When the original 1968 Planet of the Apes premiered, pioneering makeup artist John Chambers revolutionized movie magic by crafting intricate prosthetics that allowed actors to emote as anthropomorphized apes. Over 50 years later, the technology has evolved drastically, but the core ingredient for bringing Caesar’s simian society to life remains the same – the dedication of the human performers.
As audiences marvel at the jaw-dropping photorealism of the apes populating the post-apocalyptic world of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the true wizardry lies in the elaborate process of seamlessly blending the remarkable practical efforts of the cast and crew with the stunning visual effects artistry of Weta Digital.
Director Wes Ball prioritized immersing his actors and digital artists in tangible, real-world environments as much as possible during filming. “We probably had one blue screen set on the movie,” he revealed. “For the most part, we’re out in real locations shooting with real actors.”
This allowed the production to minimize the typical “stitching” required when blending CGI characters into artificial backdrops. The ultimate goal was achieving a cohesive sense of believability by grounding the futuristic spectacle in relatable physicality.
To accurately capture the nuances necessary for the animators to craft convincing digital apes, the cast underwent intensive “Ape School” training under movement coordinator Alain Gauthier. This involved mastering the proper body mechanics, gaits, and physical idiosyncrasies unique to various ape species like chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
“We all have completely unique ways of moving as our apes,” explained star Owen Teague, who plays the character Noa. Costar Kevin Durand, portraying Proximus Caesar, was hailed as especially adept thanks to his experience with demanding physical roles.
The actors’ singular ape mannerisms were then tracked using sophisticated motion capture technology, with dozens of infrared cameras meticulously recording every muscular shift and emotional expression from all angles.
“I’ve got a camera on one face, and I’ve got about half-a-dozen to two dozen infrared cameras…camouflaged on the set, that are capturing all of this information so that we can get it right,” Ball explained of the elaborate setup.
Weta then deployed an innovative “solving” technique blending machine learning with human artistry. By leveraging algorithms to accurately translate the practical performances into rough digital ape models, the animators could focus on imbuing the subtlest emotional nuances and polished personal flourishes.
“It meant that our facial animators can use it as a stepping-stone…to spend their time really polishing and looking for any places where the solver was doing something on an ape face that didn’t really convey what the actor was doing,” said VFX supervisor Erik Winquist.
The end result is a seamless marriage of human ingenuity and technological prowess that has elevated Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes into a milestone for performance capture and character animation.
In celebration of this groundbreaking symbiosis, the film’s home release will even offer a bonus viewing mode featuring just the raw production footage without visual effects. This unprecedented peek behind the curtain will showcase the sheer mastery of the actors’ ape embodiments that formed the foundation for the summer’s most breathtaking digital creation.
