![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL0ReCNxj_mv02dNb9qH5s5zHcgKuboJwhM27udvP0NWgY4QiJNOJ7sMBnXzxsl1gam3UHIBn7A7SUoiIHaqeohmQevRWXGGlZEFFGCPAu7w0A_k311jHXueq7hYUhrI_Y4-NQp3RQ2-3/s320/id06.jpg)
In any case, here I am and here’s “the rundown”...
First off, after over a decade of friendship, visiting dozens
of his sets, and even appearing in several of his films, director Shusuke
Kaneko got me the gig of still cameraman on his newest film, 『少女は異世界で戦った』or in romanized English, “Shojyo wa Isekai
de Tatakatta”, which basically translates to “Young Girls Battle in the
Parallel World”. The film wrapped two Mondays ago (12/9) – and not a moment too soon – I was near the edge of my energy reserves!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3vq3cA6iieZ22mAx-b-EVwObkOWv-49uq8fI_VCp6f3Vg-PS_2rtVTrDwShGAhFzWTOgWoTJ1PHmDYqK5e3i8FcY4z9UbXtkMo3ReUNYCDmvRkC1RFWZYNekOhwJlz85xs0orCfBW8Oh/s200/id01.jpg)
I wonder… Is it like this in the US film world too? I
wouldn’t know since I’ve only ever been involved with Japanese films. I do
remember that when visiting the set of “The Grudge” the non-Japanese staff and
cast had it easier than their Japanese counterparts because of US union rules. Unions pretty much don't exist in Japan, and when they do, they have no influence.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyiFwef-csl7LIG6QVPdPOx4QPMFmjztlhQVoIlJFmUxwZYz46oIhvdz1QUkMxfYQGSSAl1N7F_Oh3Ve2W31zqeqrjWPhllOAbVRxMMvPdRbRAlObxHVVhFVstpqDHz0wor2ygceLybd7/s320/id03.jpg)
I try to take shots during rehearsals, but this being a winter shoot, the actors were bundled up in jackets that they only took off during actual shooting, which meant I couldn't just shoot as the "click" of the shutter would be picked up by the boom mic, ruining the shot. Instead, it's the game of "shot just as the director calls "action" and then the moment he yells "cut". And of course, despite all the limitations, everyone is expecting you to take tons of exciting, action packed photos that will draw the audience into the theater. Ugh...
I feel like adding to this list of “challenges” that the
sets I work on are in Japan. Everything is in Japanese and everything is gone
about in accordance to Japanese culture. I can’t say I always agree with how
things get done but I do know that the last thing anyone enjoys hearing is an arrogant foreigner saying, “Well, in my country, we do it this way…” I hated hearing foreigners tell me what was wrong with my country when I lived in New York City, so I can only imagine it's the same with Japanese. Really, it’s up to me to
adapt, not the other way around. So yeah, given all that, working on film in
Japan isn't any kind of a picnic. But, it’s the work I want to do so when you boil it down I
have little to complain about. Actually, I kind of like being the stranger in a
strange land...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSwXjU8w3OPcsOvR6BZPGfKcus3b3CxKXg_c1csZa-d36sUNv0eJsNzKzmOUa7smO271EEVqQFEYryKEH2c22S59HHbdzgj5QUdvim6byIqfH0hVRQTF9NbIfIXk7PUWRJ2t_hCDTMJOs/s200/id04.jpg)
For now I’m not allowed to disclose too much information about the film,
so I can’t upload any photos or write about the cast. I can say it’s a science fiction
action film that deals with parallel Earths and a wormhole setup between the
two. I can also say that it is directed by Shusuke Kaneko, who directed the '90s Gamera films and "Death Note" pt1 and pt 2, among many others. The film also stars four adorable young women, one of whom is my absolute
favorite actress in Japan. This marks our third time to work together and
I consider it one of my life joys to work with her and am entirely honored when she tells people that we're friends.
