The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is coming to theaters this August. This film may just be the biggest movie event this summer and it raises many ethical issues that lie in the forefront of the animal rights world.
One question the movie asks is: Is it ok to test on animals and what is the possible result?
One question the making of the movie asks is: Is it necessary with today’s technology (CGI specifically) to use real animals in the movie making process?
‘Rise’, is brought to life in a real world setting -modern day San Francisco. This 2011 version brings the “what has caused this to happen” aspect that the original movie (and related re-makes) did not. The lead character (Ape) Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, is brought into the movie as an infant that has had scientific testing performed on him which leads to the end of civilization as we know it and the rise of a new one. Caesar genetically inherited intelligence from a drug that was tested on him as a cure for a disease, but provides an unexpected result: boosted brain function. ’Rise’ demonstrates how this scientific testing leads to the upended destinies of man and primate.
The remarkable part in the production of this movie is that there are no animals used in the making of the movie. In fact, the director, Rupert Wyatt, was adamant about not using animals during production. And now in the age of CGI, Rupert wants to send the message to other studios that there is no need to use apes in the film making process.
The same technology that was developed and used for the movie Avatar, from WETA Digital, is used in ‘Rise’, however unlike Avatar the performers are approximately the correct size and were able to utilize a live action stage with Performance Capture Technology. This is very important because the performers are all human wearing performance capture suits and head rigs to capture the movements and emotions of the apes and chimps. Human voices are used for ape voices and sounds. Andy Serkis said in a live-stream event on Wednesday, that he is “not providing visual effect, I am the character”.
Apes have a way of expressing themselves similar to humans, but not always similar enough for an audience to interpret, so Andy provides a balance of what a chimp may do in a way that the film’s audience would better understand. The story is an emotional one as well as a physical one. The filmmakers spent time at a zoo, researching, where they took pictures and videos of apes and chimps to be able to mimic their movements, emotions and facial expressions.
This is the first in a series of posts about this movie as I will be getting more information over the coming months about the real-life issues surrounding it. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International will be addressing some animal-testing for scientific research issues and I am hoping to get some of the behind-the-scenes footage to show just how remarkable CGI technology is in the creation of ‘Rise’. I am so excited to be able to bring this information to you and thank you to Zoom Werks Media for allowing me to do so. For now, here is the newly released trailer:
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