Nostromo terminals from the film Alien

[Kryten]

Hi all.

I'm interested in displaying the font used in those terminals just for my
own project.
It might be fun to add this slightly strange font and see people wonder
where they have seen it before.

I'm assuming they were actually real terminals, perhaps modified slightly.

I wonder if any one in this group recognises those terminals or their font?

I could try reproducing the font myself but obviously it would be less work
if I could scrounge the font data from somewhere.

Perhaps some special-effects fans might point me in the right direction?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Rich Grise]

On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:27:48 +0000, Kryten wrote:

I'm interested in displaying the font used in those terminals just for my
own project.
It might be fun to add this slightly strange font and see people wonder
where they have seen it before.
I'm assuming they were actually real terminals, perhaps modified slightly.
I wonder if any one in this group recognises those terminals or their font?
I could try reproducing the font myself but obviously it would be less work
if I could scrounge the font data from somewhere.
Perhaps some special-effects fans might point me in the right direction?

Perhaps there's a link somewhere for those of us who don't have a video
library like some people's? (i.e., how about a picture of what you're
trying to do?)

I seriously doubt if anything you see on a terminal in a movie that old is
displayed on an actual terminal, on location, in the shot.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Kryten]

"Paul Hovnanian P.E." <Paul@Hovnanian.com> wrote in message
news:41DA1A8D.568B4EC1@Hovnanian.com...

I think that font will be included in your next Windows XP service pack.

Cool.

The one that Microsoft will ship to you inside a large, leathery, egg
shaped container.

Arriving this Easter perhaps?

I'll just get my landlord to open it.

<passes torch, hides under the bed!>

 

[Kryten]

"Rich Grise" <richgrise@example.net> wrote in message
newsan.2005.01.03.22.47.07.208956@example.net...

Perhaps there's a link somewhere for those of us who don't have a video
library like some people's? (i.e., how about a picture of what you're
trying to do?)

I don't have a video library either (though I may well buy the Alien DVD).
I got some pretty good images here:

http://www.markta.co.uk/alien/chapter09.htm
http://www.markta.co.uk/alien/chapter01.htm

The character cell seems about 12 pixels high,
2 scan lines for descenders and
2 scan lines for the underline bar.

It also seems to be a proportional spaced font.

I seriously doubt if anything you see on a terminal in a movie that old is
displayed on an actual terminal, on location, in the shot.

I think it is from around 1979, so terminals should be around by then.
Though proportional fonts would be very rare.

I had my project displaying the text from the Nostromo self-destruct
sequence (in throbbing red and yellow on black. Amused me to see that on my
TV screen.