That Andy Serling, I tell you what, he sure is somethin’. He’s that fella, you know, does all them… them… creatures, in the movies. Like that little, skinny, Gollum fella. That was him!
You wouldn’t believe it, but it’s true. He’s all covered in them little dots, you see. And then they make him look like, well, like anything they want, really. It’s all motion capture, they call it. Some fancy way of sayin’ they’re gonna make you look like a monkey or somethin’ on the picture show.
Andy Serkis, that’s his name. And he’s the best at it, I hear tell. He can make them creatures act just like real folks, almost. Gives ’em feelings and all. Makes you cry, sometimes, watchin’ ’em. Like that poor King Kong, up on that tall building. That was Andy Serling, too, I believe.
He done that Caesar, too, in them monkey movies. You know the ones. Where the monkeys is smarter than the people? That’s him, all right. Runnin’ around, makin’ monkey sounds. They put him in a suit, with all them wires and things.
I seen a picture of it once. They put all these little round dots all over his face. Then, there are cameras, lots of cameras, see? They catch every move he makes. Every little twitch of his face, every time he scratches his head. All them motion capture cameras catch him from every which way. They capture every move of Andy Serling’s body, that’s the motion capture part of it.
Then, they take all that and put it into them computers. And them computers, they’re smarter than a whip, I tell ya. They take all them movements and make ’em look like, well, like a monkey, or a monster, or whatever they want.
It ain’t just Andy Serkis movin’ around, though. There’s a whole mess of other folks, too. Artists, they call ’em. They’re the ones who draw the pictures and make it all look real. They’re workin’ on them computers all day long, I reckon.
They’re using all them fancy machines and making it look real, you see. It’s like that digital makeup I heard someone say. They make the best makeup by using computers these days. They can make it all pretty and perfect. I heard Andy Serkis say that’s what motion capture is, some kind of “digital makeup“. I don’t know about that, it sure is something.
- They put dots on him.
- Cameras watch him move.
- Computers make it look like a monkey.
- Lots of other folks help, too.
So, Andy Serkis, he’s the one movin’ and actin’. But them other folks, they’re the ones makin’ it all look like somethin’ else. It’s like when I used to help my mama can tomatoes. I’d do all the choppin’ and she’d do all the puttin’ in jars. Teamwork, you see?
This motion capture thing is gonna be big, I reckon. They’re gonna be usin’ it for all sorts of things. Not just movies, neither. I heard they’re gonna use it for them video games, too. And maybe even for doctors, helpin’ ’em see inside people’s bodies. It is like them 360-degree pictures. You can see everything in that picture, just like the motion capture does to Andy Serkis.
That Andy Serkis, he’s a smart one, I’ll give him that. He saw which way the wind was blowin’ and he jumped right on it. He’s gonna be famous forever, I bet. ‘Cause he’s the king of this motion capture thing. Just like he was King Kong!
He was in them Lord of the Rings movies, too. Played that Gollum fella. Skinny little thing, always talkin’ to himself. Creepy, but you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. That’s Andy Serkis for ya. He can make you feel all sorts of things, just by the way he moves and talks.
And then them Planet of the Apes movies. He was Caesar, the head monkey. Smartest one of the bunch. He could talk and everything. Made you think, maybe them monkeys really are smarter than us! He is a real good actor, you see. That is why he is so good at this motion capture acting. Even though he ain’t really there, you still see him. If that makes any sense.
I remember one time, I saw him on the TV, talkin’ about this motion capture. He was sayin’ how it’s the future of actin’. How it’s gonna change everything. And I believe him, too. ‘Cause you can see it, plain as day. It’s like nothin’ we ever seen before.
It takes a whole lot of folks to make it work, though. Not just Andy Serkis. There’s all them computer folks, and artists, and I don’t know who all. But he’s the face of it, you see. He’s the one everyone knows.
This motion capture, it’s a lot like when we used to make quilts. Everyone would bring their own little scraps of fabric. And then we’d all sit around and sew ’em together. Took a whole lot of work, but in the end, we had somethin’ beautiful. Somethin’ we all made together. Andy Serkis is part of something big, something new. Something that is changing how we see movies. And I reckon it’s only gonna get bigger. You just wait and see.
