So, take the concept art above as nothing more than a follow-up regarding, and a glimpse into, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL's development process - referenced by the film's director last week.
Readers Talkback
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Works whether I'm first or not.
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Huh?
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You beat Fred fair and square
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But the movie still looks like ass. Hope I'm wrong.
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You are a worthy opponent. We shall play again in an article or three. Meanwhile, it's all about the Gort.
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Fred Concurs
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Gort is the gayest name ever.
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... so why isn't it in a movie that has nothing to do with TDTESS?
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Well done douchebags, you are all winners of the continuously-revolving "I'm a knucklehead" game. Comment on the friggin movie for chrissakes! This is why I rarely look at talkbacks anymore on AICN. Sad really. Make sure you walk around outside the house and go into Fry's when buying some new stuff, say, "oh, hey, I was first on the Gort talkback..." ...
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It would still seem more human and charismatic than Keanu.
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I tell the folks that Butnugget was so messed up about first posters, he couldn't help post to a Talkback telling them to comment on the movie, while simultaneously not commenting on the movie himself. It's sort of like trailer trash firsties: who will be first to complain about the actual first posters, without saying anything about the article himself or herself?
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ARRRGHH!!!
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Metot is Totem spelled backwards. I'm getting nowhere with this.
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Vs. the frame capture from the trailer. Smaller, more gort-like head with a thicker more Gort-like neck. I'm betting the final robot is more Gort-like and less Cylon-like. Not that the movie won't still be ass.
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exchange email addresses and meet at a scummy motel already. You know it's going to happen eventually.
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Waaay too cartoon cylon-y. Can't believe you guys freak out over one piece of concept art. I can pretty much guarantee you this will not be the design.
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IT SEEMS THE SAME GROUP OF PEOPLE CONSTANTLY CHECK AICN FOR A NEW ARTICLE IN THEIR HOPES OF POSTING "FIRST" IT DOESNT MATTER IF THE ARTICLE IS INTRIGUING TO THEM OR NOT,SO LONG AS THEY ARE "FIRST" GET A FUCKING LIFE!
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That Blashphemy! That could cause end of the cosmos type destruction - or at least a few upset geek stomachs.
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Fred thank you for advice
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Nice design overall
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SPOILERS: This robot will probably sacrifice itself to save Will Smith's kid. END SPOILERS
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Not too late.
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You think that's bad artwork? Huh.
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I want a Saturn now! Damn you clever ads.
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I'm not up on the scrummy hotels.
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please fucking stop with this shit
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July 9, 2008, 12:22 p.m. CST
Spoiler: Keanu Reeves Dies And Then Comes Back to Life
by kevinwillis.net
And then, he realize he is "The One".
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Believe it.
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Well I'm bored at work and since there isn't much being posted about the movie itself. First on the remake idea, I don't think we are ever going to stop it, look at the main news board, everything is just about a remake or a book/comic book to movie. Sadly original screenplays are just not something the studios are up for unless some huge name is already attached to. Second, aside of us self proclaimed fan boys and geeks, most of the general public in the teen to later 20's has probably not seen the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. I probably wouldn't have (36 yrs old here) if my father had not recommended it when I was growing up. I watched it I love d it and I laugh at all the subtle references I see in today's movies. The idea behind the movie is great and original enough. To remake it or not just doesn't seem to be the issue anymore, as we are certainly not going to stop them. there just isnt enough love in Hollywood to respect certain geek classics. Film Noir maybe? But not our beloved sci fi. Now onto all the Keanu haters. Look, it's true, he is a one dimensional actor. When hes on screen hes Neo/Constantine etc. Just like, to me Tom cruise is, or Nic Cage. It is rare for an actor to shift themselves so much that you can not look at them and think "oh it's the same old shtick again". Take Charleze Theron (sp) in Monster. I see pics of her in that and still can not recognize the person she "normally" looks and acts like. To me that is the true definition of an actor. Someone who makes you see a character and not "Joe Hollywood Star". So after that lil rant what does that mean for this movie...to me I will try and go in and watch it with an open mind. Let's see how the idea that an alien race coming to Earth to consider destroying it really plays out in today's society. It certainly has today's social commentary in check as we look at issue facing our planet. It will be funny if by the end of The Day the earth Stood still, that I walk away thinking Wall-e might have done a better job at sending a message about where we are as humans.
