Aliens Sink Your 'Battleship' In Never Before Seen Concept Art By George Hull

George Hull (Speed Racer, Transformers, The Matrix Reloaded),a lead conceptual artist for the Peter Berg movie Battleship (2012) has shared some concept art with me that were produced in the early stages of film development.

If you've ever wondered what it would be like if aliens came and attacked your Battleship board game, here's your chance.

Official Synopsis:

Peter Berg (Hancock) produces and directs Battleship, an epic action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Based on Hasbro’s classic naval combat game, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper’s fiancée; Alexander Skarsgard as Hopper’s older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper’s crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone’s superior (and Sam’s father), Admiral Shane.

Hull told me the following, "I was called by the battleship production in Sept 2009 to start the earliest design phase- creating the initial ideas for the alien warships. The only information I was given described 'that the Humans are fighting Alien warships at sea.' What could that look like?
"But when I started there was nothing, zilch,  only the brief and a blank sheet of paper. So I started drawing threatening battle cruisers that were more like alien submarines that could unfold its weapon array in surface mode.  I always approach a design with function in mind.  So I imagined on my own these warships had to plummet from space into the oceans.  Consequently they had to have thrusters  for interplanetary travel as well as submarine propulsion. 
"I should say I was a hired gun at the starting line, creating the big ideas and shapes to consider from my imagination. But lots of other people worked together to finish the marathon. There was a large art department and films take years to realize, many hands will touch the look of the ships along the way. Only each individual artist and their colleagues know how much they initiated a look versus adapted a look.
"And I'm happy to see some of my work is  evident in the big shape vocabulary."
The "Regent" is the name given to the alien invasion force. In an interview with Art of VFX Grady Cofer – VFX Supervisor – ILM said the following about the alien designs.

Production Designer Neil Spisak and Art Director Aaron Haye led a group of illustrators, generating pages and pages of concept art. The alien ships, called Stingers, were inspired by water bugs, which have the ability to stand and maneuver on top of a water surface. It was crucial to the Director that the alien technology feel practical, instead of merely ornamental. And for everything, Pete wanted a sense of age, of history – so when we encounter this alien race, the tools, the armor, and especially the ships feel used and worn.

Back at ILM, we created different silhouettes for each Stinger, varying aspects of their weaponry, defenses, and propulsion. And we customized each ship with its own color and lighting. We noticed how our own Navy ships tend to be simplistic below, along the hull, and more complex on the top surfaces, with clusters of towers and radars and antennae. So for the alien ships we inverted that ratio, simplifying the top surfaces, and then clustering detail — hoses, ports, cargo doors — onto the underside.

Another feature of the ships is their “intelligent surface”. We hypothesized that the alien technology allowed for data and energy to travel along the outer surfaces of their ships. This helped bring the ships to life.

Here are some of his illustrations

"Regent Ship With Mining Rig Deployed" by George Hull

 "Hopper Concept Art" by George Hull

"Regent Battle Cruiser" by George Hull

These images show the inspiration for the designs using sharks and crocodiles.

 Regent Destroyer

For reference, here are the Regent ships in the film.

George Hull has a brand new website. See more of his inspired work at ghull.com

What do you think of the illustrations? Do you think they could sink your battleship?

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Write by: Arek - Friday, May 18, 2012