Dexter Studios met with Weta FX, the world’s top visual effects studio. The meeting between a bona fide global studio that worked on several masterpieces such as “The Lord of the Rings,” “X-Men,” and “Avatar” series made headlines as it indicates a momentous step forward for the Korean company.
Content specialist company Dexter Studios [206560] said on April 25 that it appeared on a Creators’ Talk session to talk about the “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” This event got underway to celebrate the release of the “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” on May 8. Supervisors and artists from Weta FX and Dexter Studios (hereinafter referred to as “Dexter”) interacted with fans.
Creators’ Talk also gave Weta FX’s production team, which was visiting to promote the “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”, a chance to share its insight with young creators in the VFX industry. The event also helped the two leading VFX studios, Weta FX and Dexter, meet for the first time.
A Dexter official said, “We are happy that the best studio in Hollywood is hosting an event like this with our company. I hope that this meeting can help us collaborate on future projects.”
From Weta FX’s side was visual effects director Erik Winquist, who led the FX team on Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and was nominated for an Academy Award and BAFTA for “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Charlie Kim, a senior facial modeler who worked on “Aquaman,” “Deadpool 2,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and Jess Sun, a motion capture tracker who worked on “Avatar: The Way of Water,” whereas from Dexter’s side was supervisor Jegal Seung, who was in charge of VFX for the movie series “Alienoid” and TVING’s “Death’s Game” and supervisor Jin Jong-hyun, who recently oversaw the VFX for Netflix’s “Gyeongseong Creature” and the movie “The Moon.”
In a session titled “Birth of Dreams,” representatives from both sides discussed how they got into VFX, which project had inspired them, and the countless trials and errors they went through to get to where they are.
Supervisor Jin Jong-hyun said, “I was in awe after seeing ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and wanted to create such amazing scenes with my own hands. So I learned animation modeling and dove into the industry. At the time, I started with only a vague sense of optimism, but now I’ve become someone who can make any world a possibility.”
Supervisor Jegal Seung also explained, “I was also fascinated by the power of film, which is why I chose to study computer graphics. When I first saw my name on the ending credits, it felt really special, and I think that’s the power that brought me all the way here.”
The group then discussed the work process and history of each company’s signature productions.
Jin recalled, “Of course, I pour my heart and soul into all of my productions. But “Mr. Go,” which has a special place in the Korean VFX industry, will always be a little more special to me. That experience helped me further develop my skills and create the ‘Along with the Gods’ series later on.” He continued, “Supervisor Jegal Seung and I worked on the ‘Along with the Gods’ and ‘Alienoid’ movie series, respectively. Between the both of us, we’ve accrued significant know-how by creating films that look and feel unlike anything else in the domestic market.”
Meanwhile, Jegal said, “Parts 1 and 2 of ‘Alienoid’ took us six years from pre-production to post-production, with hundreds of people investing countless hours. To me, it’s so clear that VFX is something that requires a specific goal and image, and each pipeline has to work creatively and in an organized manner in line with that goal and image.” He added, “I’d imagine Weta FX goes through a similar process every time it creates a masterpiece. Given how much work artists would have put into it, I wish Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes a great success”
The Weta FX’s production team briefed the audience on its process of creating powerful and spectacular visuals and natural scenery, including the “performance capture” technology that vividly captured the actor’s facial expressions in the ape character in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Visual effects director Eric Winquist said, “By applying our upgraded technology, we focused on creating the background of a future ape empire that fits the new worldview and gave the audience a chance to really immerse themselves in the conflict.” He explained, “we hope the audience fall in love with the captivating story throughout the entire film, and I hope the movie provides an enjoyable experience in and of itself.”
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes follows the journey of Noah, an ape who sets out to find freedom with a human girl against the army of ape leader “Proximus” who seeks to rule over humans in an oasis where highly evolved apes and degenerate humans live. The film is scheduled to be released in Korea on May 8.
