Image Gallery: Weta Brings Emotion & Drama to CG for ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’

As the sole visual effects vendor on the final instalment of the prequel trilogy based on the 1968 science fiction classic ‘Planet of the Apes,’ Weta Digital is in the midst of a creative and technological renaissance.

‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ TM and © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

In order to produce correct avalanche interaction, Weta Digital had to revamp the proprietary tree system software known as Lumberjack. The tool produces simulations of growth patterns and branching structures for the trees that are affected by dynamics such as gravity, wind, and an avalanche rolling on top of them.

The Hidden Fortress is obscured from view by a waterfall that needed to be simulated. The terrain beneath consisting of rocks channels and interruptions that the water flows over were essential in making the natural wonder believable. The surface below also had to be bumpy enough in the right places to get a realistic behavior.

The Hidden Fortress was one of the big CG environments in the film with a portion of the exterior shot in British Columbia The baskets, totems, sconces, and torches situated in the interior were built off of designs or pieces that property master Doug Harlocker and set decorator Amanda Moss Serino had crafted with production designer James Chinlund.

Bad Ape was inspired by a particular Internet photograph that filmmaker Matt Reeves wanted Weta Digital to emulate. Reeves also wanted him to appear worn down and to have low density fur without appearing to be bald. Even though the performance and dialogue were driven by Steve Zahn, the look of the primate is based on reality.

A trademark mode of transportation for the apes are horses. Complicating matters is the fact that humans have longer legs which cover up more of the animal and results in a different pose. Consequently, covered parts need to be painted back in or a partial or fully CG horse needs to be produce to help bridge the gap.

A system was developed to make snow in the fur with the amount being animated. The various limbs were treated separated but composited together. When it came to windy moments the reverse approach was taken with the accumulated amount flying off in little pieces as the scene progresses.

The prison camp was a big set situated in the middle of an empty lot near the airport in Vancouver which was several hundred meters in each direction. Inflatable green screen walls surrounded the set that were 50 feet by 100 feet long. They were stacked side by side with a cherry picker utilized to make them 100 feet tall when needed. An aerial unit went to Witney Portal in Owens Valley, California to shoot plates that helped with the construction of the environment.

Original plate shot with motion capture performers replaced by their CG primate counterparts.

For the first time Weta Digital used the ecosystem modeling tool Totara. Rather than building and placing a tree by hand an entire ecosystem can be simulated to what it would look like in 80 or 100 years. Subtle details such as dead trees and fallen branches were critical in making the CG augmentation appear as realistic as possible.

A key part of the success of the prequel Planet of the Apes trilogy is the motion capture performance of Andy Serkis. The primate leader Caesar is a physical hybrid of Serkis and a CG ape.

Facial shapes were updated from the plates of Andy Serkis along with the groom as the character of Caesar has aged. Anatomical details from the eyes, eyelids and eyebrows of Serkis were snuck back onto Caesar so to more closely match the expressions and shapes he made.

The ray-tracing engine Manuka was field tested on ‘The Jungle Book.’ Modifications were needed as the hair simulation did not model correctly little micro reflections of sunlight on backlit fur. A move was made to a dual core shading model that models the medulla inside hair follicles allowing for a more realistic specular breakup.

The motion capture performances of Terry Notary and Steve Zahn drive the cinematic antics of Rocket and Bad Ape.

The completed shot which was complicated by the fact that unlike his primate counterpart Bad Ape wears a jacket and a beanie. A high resolution jacket needed to be built inside out with knitted patches while the beanie had to look like it was made from wool.

Much like the rise of Caesar from being a laboratory experiment to the leader of genetically modified primates that go onto rule the world, Weta Digital has experienced a creative and technological renaissance as the sole vendor on the prequel trilogy based on the 1968 science fiction classic Planet of the Apes.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes required walking the fine line between an ape looking like an ape but also showing signs of leadership and human intelligence. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes introduced the idea of apes being able to speak in a believable manner. Moving beyond the creative and technical hurdles, the focus for War for the Planet of the Apes was on producing dramatic moments which in the end may lead to Oscar glory for the franchise that has been nominated for each installment.

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Image Gallery: Weta Brings Emotion & Drama to CG for ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’

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