Constantin Film Presents TARZAN

Constantin Film
Presents

TARZAN® Owned By Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. And Used By Permission.
CONSTANTIN FILM PRESENTS A CONSTANTIN FILM PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH AMBIENT ENTERTAINMENT “TARZAN®” KELLAN LUTZ SPENCER LOCKE CASTING
BY RICK MONTGOMERY C.S.A.
ASSOCIATE
PRODUCER HOLGER TAPPE CHARACTER
DESIGN SVEN KROOG PETER OEDEKOVEN PRODUCTION
DESIGN HENNING AHLERS ANIMATION
SUPERVISORS ROBERT KUCZERA BENEDIKT NIEMANN JÜRGEN RICHTER NICOLAI TUMA
EDITOR ALEXANDER DITTNER RE-RECORDING
MIXER MICHAEL KRANZ PRODUCTION
EXECUTIVE BERNHARD THÜR MUSIC
BY DAVID NEWMAN BASED ON THE ‘TARZAN’ STORIES
CREATED BY EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER MARTIN MOSZKOWICZ PRODUCED
BY ROBERT KULZER REINHARD KLOOSS
SCREEN STORY AND
SCREENPLAY BY REINHARD KLOOSS
DIRECTED
BY REINHARD KLOOSS

A Constantin Film Production
In Association with Ambient Entertainment
Starring
Kellan Lutz, Spencer Locke, Anton Zetterholm, Les Bubb, Trevor St. John,
Jaime Ray Newman, Mark Deklin, Brian Huskey
Screenplay by
Reinhard Klooss
Produced by
Robert Kulzer, Reinhard Klooss
Executive Producer
Martin Moszkowicz
Directed by
Reinhard Klooss
Runtime: approx. 94 min

CAST & CREW
The Cast
Motion Capture Performance:
Tarzan Kellan Lutz
Jane Porter Spencer Locke
Tarzan as teenager Anton Zetterholm
Jim Porter Les Bubb
John Greystoke Mark Deklin
Alice Greystoke Jaime Ray Newman
William Cecil Clayton Trevor St. John
Mr. Smith Brian Huskey
Kala, Tarzan’s ape mother Lynn Robertson Bruce
Tublat, the evil ape Andy Wareham
Tarzan’s ape friend Peter Elliott, Cecily Fay,Phil Hill
The Crew
Director Reinhard Klooss
Screenplay Reinhard Klooss
Producers Robert Kulzer, Reinhard Klooss
Executive Producer Martin Moszkowicz
Associate Producer and
Visual Supervisor Holger Tappe
Production Executive Bernhard Thür
Music David Newman
Casting Rick Montgomery, C.S.A.
Animation Supervisors Robert Kuczera, Benedikt Niemann, Jürgen Richter,
Nico Tuma
Editor Alexander Dittner
Virtual Camera Markus Eckert
Production Design Henning Ahlers
Character Design Peter Oedekoven, Sven Kroog
Sound Design Stefan Busch, Heiko Mueller, Chrissi Rebay, Markus
Stemler
Mixing Michael Kranz
Mo-cap Choreography Peter Elliott
Mo-cap Producer Philip Weiss / Metricminds
Supported by the DFFF Deutscher FilmFörderFonds, FFA Filmförderungsanstalt, FFF
FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, the nordmedia Fonds GmbH and the BKM.
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SHORT SYNOPSIS
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ TARZAN® -- one of the most classic and revered stories of all time --
returns to the big screen, completely reimagined for a new generation.
It is now present day. On an expedition in the remote African jungle, John Greystoke and his
wife are killed in a helicopter crash while investigating a mysterious meteorite site. Only their
young son J.J., nicknamed Tarzan, survives. A group of gorillas discovers the boy in the
wreckage and takes him in as their own. Tarzan grows up learning the harsh laws of the
jungle for nearly a decade until he encounters another human being - the courageous and
beautiful young Jane Porter. It is love at first sight. But things get dangerous when William
Clayton, who travels to Africa with Jane under false pretense, reveals his true - and greedy -
intentions. Tarzan, now a man like no other, must use all his jungle instincts and intellect to
protect his home and defend the woman he loves.
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LONG SYNOPSIS
In a display of extraordinary beauty, a meteorite silently blazes through the endless sky. It
penetrates the earth’s atmosphere and smashes into the African jungle. In one fell swoop, all
creatures on the planet are wiped out.
70 million years after the catastrophe, adventure-loving New York entrepreneur John
Greystoke sets up camp with his family deep in the African jungle. He is determined to find
the legendary meteorite, as he is convinced that the extra-terrestrial rock possesses special
powers. He hopes that in the right hands, this alien rock could solve the world’s energy
problems.
While his son John Jr., known as “JJ,” explores the jungle and imagines himself as Tarzan,
king of the jungle, Greystoke Sr. does not get very far with his expeditions. Reluctantly, he
decides to leave Africa. However, his colleague, the idealistic anthropologist Porter, chooses
to stay, and to keep the camp going in the land that he loves.
Greystoke takes off in a helicopter with his wife Alice and the young JJ on board. As soon as
they turn to head home, a dense cloud clears away to give a view of a huge crater.
Greystoke lands the helicopter in the crater. He regains his taste for adventure when he
discovers the entrance to a cave carved out of a huge boulder. He makes his way through
the passages, which lead to a kind of hall with walls laced with crystals. In the centre of the
hall he finds a glistening stone – the “heart” of the meteorite, which Greystoke had vainly
sought for so long. As he chips off a piece, the meteorite and the surrounding volcano come
to life.
The Greystokes just manage to take off again at the last second, but the helicopter becomes
uncontrollable in the approaching storm, and crashes into the steep mountainside. Some
inquisitive gorillas are intrigued and approach the wreckage. A female, Kala, discovers JJ –
the only survivor – unconscious but otherwise unharmed. It just so happens that Kala has
recently gone through something traumatic herself. Her small son fell to his death. The son’s
father, leader of the mountain gorilla troop, was unfairly killed in a fight for dominance. Kala
takes “Tarzan” – boy without fur – into her care and raises him as her own. It takes a while
for the boy to get used to his new surroundings, but soon enough Tarzan is accepted into the
clan as a new member of the gorilla family.
Years pass. Tarzan has long since forgotten his roots, and forgotten the terrible events of his
childhood. Thanks to his daily challenges in the jungle, he has become a strong young man,
who knows how to handle himself with great skill in even the most dangerous regions of the
rainforest. He is fourteen years old when he discovers the beauty of nature during a venture
outside of his usual territory. During this excursion he comes across the wreckage of the
helicopter, lodged high in the treetops. For the first time since the awful accident, he also
sees humans again – tourists being led through the jungle by Greystoke’s old companion
Porter.
While observing from a safe distance, Tarzan’s attention is drawn to a pretty girl around the
same age as his – Porter’s bright daughter Jane, who lives in New York, but spends the
summer with her father in Africa. When a mysterious animal attacks Jane, Tarzan hurries to
her aid. The boy caringly looks after the unconscious girl and returns her to her father
unharmed. This experience deeply affects Tarzan. The thought of who and what he is keeps
nagging at him. When he finds an old photo of himself as a child with his parents in the
helicopter wreckage, he suddenly remembers. He wants to know more about his heritage,
but is also aware that his past may remain hidden forever.
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Another five years go by. Tarzan is now 19 years old and a handsome and self-aware young
man at that. He has left his gorilla family and built his own tree house above the ravine with
huge waterfalls. He salvaged souvenirs of another life from the helicopter wreckage. One day
during another expedition through the jungle, he goes straight back to his tree house to stop
the evil gorilla Tublat, who has terrorised the gorilla family for years, from destroying his
home. But during his rabid attacks, Tublat accidentally switches on the old radio receiver.
