How ‘Better Man’s’ ‘Rock DJ’ Dance Number Brought Together 500 Extras and a CG Monkey on a Busy London Street (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Carolyn Giardina One of the set pieces in director Michael Gracey’s bold Robbie Williams biopic, “Better Man,” is an elaborately choreographed “Rock DJ” number lensed on Regent Street, a major curved street and bustling shopping destination in London’s West End.

It was filmed over four consecutive nights with up to 500 extras who dance in the final number with a photoreal CG monkey. That’s right.

If you haven’t heard the audacious premise of “Better Man,” Gracey — after hearing the British singer/songwriter referred to himself in an interview as sort of a performing monkey — made the unconventional decision to tell the dramatic story from Williams’ perspective while showing viewers how Williams saw himself as a performing chimp.

The Paramount release opens in select theaters on Dec. 25 before a Jan. 10 wide release. The Regent Street number and the entire movie was effectively shot as a live-action film with Jonno Davies, the British actor who plays Williams, in a motion-capture suit while performing alongside his co-stars. “We didn’t ever want the visual effects to get in the way of the performance,” explains visual effects supervisor Luke Millar of Weta FX, which was brought in to create and animate a believable, emotive CG chimp.