Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/863766
30 cgw j u ly . a u g u s t 2 0 1 7 F E A T U R E n 2011, Weta Digital started a digital revolution by creating the lifelike Caesar and other non-human primates for the rebooted Planet of the Apes film Rise of the Planet of the Apes using state-of- the-art motion- and performance-capture methods, new interactive fur grooming tools, and more. The studio continued the trend in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), which was filmed mostly on location, requiring a mobile performance-capture system for the extreme locales and weather, as well as a rebuilt hair and fur system. Once again, Weta upped the ante in this summer's War for the Planet of the Apes, the third in this rebooted series, which features more of everything. A more expressive cast of characters. More detailed fur grooms. More complex performance capture in even more extreme weather conditions, including snow, as it interacts with the digital fur. More complicated environments. More simula- tions and effects. "Evolutionary" is a word that easily comes to mind when describing the film. And just as the apes' level of sentience has devel- oped throughout each film, so, too, have Weta's techniques and tools to support the CG cast. Directed by Matt Reeves, who also di- rected Dawn, War finds Caesar and his band locked in a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson). Aer the apes suffer stagger- ing losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins a quest to avenge his kind. As the revolution comes full term, Caesar and the colonel face off in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet. Also returning is Weta Digital's Dan Barrett, animation supervisor, and Dan Lem- mon, VFX supervisor, both of whom worked on all three rebooted Planet of the Apes. Likewise, a number of the digital cast (and their performance actors) returns as well, in- cluding Caesar (Andy Serkis), Rocket (Terry Notary), Maurice (Karin Konoval), Cornelia (Judy Greer), and others. Some new addi- tions include Bad Ape (Steve Zahn), Rex (Ty Olsson), Luca (Michael Adamthwaite), and Winter (Aleks Paunovic). "We always finish a movie having learned a great deal and become excited about Evolutionary Steps Evolutionary Steps Weta Digital ups the VFX ante in War for the Planet of the Apes BY KAREN MOLTENBREY i i THE LATEST PLANET OF THE APES FILM HAS CAESAR AND HIS SPECIES AT WAR WITH HUMANS LED BY A NASTY COLONEL. Images ©2017 20th Century Fox Film Corp.