The signal is traced by Greystoke Energies in New York. William Clayton, the scrupulous
CEO who has been running the company since John Greystoke’s death, immediately puts
together an expedition to locate the source of the signal hoping to find the mineral resources
that Greystoke had been so excited about. In order to disguise the true nature of the
undertaking, Clayton persuades the eco-warrior Jane to accompany him. The expedition will
show her that he wants to support the foundation that her father Jim Porter works for.
The arrival of the expedition does not escape Tarzan’s notice. He is overjoyed to discover
that Jane is there, too; who in turn felt compelled to find the boy from the jungle, since she
never forgot about Tarzan. He secretly sneaks into her tent while Clayton is outside by the
fire talking to Jane’s father. Porter is convinced that Clayton is up to something, but Clayton
shrugs it off and threatens that something could happen to Jane if Porter does not help him
to find the meteorite.
The next morning Jane discovers Tarzan watching her from a bush. But before she can see
who it is, he disappears skillfully on vines into the jungle. Whilst looking for Tarzan and
furious with Clayton, whose true plans are now apparent, Jane gets lost in the impenetrable
rainforest and gets herself into trouble once more. Tarzan rescues her when she falls off a
cliff and nearly drowns in the swirls of a rapid jungle river.
Tarzan and Jane get to know each other for the first time. Tarzan shows her his home and
gives her a piece of the luminescent meteorite he found in the helicopter wreckage. As the
two spend time together, Jane realizes who Tarzan really is. But the pair is discovered by
Clayton’s men and come under fire. Tarzan flees with Jane to his gorilla family, where Kala
and Tarzan’s friends warmly welcome Jane. But they’re not out of the woods yet: Tarzan has
long been a thorn in the side of Tublat, the tyrannical leader of the gorilla clan. Whether
Tarzan will manage to free his family from Tublat’s grip whilst trying to stop the scrupulous
Clayton can’t be said. Tublat’s strength and Clayton’s greed make them unpredictable
adversaries, who threaten the untouched paradise for which Tarzan feels increasingly
responsible…
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ABOUT THE HISTORY OF TARZAN® AND HIS CREATOR
Very few literary works in the last 100 years have had such an immense influence on
children’s imaginations all over the world as Edgar Rice Burroughs’ TARZAN®.
The very first articles entitled “Tarzan of the Apes” were published in 1912 and 1913, along
with a book the year after that. By 1939 there had been 23 sequels. In January 1929, the first
TARZAN® comic appeared, illustrated by Hal Foster (“Prince Valiant”). Since then, an
increasing number of masters of their genre have been inspired by the king of the jungle,
including Burne Hogarth and the legendary Frank Frazetta.
The first screen adaptation appeared in 1918 with Elmo Lincoln playing the lead. Since then
there have been around ninety further adaptations, including various TV series. As a result,
TARZAN® matches “Dracula” as one of the most adapted stories in history. Unforgettable
examples of these are those with Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan, who
appeared on the silver screen in 1932 as Tarzan and Jane. Between then and 1948,
Weissmuller played the role of king of the jungle an additional twelve times. In Weissmuller’s
first film, the legendary Tarzan cry also made its premiere.
Lex Barker (five performances 1949-1953), Gordon Scott (six performances 1955-1960 – the
first Tarzan in colour), and Ron Ely (TV series in the sixties) are the best-known names to
have followed in Weissmuller’s footsteps. New interpretations of the hero being raised by
animals and bravely defending his world against all intruders put a new spin on the Tarzan
story and have allowed it to survive for decades.
The 80s heralded the ideologically critical version, GREYSTOKE – THE LEGEND OF
TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES with Christopher Lambert in the lead. Furthermore, Disney’s
animation in 1999 resulted in a lively musical adaptation, the score for which inspired the first
successful musical in 2008.
Edgar Rice Burroughs was born in 1875 in Chicago. When his first TARZAN® novel was
published in early 1913, no one expected him to become one of the most successful authors
of the 20th century. But the success of TARZAN® made Burroughs a wealthy man. He bought
real estate outside of Los Angeles – an area today called Tarzana. The author, who had a
fascination with the military until his death in 1950 in Encino, California, worked as a war
correspondent between 1941 and 1944. With Tarzan, however, he had created a character
that was immune to malevolence, scheming, illness and any other malicious by-product of
our civilisation.
“Tarzan of the Apes” also has a place among the tradition of romantic adventure novels,
which became immensely popular towards the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th
century.
Henry M. Stanley’s literary commentary “Through the Dark Continent” (1878) Henry Rider
Haggard’s novel “King Solomon’s Mines“ (1885) and “She“ (1886) are equally noteworthy as
Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book“ (1894) or Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness (1902).
Burroughs psychological study of a hero torn between two worlds, frequently reach the
literary heights of the great French Romanticists. His talent for dramatic intensity acted as a
model for the popular cinema of our generation.
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PRODUCTION NOTES
TELLING AN EMOTIONAL COMING-OF-AGE STORY
The Origins of TARZAN®
Reinventing TARZAN® as a 3D CGI animation using elaborate motion capture technology
over 100 years after its original inception by Edgar Rice Burroughs began with ANIMALS
UNITED, the previous film from writer, producer and director Reinhard Klooss. During the
final stage of production in what was then the most sophisticated German CGI film at the
time, Klooss went on a research trip to Africa. “I was observing gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda,
the Congo,” Klooss recalls. “One gets extremely attached very quickly, since they’re so mindbogglingly
emotional. It brought about a strong desire within me to make my experience into
a film. Shortly afterwards Robert Kulzer, a colleague at Constantin Film, called me from L.A.
and asked me whether we should make a Tarzan film – it’d be a great ape story.”
Kulzer had discovered a republication of Burroughs’ book. He’d read it and realised that the
original TARZAN® story, despite being made into countless adaptations, had never really
been portrayed properly in a film. “The struggle for survival, the amazing energy and belief in
oneself and one’s own species was bound to make a great adventure film,” says Kulzer.
It was at this time that the animation filming rights, previously owned by Disney, expired.
They’d made a very successful film with the character as well as two sequels. Disney had
probably done as much as they could with the character. “While I was working hard to make
the Tarzan story fit with my idea for a story about gorillas, Constantin took care of the rights
holders with the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate,” Klooss explains. According to Martin
Moszkowicz, “We’d been interest in the TARZAN® story for a while. When the rights were
released, I spoke with the Edgar Rice Burroughs foundation who manage his legacy, and we
were pretty quick to seal the deal and secure the rights with them. We were quite lucky,
though, it has to be said. I think everyone was quite surprised – not just Disney but everyone
else in Hollywood – that a German company got the go-ahead.”
“There are very few stories that absolutely everyone knows, and TARZAN® is one of them.
TARZAN® is a name that everyone on earth has heard at some point in their lives. There are
tons of films, TV series and comics through which the story permeated. For that reason
TARZAN® is a real crown jewel. For that reason I’m really glad we were allowed to make this
film,” explains Moszkowicz.
Klooss studied the existing TARZAN® films while considering the kind of story he wanted to
tell, and where the focus of the plot would lie. But in the end he decided to go back to the
original model by Edgar Rice Burroughs to find an approach that would correspond to his
modern interpretation of “Tarzan of the Apes”. “I actually went for a walk in the woods every
day for two months, and then wrote the first draft in two weeks,” says Klooss. “That turned
out to be the finished film, although of course countless further drafts appeared over the
following twelve months. Then we were already at the pre-production stage, working on
character and set designs, new software applications and the highly complex production
structure. During this period we were continually developing the story. The first edition
contained hardly any dialogue, which allows one to concentrate on the essentials of the
dramaturgical structure.”
