The filmmaking techniques used to bring human-like apes to life have changed considerably since the original Planet of the Apes. Makeup still comes into play, but instead of putting bulky prosthetics on an actor, visual effects technicians cover their faces in tiny white tracking dots, allowing their performances to be translated to a digital creature.
Weta Digital recently shared a behind the scenes breakdown of the visual effects it created for War for the Planet of the Apes, which ran the gamut from adding extra explosions to growing entire forests for digital set extensions.
But since audiences are really just there to see talking apes, Weta also provides some more before-and-after shots revealing the impressive motion capture rigs actors have to wear, and just how perfectly every nuance of their performance is transposed onto a digital primate.
[YouTube via Art of VFX]