This movie was released on June 11 2014. It takes place in San Francisco ten years after a virus caused the collapse of the human civilization. The apes started living in the forest when the virus started to spread and they created their own community that is lead by Caesar (Andy Serkis).
The special effect that they used in this movie is called Motion Capture. It is used to capture the movements of the actors and these movements are later on used to create the Apes. The main reason why they used Motion Capture in this film is to make the Apes appear more human and to give the audience a realistic experience. Special markers are attached to the actor so that the camera can capture a 3D position. This technique gives the actors the freedom to express themselves and therefore to give a good performance. The amazing thing about this technique is that behind the apes that we see on the screen there are real actors that are actually immersing themselves in the roles.
As we can see in this clip,thanks to these markers the performance and movements of the actors is recorded and then used to create the digital character. These markers not only record the movement but the emotions in their facial expressions as well. Other than the markers, there are high resolution cameras as well that allow the actors to see the result of their performance.
This movie, being the sequel to Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, was very different than the first movie because more than 85% of the scenes were shot outside. The scenes were mainly shot in forests near Vancouver and outdoors locations near New Orleans. The fact that they shot most of the movie outdoors and in rainy forests was challenging, but the markers and the suits were more advanced than those used in the first movie which allowed them to be able to shoot scenes outdoors.
This Technique was used in The Lord Of The Rings to create Gollum, in Avatar to create the characters. It has also allowed movie makers to tweak human characteristics and therefore age Brad Pitt in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
Andy Sarkis in the role of Gollum, The Lord of The Rings.
Zoe Saldana in the role of Neytiri, Avatar.
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.