8/17 Production Snapshot Diary

Today we’re at Nikkatsu Studios in Chofu. Art director Sasaki-san is choosing colors this morning! The set blueprint by Sasaki-san. The backside of the set. Nails. Today’s action team is U-DEN　FLAME WORKS led by Shimomura-san. Bam! Bam! Action free practice whenever and wherever. And time for the performance. To help the actors, we are providing green full-body tights! Wire work! Wire riggers Yuuki-san (left), and Ishido-san (right). Green “Moji-Moji-kun” standing by. From the left, Action Director Shimomura-san, Action Director Assistant Sonomura-san, Nagano-san on the right. Today we’re using a machine called a camera remote to direct a remote camera from the crane. Mouri-san in charge of the special machinery. Plug suit production by Udagawa-san (right) and Kitaochi-san of of Jiyuro. Lighting equipment looks like lanterns in the sky. Special Effects Hair and Makeup, Nishiguchi-san (left), Ishii-san (right). They created very special hair and makeup, including the wigs. Kadokawa Publishing’s famous editor Hara-san, who is responsible for the publication of Murakami’s new book, has come to the studio to pick up the manuscript. Inspecting the props.

8/16 Production Snapshot Diary

Production department Koyama-san (left) and Sai-chan (right). Wonder what they’re cracking up about? Early in the morning, we’re meeting about the re-filming of PART 1. With Assistant Director Hideyuki Yamamoto-san, Hideaki Maegawa-san of Digital Frontier, and storyboarder Shinji Nishikawa-san. Nagano-san, who is using the camera remote again today to control the camerawork from high above. Gah-hah-san and Shio-chan, readjusting the schedule daily. Figuring out the daily schedule by reviewing the new overall schedule. Scenery 1. Scenery 2. Mana Shiraishi-san, catching scenery shots. We hear her main job is creating behind-the-scenes videos. Teaming up with Koike-san is still cameraman Yoko Matsuyama-san. Kohinata-san is helping out the Lighting team. Editing everyday is Yosuke Yafune-san. Costume Assistant Osumi-chan (right) is training the young staff strictly this year. Scenery 3. Special machinery, Tadashi Yokoyama-san. Special machinery, Aikou-san. Noitamina producer Koji Yamamoto dropped by the studio today. Yuetsu Murakami-san. He supervised the CG for “Six Hearts Princess”, and as fate would have it, he is now helping us with the post-production for “Jellyfish Eyes 1”. Honeyee.com Editor-in-chief Tetsuya Suzuki-san is here. Targets for CG. What is this? The action team is sparring again today. Look at Uchigasaki-san! This shot! Talk about an action team!

8/15 Production Snapshot Diary

It’s the height of summer today! Laputa clouds can be seen far in the distant sky. We’re shooting on location this morning. Getting rid of the little pebbles on the street. And we’re building the rails. Nishimura-san is a 25-year veteran in this industry. Whether as production assistant, assistant director, special makeup effects, or director, he has not wavered from the filmmaking path. Which is why he understands everything about filming on location. Building the rails. Wedges and washers used to adjust the height of the rails to make sure they are even. Saito-san in Production exchanges information with Yoshida-san of the Ashikaga City Film Commission. Nishimura-san, DP Nagano-san, and Action Director Shimomura-san (center) discuss today’s camera blocking. Shimomura-san (left) and Second Assistant Director Kishizuka-san discuss the camera blocking. And Action! Nishimura-san’s voice “Aye! Annnnd Action!” rings loud in Ashikaga City. Today we’re using B-Cam (There are two cameras, A&B). B-Cam Second Production Assistant helper Yanagisawa-san. Measuring the exposure… Stylist Yunoki-san. She is touching up the action shoes at the last minute with black marker. And Shiozaki-san has his water gun ready! Muramatsu-san in Production also has a water gun!? But why? As we’re recording live sound, they’re shooing away the cicadas. They’re not playing! …but then…they played. Got a bloody nose. Gah-hah-san. And the shoot continues. The final cut was disrupted by the rain. On a different day!