The main advantage was that the production’s main hub was situated in the editing room.
Editing for the film took 15 or 16 months in total to complete. “It’s great that with CGI
productions one can set up the camera virtually after the motion capture filming. What’s
more, you can then control the camera angles even after filming, which is really crucial to the
story.”
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With the idea to explain most of the story through images, Reinhard Klooss ensured that his
film remained unique compared to most established animation films with animals as the
central characters. The appeal of such films is that the animals are personified, with the
emphasis on the dialogue. “Most CGI films in recent years are all singing, all dancing, all
talking animal films,” explains the filmmaker. “They place the main emphasis on jokes and
slapstick. It was clear to us that we shouldn’t try to beat Hollywood at their own game. That
would just have been impossible. In any case, Disney already made a TARZAN® film that is
hard to beat in terms of charm and humour,” he says and continues: “That’s why we decided
to put a different aspect in the foreground: Tarzan’s formative years, his ‘socialisation’ in the
jungle where human language doesn’t even exist, where throughout the story emotions are
portrayed rather than explained.” Moszkowicz shares a similar view: “The challenge with this
production was firstly to modernise the Tarzan story and tell it in a such a way that the viewer
doesn’t think: ‘I’ve seen this before, I know what happens’. At the same time, we didn’t want
to stray too far from the original. It was a fine line between the two. But I believe we found a
good mix.”
Everything else, such as the question of which visual concept this approach best facilitated,
came later. Klooss sums it up as follows: “We had to consider what we can, what we wanted
to, and what we had to include. In the end, there are about 100 Tarzan films. But there has
never been a version with such a strong emphasis on the young Tarzan and his gorilla
family, the so-called coming-of-age part of our film. And what also occurred to me was that in
order to convey the emotion as effectively as possible, we’d need an almost photorealistic
approach, which in itself brought with it certain problems in implementation. A photorealistic
approach is rather unusual for animation films. Around every corner lies the dreaded
‘Uncanny Valley’ – the point at which the realism is more alienating to the audience than
identifiable. There were plenty of these kind of technical, organisational and creative
challenges that we had to grapple with. It was virgin territory for the production team, often
with huge obstacles and unknown elements.”
AVOIDING MONKEY BUSINESS
Further challenges in the film’s conception
An important aspect was the portrayal of the ape world. “It was important to us that the
coming of age story was firmly anchored in this environment,” explains Reinhard Klooss.
“Existing Tarzan films don’t actually feature this ape world. For a long time we discussed
whether this was the right way to go, but in the end decided in favour of it. In principle, I
wanted to portray the apes as the ‘good guys’, without getting drawn too much into ‘monkey
business’ in the process.”
After solving the initial problems regarding the dramaturgy and technical implementation, it
became increasingly clear that the most important source for the film could only be Edgar
Rice Burroughs’ original model. “Tarzan is one of the great superhero stories, and for every
superhero there needs to be a super villain,” says Klooss. “We wanted to somehow connect
the popcorn-cinema elements from the original text with the elements of the 19th century
adventure novel, both of which can be found in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ original template.”
From very early on Klooss was sure that the film should take place in the here and now.
“When one watches the old Tarzan films, one wonders how much of Edgar Rice Burroughs is
actually included,” he says. “The appeal of the original novel – although it may sound like a
paradox – is that lends itself much more to a modern setting. Our film takes the ‘spirit’ of
Edgar Rice Burroughs without becoming a slave to the text.”
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One of the recurring themes of every Tarzan film or novel is the conflict between the natural
world on one side, and the threat of civilisation on the other. “That was also an essential
element of the story which we wanted to put a fresh spin on,” describes Reinhard Klooss.
“The idea of a meteorite crashing into the earth and with a force that is simultaneously
devastating and regenerative seemed to me like a fundamental theme which reflected the
conflict between nature and civilisation perfectly in a modern TARZAN® story. Meteorites
have the potential to be hugely destructive – like nuclear power stations from space. In
contrast, there would be no life on earth if it wasn’t for meteorites, since life as we know it
could not have evolved without the carbon compounds deep in our universe. Alongside the
coming of age story and the gorilla family as its emotional hub, the metaphor of the meteorite
acts as a third cornerstone for the modern adaptation of the TARZAN® legend.”
SHOOTING THE FILM FOUR TIMES
The technical implementation
IMPY’S ISLAND was Reinhard Klooss’ first foray into computer animation, which was the
second German computer-animated film ever after BACK TO GAYA. Then came IMPY’S
WONDERLAND, followed by ANIMALS UNITED – the first European stereoscopic film,
which laid the foundation for the creative, organisational and technical methods used in
TARZAN®. As with the previous CGI animations, Constantin Film realised the project with the
Hannover animation studio Ambient Entertainment. For TARZAN®’s elaborate motion
capture filming, the Frankfurt-based company Metricminds offered their services. “Due to the
complex structure of ‘Tarzan’ one could say that the film was actually ‘shot’ about four times,”
says Klooss.
He continues: “First of all we drew 5000 storyboards over the course of a year. At that point
we had edited and added the sound once already. Then came the real motion capture film,
which took three and a half months in the second biggest motion capture studio in the world,
with the help of the crew from Metricminds in Hall 12 at Bavaria Film. At the same time we
filmed the screenplay with actors, stuntmen and parcours artists on abstract theatrical
backdrops, which corresponded to the 3D sets. We then recorded their movements with
around seventy infrared cameras. In a third phase called motion editing that took 12 months
to complete, a 50-man crew transferred the actors’ recorded movements onto our 3D
characters, adjusted the movements to the right scale and orchestrated the virtual camera
movements. It was only after that stage that the key frame animation process could begin,
where 120 animators, texturisers, lighting technicians and many other creative people in
Hannover and Munich polished off the film’s appearance and put together the sound design,
dialogue and music.”
Even in this regard, TARZAN® is a quantum leap from its predecessors, since the processes
were so interwoven with one another that the production time took two or three months
longer than that of ANIMALS UNITED. “Behind the entire operation there is a huge logistical
undertaking, which will hopefully go unnoticed in the film itself, since the technical factors
shouldn’t detract from the overall entertainment value of the film,” says Klooss.
He continues: “One of the reasons I’m so excited about animation is that it allows us to take
German cinema appeal to a much wider audience. In the end it enables us to create films
that aren’t restricted by genre.” Klooss explains how he first got into animation: “Even ten
years ago you could already see computer-generated images becoming more and more
common even in ‘real’ films. AVATAR, being the most prominent example in recent years,
comes across as a ‘real’ film, but around 80 percent of the film is CGI. This technology can
now be seen in almost every big Hollywood blockbuster. So if you want to compete
internationally, you should have some kind of skill with this technology – regardless of your
budget. The most innovative platform for that purpose is animation, where new technologies
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are always being tried out, which can then be flipped into regular films. So for me, it wasn’t
just the fascination for the ‘anything goes’ world of animation and the pleasure of working for
a family audience, but it was also a rational decision to go into animation.”
A HALF-NAKED TARZAN ISN’T EASY
Problems with animation and their solutions
“It’s certainly very odd for an animated film to have a naked central character – well, let’s say
almost naked, wearing only a loin cloth – walking through the film,” says Klooss. “That
creates a huge technical challenge. Under Tarzan’s skin there’s a muscular and skeletal
instrument, which is supposed to imitate living creatures. It makes the whole thing much
more realistic, but also unbelievably complex. Whenever a human character such as Tarzan
wears little or no clothing, the biceps really have to look like biceps and not like bricks. But of
course they’re not ‘genuine’ muscles, and the digital approaches to reality always produce
unwanted and unpleasant surprises – and if the character isn’t wearing trousers or a shirt,
days’ or weeks’ work can be rendered useless. So, a half-naked, animated muscle man has
his own special handling.”
