Erik Winquist talks about the development of visual effects in the Planet of the Apes film series, from Rise to Kingdom, in an exclusive interview.
The fundamental idea of Planet of the Apes has always been evolution. We talk about precisely that in an exclusive interview with Erik Winquist, the franchise’s VFX supervisor: how the film series has evolved, how important VFX technology is to it, how apes are portrayed on screen, and how cinema is interacting with artificial intelligence, the next big breakthrough in technology.
Along with the Planet of the Apes franchise, you’ve also worked on Peter Jackson’s King Kong (2005) and Brad Peyton’s Rampage (2018). What is it about apes that make them such a fascinating part of our collective imagination?
The fact that they are so closely connected to humans is evident. Even without actual people on film, we are still able to portray stories that are very human in character. Since just 2% of our DNA separates us from those creatures, I believe we can relate to them in particular. Anyone who has ever gone to a zoo and made eye contact with a chimpanzee or an orangutan can see that there is a basic link between them. It’s difficult to put into words, yet it’s obvious
You’ve been associated with this franchise since its first reboot instalment, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). How has your process evolved with these four movies?
The evolution of what technology allows while we watch the movie has been quite amazing to witness. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the movie we recently saw. We thought, “Wow, it looks so amazing,” at the moment. We also think it appears a little out of date now. We’ve come a long way as rendering and animation technologies have advanced. Compared to before, it’s far more credible, realistic, and captivating.
The latest instalment, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, marks the dawn of a new era in the franchise. How challenging was it for you to design its aesthetic?
As we enter Kingdom, the atmosphere of soft lighting and a mix of San Francisco and the Canadian rainforest has faded. There is far greater flexibility over the lighting and camera styles. We’re using handheld cameras out here in the brilliant sunshine right now. Those variations have been helpful in keeping things interesting for us as we’ve moved from movie to movie, so it’s been pleasant.
In this section, we presented twelve brand-new, talkative hero characters. They spoke primarily sign language earlier. Thus, in this case, the criteria of having high-fidelity face animation was more difficult to meet. In this movie, there’s probably more talking than in the other three combined. We also have two major underwater scenes. Our task now was to address the consequences of submerging an ape in that water and to simulate the effects of water on the ape’s hair.
Speaking of underwater, you also worked on James Cameron’s 2009 watershed fantasy Avatar. What did you pick up from that experience that you probably used in this franchise?
It’s likely that Jim Cameron is more familiar with all aspects of the filming process than any of the participants are. His sight and breadth of understanding are truly amazing. He has improved things for all of us. should never stop asking yourself, “What can we do to improve this?” You must live up to the standards set by those who came before you and strive to go above and beyond with the next.
I read that you clicked an orangutan’s picture in Germany for your inspiration for Raka in this film. How much of your process is in the studio and how much of it is in on ground?
By the time things are handed over to us, we’ve become heavily studio-oriented. We’ve wrapped up the shoot and are no longer in the wild. We use the internet for a lot of our reconnaissance, scouting, and research. We located the chimpanzee that served as Ceaser’s reference and the orangutan that served as Raka’s reference via image search.
But I prefer to take as many pictures as I can for every movie that I work on. For instance, we went to a beach in Wellington and took pictures of the seagulls after luring them in with fish for the bridge sequence. We chose to use those in the film rather than creating intricate seagull designs for a single frame. Sometimes YouTube doesn’t have what you’re looking for!
Is there a VFX technology that you believe is going to become huge in the next 5 years?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic these days, whether it’s here or not. The key question is how machine learning will integrate into the VFX or filmmaking ecosystem. These time-saving gadgets are so plentiful. However, I suppose the emphasis is on utilizing it as a tool for creativity rather than seeing it as a substitute for artists. The process of creating movies has a human aspect that cannot be replaced by “AI,” whatever that term may entail. I believe we would lose a great deal.
On this one, we’re utilizing machine learning to capture facial film of the actors, which is then processed in a machine learning solver to provide animators with a foundation for their work. As a result, they may concentrate entirely on the subtle emotional aspects rather than the core of face performance. That is but one instance among many.
Do you get bummed when someone compliments you on the VFX? Because practically, good VFX is supposed to be invisible.
When no one finds out that we did anything, we’re really thrilled. Thus, we accomplished our task satisfactorily. In a great deal of the work we perform, viewers are aware that the things they are seeing—such as the talking ape currently on screen—cannot be genuine. But for some reason, they’re totally captivated. I find that to be really fulfilling. Many comments, especially on this movie, ask how the orangutan was made to appear so lifelike. It’s said that within two minutes of the film, I lost all sense of reality and forgot I was seeing computer generated imagery. That’s wonderful to know.
Finally, is there any Indian film you’ve seen that has impressed you with its VFX?
Regarding the sheer amount of crazy that is shown on film, I believe I would reply, “obviously,” Rodriguez Rodriguez. It was entertaining to see it. Regarding only the movie, Dev Patel’s Monkey Man left me awestruck. It seems like this was the year of the monkey. It was the first film he had directed. It was just an amazing, entertaining film, with some really entertaining visual effects thrown in. Excellent material!
Disney+ Hotstar is currently offering Kingdom of Planet of the Apes for streaming in India.