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Who?
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-or Dude, Where's My Spaceship?
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was robot for gay.
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Am I the only one who feels something's off with that Gort shot in the trailer? Look at that picture; just a rough shadow with a slit and a laser beam (like my last girlfriend). For some reason, I think completely-redesigned-now-shitty dog-Gort is being kept under tight wraps, and this trailer shot was just a cheap and quick sop to the sci-fi fanboys who I presume the studio wants to superficially placate, since we're the ones who really love and remember the original and would be first in line (despite reservations) to see the new version. They know we're obsessive enough to freeze-frame that lightning-fast shot and go, "Oooo... It looks faithful to the original Gort." Meanwhile the other 300 million Americans (the helmet-wearing mouth-breathing fatasses that boost the numbers for pointless dumbed-down remakes and ooops-I-just-drank-pee comedies) missed the shot because they blinked. I don't know; just seems like there's skullduggery afoot. Or shenanigans; take your pick. I've heard many other directors promise this and promise that, and the movie still shits on what you liked. As for this drawing, looks better than that vague bullshit thing in the trailer. If nothing else, Gort must be INTIMIDATING. Nothing beats the moment in the original when he suddenly appears and everyone shits their pants. That trigger-happy jackass just shot Klaatu five seconds after he said, "We have come to visit you in peace, and with goodwill." Note to Klaatu; if you ever land on a primitive planet and find yourself surrounded by tanks and cannons pointed at you the moment you walk out the door, it might be a good idea to hold your hands over your head and point to that weird thing you're holding and say "Relax, everybody. This is a nice welcome-to-the-interstellar-neighborhood gift for the President. I'm going to set it on the ground and step back. Please don't shoot me." Don't saunter right up to a sweating well-armed soldier and flcik the thing open at him like a switchblade. You're probably gonna get shot. Just a heads-up. Back to Gort; he got to rip everyone a new asshole in the original. He's an intergalactic cop who will knock you the fuck out if you get out of line. With the anti-war theme replaced with an anti-pollution one, what purpose can he serve? I guess he'll blast away at oil tankers and SUVs in this one. What a bunch of shit. If anyone you know expresses an interest in this flick, point them towards the original. It's the only decent thing to do.
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I believe Kurt Lockwood was the first to notice the similarity between Gort drawing and BSG Cylons. (since he was robbed of the Johnny 5/ Wall-E comparison.
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The Day the Earth Stood Still without Gort is like Forbidden Planet without Robby the Robot.
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How about using the original Gort? Really, can that be improved upon anyway?
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And Hollywood and Al Gore's brainwashing BS Green Scare tactics. As That Fat sack of shit to turn down his air conditioner in his palace or stop taking private jets everywhere. Tired of being made to feel guilty by hollywood for everything. We are all such heartless bastards in America for putting gas in our cars to go to work while the rest of the world is so sensative to mother nature. Ever see the skyline in Tokyo or Bejing?? It's choked with so much air pollution they have to wear fucking masks to get around. The waterways in China are thick with sludge like pollution and hazardous. Enough with the trendy BS soap box causes. Fuck Al "Fattest insincere Fuck Around" Gore and fuck this gay ass remake.
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...are the biggest douchebags of all. If they're really so unimportant, then why comment on them at all? I'm sick of having to go through 7 comments about them before I get to the meat and potatoes of a talkback.
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I think I dated that thing once.
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That the image in the trailer is a placeholder?
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Remember some of Carpenter's The Thing concept art by Mike Ploog? They looked nothing like the finished work, except the spider-head.
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(1) Jennifer Connelly, who only has one expression (i.e., detached ennui); and (2) you just know that stupid little kid is going to be in every scene.
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...doing away with Gort and substituting the shitty robot dog from Red Planet pretty much proves that this remake, like most remakes, will definitely suck ass.
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What happened to the Robocop story?It was up for a second and then disappeared.
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...or shenananduggery... skullnanigans? shenanaskulliganiduggigans?... Allyson Hannigans???
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July 9, 2008, 1:22 p.m. CST
If that looks like a Cylon, then BSG ripped off Star Wars.
by Cotton McKnight
Once again. That looks like a battle droid.
