‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ differs aesthetically
VFX supervisor explains what sets new installment apart
The new blockbuster “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the latest installment in “The Planet of the Apes” franchise’s reboot, will set a new tone and aesthetic changes to the series, according to its visual effects supervisor, Erik Winquist.
“The previous three films were heavy both aesthetically and in tone. They were a bit bleak. We were talking about an apocalypse. So this film gives us an opportunity to go way into the future beyond that and find ourselves a brand new cast of characters. It allows us to take on a different tone,” the VFX supervisor at Weta FX, a New Zealand-based digital visual effects and animation company, said during the press conference for the upcoming film, held in central Seoul’s Yongsan District, Tuesday.
“This is a fun adventure story that aesthetically looks very different from the previous films. The cinematic language that we use is very different from those of previous films. So it was a great opportunity to try a new look and a new field for a familiar franchise.”
The action film, set to hit local theaters May 8, will pick up 300 years after the reign of Caesar, a super-intelligent chimpanzee, from the previous film. In the era when apes have become the dominant species over humans, a formidable leader, Proximus (played byKevin Durand), rises to power through ruthless pursuit of humans and rival ape clans.
When a young ape, Noa (played by Owen Teague), from a peaceful clan, faces Proximus’ tyranny, he goes on a journey with a human girl, Mae (Freya Allan), to determine the future of both apes and humans, learning Ceasar’s teachings.
The new installment is directed by Wes Ball, who previously helmed the “Maze Runner” trilogy.
The VFX supervisor, who has
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This film gives us an opportunity to go way into the future beyond that and find ourselves a brand new cast of characters.
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worked on all three previous series, emphasized the latest installment’s realistic depiction of the apes and their world with improved technology.
To create the visuals, the animators at Weta FX put in substantial work, resulting in over 946 million thread hours for rendering.
“As far as the evolution of the technology goes, I’m feeling very proud of where we currently are. When I go back and look at some of the scenes from ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’ it looks so primitive to me now. And at the time we thought that was the pinnacle that was so great,” Winquist said.
“But it’s great to see the technology continuing to improve the believability and realism not just of the appearance but of their performance as well. And what we, our animators, are able to achieve is quite breathtaking.”
Kim Seoung-seok, a senior facial modeler at Weta FX, noted the new film required more complex and sophisticated skills to create the apes.
“As 300 years have passed, apes have evolved to be more intelligent and use verbal language more. Civilization has been created, as well as the conflicts within that. It’s technologically complex but our work excelled in implementing this,” he said.
Sun Se-ryul, the motion capture tracker of the film, hinted that the apes’ expressions will have more detail.
“We needed a lot of photos for the detailed work. We found a type of orangutan (with the look we wanted) in a zoo in Germany and took photos of him to work with them,” she said.
“A lot of different types of technologies were used. We worked delicately, mainly around the face, and related technology has advanced. In those aspects, you will be seeing slightly more realistic apes.”
Winquist lastly added he hopes the film’s advanced VFX will help invite viewers to its world and enjoy the fictional story.
“What I hope that audiences get from this film is very quickly just immersed into the story and the characters and stop thinking. And hopefully, they’re not about the technology and that they’re watching visual effects,” he said. “I hope that audiences just get swept away by the narrative and the incredible performances that we got from our actors and our animators and just really have a fun ride because it’s quite a fun adventure story.”