Dressing (Motion-Captured) Apes and Humans for “War”

One of the themes of War for the Planet of the Apes is the humanization of animals and the animalization of humans. Costume designer Melissa Bruning has a multilayered task – she’s a key element in the process of clothing motion-captured creatures and determining the color and design of their motion-capture suits (which the wizards of Weta Workshop will render as apes); and she also has the creative oversight on the costuming of flesh and bone characters, adding to the whole visual atmosphere of the movie, reinterpreting military paraphernalia, conveying power and, at the same time, evoking emotions. Click through the gallery and learn, through Melissa Bruning’s comments how emotion, message and practicality combined to create War for the Planet of the Apes.