21st Century - CGI & Motion Capture

Landmark CGI Movie Effects

Make a list of special effects that you think may have been particularly ground breaking in recent cinema history (post 2000)

Remember - CGI has been around for many years, decades in fact.

Where Does Andy Serkis End & Animation Begin?

http://screenrant.com/andy-serkis-motion-capture-oscars-controversy/

The evolution of Andy Serkis: First Gollum, then King Kong - now the actor is swinging through the trees in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-evolution-of-andy-serkis-first-gollum-then-king-kong--now-the-actor-is-swinging-through-the-trees-in-dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-9595636.html

Who is Andy Serkis and why is he significant?

Andy Serkis is an English film actor, director and author. He is known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for such computer-generated characters as: Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), King Kong (2005) and Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) 

Serkis' film work in motion capture has been critically acclaimed, and he has been called the "godfather of motion capture."

Serkis has received an Empire Award, a National Board of Review Award, two Saturn Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his motion capture work.

In 2014, he was confirmed as a part of the main cast of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, as well as having a supporting role in Avengers: Age of Ultron, both of which will be released in 2015. 

Serkis has his own motion capture workshop, The Imaginarium Studios in London.

In Gareth Edwards' 2014 science-fiction monster film Godzilla, Serkis was the consultant on the film's motion capture sequences in order to "control the souls" of the creatures.

 

His work on The Lord of the Rings started a debate on the legitimacy of CGI-assisted acting. Some critics felt Serkis should have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, since his voice, body language, and facial expressions were used. However, there is the argument that his CGI actions were partially, or in some cases fully, animated without his movements.

He played Caesar in the 20th Century Fox science-fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Serkis was acclaimed for his performance as Caesar, and in a high-profile campaign by 20th Century Fox for him to be honoured with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, his co-star James Franco stated: "Andy Serkis is the undisputed master of the newest kind of acting called “performance capture,” and it is time that Serkis gets credit for the innovative artist that he is."

“It’s all to do with performance,” says Serkis “Caesar and all the other computer generated characters I have ever played are driven by one thing and that is acting. Audiences want to be moved by acting, not by a visual effect. The reason the audience feels what it does towards these characters is purely, I believe, because of performance.”

 

Exam Question

“Digital Cinema and advances in technology since 2000, have improved the filmmaking process for institutions”

Discuss.