In 1968, when Stanley Kubrick wanted to include apes in his sci-fi saga, 2001: A Space Odyssey, he used costumed humans so convincing co-writer Arthur C. Clarke believed the Academy refused to award the picture best make-up and costuming because they thought they were real animals. That same year, Planet of the Apes would also use a combination of uncomfortable make-up and costumes to bring their simians to life (consequently earning them the above-mentioned award). When the series was rebooted with a new trilogy of films, they employed motion capture technology to still use actors to portray the apes while altering their appearance with CGI.
In support of the home entertainment release of the last picture in the trilogy, War for the Planet of the Apes, Weta Digital had a booth at New York Comic Con to showcase their visual effects technology. Using a pared down version of the elaborate setup they employed for the film, attendees could act as the franchise star, Caesar, and recreate a scene from the film in the form of a game. In this simulation, the player sits on a “horse” and chases Bad Ape through a forest, where they must duck beneath branches and various natural obstacles in order to capture him. Of course, the fun of the experience is less in playing the game and more in getting Caesar to mimic your movements, which are being captured by the 12 cameras mounted around the game area.
The New Zealand company, which also created effects for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, The Jungle Book, The Hobbit trilogy, Avatar and many others, was approached by Twentieth Century Fox to support the home entertainment launch of the last Apes film earlier this year. With just a few months to prepare for their first public event, Weta produced this interactive experience that included a takeaway video of both the player’s digitized and untreated performance. With interest already shown by San Diego Comic Con, this will likely not be the last time such an activation is offered at a fan affair… perhaps Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity Wars would make a prime candidate as it will probably be hitting store shelves next summer.
This technology is having a significant impact on filmmakers’ ability to capture real emotions in fantastically fictional characters. Woody Harrelson, who is frighteningly convincing as Caesar’s (Andy Serkis) adversary, would have refused to join the cast if he had to perform opposite a tennis ball like in days past; but thanks to the relatively comfortable motion capture suits, which are equipped with little reflective markers that are detected by the dozens of surrounding cameras, that’s no longer necessary — actors are able to react to one another while portraying non-human characters. Moreover, since the details of their expressions are integral to their characters’ personalities, they wear small cameras to capture facial movements separately.
As a result, these impossible characters have never felt more real or engaging. Becoming emotionally invested in their fates doesn’t feel awkward because they don’t entirely feel imaginary. And that’s the point of movie magic — to create visual effects so seamless, audiences are still able to lose themselves in the narrative. And now you can take the magic home, as War for the Planet of the Apes is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on now.