In order to create an emotive ape world, the ‘apes’ should also be as realistic as possible.
For this purpose, specially trained actors were used to portray Tarzan’s ape family on the
motion capture stage. A particular challenge was filming large groups of both gorillaimpersonators
and human characters, since the infrared cameras could only handle up to
five actors at a time.
“But the design team also faced a steep challenge in overcoming the ‘uncanny valley’
problem. “If you want to portray a human character realistically, then the audience will be
able to identify the character more easily,” explains Klooss. “However, there comes a point
when the character is too realistic and can hardly be discerned from a real person any more.
After this point, the viewer can no longer accept or identify with the character. The audience
feels cheated all of a sudden, and since they know that it’s a virtual character, they then see
the lifelike figure as a strange, ‘undead’ form. The result is a radical loss of empathy with the
character. From the start, we tested the limits of this effect to make the character as realistic
as possible, only to then homoeopathically add cartoon-like elements (such as the geometry
of the eyes, facial features, skin texture etc).”
The amount of data to be processed during the production was immense. “Of course,” says
Klooss, “That’s partly due to the photorealistic concept, but also due to the film’s scenery,
deep in the African jungle. The nature of the jungle’s appearance means that no one corner
resembles any other. We wanted to make the jungle as intricate as possible, with flowers,
ferns, moss, vines, giant trees, rivers, streams, ponds, rapids, waterfalls – in order to create
a magically amplified adventure world.”
A HIGH DEGREE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
The need for motion capture technology
“It became clear very quickly that we wanted to make a film using motion capture technology
in order to portray the human characters as realistically as possible, and not just the
movements, but also to capture the emotions of the actors,” explains producer Robert Kulzer.
“We scrutinise the movements of the human characters more meticulously than other
animals. If a lion in an animation film doesn’t move one hundred percent appropriately, we
don’t mind – either out of cartoon-like absurdity or because we don’t know exactly how a lion
moves. But human figures are problematic in the world of CGI, because we analyse
everything very closely and consider anomalies in their movements as deficit. For that
reason human characters aren’t as common in CGI films. And if they are, then they’re
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predominantly portrayed as cartoony bad guys or comic sidekicks. Even then, motion capture
data is commonly used – although in a limited form – for these characters, if only to give
them a more ‘rounded’ walk,” explains Klooss.
Despite the decision to give Tarzan’s gorilla family a more central role in the film, the human
characters play the lead roles. It was therefore more or less essential to use motion capture
technology as a basis for the key frame animation of the characters. “Our adaptation of the
story mainly focuses on its emotional, adventurous and action-packed elements,” says
Klooss. “We wanted to create a high degree of physical activity and creditability. Therefore,
although the motion capture process was extremely tedious, it was basically unavoidable.
Even Tarzan’s jungle gorilla friends shouldn’t come across as comical sidekicks, rather as
special characters with emotions and a high degree of physical coordination. That’s why we
decided to record all of the apes in the film using the motion capture technology. A good
dozen actors grunted and bounced across our studio stage in mo-cap costumes for four
weeks using ape-like props such as arm extensions, muscle and posterior padding – that
was pretty surreal.”
SMALL IRREGULARITIES REINTRODUCED TO THE ANIMATION
The high degree of realism, created by the motion capture technology, was slightly modified
over the following twelve months to give Tarzan’s movements superhero-like quality or to
correct the apes’ movements. “Here and there we also reintroduced irregularities in order to
avoid the ‘uncanny valley’ effect, but without detracting from the physical power and
elegance of the characters.”
To avoid making ‘dead’ characters, Reinhard Klooss and the Tarzan team decided against
so-called ‘facial-capturing’. Instead, all human characters wore head cams to give the
animators a reference of the actors’ facial expressions. “We recorded over 20,000 clips with
our video cameras on set, which documented the movements of each actor, their gestures
and facial expressions, so the animators could use this as a reference.”
TAKING THE STORY SERIOUSLY
The tonality of the film
“Animation films are usually just a firework display of jokes,” explains Reinhard Klooss when
referring to the decision to give TARZAN® a certain humour, but predominantly to tell the
story as an emotional and romantic action-adventure film. “The original Tarzan story is
anything but funny. Our film, unlike the original novel, has a good deal of humour, but differs
from most animated films in that the focus lies on the spectacle of adventure.”
The stipulation was always that the level of emotion had to be just right. Then it is no longer
necessary to throw in a gag every other second to keep the audience interested. “We tried to
achieve the same as in the original text, to take it seriously and keep it as family-friendly as
possible.” Reinhard Klooss says in conclusion: “Even after three years, no-one has got bored
of it. It’s complete chaos right up until the last day. I can hardly imagine anything more
exciting in the film industry.”
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FACTS AND FIGURES
Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote over 30 Tarzan novels. Since then, almost 100 TARZAN® films
have been made. TARZAN® is therefore on a par with COUNT DRACULA as one of the most
frequently filmed stories in world literature.
The motion capture filming took place on the largest motion capture set in Europe, built by
Constantin Film especially for the Tarzan film, with the help of Frankfurt-based company
Metricminds in hall 12 of the Bavaria Studios. The actors, stuntmen and parcours artists were
recorded with over 60 infrared cameras.
TARZAN® is the first big German production to be mixed using Dolby Atmos. This new
surround sound technology allowed the sound team to work with 128 channels, which they
could then distribute to up to 64 different speakers in the cinema.
Every single image in the finished film is computer-generated. At approximately 88 minutes
long (excluding the closing credits), the film includes around 127,000 individual images, and
since it is a stereoscopic production, these were individually selected from around 253,500
frames in total.
The processing power of the computers used in the production comes to more than
35,000,000 MHz.
British-born Peter Elliott was responsible for the gorillas’ choreography on the motion capture
set. An expert in this area, he had already done the ape-choreography for classics such as
GORILLAS IN THE MIST and GREYSTOKE – THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE
APES. The actors underwent training for four weeks to learn how to move like apes.
TARZAN® is the first CGI animation film in which the central character is a human, who is
more or less completely naked from start to finish, apart from a loin cloth. As a result, the
filmmakers had to be very conscious of the animation of the character’s muscles.
For the recorded movements of the actors to be transformed into computer data, they wore
full body suits during filming. The suits, which looked a bit like wetsuits, were covered with 68
tiny sensors or reference points that were picked up by the infrared cameras to record the
movements.
Four different actors played Tarzan over the course of the production: Craig Garner and
Aaron Kissiov played Tarzan as a child. The musical actor Anton Zetterholm, who played the
part of Tarzan in the Hamburg Tarzan musical, took over the role of teenage Tarzan, and
Hollywood star Kellan Lutz portrayed the grown up king of the jungle.
In order to study the behaviour of apes and the appearance of an authentic jungle, Reinhard
Klooss traveled to the jungle triangle area of of Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo. He visited
the Virunga Mountains, the rainforests of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and
Rwenzori Mountains.
One could say that TARZAN® was essentially filmed four times: firstly as a storyboard
animation with around 5000 illustrations, then as a semi-‘real’ film using motion capture
technology to record the actors and stuntmen. Then the process of motion editing, where the
recorded data was transferred onto the 3D characters, their movements were scaled, placed
next to each other in virtual sets, as well as creating virtual camera movements, took almost
a whole year to complete. Only after that stage could work begin on the classic key frame
animation, which took another year to complete in itself.
