Andy Serkis has been cutting his teeth as director for some time now. During RETURN OF THE KING (2003) Serkis directed the scene in which Smeagol first finds the ring, and he’s recently finished working as a second unit director on THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and its sequels. Sekis is also the man many would call the face of performance capture, having played iconic characters such as Gollum, KING KONG, and Caesar in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. He also set up his own performance capture studio called The Imaginairum, with producer Jonathan Cavendish.
It is through this company that Serkis is gearing up to direct his first feature film, an adaptation of George Orwell’s classic ANIMAL FARM. Many of us will have studied this incredible book in high school. It tells the story of Manor Farm, a place where the animals decide to take back what is rightfully theirs.The book is a satire of the Russian revolution and an allegory for the time before and during the Stalin era. It shows how absolute power corrupts absolutely, after the pigs abandon their original beliefs and begin to reap the benefits themselves.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Sekis had this to say about his upcoming project:
I think we found a rather fresh way of looking at it. It is definitely using performance capture, but we are using an amalgamation of filming styles to create the environments. We are in proof-of-concept stage at the moment, designing characters and experimenting on our stage with the designs. It is quite a wide canvas as to how much and how far we can take performance capture with quadrupeds and how much we will be using facial [capture]. We are not discounting the use of keyframe animation or puppeteering parts of animals. We are in an experimental phase; it’s terribly exciting.
Sekis also went on to discuss storytelling and if he will be taking on an acting role in the film:
We’re keeping it fable-istic and [aimed at] a family audience. We are not going to handle the politics in a heavy-handed fashion. It is going to be emotionally centered in a way that I don’t think has been seen before. The point of view that we take will be slightly different to how it is normally portrayed and the characters, We are examining this in a new light. It might well be that I do [perform in the film], but nothing is set in stone yet. At the moment I’m very fixed on the creation of the characters and world from a directorial point of view.
This will be an interesting project no matter what. I’m a huge fan of previous adaptations of the book, and seeing the pigs start to stand on two legs is always a powerful moment. I’m sure Serkis’ performance capture will really bring that moment alive.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter
