Not all computer-generated imagery (CGI) is created equal. For every decades-in-the-making Avatar: The Way of Water, there are numerous Marvel TV shows whose respective visual effects (VFX) artists are stretched to the limit like Mister Fantastic. The latest addition to the ever-expanding Planet of the Apes canon, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, sits in the former camp, though the new film's director, Wes Ball, admits that shooting a movie about apes without any actual apes was a similarly grueling endeavor.
“The technical aspect of this movie was more difficult than anything I’ve done before,” Ball tells TechRadar. “You're not really ever shooting the movie; you're just shooting parts of the movie that you hope will come together months later [and] that you hope will work on top of each other. Also, shooting on set is really difficult. You’re racing the sunlight, things don’t quite work. I’m getting 10 set-ups a day instead of my usual 30, because the process is so slow. It was a wild experience.”