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The total production time for TARZAN® from preparation to the finishing touches took almost
three years. Around 350 professionals were involved in the production.
15
ABOUT MOTION CAPTURE
TARZAN® is one of the first large-scale productions in Germany to use motion capture
technology. This technology was used in every scene that involved human characters or
gorillas. This meant that all of these scenes had to be filmed in a so-called ‘volume’ in a
studio – hall 12 at Bavaria Studios, the largest in Europe – with actors, stuntmen and
parcours artists. Wearing special suits their movements were captured by 60 cameras
around the room. The resulting data was transferred to digital 3D characters, and then
‘brought to life’ by a team of 150 people in Munich and Hannover during a long and
painstaking process (motion editing and key frame animation) which involved around 18
months of meticulous work. The extremely complex methods required not only specialised
software and rendering power, but also a huge amount of creativity and workflow
management.
In addition, there were a few sequences (e.g. atmospheric distance shots of the jungle or
scenes with other animals) in which ‘mo-cap’ was not used, and were therefore created using
only the classic 3D key frame method of animation.
The filmmakers decided against so-called facial capturing, with which not only the body
movements but also the facial expressions of the actors are recorded. However, the actors’
faces were filmed using cameras mounted on their heads as well as several other digital
cameras. These recordings served as a reference for the animators. So if the respective
actors look recognizable in the animated figures, it is not just because of the translated body
movements, but because the animators used the actors’ expressions as a guideline.
One of the reasons why Reinhard Klooss decided to use motion capture technology in the
production of TARZAN® was that classic key frame animation is somewhat limited in
replicating human movements. Pure key frame animation can yield great results in films
where humans play small or very marginal roles. Singing and dancing animals are used in
computer-generated comedies thanks to their cartoony designs and gravity-defying humour,
which are created using key frame animation. The audience accepts such movements
because animals’ movements are not brought into question as often as human movements,
which we all know from everyday life.
Since human characters play alongside a gorilla family in TARZAN®, and since it is not a
comedy as such, rather a film version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ original novel, it seemed
impossible to Klooss to make a convincing film that encompassed the perfect balance
between action, adventure and emotion using key frame animation alone. Furthermore, since
Tarzan’s jungle should be portrayed as realistically as possible, the story’s hero should also
swing through the canopy with equally impressive stereoscopic technology. Key frame
computer animation would also work in this photorealistic 3D setting anachronistically.
However, from the basic ‘mo-cap’ data, the filmmakers could create characters that move
through the jungle as realistically as possible. Thanks to the semi-‘real’ filming in the ‘mo-cap’
studio, it was possible to create really spectacular 3D camera sweeps, which really
emphasised the adventurous and emotional aspects of the film.
Motion and performance capture is a relative new technology. One of the ‘pioneers’ was the
character Jar Jar Binks in George Lucas’ STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM
MENACE (1999). Then came Peter Jackson with Gollum, played by Andy Serkis in the
LORD OF THE RINGS films (2001-2003), setting a new standard in the process. Similarly,
Hironobu Sakaguchi used entirely computer-generated characters with motion capture for
the Japanese film adaptation of the game series FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN
(2001)
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Other groundbreaking performances include Andy Serkis as Kong in Peter Jackson’s KING
KONG (2005) and as the chimpanzee Caesar in Rupert Wyatt’s RISE OF THE PLANET OF
THE APES (2011). Further highlights in the development of this complex technology include
James Cameron’s AVATAR (2009), Joseph Kosinski’s TRON: LEGACY (2010), Steven
Spielberg’s THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (2011) and Shawn Levy’s REAL STEEL (2011).
Last year Seth MacFarlane also used ‘mo-cap’ to convincingly integrate a computergenerated
teddy bear into the comedy TED (2012). Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis have
reunited using this technology for the character of Gollum in THE HOBBIT films (2012-2014).
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ABOUT DOLBY ATMOS
Once cinemas become digitalised worldwide (at least in the US, most cinemas will stop
showing films in analogue by the end of 2013), there will also be the possibility to improve
the overall cinematic experience in terms of sound.
In April 2012, Dolby Laboratories introduced Dolby Atmos on the biggest cinema screen in
the world at the CinemaCon in Las Vegas. It is an entirely new type of surround sound
technology that can be controlled much more precisely. Until now, only 5.1 or 7.1 surround
sound was possible, which could be divided up, but still only came from the side of the room.
Dolby Atmos however allows a theoretically unlimited number of sound channels. The first
generation of the hardware, the Dolby Atmos Cinema Processor, supports up to 128
channels and up to 64 separate speakers. These are then strategically positioned not only in
front, the rear and the sides of the audience as is the usual setup, but also above the
auditorium.
This new technology makes it possible for a specific signal to be assigned to the
corresponding speaker in order to perfectly place the sound source in the room, making the
experience all the more intense. For example, the sound of falling rain or of a helicopter
hovering overhead can be superbly simulated. Thanks to the sophisticated distribution of the
speakers, it also no longer matters where the viewer sits in the auditorium.
The first film to use Dolby Atmos was Pixar’s BRAVE (2012), which was specially mixed for
Dolby Atmos and premiered in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in June of 2012. The first film
to be entirely mastered using the new sound system was OBLIVION (2013) featuring Tom
Cruise. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (2013), MAN OF STEEL (2013) and the Venice
opening film GRAVITY (2013) followed – and now TARZAN®, the first large scale German
production to use Dolby Atmos surround sound.
Currently there are over 100 cinemas equipped with Dolby Atmos around the world, 20 of
which are in Europe. It is estimated that by the end of the year around 1000 cinemas will
have Atmos sound. Atmos is also backwards compatible to older systems such as 5.1 or 7.1.
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THE CAST (Motion Capture)
Kellan Lutz (Tarzan)
Best known for his role as Emmett Cullen in the worldwide phenomenon THE TWILIGHT
SAGA, Kellan Lutz is proving himself as one of Hollywood’s most promising young talents.
Lutz recently completed production for HERCULES 3D for director Renny Harlin. The film
centers on the love story between the son of Zeus and the mortal princess of Crete, who was
promised to his older brother despite her love for Hercules.
Lutz was most recently seen opposite Mickey Rourke in the independent feature JAVA HEAT
about an American in Indonesia who teams up with a Muslim cop to track down a terrorist;
and the independent film SYRUP, starring alongside Shiloh Fernandez and Amber Heard.
Based on the novel by Max Berry, the film takes a funny look at the world of marketing and
American consumerism.
Lutz’s recent film credits include THE TWILIGHT SAGA series; IMMORTALS, where he
played Poseidon opposite Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto and Mickey Rourke for director Tarsem
Singh; the independent film ARENA, opposite Samuel L. Jackson, and the independent film
A WARRIOR’S HEART opposite Ashley Greene. His other film credits include the starring
role opposite Mandy Moore, James Brolin and Jane Seymour in the independent film LOVE,
WEDDING, MARRIAGE; the remake of the 1984 horror classic A NIGHTMARE ON ELM
STREET and MESKADA for director Josh Sternfeld. He was also seen in Screen Gem’s
PROM NIGHT, the indie film DEEP WINTER, the independent film THE TRIBE which was
filmed on location in Costa Rico, STICK IT and Universal’s ACCEPTED.
On the small screen, Lutz was seen in the CW series “90210” and the Emmy Award winning
HBO seven-hour mini-series, “Generation Kill.” His other credits include the NBC series
“Heroes,” the PAX tv show “Model Citizens,” the WB series “Summerland” and HBO’s “The
Comeback” opposite Lisa Kudrow.
