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Mocap, Makeup, and Masks

Sat, 07/26/2014 - 9:00am

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Further thoughts on motion capture and why it's silly that the Oscars have consistently denied that Andy Serkis's special skills rank as acting.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is still going strong at the box office, which is good news for motion capture superstar Andy Serkis. Two weeks ago I wrote about how the Oscars have consistently denied that his special skills rank as acting. To show exactly how much of his characters are actually the man beneath the digital imagery, here's a video of how his trademark role Gollum was created for the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies.

I know, there's a lot in there about the special effects. But as can be seen, they're painting over the motions Serkis originated. Compare this process to that undergone by Meryl Streep, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in 2011's The Iron Lady. Streep wore both a fake nose and dentures in that film, as well as heavy makeup, to emulate the look of the British Prime Minister (see this Vanity Fair article for pictures).

She's not the only one: Anthony Hopkins endured lots of work for the 2012 movie Hitchcock to emulate the look of the famed movie director. Fast Company has an article on his prosthetics and makeup, including a "making of" video that shows the transformation Hopkins went through each day of filming:

The truth is that physical realism counted for very little in the vast history of drama. Actors in ancient Greece and India wore masks to represent different characters, while Japanese bunraku performers appear on stage with their puppets, fully in view of the audience as a part of the show. The thespians of the Renaissance (such as Shakespeare) wore contemporary clothing, stylized gestures, and short masks to present stock characters. Only in the days of modern cinema did the need for hyper-realism develop on both the stage and screen.

Andy Serkis is a talented actor. Eventually, I believe people will recognize that motion capture is a tool to present a new form of art to audiences, in the grand tradition of theatrical illusion.