98% Human

Mill+ NY has teamed up with BBDO NY and PETA to create an astonishing and groundbreaking new spot "98% Human".

"98% Human" is part of PETA's commitment to stop primates being used within the entertainment industries as actors. The Mill+ team, alongside BBDO NY, embarked on an incredibly ambitious journey to create a truly photo-real and completely life-like chimpanzee.

The spot focuses on the use of primates and is part of PETA's campaign "The Great Ape Pledge" which drives viewers to the newly developed microsite www.greatapepledge.org where they can register to take the pledge and stop the use of primates as actors.

"98% Human" is a fully integrated campaign that is set to galvanize the creative industries into pledging to stop the use of primates as actors, companies already taking the pledge including BBDO NY and The Mill Group.

The Mill+ team was lead by animation director Angus Kneale and he explains some of the complexities and new techniques Mill+ created to bring the photo-real chimpanzee to life.

"This was one of the most exciting and challenging projects I've ever worked on. Crafting PETA "98% Human" was more than about creating a totally believable, photo-real CG Chimp. It was about establishing an emotional connection and empathy with the audience. In the past we would have used motion capture and mapped a human actor's performance directly onto the CG character but we wanted to approach this project in a different way, so we decided to rely on the skill of our animators for the final chimp performances, only using an actor for previs.

"We pushed computer graphics imagery to a new level creating bespoke technology in muscle and skin simulation, higher than any other project or film to date. We achieved this by developing new techniques from simulated bloodstreams, skin tension and even individual pores at the base of every hair on the chimpanzee, all with the aim to create a creature that is practically indistinguishable from his flesh and blood counterpart".

"98% Human" is a collaboration between the BBDO NY creative team lead by Toygar Bazarkaya and Mill+ NY and the spot demonstrates the partnership between creativity and technology by delivering on PETA's powerful message that you do not need to use live primates as actors, now that we can create fully life-like, photo-real primates.

Take a look and take the pledge!