In addition to acting, Lutz also landed several high profile modeling campaigns, including the
coveted job as the cover-boy of “Abercrombie & Fitch’s Summer Catalogue 2004” and also
appeared in a Levi’s Jean ad campaign. He was most recently seen as the Calvin Klein
underwear model.
No stranger to appearing in campaigns Lutz can currently be seen as the face of Dylan
George and Abbot+Main by Dylan George brands. But Lutz isn’t just servicing as the face of
the brands; he’s designing too. Lutz has teamed up with fashion designer Danny Guez of
Dylan George and has launched the brand Abbot + Main. The men’s and women’s lines
offers tops, henleys, hoodies and cardigans inspired by an intersection in Venice where Lutz
lives.
When not acting, you can find Lutz giving his time to the Royal Family Kids’ Camp (RFKC),
the St. Bernard Project and
Although his dreams are coming true, Lutz still hasn’t quenched his desire to learn and
create. He has patented two inventions and is waiting for the prototype to be created.
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Anton Zetterholm (Tarzan as a teenager)
The Swedish musical actor ANTON ZETTERHOLM played Tarzan from 2008 to 2010 in the
musical version of “Tarzan”, composed by Phil Collins. He also participated in popular
musicals such as “Wicked”, “The Fearless Vampire Killers” and “Elisabeth”. TARZAN® is his
first feature film.
Spencer Locke (Jane Porter)
Spencer Locke is best known for her role as K-Mart in the RESIDENT EVIL franchise.
Originally from Winter Park, Florida, Locke stole the hearts of producers Robert Zemeckis,
Steven Spielberg and director Gil Kenan in 2004 and won the lead role of Jenny in Sony
Pictures feature film, MONSTER HOUSE. This was one of the first motion capture films of
the time. She was nominated for an Annie Award for her role in the film. She has also
appeared on many television shows including the hit series “The Vampire Diaries, “Cougar
Town,” “CSI,” “NCIS,” and “Without A Trace.”
Locke currently resides in Los Angeles and donates her free time to the children of Casa
Hogar Sion, an orphanage in Tijuana and the charity Dancing For Ned.
Trevor St. John (William Clayton)
Trevor St. John was born in Spokane, WA. He attended Whitworth College on a jazz
performance scholarship, where he played the drums. While at college he also performed in
As You Like It, All My Sons, Judgement and Merry Wives of Windsor.
His first major acting role was opposite Glenn Close as David in the television movie “Serving
in Silence”. His other television credits include guest-starring roles on “The Client List”,
“Murder She Wrote”, “Seaquest, Pacific Blue”, “Diagnosis Murder”, “Nash Bridges” and “Just
Shoot Me”.
His film credits include THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, THE KINGDOM, PAYBACK, CRIMSON
TIDE and HIGHER LEARNING. He has also appeared in independent films such as ROAD
TRIP, IN THE FAMILY, THE KING’S GUARD and DOG TOWN.
A few years ago, Trevor starred, co-directed, co-wrote and produced his own short-film THE
ART OF GETTING OVER IT, winner of two best actor awards in film festivals.
As a jazz percussionist, Mr. St. John has played with Marshall Royal (Count Bassie
Orchestra), Slide Hampton and Bill Berry (Duke Ellington Orchestra) and Gene Harris.
Brian Huskey (Mr. Smith)
Brian Huskey was a series regular on “Free Radio” and recurs on “Veep”, “Children’s
Hospital”, “Animal Practice”, and “Bob’s Burgers”. He’s made appearances on “How I Met
Your Mother”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “Parks & Recration”, “Happy Endings”, “House”,
“Workaholics”, “Inbetweeners”, “Best Week Ever”, “The Daily Show” and “Pretend
Time”. Brian’s feature credits include THIS IS THE END, THE TO DO LIST, SUPER BAD,
SEMI PRO, STEP BROTHERS, FRIGHT NIGHT, MEET DAVE and LAND OF THE
LOST. He can next be seen in the feature film NEIGHBORS.
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Mark Deklin (John Greystoke)
Hollywood heartthrob and talented actor Mark Deklin is most recently known for his role as
“Blake Reilly” on ABC’s GCB (based on the book Good Christian Bitches) with Kristin
Chenoweth, Leslie Bibb, Miriam Shor, and Annie, in which he played the secretly gay
husband of Shor. Deklin also has a recurring role on CBS’s hit action series “Hawaii Five-0”
as Stark Edwards, the husband of Scott Caan’s ex-wife and on TV Land’s “Hot in Cleveland”
His other television credits include “Better Off Ted,” the SyFy mini-series
“Riverworld”, “Desperate Housewives”, “Life On Mars”, “Big Love”, “Nip/Tuck”, “The Ex List”,
“Shark”, “Sex & the City”, “Justice”, “CSI: NY”, “Frasier”, “Las Vegas”, “CSI: Miami”,
“Nathan’s Choice”, “Hot Properties”, “Charmed”, “Four Kings”, “One on One”, “Pandora’s
Clock”, “Nash Bridges”, and “Ed”, as well as PBS’ “Great Performances”.
Mark’s Broadway and Off-Broadway credits have included “Cyrano de Bergerac” (with Kevin
Kline and Jennifer Garner), “Sweet Smell of Success” (with John Lithgow), “The Lion King”
(Scar), “Arms & the Man”, “As You Like It”, “Macbeth” (title role), “Six-Six-Sixty”, “Measure for
Measure”, “Tallulah Hallelujah”, “The Alchemist”, and “Home of the Brave”. He has worked
at regional theaters across the country, performing a wide range of roles in such plays as
“Othello”, “Hay Fever”, “Snakebit”, “An Ideal Husband”, “Romeo & Juliet”, “The Big Slam”,
“Coriolanus”, “Love! Valour! Compassion!”, “Freewill and Wanton Lust”, “Troilus & Cressida”,
“Born Yesterday”, and “The Taming of the Shrew”, and his body of film work has included
MINI’S FIRST TIME, HERBIE FULLY LOADED, FORCED ALLIANCE, OUT OF BODY, THE
WISH LIST, PHANTOM BELOW, CALLER ID, WETTING THE ASHES, TWIN SET, ONLY
SLIGHTLY, A LITTLE CLOUD, and NEVER SAY MACBETH.
Deklin earned his M.F.A. from the University of Washington’s highly esteemed PATP
conservatory, as well as his union cards and a certification with the Society of American Fight
Directors.
Jaime Ray Newman (Alice Greystoke)
Jaime Ray Newman originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. She studied acting at Boston
University School for the Arts and earned her B.A. at Northwestern University in Evanston, Il.
Jaime’s television credits include the ABC series “Eastwick”, based on “The Witches of
Eastwick” and as a series regular on the ABC series “Red Widow”, opposite Radha Mitchell.
She has also recurred on many shows, including “Grimm”, “NCIS”, “CSI:NY” (playing Gary
Sinise’s wife), “Eureka”, “Drop Dead Diva”, “Veronica Mars”, and “Nip/Tuck”. Jaime can soon
be seen as a series regular starring opposite Christian Slater and Steve Zahn in ABC’s
midseason drama, “Mind Games”.
Film credits include CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, RUBBERNECK, as well as the upcoming indie
RED ROBIN opposite Judd Hirsch.
Jaime made her Off-Broadway debut at The Atlantic Theater Company in New York City,
starring in David Auburn’s (“Proof”) play “The New York Idea”. In Los Angeles, she has done
several plays at the Geffen Theater, including “Some Girls”, written and directed by Neil
LaBute, and starred opposite David Schwimmer in “Turnaround” at the Coast Playhouse. Her
most recent theater appearance was in Jon Steely’s, “The Gift” starring opposite Kathy
Baker, James Van Der Beek, and Chris Mulkey.
