Author(s): Matt Hurwitz, Sharon Gosling, Adam Newell with the foreword by Matt Reeves
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 176 pages
“To me, what was exciting about this film was this idea of world creation, the creation of ape civilisation. Future movies are going to grow out of that. How will this character and this family be tested by challenges ahead of them – that’s the path that I’ll be interested in taking…” – Matt Reeves
Despite the huge title, which is impossible to avoid, The Art of the Films: Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes offers us an extensive behind-the-scenes exploration into the unique and brilliant world that Rupert Wyatt, Matt Reeves and – most importantly – Andy Serkis have unequivocally bought to life.
Whereas some projects can end up feeling like a separate entity towards the same final destination, this book full demonstrates the importance of collaboration in movie making. Within both RISE and DAWN, the world of the Apes and Humans has to be represented in both a balanced and specific way and they achieve this and keep the audience captivated. The Art Of… shows us these inside worlds, the planning and how vital it was to tell both sides of the story.
Both films are celebrated here in the one book and it makes perfect sense because of the enormous story arc that skips ten years in the new film. Obviously, if you haven’t seen DAWN yet, there are spoilers revealed as we go behind-the-scenes as the book looks at planning, set design, alongside interviews with the stars involved. But all these revelations offer a curious insight into an insurmountably large fictional universe and Titan Books have compiled something that adds an extra dimension beyond the movies.
We’re all aware that behind the Apes is WETA’s technological mastery but you get to understand the leap in both the changes in the tech involved, and how the actors quite literally bring the Apes to life – so much so, that you forget you’re not watching real animals. When RISE came out, the motion capture tech was still changing and actors had to do the acting away from the main sets and locations. We learn that in DAWN, WETA have improved their own inventions which means actors can now physically be there on the real locations and thus interact directly with the ‘human actors’, it’s truly revolutionary.
However, one of the few disappointments here is the lack of real-set photography in terms of comparing the concept art and the final product, especially on the most recent film. Whereas the first half of the book gets inside the world being created, the second half turns toward being a picture book which makes it feel like they may have had less available information to share. Although the book also shares an impressive array of environment set concept art, it – bizarrely – lacks information on specific characters. There’s only a small section on how each Ape looks, with just a single page on Koba, and so there’s a sense it’s been slightly rushed and sadly they’ve forgotten one of the most important parts.
Overall, The Art of the Films: Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an fascinating book about the progression of motion capture, the importance of character development in both the humans and apes coupled with some great insight from the actors and crew involved. Although it might miss a beat with some specifics, if you’d like another dive into the Ape world of Reeves, Wyatt and their masterful creations, then there’s certainly something here for you.
[usr=4] The Art Of The Films: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is out now from Titan Books. You can order your copy via this link here.
