Ahead of the release of new film DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES we sat down with Andy Serkis to find out what set life was really like. Our full interview will be up later in the week and, take our word for it, it’s well worth a read as Serkis knows his stuff. But here is a sneak peek. Having directed the second unit team for Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT series, Serkis will next direct ANIMAL FARM, a new take on the George Orwell novel. Whilst we had his undivided attention we thought it only right to get an update on the project. See what he had to say below:
We’ve been evolving the methodology for how to create the characters for ANIMAL FARM. Which is actually taken a year or so working with very very talented actors and performances to make quadrupeds, to make four-legged animals, to make chicken and geese and pigs and cows, but yet still derived from the actor’s performance. So its been a really exciting , we work in real time, we have digital avatar puppets on-screen that you can see. The actors are sometimes bonded together with various different pieces of equipment to make spines etc. so you can have two people playing one part and so on. Its a very involved and exciting digital character creation, sort of set-up, for ANIMAL FARM.
I personally find the idea of multiple people capturing the movement for one creature fascinating. It sounds very pantomime-horse in structure. Given Serkis’ talent for the craft we very much look forwards to seeing what he creates.