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Les Bubb (Jim Porter)
Les Bubb is one of the UK’s finest physical comedians and has performed on stages and TV
shows worldwide. He’s in demand as both a performer and movement consultant. He’s
worked on three HARRY POTTER movies and toured with TAKE THAT in 2011, playing the
role of ‘Mad Professor’. More recently he filmed a new 3D animated feature of TARZAN and
is soon to start work on a new children’s sitcom for BBC television, playing ‘Grandad’. He
worked as slapstick & stunt consultant on the current West End production of SINGIN’ IN
THE RAIN and Sheffield Theatre’s THE FULL MONTY.
Les started performing at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Welsh College of Music
and Drama in the early eighties. Training continued at the Desmond Jones School of Mime in
London and in Paris with Phillipe Gaulier (Le Coq) and Etienne Decroux.
After sharpening his skills on the streets of Europe, (Les speaks several languages), Les
quickly became popular with his unique blend of mime and metaphysical clowning, joining
the “new wave” of alternative comedy with contemporaries Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh
Laurie, Lenny Henry & Harry Enfield. He supported them live in theatres across the UK and
at the same time took the TV show Friday Night Live and Max Headroom by storm.
From 1997 to 2002 Les starred in and co-wrote the hugely popular kids TV show HUBUBB
for BBC1, which ran for five series. He also became a popular variety act for television and
has made many appearances worldwide on HBO, RTL, BBC1, ITV1, CBBC, TF1 , SAT1 &
ORF. The list goes on….
Since 2002 Les has been crossing countries and cultural boundaries with his own full length
theatre show Make Your Brains Go Pop! His universal appeal continues to win him awards
and bookings worldwide including The World Circus Festival in Verona and the Wuhan
Festival of International Acrobatic Art in China. Closer to home, he’s performed many times
at Glastonbury.
The renowned film Director, Werner Herzog, has sought Les’s unique talents several times,
including the multimedia show Variete, playing theatres and Opera houses across Europe
and as ‘Herr Rothschild’ in his art-house film Invincible starring Tim Roth.
Les has worked on three HARRY POTTER films The Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of
Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban, as both performer and movement & voice coach. He’s also
in demand as a motion-capture artist, with lots of green screen experience. He’s run
workshops in movement for the RSC, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and the Slapstick
Festival and recently appeared on Dancing On Ice (ITV1) as a ‘Physical Performance Expert.
Les remains one of the most innovative and accessible physical comics in Europe. His
original act, the unforgettable stuck suitcase & balloons, the invisible piano, the flying bottle
and the inflated rubber-glove head, have influenced a whole generation of comic physical
performers… a cacophony of comical illusions!
In his free time he enjoys singing with the Bristol Gurt Lush Choir and plays a number of
musical instruments.
Peter Elliott (Kerchak, Taug)
Peter Elliott’s unique talent and expertise in his field, is unrivalled in the film industry. His
pioneering work on films such as GREYSTOKE THE LEGEND OF, GORILLAS IN THE MIST
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and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE transformed the now very complex world of SFX
costumes and his ability to breathe life into these creations is legendary. His involvement
with every aspect of the process - from planning, storyboarding, casting, training the artistes
to choreographing, acting and directing indicates an extraordinary versatility.
A graduate of the renowned method acting school East 15 Acting School, Elliott's acting
training concentrated heavily on the physical side of acting, as well as comprehensive
instruction in technique and classical theatre.
Be it live action or CGI, Elliot has brought his unique style of choreography to bear on film
after film. Whether it's a totally realistic animal study as seen in the critically acclaimed,
GORILLAS IN THE MIST (1987), the last surviving Early Hominid in MISSING LINK (1986) a
diverse group of genetic mutants in THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU (1995), weird and
wonderful aliens for HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (2005), or complex character
driven creatures in WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (2006).
Elliott recently (2011) finished work on JACK THE GIANT KILLER and SNOW WHITE AND
THE HUNTSMAN.
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THE CREW
Reinhard Klooss (Writer/Producer/Director)
Reinhard Kloos studied Literature in Marburg, Germany, and at University College, London,
before going on to write for radio, television and print media. In addition, he was an advisor
and assistant on the board for the German National Academic Foundation in Bonn.
Klooss took step towards the film industry in 1986. He started off in the development
department at Constantin Film, and then became an assistant to the board and feature film
producer for Bavaria Film. Since then he has worked as a producer, author and director on
around 25 German and international feature films. His producing and co-producing credits
include GO TRABI GO (a comedy on the reunion of West and East Germany) and
COMEDIAN HARMONISTS, as well as international renowned productions, such as
ASTERIX & OBELIX TAKE ON CAESAR (with Gerard Depardieu) and BUFFALO
SOLDIERS (with Joaqiun Phoenix, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris and Enna Paquin).
Between 1995 and 1997 he worked as a manager and producer at Babelsberg Film, the
production arm of Studio Babelsberg. He then returned to Munich and became a partner at
Bavaria Entertainment. As a founding member of Odeon Film AG, he was responsible for the
Odeon Film feature film department between 1998 and 2003. From 2004 to 2006, Klooss
was the CEO of the newly founded Bavaria subsidiary, Bavaria Pictures.
Alongside his work as a producer, Klooss also wrote the screenplays for more than 10
feature films he also produced.
Klooss has been a producer for Constantin Film since 2006. On the films IMPY’S ISLAND
(2006), IMPY’S WONDERLAND (2008) and ANIMALS UNITED (2010), he also served as
writer and director. TARZAN® is by far his biggest challenge so far as a filmmaker, and again
he served as writer, producer and director.
Robert Kulzer (Producer)
German born producer Robert Kulzer was named co-president of Constantin Film
Development Los Angeles in May 2005, where he had worked as head of production from
October 2000 to April 2005, and as head of development and acquisition from 1991 to 2000.
Among his acquisitions for Constantin Film were AMERICAN PIE (1999), THE SIXTH
SENSE (1999) and SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999). He also contributed to the production of THE
HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS (1993), SMILLA’S SENSE OF SNOW (1997), WRONGFULLY
ACCUSED (1998) and THE FANTASTIC FOUR (2005). Among his executive producers
credits are RESIDENT EVIL (2002) and RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE (2004) and the UK
thriller THE DARK (2005), starring Maria Bello and Sean Bean. He wrote and produced the
German action comedy AUTOBAHN RACER (2004), and produced the survival horror film
WRONG TURN (2003), the action-adventure DOA – DEAD OR ALIVE (2006) and the actionthriller
SKINWALKERS (2006), as well as RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION (2007), the
highest grossing independent film of 2007, the sci-fi horror film PANDORUM (2009), and
RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE (2010), the fourth installment of the RESIDENT EVIL movie
franchise, which was filmed in 3D. In 2011 Robert Kulzer produced the THE THREE
MUSKETEERS (2011), which at the time was the largest European film to be shot in 3D,
followed by RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION (2012), the fifth part of the RESIDENT EVIL
franchise, a film series that has grossed over $900 Million in the worldwide Box Office.
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Robert Kulzer’s most recent production THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES
(2013), an adaptation of the best selling young adult novel by Cassandra Clare opened
worldwide in Summer 2013.
Currently Robert Kulzer is producing POMPEII (2014) an epic adventure movie with Kit
Harington (“Game of Thrones”) and the romantic comedy LOVE, ROSIE (2014) starring Lily
Collins (THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS) and Sam Claflin (THE HUNGER GAMES:
CATCHING FIRE).
