To quote the man aimlessly pacing in the bottommost area of Pallet Town in Pokemon: Yellow Version, “Technology is incredible!” And this mantra is proven truest when applied to this video showing some of the behind the scenes effects work for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In it, we see Andy Serkis doing motion capture work for the character of Caesar, who, if you don’t remember Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is the chimp who led the ape rebellion against humans.

We also see a few more of the actors in the film doing intense motion capture work, alongside the computer animation that will go onscreen. And it’s pretty mesmerizing. I feel like the world at large doesn’t really know what to make of motion capture yet, and are still stuck debating on whether it is actual acting or not. I say that they need to take one look at Andy Serkis’ face as he brings Caesar to life, and all of their questions will be answered. Andy Serkis for President. Hashtag that, somebody.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes swings into theaters on July 11, 2014. See what I did there? “Swings!” Like an ape! I’m a terrible writer.