Part 2 - 3

Third day on the set.

I think I’m pushing myself to the limit, because I’m becoming acutely aware of my tiredness. First of all, I can’t speak in a loud voice. I find myself looking for a chair in between takes. Maybe it’s because we have only been eating bento (meal boxes) for awhile, but I can only get myself to eat half of it. The staff is starting to show signs of fatigue, too.

It’s not because of the shooting itself, but rather the fact that we went directly into shooting after the preparations.

The scheduled shooting for today is only for the biggest scene. But, it took about 8 hours just to take the first half of it. Once the total film is connected after editing, this scene will only be for about 4 minutes, but we need to do each cut with care. The way the characters meet, the conflict they experience, and the features of each of the characters – in this significant scene, each one of these play an important part in the development of the drama as it depicts the relationship of each one.

The latter half of the shooting was the live performance scene. The cast play their instruments and sing, synchronizing with the sound that was prerecorded. We didn’t even have enough time to practice this, so it was a really tough job completing each song. After shooting one song, we went on to the scene with acting interwoven in the live music. In between takes, Kaneko-kun practiced his drums. He has a bit of experience on the instrument, but it is tough for him, too because he did not have enough time to rehearse. This is true for the other members also. All of them show radiance.

In this movie, the presence of music is extremely important. The messages expressed in the music included, I did not want to cut corners on this point. I want to make it as authentic as possible. It was a priority when we worked on the casting, too.

On top of this, we need to weave in a passionate drama.

Time went by without us knowing it, and when we were finished, it was past 2 in the morning. We really put in all we had. But I am confident that we shot a good scene.

All burnt out, we went home almost in a state of lethargy. Frankly, I don’t even remember when I slept.


(Originally posted in Japanese on June 27, 2006)