As a fan who has witnessed the evolution of visual effects in films, I can confidently say that the latest installment of the Planet of the Apes franchise, “Kingdom,” is a testament to the relentless pursuit of innovation and perfection. The film’s stunning water simulations and life-like ape hair are a clear nod to the groundbreaking work done by Weta Workshop on James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.
It might not be immediately apparent, but the visual effects in the newest Ape Planet film owe a significant debt to James Cameron’s movies. The remarkable special effects in this simian journey would not have been possible without Weta Workshop’s contributions to the award-winning visuals in Avatar: The Way of Water.
According to visual effects supervisor Erik Winquist, the Water Solver we employed in our work was inspired by a movie and benefited from over half a decade of focused research and development on water simulations. Consequently, when it came to this project, that was one aspect he felt less anxious about because it had already been thoroughly addressed.
To achieve director Wes Ball’s vision, it wasn’t just about having the necessary building blocks; it required a unique blend of the water itself. As Winquist explains, the intensity and chaos of the water in this project differ significantly from what was displayed in Avatar. This difference opened up chances for us to enhance our existing tools and techniques.
300 years following the events of “War for the Planet of the Apes,” the series “Kingdom” introduces us to a young ape named Noa, portrayed by Owen Teague, who embarks on a perilous journey that eventually brings him face-to-face with Kevin Durand’s ruthless character, Proximus Caesar. Not only has the storyline advanced significantly in time, but so too has the technology employed to bring this evolved timeline to life.
The advancements made it possible for the most accurate representation of two difficult-to-recreate effects: water and animal fur, particularly ape fur. These elements are combined in an action sequence that concludes with the character Peter Macon’s transformed orangutan, Raka, being swallowed by turbulent rapids.
Winquist clarifies that we were able to do it since Loki, our go-to simulation tool at Weta, is capable of meeting all our simulation needs. We utilize Loki to mimic various scenarios such as dry or wet hair and water. Moreover, it allows us to simulate these elements simultaneously, creating an interaction between them.
Additionally, there was a great deal of fire (Winquist refers to it as a “complete inferno”). This is where the expert in special effects, who had previously worked on the Apes trilogy and received an Oscar nomination for his work on 2015’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, acknowledges that practical effects were essential for the visual effects team to perform effectively.
He notes that Weta took care of the hazardous tasks that couldn’t be performed in reality, but he emphasizes the valuable contributions made by our special effects team on location. As an illustration, he mentions a scene involving a village attack. The team had an LPG fire system set up everywhere, which provided us with authentic flames and illumination. Although there were artificial lights, the natural fire offered us a precise reference for the correct exposure and the flame’s behavior. We always had something to ground our digital fire in reality.
The realm gains advantages with improvements in performance-capture bodysuits. Teague donned a sleek third-generation suit, which incorporated components within instead of external ones that could potentially snag on objects.
Winquist points out, “It’s crucial when it comes to situations like stepping out from the bushes,” he notes, further explaining, “One distinctive feature from our prior trilogy we’ve continued is filming live-action scenes in breathtaking locations. This required us to innovate motion capture markers that emitted light rather than being reflective, as they would be on a stage.
The movie “Kingdom” features over 1,500 visual effects shots and a significant portion of its 145-minute runtime is entirely digital, amounting to 33 minutes. One of the most impressive examples can be seen in the opening egg-climb scene, which posed challenges in finding an appropriate location and constructing a large enough physical set to replicate the intended effect.
Winquist stated that the location was genuine and served as our backdrop, which is why we decided to carry on from there. He also mentioned that one of the most challenging aspects when working with digital environments is dealing with the ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ elements.
Creating a cityscape with added vegetation can be quite complex, especially when you want to give the illusion of leaves rustling for a more lively feel,” he notes. “This calls for careful consideration of how much and where organic matter should be placed within the picture’s boundaries.” He continues, “This process can be extremely demanding in terms of time and effort. The initial shot, for instance, features approximately 16 million digital plant assets distributed across it.
Check out other revealing stories about how movies get made at: THR.com/behindthescreen
This tale was initially published in a special December edition of The Hollywood Reporter’s magazine. If you’d like to get the magazine, follow this link to subscribe.
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2024-12-07 23:24