The Maid (Luchino Fujisaki) in Kingyo
And so it's finally done. After an occasionally tedious post-production process that lasted for five weeks, I have completed my first attempt at a Japanese-language short film, KINGYO.
The post-production process for this film, despite being merely 25 minutes, is more complicated than anything I've ever attempted, including, yes, the full-length telemovies I did, like CINTA TIGA SEGI. I had Torigoe the sound engineer to do the sound mixing for me, then I had Jhosha, one of the two cinematographers (Kingyo was mostly shot simultaneously with two cameras), to do the colour grading for me, then I had uni mate Linto to help us with the HDCam transfer. There was also an additional day to shoot the insert shots at Akihabara, and another day at Akihabara with Torigoe to record sounds that we missed out earlier.
I went with Maiko the Producer to Toho Studios again yesterday afternoon to examine the HDCam transfers to ensure that they all work fine. When it was done, we started packing our things and left the editing room (which I spent a night at before). Already, both of us were thinking of our next projects. Maiko is now attached to IN THE FLESH, an upcoming film project (possibly feature-length) written and directed by our Thai lab mate, Kong, while I myself already have a couple of ideas swimming about in my head. One a sci-fi short based on a dream I had two nights ago that I intend to shoot next month, and another is possibly a feature-length documentary (or rather, a non-fiction film). But before I tackle either of that, there is still a short film that I shot last month (a day before coming back to Tokyo) waiting for me to edit... yes, it's one project after another for me.
It occurred to me that I won't know when will be the next time I return to Toho Studios. Knowing that, I felt a little wistful. Last Saturday I saw Takuya Kimura, and some asked whether he was shooting his new J-dorama, Mr Brain, I'm still not sure, but I saw a counter manned by TBS people outside a building studio, presumably holding a press conference for the J-Dorama that's premiering this Saturday. So it IS possible.
Walking past some buildings with Maiko that I never walked past before, I noticed how old some of them are in Toho Studios. This is Building No. 1.
I wondered whether the first Godzilla episodes were shot here, and the Kurosawa classics too.
It never occurred to me that all these while, I was surrounded by the very same buildings where moments of Japanese cinematic history were created.
I also saw some Toho employees from the props department, working diligently in making more film props. Lying outside their room are some replicas of ancient Japanese street lights.
Only after finishing the work with my film, had I found the heart to take such leisurely stroll about the studios. I would like to come back again to work on my next project, it's just a matter of figuring out when it'll be.
As for Kingyo, I will announce its public screening soon.
