Rise of the Planet of the Apes features what looks to be some astonishing special effects from WETA digital as they have extended the techniques employed in Avatar. WETA has taken things a step further in what appears to be a photo-realistic portrayal of Serkis playing the film’s lead ape, Caesar, and over at the Hollywood Reporter Carolyn Giardina has taken this opportunity to ask whether Serkis’s motion-captured performance will be able to score the actor a Best Actor Oscar nomination, an honor, she says, “eluded him ten years ago when he played the tragic creature Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.”
The article appears to be more of an editorial shedding light on WETA’s work and performance capture in general, but Giardina’s attention-grabbing headline seems to have overshadowed the piece’s intention. The editorial is in response to a preview and discussion about Rise of the Planet of the Apes recently held at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, which RopeofSilicon’s own Bill Cody attended and will be reporting on soon enough.
Giardina speaks of the clips shown at the preview saying, “Serkis’ performance shows a range of emotions — joy, love, vulnerability, aggression and terror.” All are compliments I don’t doubt for a second, but to think there’s a possibility Serkis will score an Oscar nomination for his work is a bit of a stretch, though I’m sure Fox loved seeing such a headline in the popular Hollywood mag.
To answer the question Giardina poses, no, Andy Serkis will not score an acting nomination without appearing on screen. Like his performance as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, his performance as the title character in King Kong and Zoe Saldana’s performance (among many others) in Avatar, a performance I considered one of the best of 2009, the Academy just won’t bite. However, I believe they are getting closer to considering such performances legit.
In 2010 Morgan Freeman was discussing the work in Avatar and addressed it saying, “I think it’s a bit faddish, because it’s really cartoons,” referring to the whole process. He adds, “If I can look in your eyes and see a completely different person, that’s what I want.”
That last bit is obviously the most important part, the looking into the eyes and seeing a performance. The eyes are the window to the soul and this fact hasn’t escaped Rise of the Apes helmer Rupert Wyatt who was quoted at the Cal Tech preview saying the goal was to create the photoreal cast that “has a soul when you look into their eyes.” Giardina obviously thinks they have achieved their goal and early trailers suggest the same, but Serkis is likely going to have to wait for his second turn as Gollum/Smeagol in The Hobbit before he’s given a fair shake at getting an Oscar nomination… if ever.
Almost a year ago to the day, the Academy declared motion capture was not an animation technique, which is to say they realize they are talking about real performances. How long will it be before they actually acknowledge one of these performances for an Oscar? If you ask me, I don’t think they ever will, at least not as long as the performances are in films titled King Kong or Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Had those films preceded Serkis’ turn as Gollum in Lord of the Rings I think we may be having a different conversation, but the next possible chance at such a performance earning a nomination is likely to be James Cameron’s Avatar 2, but even then I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on August 5 and Fox, most likely in response to this latest little bit of buzz, has issued a new performance capture filled trailer for the film which you can watch directly below. You tell me, am I crazy to dismiss this performance’s chances at an Oscar nomination so easily?
