Apes In Charge Apes charge through a forest They carry spears and other weapons These apes look real But human actors played them The 2014 film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes used motion capture to transform actors into apes
Performance Capture Motion capture is often called performance capture DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES When the actors arrived on set they were not wearing ape costumes They wore tight bodysuits covered with markers called sensors The actors also wore motion-capture headsets Sensors dotted their faces
APE WALK Many of the actors playing apes wore arm extensions This helped them walk on their hands and feet The actors moved like apes to play their roles Dozens of special cameras captured their movements Small cameras were also attached to their headsets The cameras used the sensors to capture the actors facial expressions This information was stored in a computer program that creates CGI
SENSORS Animators used special software to design the apes The animators made the apes gestures and expressions look human On screen the apes do not appear animated They look real