Oh, and since Kaneko put up a photo of the "iDolls" van, I guess it's OK for me too. Get a load of that thing. Right in the middle of the shoot I had to zip over to Kyoto to give a presentation before the Kyoto Film Commission and the next morning, upon arriving back to Gotemba, I was picked up in this thing by one of the assistant producers. That was a bit embarrassing.
Oh, and since Kaneko put up a photo of the "iDolls" van, I guess it's OK for me too. Get a load of that thing. Right in the middle of the shoot I had to zip over to Kyoto to give a presentation before the Kyoto Film Commission and the next morning, upon arriving back to Gotemba, I was picked up in this thing by one of the assistant producers. That was a bit embarrassing.
We had the wrap party last week. That was a lot of fun.
Parties like this are always interesting because the permeating tension of the
shoot is suddenly gone and everyone looks as light as a feather. Serious faces are now replaced by smiling ones. And the strictness of the set is replaced by a strong sense of camaraderie. It's also nice to finally be able to sit down and drink without worrying about the next day. During the shoot I would usually take a hot bath in my hotel room and down a beer after shooting, but then I'd pass out as soon as I could (after making sure I'd triple backed up my data for the day), as I had to get up at 5:30am. So, I wouldn't call that "drinking"...more like numbing myself so I can get to sleep.
Well, all in all, the shoot on Kaneko's new film went 100% smooth. No accidents. No weather issues. At worst, little things here and there, but overall it was smooth sailing from first to last day of shooting. And for me as well. I only dropped my camera once, with the worst accident being a scratch on the protective lens for my 70-200mm Nikon lens. I had to buy a new one, which cost me $50! Crap!
Well, all in all, the shoot on Kaneko's new film went 100% smooth. No accidents. No weather issues. At worst, little things here and there, but overall it was smooth sailing from first to last day of shooting. And for me as well. I only dropped my camera once, with the worst accident being a scratch on the protective lens for my 70-200mm Nikon lens. I had to buy a new one, which cost me $50! Crap!
Well, I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this production
in the coming months so check in later if you’re interested.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWo_P_zeZqCrj5yrQn9GhqffKrRciff7xl0XL5X850fyc8zDZnz39L0-xBHDygKhVtEV88GhLH6liDEs3lUISU-1uWV2mzsfOdF_USF_Bcn1U1zNLIhRSqbwtfcf4be7EHxhoGGAsTJXU/s320/ZTV01.jpg)
An episodic piece, "Zombie TV" features three directors: Yoshiro Nishimura, Maelie Makuno and Naoya Tashiro. This kept me busy because at some points there were two shoots going on at the same time and I'd have to rush between locations to get shots. One thing I was happy about was that I was finally able to photograph Luchino Fujisaki. OK... So, 1/2 her face was covered in stage blood, but I still got to work one on one with her, and that was a lot of fun.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib49AvGE-f3NtYaL0nSJibEGdlBnM5SoMqKPeQTAzts1qdrYOmavo2QZBKrWZTW1bYLkZdzTynyRLCbUPj40mxLvsdNc5B986yRq6bgI7_drXk59nZuawCMGKkcmHqdGHSnHHHmD2qxcgl/s320/ZTV02.jpg)
You can read the piece here:
Speaking of “Zombie TV”, it just had its world premiere
at Monster Fest in Australia and played with my film “New Neighbor”. I have
absolutely no idea how the screening went, although I did find one lukewarm
review of my film on the web somewhere. Hahahaha.
Here's the cover to the "Zombie TV" DVD / Blu-ray, which goes on sale Dec 18, 2013. After the image was put up on the web I called up Nishimura.
Me: Nishimura! What the hell?
Nishimura: What do you mean?
Me: That cover... Bad taste all the way.
Nishimura: You think so?
Me: Yeah... It's great!
Nishimura: Hahahaha.
Actually, as a set photographer, I'm pretty happy with the cover as it's made up almost entirely of photos I took on set.