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You saw it here first.
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I'm hoping that Gort isn't anything like that for two reasons -<p>1) It's wearing high heels<p>2)For some bizarro reason my eyes keep getting drawn to the groin area.<P>This is supposed to be 'The Day The Earth Stood Still', not 'Sex And The City'.
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would even watch this trailer let alone this movie.
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July 9, 2008, 1:54 p.m. CST
the smaller humanoid form is so much more iconic and scary
by One Nation Under Zod
then that big ILM Robo-cop 4 rejected clusterfuck.
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Is that so much to ask?
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http://tinyurl.com/6lgbsg
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I dont see what that concept art has to do with anything? at this point it seems alot more likely that we will see something more akin to the original...
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NOT concept art from the movie. Trust me. Oh yea, i almost forgot Wall-e still hasn't made it's budget back.
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Anyone want my Watchmen FX crew T-shirt? I washed it and it's too small.
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six minutes of TDK have been on line for the past 5 months maybe longer.
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I hate that idea. Was that in the original? I'm sick of Hollywood thinking all aliens need to look totally odd & not humanoid.
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nerds to blow their loads about how much they hate remakes/this movie/Keanu Reeves
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Bad Move Space Cadet!
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Really?<p>Gort?<p>No Gort?<p>...crickets...
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Must be the phrase of the day at www.pretentious.com...
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dancing about the net that 'new' Gort appears in the first frame of this movie. Destroys everything and then the credits roll on this remake. Let's hope he destroys any chance of Keanu being in another movie too.
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..need to be changed? Gort should be Gort, period, end of story.
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hollywood is to safe and too sorry most of the time any more. they would prefer to offer us up retreads of movies past then come up with new ideas and images. Films like The Day The Earth Stood Still and Invasion of the Body Snatchers should not be remade. They were made in a certain political context of what was happening at the time they came out. TDTESS is a movie about atomic weapons and the danger the posed. IOTBS was riff on the Red Scare and the politics of the Cold War. Transposing these movies to deal with global warming and whatever last years INvasion was about only draw a stark circle around the fact that new ideas and images arent forth coming. when Hollywood does allow something new to come around, they then proceed to mimic that idea to death. i am a fan of the original. i do not see a need for this remake. that being said, I do hope they do Gort some justice.
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to the future! Did you build a big time traveling train? That would be cool.<br><br> Btw, detached ennui defines Jennifer Connely. That's her in a nutshell. Because that's what it took to beat the Goblin King.
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Keanu would come out and say. "Hey. We're here to kill you bastards. Gort, go to it." Ninety minutes of Gort killing people and blowing things up would ensue.
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are wasting just as much time as the people they're complaining about. And, sweet mother of ironies, so am I. Well, I'll be fucked by a pig!
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Keanu and Shia should do a father son comedy or some shit. Dude like, woah, like uh, what vehicle do you turn into...(zap!) Bogus!
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Well, if you look at the sketch the freaking thing has a codpiece. In fact, it looks like he has a huge erection. Round at the bottome and phallic as it reaches up the torso. Perhaps he should be renamed Priapus.
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LAST!!!!!! BITCHES
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about people who complain about "firsties" . . . wait, I'm lost.
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keep the name, toss it, I don't care, this movie is going to toss my salad.
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wise up. There's no meat and or potatoes to be had in these talkbacks.
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Gort wins with a single eyeblast. Movie over in 5 minutes.
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Gort doesn't have to be elaborate clockwork like the BayFormers, be covered in decorative spiky metalwork, or any of that crap. The original Gort was a featureless, vaguely human-shaped blob of metal, right? So, keep it simple. <p> Picture the Silver Surfer. <p> Without a face.<p>That's it. <p>...Okay, so it needs to be intimidating? Make it eight feet tall and more muscular. There, I've just designed the perfect Gort. Now give me my million dollars.
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...from an old episode of Doctor Who. Except, with a whole lot more CG, and a lot less gay. <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmVuIWffmM4
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It may even surprise, as we only saw his shadow. And people complaining... sheesh... it is tiring. The thing will be there december 12, some will like it, some won't. End of story.
