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"District 9" was a dynamite debut for director Neill Blomkamp, whose scrappy independent science fiction film about the mistreatment of anthropomorphic bug aliens earned him the glowing praise of critics, cinephiles, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In many ways, the film's success is a product of a shifting time in special effects, when access to CGI technology became more accessible to a wider crowd of filmmakers. The film underwent many changes in its journey from conception to VFX completion, but with the help of one trusty motion capture stand-in, Blomkamp was able to stretch the limits of his modest 30 million budget.

Originally, the "prawns," as the film's characters derisively label the aliens, were planned to be actors in suits with CG-supplemented effects, according to Weta Workshop artist David Meng. The switch to entirely CG alien models wasn't a huge leap for Blomkamp, who was used to...

The Shape of Water, his imaginative variation on the theme of Beauty and the Beast, which Fox Searchlight releases Dec. 1.

First, del Toro hired sculptors David Meng and Dave Grosso to start the design. He then enlisted Shane Mahan, co-founder of Legacy Effects (Pacific Rim), a special effects studio with a focus on creature design, and lead designer/sculptor Mike Hill (Apocalypto).

"Guillermo brought me in...

This is a busy weekend for awards, and the first major awards have just been handed out. The winners of the 2011 Chesley Awards were announced today at Renovation, the WorldCon going on right now in Reno, Nevada. The Chesleys are given by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists each year for excellence in genre art.

Paperback: Jason Chan, for Geist by Phillipa Ballantine (Ace) Hardcover: Michael Whelan, for The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Tor) Magazine: Nick Greenwood, for Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show #17 Three-Dimensional: Mark Newman, Eel Walker; bronze Interior: Donato Giancola, Middle Earth: Visions of a Modern Myth Unpublished Color: Julie Dillon, “Planetary Alignment” Unpublished Monochrome: Ian Miller, “Triptych” Product: Sam Weber, Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, promo art for Tor ebook Gaming: Lucas Graciano, Amorphous Drake (Legends of Norrath) (Sony Online Entertainment) Art Director: Jon Schindehette — Wizards of the Coast Lifetime Achievement:...

It's another light week in horror title releases, but don't fret; the big name is out on a different form of media (hardcover book).

You can now take home the 3D spectacle that was the 4th installment of the Resident Evil film franchise, particularly if you have a 3D TV. More confirmed sequels means more 3D movies? We'll see. Also on tap are releases of lightweights And Soon the Darkness and The Haunting of Amelia.

If you're curious about what went on behind the scenes of the art design of District 9, you'll want to bring home that hardcover book mentioned above, which details the whole laborious process.

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson

Starring Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Sienna Guillory, Boris Kodjoe, Shawn Roberts, Spencer Locke, Wentworth Miller

The fourth installment of the hugely successful Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Afterlife (review) is again based on the wildly popular video game series,...

Were you a fan of Neill Blomkamp's District 9? If so you'll want to check out The Art of District 9: Weta Workshop, which just became available for pre-order and illustrates the guns, the aliens, the vehicles, the graphic language - the whole world of District 9 that was designed and developed at Weta Workshop.

District 9, one of the most successful movies of 2009, was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture. Written and directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson, it deals with race relations through the language of science fiction, touching people the world over.

The Art of District 9: Weta Workshop tells the story from start to finish and illustrates the conceptual design process. How early sketches developed and evolved into the movie you saw on your screens. Click here for the Weta website, or pre-order your copy from the EvilShop below.

One of the figures we  have all been wondering if and when it would ever come out is happening thanks to Weta. Check out the images below of Christopher Johnson and Son (the two hero Prawns) from Neil Blomkamp's District 9.  The figures are 1/6 in scale and limited to only 600 pieces.  They are sculpted by Weta sculptor David Meng, collectibles don't get much more authentic than this!

This is by far the coolest figure/sculpture that's been released in a while and it's gonna cost you too! Click here to check out more on this cool item!

Weta has revealed its first collectible figure from Neill Blomkamp's District 9: a sculpture of Christopher Johnson and his son, the two hero "prawns" as they are condescendingly referred to by the humans of Johannesburg.

Exiled by fate to an alien and hostile planet where he is placed in a ghetto and forced to survive on black market pet food, Christopher Johnson is on a relentless quest to escape. With the help of his son and a few close confidants, he has managed to scrape together enough alien fuel to attempt a get-away. Beneath his ramshackle shelter hides a secret waiting to be unearthed. It's now or never.

They stand amid the rubble that is both their immediate source of nourishment and also offers a faint glimmer of hope to a people marooned.

Sculpted in 1/6 scale by Weta Workshop sculptor David Meng, who designed and sculpted the prawns for the film,...