"Zombie TV" is pretty out there. It's intentionally offensive (a zombie vs an African cannibal in a wrestling match) and silly (an old man zombie out for a walk who is unable to keep his dentures in). I enjoyed working on it and despite its low budget, really like how it came out. I was also happy that during shooting I could enjoy being in the center of a "Nishimura Blood Shower". I think this was my third or fourth time to get wrapped up in plastic and get into the thick of Nishimura's overt love of stage blood.
Here's the cover to the "Zombie TV" DVD / Blu-ray, which goes on sale Dec 18, 2013. After the image was put up on the web I called up Nishimura.
Me: Nishimura! What the hell?
Nishimura: What do you mean?
Me: That cover... Bad taste all the way.
Nishimura: You think so?
Me: Yeah... It's great!
Nishimura: Hahahaha.
Actually, as a set photographer, I'm pretty happy with the cover as it's made up almost entirely of photos I took on set.
"Zombie TV" is pretty out there. It's intentionally offensive (a zombie vs an African cannibal in a wrestling match) and silly (an old man zombie out for a walk who is unable to keep his dentures in). I enjoyed working on it and despite its low budget, really like how it came out. I was also happy that during shooting I could enjoy being in the center of a "Nishimura Blood Shower". I think this was my third or fourth time to get wrapped up in plastic and get into the thick of Nishimura's overt love of stage blood.
In the “my life as a zombie” department, I just worked on
two zombie projects. As a first generation Romero zombie aficionado, one who
spent a major part of his youth tracking down all things zombie, it’s a rather
nice spot to find myself in. I mean, getting paid to write about
“Dawn of the Dead”? What can be better than that?
The first is the upcoming Blu-ray release of “Dawn of the
Dead” in Japan. Basically, the releasing company gave me carte blanche to fill
16pgs of content for the program book. Looking to do something new for the
Japanese DAWN audience, I contacted several of the people involved with the
making of the film. I don’t mean director Romero and the four leads. While
their voices are important, I thought that would be too obvious. I wanted to
delve deeper into the film, to bring information heretofore unknown to the
Japanese audience. Basically, I wanted to get the Japanese audience something mind boggling unexpected and blow their friggin' socks off.
To accomplish this, I contacted several of the people who
played memorable zombies in the film as well as DAWN’s cinematographer. Between these reports, which I’m
happy to report are delightful and insightful pieces detailing
their work on the movie, and a few others, the booklet came out fantastic. Gone are the typical Japanese "essayists" going on and on like essayists tend to do. Probably the most meaningless piece is the introductory piece that I wrote, since it has the least amount of solid information. I mean, I had NOTHING
at all to do with the DAWN production.
I have no doubt that Japanese fans who buy the set will be having their asses handing to themselves it's that impressive an accomplishment - and I say this without a hint of pride! All the translations were handled by Yoshiki Takahashi, who, as usual, did masterful work.
I have no doubt that Japanese fans who buy the set will be having their asses handing to themselves it's that impressive an accomplishment - and I say this without a hint of pride! All the translations were handled by Yoshiki Takahashi, who, as usual, did masterful work.
I also worked on a zombie “mook” (a type of publication that
falls in between a magazine and a mook). While I didn’t write anything for it per se,
I did oversee a few of its articles and, as with the thinking for the DAWN Blu-ray, I got an actor from each of Romero’s first four zombie films to write a piece
about their association with the film. If I had been contacted a bit earlier by the publisher and if I had had more time I would have liked to have written something, but that's what it's like in the world of short deadlines.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlZuyNnUTsYox7svS6-p1IClptO7cM6fgpBzTsOzqh_GldWDeX-KyLNX0JRAqircYWoKyt1RIDhSol1J7JmiwH845h4vBhd66WaCdg2lUATRFX27sSjLiaCG8LiLRAZZcCu_ZlGhQLE2d/s200/nag03.png)
Cause I’m too lazy to write one myself, here’s how Wiki sums up Gunkanjima:
“The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining
facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned and undisturbed
concrete apartment buildings and the surrounding sea wall. The island has been
administered as part of Nagasaki city since the merger of the former town of
Takashima in 2005.”