Martin Moszkowicz (Executive Producer)
Martin Moszkowicz has been involved in well over 150 feature films as producer, executive
producer, co-producer or managing director of Constantin Film. Mr. Moszkowicz’s long list of
producing achievements include German and English language productions such as
Caroline Link’s Oscar®-winning epic NOWHERE IN AFRICA (2001), DOWNFALL (2004),
PERFUME – THE STORY OF A MURDERER (2006), POPE JOAN (2009), WICKIE THE
MIGHTY VIKING (2009), the REDSIDENT EVIL film franchise, THE THREE MUSKETEERS
(2011), CARNAGE (2011), the German box office success TURKISH FOR BEGINNERS
(2012) and the adaptation of the best selling young adult novel by Cassandra Clare THE
MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES (2013). Among his current projects are the
action-adventure epic POMPEII and the romantic comedy LOVE, ROSIE, both currently in
post-production and slated for a 2014 release.
In his capacity as member of the Executive Board of Constantin Film AG, Mr. Moszkowicz is
responsible for the company's film & television business, including worldwide production,
distribution, marketing and publicity.
A graduate of the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Mr. Moszkowicz began his film
career in physical production as a production manager and line producer, before turning to
producing films himself. In 1985, he became producer and managing director of Munich
based production outfit M+P Film GmbH. In 1991, Mr. Moszkowicz joined Constantin Film as
producer and was named managing director in 1996, a position he held through the
company’s successful IPO in 1999. Mr. Moszkowicz has been a member of the Executive
Board of Constantin Film AG since then.
Mr. Moszkowicz is also a member of the executive board of the German Producers
Association and chairman of the supervisory board of German Films.
David Newman (Film Score)
David Newman is one of today's most accomplished creators of music for film. In his 25-year
career, he has scored over 100 films, ranging from WAR OF THE ROSES, MATILDA,
BOWFINGER and HEATHERS, to the more recent THE SPIRIT, and SERENITY. Newman's
music has brought to life the critically acclaimed dramas BROKEDOWN PALACE and
HOFFA; top-grossing comedies NORBIT, SCOOBY-DOO, GALAXY QUEST, THE NUTTY
PROFESSOR, THE FLINTSTONES, THROW MAMA FROM THE TRAIN; and awardwinning
animated films ICE AGE, THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER and ANASTASIA. The
recipient of top honors from the music and motion picture industries, he holds an Academy
Award® nomination for his score to the animated feature, ANASTASIA, and was the first
composer to have his piece, 1001 Nights, performed in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s
FILMHARMONIC Series, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
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Newman is also a highly sought-after conductor and appears with leading orchestras
throughout the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, New Japan Philharmonic, Utah Symphony, and
the American Symphony. He has led subscription weeks with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
at Walt Disney Concert Hall and regularly conducts the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at the
Hollywood Bowl. He is currently on a mini tour performing live with orchestra the movie West
Side Story. He has already performed it in Los Angeles with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
in New York with the New York Philharmonic as well as with the Chicago Symphony,
Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony and the Sydney Symphony. Newman also
conducts the annual movie night at the Hollywood Bowl. This summer was his seventh
consecutive annual appearance.
Also an active composer for the concert hall, his works have been performed by the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, and at the Ravinia
Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Chicago's Grant Park Music Festival. He also composed
a violin-orchestra suite for Sarah Chang based on the songs from the Broadway hit, “West
Side Story”. Newman has spent considerable time unearthing and restoring film music
classics for the concert hall, and headed the Sundance Institute's music preservation
program in the late 1980s. During his tenure at Sundance he wrote an original score and
conducted the Utah Symphony for the classic silent motion picture, Sunrise, which opened
the Sundance Film Festival in 1989. As a tribute to his work in film music preservation, he
was elected President of the Film Music Society in 2007, a nonprofit organization formed by
entertainment industry professionals to preserve and restore motion picture and television
music.
Passionate about nurturing the next generation of musicians, Newman served for 5 years as
President of the Board of the American Youth Symphony, a forty-three year-old preprofessional
orchestra based in Los Angeles, where he launched the three-year "Jerry
Goldsmith Project” and is in it’s 2nd year of a 3 year project presenting the music of Danny
Elfman In context with symphonic music. In 2007 he wrote the children’s melodrama “Yoko
and the Tooth Fairy” for Crossroads School in Santa Monica, CA, and in 2010 he served on
the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival in the Film Scoring Program. Newman is also on the
Board of Governors of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. When his schedule
permits, he visits Los Angeles area high schools and Universities to speak about film scoring
and mentor young composers.
The son of nine-time Oscar-winning composer, Alfred Newman, David Newman was born in
Los Angeles in 1954. He trained in violin and piano from an early age and earned degrees in
orchestral conducting and violin from the University of Southern California. From 1977-1982
he worked extensively in the motion picture and television industry as a violinist, playing on
such films as E.T., TWILIGHT ZONE – THE MOVIE, and the original STAR TREK film. He
is married to wife, Krystyna, and is the father of two girls, Diana and stepdaughter, Brianne.
He and Krystyna divide their time between Los Angeles, Carmel-by-the-Sea and New York.
TARZAN is the second film Newman has worked on with Reinhard Klooss after ANIMALS
UNITED.
26
GORILLAZ AND THEIR ENDANGERED HOMELAND: THE VIRUNGA
NATIONAL PARK
Tarzan’s substitute family consists of a group of gorillas with whom he lives in the densely
wooded jungle of Central Africa. Gorillas are the largest primates on earth. The intelligent
and social animals live in families consisting of several females with four to five young
gorillas and one dominant male – the silverback. The main threats for gorillas are poaching
and the destruction of their habitat. Ape meat is considered a delicacy in wealthy, urban
African societies. A poacher can kill more than 30 gorillas a year. To compound matters,
there are indications that the Ebola virus poses an additional threat to the gorillas’ existence.
To study the behavior of apes and the look of a “real” jungle, writer/producer/director
Reinhard Klooss went on several research trips to Africa’s Virunga National Park, home to
about one fourth of the endangered mountain gorillas. The park is one of nature’s treasures
and a UNESCO designated World Heritage site. It is the oldest national park in Africa and
covers an area of 1,925,000 acres. Situated in the East of the Democratic Republic Congo
bordering Rwanda and Uganda, Virunga was established in 1969 after the Albert National
Park, created in 1929, was divided.
The Virunga National Park contains everything that makes Africa fascinating and valuable:
rain forest, glacier, volcanoes, savanna, big lakes. It provides a habitat for more than 2,000
plants, 706 bird, 218 mammals and 109 reptiles, 10 percent of which are endemic, meaning
they are exclusive to this area. Virunga is also the only national park in the world where
mountain and lowland gorillas coexist.
The continent’s oldest national park has been preserved over many centuries despite many
threats, such as civil wars, poaching and the increasing pressure of a growing population.
However, now the park is in even greater danger: Western oil companies want to search for
oil in Virunga. The production of the “black gold” would have extensive consequences, such
as the pollution of the sensitive ecosystems, pipelines, road construction and the colonization
in the middle of this natural paradise – and consequently would mean the end of the Virunga
National Park. In addition to serving as a home for gorillas the park is the livelihood of more
than 50,000 people, who depend on an intact ecosystem for drinking water and fish.
Thus, the wildlife conservation and endangered species organization WWF is involved in a
public campaign against oil drilling in the Virunga National Park and has already seen some
early success: The French oil company, Total SA, announced in May 2013 that they would
cancel their plans to produce within the boundaries of the park. WWF is now demanding from
the British oil company Soco to cancel their plans to drill within Virunga and all of the other
World Natural Heritage Sites.
Further information at:
http://worldwildlife.org/stories/help-save-virunga
TARZAN® Owned By Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. And Used By Permission.