In Nope, in theaters August 10, he plays the monkey Gordy in a memorable scene. Focus on the amazing Terry Notary, who notably played in motion capture characters from Planet of the Apes, Avatar and Avengers Endgame.
In Nope, Jordan Peele’s latest event film, a terrifying sequence features Gordy, a monkey
taken by an outburst of uncontrolled violence
.
The primate was created by computer but he is played by a real comedian, Terry Notaryusing the technique of motion capture.
While the feature film is currently in theaters, we look back on the amazing journey of this unique artist in the world, from Avatar to Planet of the Apes via Avengers: Endgame.
WHO IS TERRY NOTARY?
Considered hyperactive during his childhood, Terry Notary devotes himself to gymnastics lessons. A discipline to which he continues to devote himself during his years of study, and which even earned him a scholarship.
After several years working for the prestigious Cirque du Soleil, as well as in various shows where his talent and know-how are prized, he ends up offering his services on film sets.
Film Tray
This is how on the set of Ron Howard’s Grinch in 2000, Terry Notary officiates as a “movement coach”.
His job is to make sure that all the actors who play the Who, those strange individuals with festive traditions and hated by the Grinch, move the right way and perform their stunts well.
A few months later, Tim Burton allows him to invest in a universe that will quickly become his great specialty: The Planet of the Apes.
After having carried out his observation work at the Los Angeles Zoo, he animates a veritable “school of monkeys” alongside other artists, and thus allows the future actors of Burton to enter into their characters.
THE MONKEY MASTER
As the years go by, Terry Notary multiplies filming and coaching positions on many extremely popular films, such as X-Men 2, Superman Returns, Hulk, Transformers or The Adventures of Tintin, and thus allows many actors to become monsters or animals.
Little by little, his talent for imitation and his ability to get under the skin of the characters he studies earned him the opportunity to appear in front of the camera himself.
He thus finds himself digitally modified by the tools of motion capture like Andy Serkis, to whom he also gives the reply in the latest version of The Planet of the Apes.
20th Century Fox
Besides the role of Rocket in the Planet of the Apes trilogy, Notary embodies several Goblins in that of the Hobbit, an Orc in Warcraft, the banshee of Jake Sully in Avatar and a teenage Groot in Avengers: Infinity War.
In 2017, he returned to the world of primates, lending his features and movements to the imposing Kong of Skull Island (like… Andy Serkis in Peter Jackson’s King Kong), before showing himself uncovered for the whole first time in the Palme d’or The Square.
Recently, Terry Notary has refocused on his work behind the camera. He notably worked on Suicide Squad, on the live version of the Lion King and on the Mowgli of Andy Serkis decidedly never far away, a film on which he also officiated as a second unit director.
TO EMBODY A MONKEY, HOW DO YOU DO IT?
While we had the chance to spend a few hours on the set of Planet of the Apes – Supremacy in October 2015, we were able to talk to the man who is now considered the best in the world in the art of imitation. simian.
In the middle of a Canadian forest, the natural environment of his character, in combination of motion capture, Terry Notary gave us some advice to become a monkey.
“A good part of our exercises consisted of going outside [ndlr : en pleine nature] with the actors, to sit down for an hour and shut up”he told us.
“Not talking. You might think it’s easy, but it’s not. Be in the present, be quiet, close it. Be really, really simple.”
“When you take the external things and make them your essential, you become invisible and you no longer play, you are. It’s incredible”continues Terry Notary.
“Your performance vanishes. You lose yourself in this thing that becomes more important than you and you stop identifying with yourself, not directing yourself. Your performance becomes real, and that’s what makes these movies work. “
For example, in The Showdown, Judy Greer (Cornelia) and Toby Kebbell (Koba) had to learn, before being able to embody their simian character, to move and behave physically like chimpanzees, in order to make their alter ego ultra-realistic digital on the screen.
They were personally coached for several weeks by Terry Notary, including using crutches to simulate the length of simian arms.
Greer felt that she had to move instinctively, and not think too much about her acting to get into the character’s skin.
As the monkeys are therefore embodied by real actors thanks to motion capture technology, an important system has been set up on the set to follow the movements of the actors.
35 people were assigned to each team, about 50 mo-cap cameras and eight witness cameras constantly rotated to film everything related to the monkey characters.
For Joe Letteri, Visual Effects Supervisor, “this cutting-edge technology should never take precedence over the story and the acting of the actors, but on the contrary be at their service. Being able to film the performance capture on location and work with all the other actors makes it possible to obtain a more coherent interpretation .”
If ever these tips seem a little too abstract, here is a little lesson in pictures…