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34DckvGnqaxloEzVJFq0pxFYt2sdk2Q-QSPj2VzghBx2BAAHPxhfAMppk9ZQwwpo61rA927ucZV3vIQ2rdU3_C2do11A8Jt78lColhwKg6YtlgKjjG1MWt9LHz_xWWjmZyAENmSFGtDYq/s320/Gunkan01.png)
Maybe you're thinking, "what the hell, it's just a bunch of abandoned buildings." In a way, this isn't wrong. That is what Gunkanjima is. Everyone's been in an abandoned building at least once in their life. The thing is, it's the scale of Gunkanjima that boggles the mind. The entire island was from one end to the other under human supervision and then, one day, they were gone, leaving the whole place to ruin. It is like no place I have ever been to in my life.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsphgL5Uk8vycVwE1mwj2Z_9D9gugnqM22MJTopRMaeclMJsFkhlfA2f1Qj0ed5kqm62Ay0cXoY3gcPtkmHhNdaUtNBWsXlcTzawASq4RnCWyk0hmLuJwZqrNaiiLRJ7_CkXp7cz5ocYe/s320/01.jpg)
After this, I traveled by boat over to Ikeshima island, where I spent the night and then the next day touring an abandoned mine shaft and an abandoned apartment complex, one which used to house the hundreds of families that worked at the mine during its time.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3r0IJPyh_5J90hFkr6zLZVhrNWeXKnsAILfdQqH8G48TgiT-Et4mNN-0SxzggK4XNb8maD5GO_MHdMjoo7ZhjuxMwI9sd7m1He24mt55yg00U4WSOfTAHW6NCv0fPNEkLV85LmLyjR4HM/s200/nag04.jpg)
I also got to use some big ass hand drill that set my cavities rattling. The coolest was this weird drill head (see picture of me with it) that made me recall a scene in the film "Total Recall".
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDi-JSie6gKWTBs5lh7MU3M9QK7FBf4zdONCEGQPceaRpuAndlD0ePn4b5I5_eijzo-w1mqseEkHikm3ctElozNQkKnuA9YRZ-LIw5C1WXxxxkRv2D3dZU7mK8-YLdHxVdileahv0Ul7DT/s320/04.jpg)
I also spent a day (the first day) exploring around the site of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb blast, going to the peace museum and hanging around the ground zero point. As I did at the impact spot in Hiroshima when I visited it with my brother back in the mid-90s, I got myself some sake and shared a cup with Miyako, trying to imagine that 60 years prior the very spot I was chilling out at was as hot as the surface of the sun.
All in all, between the two exploration days I must have gazed upon several thousand tons of abandoned steel and concrete. Actually, I played a little game in my mind. I imaged myself to be an alien explorer who had come to Earth years and years after the demise of the human race trying to figure out what these nut bag were all about.
Here’s a small selection of photos I took at Gunkanjima. I'm required to put up a notification about the trip and these photos as the tour was a special arrangement between the Nagasaki government and our group:
「長崎市の特別な許可を得て撮影しています」
Gunkanjima photo shoot by permission of the City of Nagasaki.
Gunkanjima photo shoot by permission of the City of Nagasaki.
I think this is going to be my last blog update for the year. I have around 20,000 set photos to edit through, five magazine articles to write and a movie script to finish. So much for enjoying the holiday season...
I just finished watching a movie 'H Project' (2013) and the beginning credits had photos from the island. Not sure if they did any shooting on the island but I doubt it given Nagasaki stance on allowing movie production on the island due to safety.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't know about that film, but on occasion there is some shooting allowed on Gunkanjima. For instance, the upcoming "Attack on Titan" shot there, but to what extent, I don't know.
ReplyDelete