Part 2 - 11

We started shooting the live scene from 9 a.m. by the sidewalk of the Yoyogi National Gymnaisium. It was cloudy, but the humidity caused us to sweat even when we were just standing.

(photo: Junko Hamaguchi)

It was an event scene that involves 2 bands that have made it to the finals of the WIF (World Indies Competition), plus hip-hop dance, street performances and more than one hundred extras.

Kazu from the band Jancruise joined the group of musicians who will be playing the guitar in back of Yuri (played by Marky). I had good chemistry with Kazu from our first meeting (he is psychic, too!) and though we had never made any concrete promises, we had talked about doing something in the future. Later, he and his band came out to Tokyo from his hometown Onomichi (Hiroshima), but who would have imagined that we would be meeting again in this way! Anyway, congratulations on your debut as an actor, Kazu! He was great behind the lenses just as I imagined.

In the afternoon, Lee Tae Sung who had returned from Korea on the first morning flight joined the crew. He seemed quite exhausted from working all night, but good- humouredly said, “I’m alright” in Japanese.
It amazes me how his pronunciation improves day by day.

The shooting went smoothly, and although it poured a bit during the day, it was not enough to wet the streets, and we were able to clear our schedule by early evening.
Hama-Jun who plays Yuri’s friend Milky made her first attempt at a long line. She was full of energy. Her acting had a good feeling, and it impressed Lee Tae Sung and
Marky.

In the evening, we attended a big party to promote our film and the young actors.
I am really bad with speeches at formal ceremonies. I had a hard time memorizing my notes. It made me realize how good the actors are in memorizing their lines

Tomorrow, we will shoot on location at Akamon-kai, and also at Shin Okubo Station late in the evening. We have come this far by overcoming each challenge one at a time – we have a month of shooting to go.

Yes, today was the Tanabata Festival…..

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 8, 2006)