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Whereas, a softer, kinder, tofu-eating, Birkenstock wearing Gort sets aside his differences and sits down with world leaders to try and work things out while smoking patchouli oil while Kattu spouts intergalactic poetry at the local coffee shop.
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that will make us want to see the film. That would be brilliant marketing.
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ITS EONEON REMEMBER IT! I WILL HAUNT YOU YOU ANAL DOUCHE! GET A FUCKING LIFE YOU 8 YR OLD FELCHER! OH WOW I'M COOL I'M FIRST,NOW PEOPLE WILL ADD ME ON MYSPACE.... YOU MUST BE A 400 POUND VIRGIN WHO DOES NOTHING BUT SURF AICN ALL DAY LOOKING TO BE FIRST. YOU KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH MUTHAFUCKA!!!!!!!!
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Thanks. Supah-cool! I'm glad you noticed. It makes you smarter than other people who don't "get it". If you know what I mean.
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Needs giant robots!<br><br>The biggest question is who will Gort/Totem be taking a piss on? Transformers clearly set the tone, giant robots gotta take a leek.
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You wouldn't be whining about his appearance if he came face to face with you, bow down dammit!
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yay!
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something like this? http://tinyurl.com/553rfb
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The design, despite being similar to the new cylons, does need a little something. In this day and age we (the cinema going public) need a little someting extra in our robots. I mean who cares about a standard silver cylon type hunk of steel? I wanna know when I buy my ticket, watch a film then go out and buy the overpriced plastic toy, that I am going to get a COOL AS SHIT robot that all my friends will give me respec' and think i am the shit for seeing the film and owning the toy.....! STICK SOME NIPPLES AND FLAMES ON THAT MO'FO!
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..from what angle they are coming from with this design. My money is on something completely different, as this would not have been posted on a public website. Gort will probably end up being an alien computer virus infecting the internet ad being used as a weapon against us. Cop out!
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that the blink-and-you-miss-it shot of Gort in that trailer looks like it was thrown together in the final seconds before the trailer actually was released. It has some seriously bad photoshoppiness to it, and looks like it was partially hand drawn. As if the trailer was all done and in the can (cart?) when someone involved in said film got wind of the fanbase's unapologetic and wholly universal "meh", and said to everyone, "holy crap. If we dont cut-and-paste a Gort in to this movie, we're in big trouble."<p> Im all out of hyphens. If anyone wouldn't mind sparing a few?
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July 10, 2008, 9:32 a.m. CST
"significantly informed by the design of the original robot"
by ArcadianDS
"hello?"<p> "Hi. This is the design of the original robot. I'm calling to inform you of a few things."<p> "Excellent. Please proceed with informing us."
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Hi, This is Lorin Wood, the artist responsible for this sketch. Let me make a correction on this posting: this is NOT an official design for Gort. I worked as a previz artist on the film and during some free time, a co-worker and I ripped out a few sketches of what we'd like Gort to look like. Nothing more.
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One more thing...I actually was not familiar with the new BattleStar Gallactica show at the time I drew this so the similarities between it the Cyclon robits was purely coincidental. Cool, though when I finally watched the show after the fact.
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""""""""""""""""""""""<p>lwood: So, is there anything to those who say Gort just got tagged on the end of the trailer to placate the "WHAT?!! NO FOOKIN' GORT?!!" crowd?<p>Dammit, here are the two hyphens back I borrowed...""
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what i do know is that final vfx/cg work is never used in trailers, so there probably is something to the prior comment about it being cut and pasted in at the last second
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Uh oh, here comes another.
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What's next?
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I tried getting in as a concept artist myself on this pic and they refused and went with this shithead instead?..fucking LAME!!!!
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yeah...it was sketch...done in about 10-15 minutes.
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Anyone who hasnt visited Lorin's website, should do. There's some stunning designs going on there. Excellent work!
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The whole 'death ray' thing is a cop-out. Anyone who knows anything about high-powered lasers knows this visible beam bull is ridiculous.
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That's a Gort I can believe in. Give that guy my million dollars! ...no, wait, give him someone else's million dollars. I still need mine.
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Gort will be something no one imagined. Nor Wood's scketch nor the image on the trailer. What take us all the way back...
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So, let me emphasize, again, that this design is not official and has absolutely nothing to do withe the film. Lorin Wood
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