![]() ![]() This week, we each picked an animated movie from this era that used motion capture technology to transport the physical performances of actors into completely animated productions. Several major animated productions (many of them involving Steven Spielberg or Robert Zemeckis) used the technology within 10 years. But even though Motion Capture has proven to be a valuable tool in live-action films, the technique provides an interesting aesthetic to animated films as well.īack in the 2000s, Motion Capture animated movies became somewhat of a fad. Examples include Andy Serkis’s performance as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings franchise, Andy Serkis as Ceasar in the Planet of the Apes franchise, or Andy Serkis as…oh, well, you get it. Over the past several years, Motion Capture (or MoCap) and Performance Capture have been popping up in live-action and animated films. But today, we’re covering one of the most interesting and (and possibly creepiest) animation types out there: Motion Capture! Brolin doesn’t go for the easy depiction of a supervillain it’s kind of surprising that a $2 billion grossing mega-blockbuster dedicates a significant portion of its runtime to a big purple alien weeping on top of a cliff.So far this month we’ve talked about the classical animation of Don Bluth, and the computer-generated animation from Blue Sky Studios. His words of love for Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula ( Karen Gillan) are demented, and Brolin’s expressiveness captured that deceitful nature. Brolin gives Thanos’s obsession with “balance” an off-putting nobility that adds to his menace, and digs into the twisted logic of an abusive father who pits his daughters against each other. The collapse of his homeworld Titan gave Thanos a motivation that was understandable, but his plot to wipe out half of the universe’s population is obviously insane. Yet, the fully CGI Thanos was a surprisingly complex character. Jordan’s Killmonger, and Michael Keaton’s Vulture, and actors buried in makeup like Lee Pace’s Ronan and Christopher Eccelston’s Malekeith struggled to give authentic performances. Their best efforts tended to have human faces like Tom Hiddleston's Loki, Michael B. Not only did he need to be a threat that justified ten years of storytelling, but Marvel’s track record with villains was shaky. The character had been teased for six years as the force that would unite all of the universe’s heroes. There were colossal expectations for Josh Brolin to deliver as Thanos. The concept of an ape riding a horse wielding automatic weapons sounds ridiculous on paper, but within this world it's a haunting symbol of cyclical conflict. Koba commits some truly horrific acts, yet Kebbell finds the pent up ferocity that the years of torture caused. He’s a perfect antithesis to Caesar both have the begrudging spirit of a survivor, yet Caesar chooses to build bridges and Koba sees vengeance as his only means of satisfaction. Like Caesar, Kebbell’s Koba was a victim of brutal laboratory experiments that left him physically and emotionally scarred. Kebbell captured the same detail in the ape-like movements that Serkis did. Their advanced society rests in a fragile political dynamic with human survivors. The sequel opened up the world and developed each of the apes individually. Serkis’s role as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes was so beloved that it generated serious award season buzz. In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Toby Kebbell was going up against the king of motion capture. These are the same struggles that the character Christopher Johnson experiences, and in turn Cope’s performance feels oddly authentic. Cope had to overcome the challenge of expressing emotions with his physicality and expressions, all while facing a language barrier. The Prawns are only vaguely humanoid, bearing more resemblance to the bugs of Starship Troopers than the more obviously empathetic Na’vi. While it tackles hot button political issues, the stakes of District 9 are intimate, and Christopher Johnson’s struggle to raise his son CJ in a culture where they’re despised as monsters is heartbreaking. ![]() The emotional crux rests on Christopher Johnson ( Jason Cope), a Prawn single father who forms a hasty alliance with bumbling bureaucrat Wikus van de Merwe ( Sharlto Copley) in order to escape the oppressive MNU Department of Alien Affairs and return to his home planet. The alien “Prawn” creatures land in Nigeria, and are forced to live in a segregated society under heavy surveillance. Neill Blomkamp’s brilliant sci-fi masterpiece District 9 explored themes of apartheid, immigration, and bigotry.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |