Compassion

Message from the translator

2007-01-27T21:14:00.000+09:00

Please be informed that for personal reasons, I am not able to update this blog at this time. Your understanding would be much appreciated.

I hope many people will seek the opportunity to see this beautiful film.
AND let us not forget this wonderful young man -
Lee Soo Hyun.

Log 2

2006-11-12T19:25:00.006+09:00

We are expecting to hear from the actors’ management company in Korea on their final decision this evening…. It certainly took a long time.

I think we experienced difficulties in the negotiations due to reasons we did not anticipate – not only concerning matters such as the translation of the scenario, but our differences of sensitivity toward dramas.
I feel that Korean films and TV dramas strongly reflect the ethnicity of its people. Koreans seem to have a strong liking for things that are intense, and move one’s soul.

In the process of writing this scenario, I talked to many Korean students studying in Japan. There was a topic that came up frequently among them. They claimed that they reconfirmed the fact that the emotions they had inside them was a lot more intense compared to that of the Japanese.

“We are very passionate, you know.”

That’s what all of them told me passionately. Even students who were seemingly quiet stressed this. They told me that coming to Japan, they could not understand why the people of their own generation were so quiet – they could not tell whether they were acting cool, or they lacked passion. They also could not comprehend why they were so indifferent to matters surrounding them.

Japanese who believe that not openly expressing one’s emotions is somewhat a virtue… Koreans who enjoy in being open in their expression of feelings... The difference in sentiment seen between the people of the two countries resembles that between the people of Osaka and Tokyo. This difference also influences their preference in the types of drama they enjoy.

Putting the results of this research aside, we will now start the rewriting process of the scenario. I’m sure an interesting discussion with our Korean writers awaits us.

I hope to report on this process later.

(Originally posted in Japanese on Aug. 23, 2005)

Log 1

2006-11-11T00:52:00.000+09:00

Preparations for the film “Won’t Forget You” has been underway since the beginning of this month. Presently, we are eagerly waiting for the results of the casting.

Visiting Korea last month, I finally have realized this – there is a tremendous difference between the film / TV industry in Korea and Japan.

What ignited the Hanryu boom in Japan was the TV series such as “Winter Sonata”.

Drama series in Korea are aired 2 times a week, Mon&Tues, Wed&Thurs, Sat&Sun, and prime time (from 10pm to 11 pm). What’s more, commercials are not inserted during the episode! Therefore, the series consists of 22 to 26 episodes.
Ten years ago or so, Japanese dramas too, had 2 cours, and lasted for 6 months. Those were the days when TV dramas were at their peak.
Around the time I entered the TV industry – 2 hours dramas like “Tuesday Suspense Theater” and such had just started. Dramas were at a decline, and long dramas were being reduced. Those days were dubbed “the winter period” for both actors and staffs, and prime time were being taken over by variety shows.
Presently, Japanese drama series have 13 episodes on average, and because it is usually only aired once a week, one cours lasts for 3 months.

In Korea, the same 3 months has twice as many episodes. But we start shooting almost at the same time… which means? That’s right! They film 2 hours worth every week.

This means that they are shooting under extremely severe conditions.
Incidentally, the series which has the most severe shooting conditions in Japanese drama is the afternoon soap drama hour. These are aired 5 times a week from Monday to Friday and each episode lasts for about 26 minutes. This means that we are shooting for approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes worth every week.

Naturally, we have to shoot the horrendous amount of episodes in the style of a set drama. There is no time to shoot on locations – it can be done only in the very beginning and the end (too bad). The situation has not changed from 20 years ago, in the days I had been shooting dramas such as “Ai-no-Arashi” and “Hana-no-Arashi”.

This means that the drama series in Korea are shot under similar conditions. Scenarios are completed just before the shooting, so hot that we need to make changes during the shooting. We are only able to announce the camera blocking on the day of the takes. And we are forced to work from early morning to late into the night for over four months. .

People of the Korean film industry all state flatly that these conditions are to blame for the ragged and low quality of dramas.
On the other hand, Korean films are produced in 3 to 5 months on average. Preparations are made far more carefully and the shooting conditions are far better than dramas.
These differences between the Korean and Japanese film and TV industry are beginning to have subtle influences on the production of my film “Won’t Forget You”.

(Originally posted in Japanese on Aug.18, 2005)

Recording Music and Finishing Up

2006-10-22T19:59:00.000+09:00

We finally finished all the sound processing. A sense of my energy being drained out had overcome me, and I needed a rehabilitation of sorts before I was able to update my blog.

This is a photo of our recording session at a music studio in Aoyama.

Actually, this was taken only four days after our meeting. I can’t help being impressed with the staffs for being able to complete the music at this stage. When the recording started, the music we heard was exactly what we had hoped for. The producers who were present all cried out in excitement. The serene requiem performed by a small ensemble of strings and piano expanded to the main theme which possessed a gentleness containing brightness and elevation. I couldn’t hold back the tears welling up inside me.

We continuously encountered things that seemed like a miracle up to the day the film was completed.

On this day, four composers participated in the recording. Because we were so short of time, these people had composed music for us by dividing the task by themes. And it was an acquaintance of Producer M. that introduced one of the member to us.
And this was made possible from a remarkable reunion of 20 years. Moreover, it was H-san who had written the main theme of this film – he and I had worked together for the first time with “Lament of a Lamb”.

And he had just come back to Japan two days before, having studied in the U.S.

Composing music for film is an incredibly difficult task. Even when we try to convey our images to the composer in meetings, there is always a limit in what words can express. For example, people would all hold different images to the word “gentleness” in their minds.

For this reason, in the typical process, we would determine the type of instruments we would use by theme.

In my case I would try to communicate my images by providing explanations like,

“For the theme for the hero’s girl friend, I think a piano solo and an ensemble with strings is appropriate.”
Or, “I want you to use the harmonica this time.”
“I want a sound like panpipe for this.”

Sometimes I would mention a famous theme from a certain film, or demonstrate the tempo…

But even after all this, there are times when my image would not be understood. The rest would all depend on how much we can share the image that is imagined from script and the finished film. By using every metaphor, gestures etc. that I can come up with, I try to give my all in conveying my image to the composer. Perhaps the process is similar to the one in solidifying the image of each character with the actors. And all I can do after that is to believe in them.

In my idea of film music, the plot and the personality of the characters would determine the instruments and tone in a natural manner. In that respect, my image was conveyed successfully in the very end… I felt that in this project, was saved at the 11th hour.
This film deals with a wide variety of sound, which was something new for me. And quite a lot in number, too.

As the film has to do with Japan and Korea, it has pop music heard on the streets of both countries, while it also includes ethnic music called Sauinori (農楽), along with music of the “enka” variety.

There is also a good deal of songs performed on the street and in live houses – these music have an important role in the development of the story.

The finishing of the music took until morning of the final day. I was at lost in trying to convey the finishing process for a “cinematic” sound. I felt a dilemma towards my own lack of vocabulary in communicating my image.

But all of us had one goal. It was to make the very best.

In the process of achieving this goal, we had a passionate crew that worked through an unbelievable schedule for the finishing stage of the film.

And in the end, we were able to create a world of sound that exactly matched my image. We exchanged firm handshakes…. thank you so much. Now, we can proudly present this work to the world.

Then, we finished the work on the end-title roll.
Now, we will wait for the editing on the negatives, and then all there is to be done is to wait for the processing.

(originally posted in Japanese on Sept. 21, 2006)

Korean Version of Feb.1 Entry

2006-10-18T12:22:00.000+09:00

고이수현군 5주기 추모기념식

이수현군 사망 5주년 기념식과 촬영시작을 알리는 파티.

오래간만에 브로그를 합니다.

25 일에 주연배우가 한국으로부터 일본에 도착했습니다. 아카사카 프린스호텔에서 오래간만에 만났습니다. 모두 시간을 내서 이 이벤트에 참석했습니다. 만난지 10일 정도 밖에 안되었는데 더 오래된 것 같았고, 다시 만나게 되어서 좋았습니다. 한국회원들은 모두 미소를 지었고 일본방문을 기대하고 있었다고 말했습니다.

다음 날인 1월 26일에 이수현군의 사망 5주년 기념식이 오후 2시부터 열렸습니다. 주중이어서 참석하는 사람이 많지 않을까봐 걱정했었는데, 괜한 걱정을 했었습니다. 룸은 다 찼고 좌석이 부족하기까지 했습니다.

룸앞에서는 한국에서 만들은 영상비데오가 상영되는 스크린이 있었고, 이수현 아시아장학회와 아카몬카이 국제언어아카데미가 사회를 보고 진행을 하는 가운데 모두가 1분간의 묵념을 함으로써 기념식은 엄숙한 분위기에서 시작되었습니다.

모 리모토 전총리가 회장을 맡는 초당파 의원 360명이 소속되어 있는 「일한의원연맹」에서 오신, 응원단장을 해 주시겠다고 하는 젊은 니시무라 의원, 민단이나 재일의 경제계의 분들, 재일 한국 대사관의 참사관분들등, 한사람 한사람이, 진심에서 우러난 메세지를 주셨고, 5년전, 당시의 외무 대신이었던 타나카 마키코 의원도 살그머니 한쪽 구석에 앉아 있었습니다.

헌화가 계속되었습니다..
이 영화의 관계자석에도, 여러 멤버가 모였고, 한국까지 와 준 열성적인 협찬 기업의 대표들이 있었고. 일반인도 다수 참가했습니다.

배 용준씨를 지지하는 팬클럽에서는 일본 전역에서 20명의 회원이 이 행사에 모였습니다. 매년 이 행사에 참가 할 뿐아니라, 기부금을 모음으로서, 이수현장학회를 계속해서 지지하고 확장해 나가겠다는 약속을 했습니다. 그들 대부분도 어머니이기 때문에 이수현씨의 어머니에 대해 강한 동정심을 느꼈다고 했습니다. 그들은 수현군이 남기고간 뜻 뿐 아니라 할 수 있는 한 부모님들의 바램도 지지하기 위해서 모였다고 말했습니다.

제 친구 몇몇도 참석했습니다. 프로듀서로서 우리를 돕기 위해서 프로젝트에 참가한 N-산이 있는데, 그는 저의 첫 작품인 “양의 비가”를 감독할 기회를 준 사람입니다. 그는 정말 활동적인 사람이고 제 두번째 영화인 “꿈을 뒤쫒아”도 만들었습니다.

영상대학원설립을 목표로 제가 2년여 동안 관계하고 있는 그룹, “WAO!”의 지도자도 역시 참석했고, 이 프로젝트에 새로운 관계를 가질 것 같습니다. 그리고 한국에서 배우를 캐스팅하는데 어려움에 처했을 때 우리를 구원해 주었던 제 옛친구인 I-산도 참석했습니다. 드라마 “영원한 어린이”에서 정신과 치료에 대한 어드바이스를 원했을 때부터 알았으니 벌써 몇년입니까? 시나리오작가인 Ms. 마사코 이마이도 참석했습니다. 가마모리에 있었던 “양키의 꿈”의 영상회에서 알게 되었던 O-산도 나고야에서 왔습니다. “Yume-net”회원들은 꽃을 보내왔고 아키타에 있는 JIN-산은 케익을 보내왔습니다. 여러분으로부터 많은 지지를 받았습니다. 이 기회를 빌어서 다시한번 여러분께 감사드리고 싶습니다!

너무 참석자들이 많아서 꽃이 거의 모자랄 뻔 했습니다.

다 음은 이수현군 사진앞에서 이 영화의 촬영을 시작하는 보고회를 가졌습니다. 첫번째로 프로듀서인 M-산께서 스피치를 했고, 다음은 저, 이태성씨 그리고 그의 가족, 그리고 마지막으로 선현의 친구역할을 맡은 2명의 소년들이 스피치를 했습니다. 메모없이 이야기를 했기 때문에, 솔직히 무슨 말을 했는지 기억이 안나지만, 나중에 스피치가 괜찮었다는 얘기를 들었습니다. 비디오를 보게 되면 부끄럽겠지만, 할 수 없지요.

이태성씨는 정말로 굉장했습니다. 그는 일본어로 자기 소개를 했는데, 발음이 너무 좋았습니다. 그가 얘기하는 것을 들으면서 영화에서 일본어로 말할 때 아무 문제가 없으리라는 것을 확신했습니다!

제 스피치에서 기억나는 것이 하나 있습니다.

제가 이 블록에 올린 사진은 영화 ‘이미지 포스터”인데, 흥미있는 에피소드가 숨어 있습니다.

한국에서 촬영이 시작되고 다음날, 프로듀서가 편지를 하나 받았습니다. 그 편지는 이수현군의 최후의 순간을 목격했다고 주장하는 사람으로부터 온 편지였습니다.

사 실, 수현군이 플랫홈에서 뛰어내린 순간과 기차가 들어올 때 까지 약7초간의 간격이 있었습니다. 7초는 만약 원한다면 피할 수가 있는 충분한 시간이었는데, 하물며 스포츠로 단련한 그와 같은 사람이라면 가능한 얘기였습니다. 도와줄려고 했던 Mr. 세키네도 같은 말을 했습니다.

그러면 그 시간 동안에 무엇을 하려고 했을까?

아무리 노력해도 대답을 찾을 수가 없었습니다. 물론 상상은 할 수 있었지만, 추측을 확인할 수는 없었습니다. 그러나 우리가 찾던 것이 바로 우리가 받은 편지에 쓰여있었습니다.

답은 포스터에 있는 모습입니다. 이수현군은 전철을 향해 양팔을 펼치고 직면하듯이, 그의 최후의 순간을 맞이했다는 것이다.

어떻게 이 메세지를 영화로 전달할 수 있을까요?
지금은 이 점에 관해서 깊게 계속해서 생각하고 싶습니다.

(English to Korean translation by suehan)

Postrecordings

2006-10-18T00:12:00.000+09:00

Yesterday, we used the whole afternoon for choosing the songs to be used in the film. No matter how great the work is in itself, if it does not fit the film, the situation of the scene, the tone of the image, the rhythm of the editing etc., the two will ruin each other. Although I cannot describe it with only a few words, the relationship between images and sound is woven together with extremely delicate senses. For that very reason, when the two come together at the ideal point, a mutual effect excelling what was imagined is created. So for that reason, we also put in a tremendous amount of energy into the selection of music.

The day before yesterday, Lee Tae Sung, and yesterday, Lee Suk Yeon came to Japan. They had come to participate in today’s postrecording session. Postrecording is the process of re-recording some sounds for certain scenes when we want a clearer sound – like when it was not possible to cut off the unwanted sound at the location site (such as the chirring of cicadas) or for use in monologues or recitation of letters.

Lee Tae Sung and Seo Jae Kyeong were both experts. They immediately recalled the subtle nuance of the scenes, and recreated the lines at one try.

Now, Marky was another matter. Obviously, this was going to be her first postrecording because she was new to the world of acting.

But frankly, she surprised us.Though she struggled on her first try to get the feeling of postrecordings, that was the only time she needed direct coaching. In a matter of two hours, she mastered even the most difficult scenes in just a few rehearsals, and was able to complete them keeping time with Lee Tae Sung. Marky just turned a year older on the 23rd. She is such a promising actress.
Through the process of recording lines and monologues, I was strongly provoked to think about the difference of the two languages. Although Japanese and Korean have many things in common such as grammar and vocabulary, I became more aware of the cultural differences behind the pronunciation. More than anything, there is a definite difference in the speed of conversations.

If we were to create a dialogue of the same length, conversations in Korean would carry the story one and a half times faster than that in Japanese.
For example, suppose there is a scene which lasts for a minute. If we were to insert a Japanese dialogue in the scene, it would be typical for it to contain approximately 800 letters worth of information.

However, if this was in Korean, it would be normal to have 1.5 times as much in content.
In other words, a line that takes “3.5 seconds” to say with feeling at normal speed in Japanese, the same nuance could be easily delivered in “2 seconds” in Korean.

If an actor was to take more time saying it, I was told that it would only sound like he was trying to say it in slow motion. Moreover, the nuance itself would become different.
This is probably true for people of any race, but people who speak rapidly and people who speak slowly are different in character. Plus, because people speak in various speeds according to situations and emotions, the speed of a conversation is a crucial matter.

Each language possesses a unique speed – that alone makes us realize the difference among cultures.
The difficulties of a multi-cultural collaboration ….. who would have thought that we would encounter it in such a situation.

(originally posted in Japanese on August 31.2006)

The Days of Post-production

2006-10-16T20:00:00.000+09:00

I was absorbed in editing work for the past few days.

This involves selecting the necessary cuts from the stupendous amount of film to fit the length of the film. It is an extremely important process which virtually determines the impression of the work.

Both the producer and I knew that even from the conception of the script, the film was too long – I had pondered over this for a long, long time, but there were many scenes that I just couldn’t cut. They were all scenes that were close to my heart that I could not bear to throw away.

Oh hell, if this is how it has to be, I could make a “Director’s Cut” version… I was secretly determined to carry this out, but this is too much to hope for. Actually, it is through this “diet” process that the “theme” begins to surface.

Perfection never exists. All we can do is pursue the ideal to the limit.

We watched the scenes over and over –
“Let’s cut this scene, and leave the other one.”
“Even if we cut a few seconds of this, I want to leave the few seconds of that other scene.”
“There is not much use for this scene.”
“I really HAVE to put in that expression.”
etc. etc. The clash goes on.

In the meantime, we wait for the rough sketches of the images of the trains of the Yamanote Line and the snow scenes created by computer graphics.

Yesterday, we finally got to the stage of watching the video rush which does not have the music.

And then finally, the theme song of this film by Makihara (Japanese singer song writer Noriyuki Makihara) arrived in its complete form.
How we’ve been waiting for this!!

This song is used as the ending theme.
We listened to it with the temporary end-title roll.
Makihara-san’s heartfelt lyrics mixed with his voice sank deeply in my heart.

The scenes from the shooting to the completion of the film…
I have seen it so many times, but yet, I again felt tears well up in my eyes.

The film still leaves its final stage.
We need to have music composed that will exactly match the impression of this film. Plus, we need to prepare sound effects that will add life to each scene. We continue to have detailed discussions to determine the type of sound or music to be inserted at each precise moment. We need to make the most of every method available to express the characters’ psychological descriptions, and create the greatest world of sound.

In terms of the images, we still need to make subtle adjustments to the film processing to achieve better hue and texture. Our goal still seems far away.

... even so, we have finally reached the stage where we are able to catch our breaths.

Our goal is only a step away!

(Originally posted in Japanese on Aug. 26, 2006)

Final day in Nagoya… and back to Tokyo

2006-10-01T22:02:00.000+09:00

Half of the troupe went back to Tokyo.We took things slow during the day, and took off for ZEPP Nagoya late in the afternoon. We were going to shoot the rest of the live scene using the actual WIF venue. We asked for 30 minutes of their time for the film. Because it was actually the day for the event, we had no choice but to shoot the scene like a documentary.
It was the last scene for Marky playing “Yuri”…. the scene for the last song.
Words were not necessary any longer. She had spent a deep and meaningful time as Yuri in the film. I could tell that many memories were already filling her up.
Only one take. That was all that was necessary.
It was the first time for the audience to hear this song. But everyone was listening to her attentively. The song was reaching their hearts…I could tell that even looking at them from the stage.
I did not have time to immerse myself in this ending..

I was invited to see High and Mighty Colors’ live performance after that. And I was amazed. The Marky I saw there was someone totally different. I had gone to see their performance before we had started filming a few months ago. But the Marky standing on stage in front of us was much more radiant than she seemed back than.

She was so magnetic that I was not able to avert my gaze for even a second. Her presence on stage was that great.
The same could be said of Lee Tae Sung. During the period we were shooting this film, both of them showed definite signs of progress and change.
It was as if an even greater layer of aura had enveloped them.
After going back to the hotel, I went to a nearby restaurant with the producers.
We had an exciting conversation about the future …but surely I was sleepy.

I was so weak from exhaustion. My whole body felt limp and heavy. But inside, I felt great.
Now, the only thing we had left was to go back to Tokyo… and go into the final stage of editing.

(Originally posted in Japanese on Aug. 13, 2006)

Sohmen Party

2006-09-23T22:27:00.000+09:00

When shooting goes on for a long period of time, a sort of fatigue which cannot be expressed with words accumulates for both the staffs and cast. That’s why we need to take little breaks from time to time. It becomes an important event in preserving the unity of the team.

In the past, we’ve served handmade “pork soup” for night time shootings during the winter, and at times, there was curry.
When we were shooting “Touch a Dream”, Tomokazu Miura-san acted as leader, and he hosted a barbecue party at the lakeside camp site by Lake Hamana.
During “A Delinquent’s Dream”, we had a curry party on the river bank of Yoichi Town, and our actress Kyoko Maya-san participated in the preparations for the event with the staffs and local supporters from early morning.
AND, since this is summer, a “sohmen party” is just the thing!
Delicious vegetables were provided as compliments of the people from the Chita Rinri Houjinkai , and with the help of the members of Yume Net Handa we had the first feast in a long time at the camp site of Tokoname.

Later on, our cameraman Ryu-san murmured in a feeling tone, “If we didn’t have that sohmen party at that time, the staffs and cast may have exploded from stress …”
Hey, don’t scare me like that! (laughs)

But it’s true that with the shootings in the hot weather day in, day out from morning to night, mental fatigue tends to accumulate even more than physical tiredness. And it’s quite natural that we start to miss homemade food after eating packed meals everyday.

The staffs were all energized, and they enjoyed playing catch and other outdoor games in the field nearby.

We are supported by so many people in so many ways. And this summer will become a wonderful memory for us along with the film. This is probably one of the great things about making a film.

Two nights later, we enjoyed ourselves again with another barbecue and fireworks by the waterway in back of our hotel. Luckily, we were able to avoid a riot with these events. We owe all this to the supporters of the Yume Net Handa.

(Originally posted in Japanese on Aug. 12, 2006)

Aug. 8, last day of acting!

2006-09-12T22:54:00.000+09:00

We were supposed to be worried about the typhoon today…but ended up being greeted with miracles to the very end. Funny, all the staffs and I take it for granted that things will fall in place somehow.
By the time we arrived in Nakagawa City, even the roads were completely dry.

In the pachinko store (Yontorii Tamagoshi), so many supporters had gathered for us that we were not able to film everybody. Although we had scheduled to take attendance at 7 a.m., many came way before that.

From the Chita Peninsula, everyone from Yume-Net Handa, the members from Yume-Net Toyokawa, and even the scene voice guides were there. Also, many of my friends from Nisshin City whom I only met this year came, too. All of these people brought their friends along, and as a result, as many as 115 people gathered for us that day. Thank you so much everyone, for coming such a long way.

The person who offered to coordinate the extras was Shu ☆Yo (珠☆陽) – he should be tired from helping us through the hard schedule, but is full of energy nonetheless. The red megaphone he held in his hand suited him well.
And beside him was Chief Inokoshi, giving directions in a loud voice! He was very concerned about the arrangements for today, and was kind enough to come straight to Nagoya from Narita airport, after coming back from Thai. In his heart, he wanted to end the last day of shooting with us. That means more to me than anything.

So, with the strong support of these great people, the shooting went smoothly from the very beginning.
After shooting one scene inside the store, we then took precautions with the weather and worked on the road next to a bank nearby, and then went back to the store again.

Both Lee Tae Sung, his manager and staffs were surprised by the enormous and gorgeous pachinko place that cannot be seen in Tokyo. Actually, they had thought that they would be able to enjoy pachinko, but we had lent the place out for shooting. Sorry, no prizes today!

From Pusan, Lee Soo Hyun’s parents also came to watch us.
The supporters all seemed to enjoy themselves, too.

In the afternoon, we were going to shoot some acting at a nursery next door. This would be the last scene for Lee Tae Sung．　At the same time, actresses Hideko Hara and Naoko Otani will finish, too.

In order to present flowers to him, we left Lee Tae Sung’s scene for last, and finally….“CUT!!” All the cast and staffs burst into applause. Lee Tae Sung, this is the end of your long, long stay in Japan, and the shooting of the film – you’ve done a great job!

That evening, we had a party celebrating the end of our shooting in the big hall at a Japanese pub near the hotel. Actually, the real last day for our shooting was to be Marky’s scene at Zepp Nagoya tomorrow, but because Lee Tae Sung will be going back to Seoul, this was the last day they could be together.

And most of the staffs were going to leave us tonight, too.
Some are moving on to their next project tomorrow, and some have actually already begun their next work already.

Because they are all busy people, even if we were to hold a premier month from now, it would almost be impossible for us to get together again. We were reluctant to leave each other, and that night, we laughed and got really excited. Needless to say, we went from the first party to the second one, then the third one….

(originally posted in Japanese on August 8, 2006)

Toba’s “Pearl Road”

2006-09-09T11:47:00.000+09:00

This morning we got on the ferry from Chita Peninsula and crossed the sea to Ise Shima.
Lee Tae Sung　and a few others said it was their first time to ride a large ferry. Going to the head of the ship, they spread their arms and played “Titanic”.
So, we all get the same ideas!
Even if we cannot communicate with each other in words, we can have the same laughs when it comes to films

The clouds that flowed in the sky had an unique expression. This was near the bay called “Pearl Bridge” and is about a 25 minute drive from Toba.

The lattice-shaped rafts that float in the bay are used for cultivating pearls. It gave a delicate nuance to the picture of the bay.

The task for today was to get airborne imagery from the helicopter, and also to capture the dusk.
At 7 in the morning the main troupe moved from Chita Peninsula to Ise across the shore.
We heard that the typhoon was approaching, but so far, a pure blue sky greeted us.

Our aim was to get the unique landscape of Iseshima … the two of them on their bicycles run through this beautiful scenery consisting of scattered islands and complex formation of the bay.
We made a test flight. I have ridden the helicopter many times both in Japan and abroad, but I never tire from watching the scenery below. I wish I could go on riding it for awhile.

Afterwards, we drove for quite a long time on the Pearl Road, and arrived at the perfect location for getting an evening view. They weather forecast had predicted rain from the evening for Mie Prefecture, and the typhoon was supposed to be approaching nearby, but we could not see any sign of it. Again, the heavens were with us.

But we had no time to lose. We were aiming for one moment only – the time the sun almost hides beneath the clouds.Hurriedly, we prepared the rails for the rover, and set the cameras. In the meantime, I explained the movement to Marky and Lee Tae Sung and repeated rehearsals and tests.

“It’s now or never!”
Dai-chan, the lighting chief who was watching the movement of the sun and clouds all this time came over to me and declared in a quiet tone.

“Okay, we’re going to take it! ….ready, action!” The two actors emerged almost as a silhouette against the beautiful sunset.

“CUT!”“Oh, it’s beautiful!”
Everyone was struck by its beauty.

“It’s like a movie, isn’t!”
“Hey, it IS a movie.”
Lee Tae Sung’s jokes in Japanese are getting better all the time.

In the sunset that was dimming, the staffs were getting all excited and took photos of each other. ”Oh, there’s a dragon!”
Marky pointed at the sky.

In the blue sky where the cloud had just hidden itself, there was just one cloud with a peculiar shape shining there.
Junya, who is in charge of the making film, was quick to take me a video of me as I was looking up at the sky.

“Director, is it as you imaged it?”

“Of course it is, it's perfect!”

But needless to say, the beautiful view is a gift from the god of cinema No matter how long one waits, there are people who are do not encounter that crucial moment.

It was late into the night when we finally got back to our hotel

(originally posted in Japanese on August 7, 2006)

At Arimatsu … From the Shibori Festival.

2006-09-08T19:33:00.000+09:00

I wonder what it says?
Any way, Lee Tae Sung seemed very happy.

I had been considering the idea of including an image of the Japanese festival in this film from the very beginning. The reason behind this is the same as our decision to include a dance related to the old Korean festival of the new year’s scene “nogaku”.

If one was to show a unique dimension of a country’s culture, I think that would be “matsuri (festival)”. And in the faces of the people who gather there, there is an expression they share in common which needs no explanation.

In that space and place there is nothing that divides people. There is only pure joy.
In the photos Lee Soo Hyun left behind, there were records of him enjoying the festivals of Japan. We know that Sekine-san, the photographer who died in the same accident, also heartfelt photos of the people and children at festivals, that conveyed a warm feeling.

At the root of the action they took that day, it seems that they shared a common simple liking for festivals – and underlying that this was a sense of “affection” that was very precious. I hope that we were able to convey that in the film.

The festival in Arimatsu is called “Shibori Matsuri”. This is a town which has carried on the old tradition of the shibori (tie dyeing), and we had asked the whole town to reproduce a part of their craftsmanship for this film. I would like to thank the people of Arimatsu for their cooperation. In the finished work, people may think that the scene lasts only for a moment, but I personally would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart for providing a precious image for us.

(originally posted in Japanese on August 6, 2006)

Osaka Day 3 and then to Nagoya

2006-09-08T00:22:00.000+09:00

The last day in Osaka turned out to be a HOT summer day!
We had to shoot in the burning sun:
Two scenes where the two of them ride their bikes, and also a scene in a small park with children playing soccer.

The cicadas were so noisy. It was really unbearable.

This is something that comes with the territory in summer shootings, and is a cause for headaches for the recording team. It’s an annual event that we somehow manage to forget about until we face it the next year.

All the staffs that could spare a hand took long sticks and jabbed at the cicadas.
We at least wanted to get them away as much as possible from the places we were recording the actors’ lines.

But the cicadas became louder than ever, as if they were making fun of us.

When I saw a pack of fire crackers lying in the corner, I had leisurely thought, “oh, I guess we’re going to have fun tonight!”, but actually, they were prepared to shock the cicadas. The recording staff moaned, “Hey, those aren’t going to do any good!”
“Even a canon would last only about a minute.”

Hm, I wonder what kind of project used canons to fend of the cicadas.

Just when we were about to give up, they all stopped ringing completely at one particular moment.
WHY???
Never mind, we can’t let this moment go, we have to make the most out it and shoot right now! But…once we tried to roll the film, it started again.

“….I guess we have no choice but to record it later.”
This means we will record the voices in the studio at a later date.
So, our high noon strategy resulted in a failure.

We wrapped things up early evening that evening.
The next day was reserved for moving to Nagoya, so tonight was the first night in a while that we would be able tot take it easy. Everyone went off drinking with their close buddies.

I too, got in touch with Producer Choi, and had a good talk with Yasu-san on such things like memories of our shooting session in Korea.

So, our job in Osaka finished according to schedule.

(originally posted in Japanese on August 4, 2006)

Osaka Day 2

2006-09-06T16:49:00.000+09:00

Another Sunny Day

It was just a bit cloudy in Osaka, which made it tolerable when we were in the shade. Fortunately, most of our shooting was to take place inside a building. Which was also a lucky thing!

The first menu for today was the scene where Soo Hyun and his friend goes to visit a friend of his late grandfather. This setting is based on the truth, as Lee Soo Hyun’s father was actually born in Osaka, and the whole family had lived in Japan until he was five.

Ever since we came to Osaka, over two days, Teru (Yamazaki) and the art team were adding last touches to the set. He happened to meet a local monk at the site where we were about to shoot, and after he explained about our film, they hit it off really well
and the monk helped him out with many things.

When we came to Osaka for scenario hunting (the process of doing preliminary location hunting for the purpose of writing a scenario), we were drawn to an apartment built in the early Showa era. That was where our shooting was going to take place. Every one of the staffs lauded the place – it truly gave the perfect touch to the film.

In the apartment, there is an old lady’s room – and our art team had arranged it in the bon festival setting. What a great idea! Who would have imagined it.
Another great job by the art staff we should be proud of.

The actress who gives a passionate performance opposite Lee Tae Sung and Marky is Yano-san. She is a first generation Korean in Japan who has been giving solo performances on stage for many years. We had gone through a long search looking for someone who was suitable to play this role in this particular scene, and we finally found her.

She plays a white-haired old lady who speaks in a way peculiar to first generation Koreans, mixing Japanese and Korean, and in an earnest tone as if she is praying. In this scene, I have embedded another theme of this film which is important to me. I wonder what the audience will feel when they see this scene.

The summer sun that shone on the court created deep shadows in the rooms and the hallway. It was almost like a picture. This old wooden apartment will be torn down in September. The aged plate that was attached to the entrance had instructions written on it in both Hangul and Japanese. This of course is not something the art team prepared – we had left it as we found it. Perhaps, this building itself is a witness of an era. Maybe it was not a coincidence that it was going to be shot in film, leaving its last form.

We finished shooting by early evening, and moved to Nakazaki-cho near Umeda.
We were going to shoot at “Amanto”, a place owned by my friend of many years. This part of town is an interesting place. There is a row of two-storied wooden houses lined up against modern buildings in the back, and we could even see some remains of the old roads of the Edo period. In one corner, there also remains a small shrine of the my favorite dragon god (Hakuryu Okami). On the other hand, there are quite a few fashionable shops for young people in the residential area. Small live houses reformed from wooden houses, many art galleries, shops of Asian taste, organic food restaurants… such places are scattered in this area.

If one was bored with the monotony of daily life, it would be the ideal place to take a casual walk. There may be an unexpected encounter. Not just with people, but you may hear the Indian sitar, the Mongolian matouquin, or the sound of a flute from the Andes. Jazz goes well with this area, too. The place has a sense of spirituality, and it is a place I love.

For the last cut, we were to shoot the front of the shop. Because it is a residential area, we tried to go about the preparations as quite as possible. And finally, when we were ready to shoot, something unexpected awaited us.
I hope you sill read the rest of the story at “Ren’s Midnight Connection” (laughs)

It was a day our beer tasted just great.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 31, 2006)

Osaka Day 1

2006-09-01T00:17:00.000+09:00

We were going to start late today… but I couldn’t get out of the habit of waking early.
I had looked forward to sleeping, but found myself awake around six.

I had woken up because of the bright morning sun, so I must say luck was with us.
The forecast had predicted showers from evening till noon – they were completely wrong!The film crew took off for Tsuruhashi Station.
We met up with Lee Tae Sung　whom we had left in Pusan 2 days ago. Marky, who had given a live performance in Namba, Osaka last night showed up in good shape.
The setting of the scene - the two of them were visiting Osaka at the last stage of the road movie.
We were going to shoot in the biggest Korea town in Japan that lies between Tsuruhashi and Momotani.

It was the first time for Lee Tae Sung to visit Miyuki-dori (Korea town) and he was frankly surprised by the size of the town.
There were quite a few shops that probably did not exist 6 years ago, and had opened due to the Hanryu wave.
Many photos of Korean stars were being exhibited.
Lee Tae Sung　will probably join them in the future.

The streets were crowded because it was Sunday, but the people of the shopping area were very cooperative, and the shooting went smoothly.
Many supporter teams of the Kansai area came to see our shooting along with their friends.
My friends from the “Yume-net” and ex-Shinra were there, too.
This film is supported by so many people - how lucky we are!

Some of the locals of Osaka were not familiar with this area.
There are shops with kimchi and other Korean dishes that look delicious.
They must taste great, because they are authentic.
In the back streets of the shopping area, the houses made of wood stand right next to each other, and give us a good feeling.
Since it’s summer vacation, we could hear the energetic voices of children playing.
Also, the sight of elderly people working energetically could be seen everywhere.
The whole place gave me a nostalgic feeling. That was the impression of the town.

We decided to shoot the night seen the following day, and finished early.
Using the extra time, the make – up staff added some green color to my hair.
The hair dye they used was a new brand, and it was pretty god.
It’s been a while since I felt so energized.

In the evening, I watched the video which has roughly gone through 80 percent of editing.
Captivating scenes are shown one after another. And the acting is exciting.
The photography is good, and so is the lighting. I couldn’t help being glued to the screen, watching the scenes that came out effectively after a lot of time-consuming work.
The rush, which lasted less than 2 hours ended in no time.

I would be repeating myself, but our decision on the casting proved to be correct. Every single one of them was shining, vividly and with energy.
There were some scenes that brought back good memories, too… Yes, the part we filmed in Korea from the beginning of winter to New Year’s. The scenes of those times came flashing in front of me.

Hey! There’s no time to be sentimental yet! After seeing it through, we came up with many issues on how we would be finishing up the film.The battle goes on. We must aim to make it an even better film.
And tomorrow, there awaits a scene in Osaka, which will involve some serious acting.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 30, 2006)

We are back in Osaka!

2006-08-29T20:03:00.000+09:00

The whole day was reserved for moving.
The team that had been working in Korea flew to Osaka International Airport. The main staff arrived in Osaka via Shinkansen, and the main team came to Osaka by way of location bus and train which took them nearly 10 hours.

In the evening, I saw faces I hadn’t seen in a while. Meeting up with the staffs that were making preparations for the remainder of the shooting to take place in Japan, gave me the “long time no see” feeling. Strange, because it has actually been less than a week.

We went to our hotel and got ourselves settled. Later we went off to see the main location hunting team to confirm the location that had not been decided since last evening.Once we arrived at the sight, I immediately gave an NG to the chief director in charge and the production staff.

They do not understand the setting. Although we are planning to shoot tomorrow evening, we have to find somewhere from scratch.

We went around the Tennouji and Tsuruhashi vicinity, but we could not find a spot that fit our image.

Just when we were totally lost, I remembered the area I am familiar with from my involvement in “Shinra Kukan”.
Yes, Nakazaki-cho!

This is an area where one could still see the town with its historic presence, hidden among the buildings of Umeda.

On the other hand, there are some stylish art spaces and live houses born from renovated old Japanese style houses, and these create a space with a unique feeling.

Many of artists and spiritual people of Kansai (western Japan, mainly Osaka) gather in this area.There is a place called “Amanto” where I frequented when I went to Osaka a few years ago. This is the spot that started the trend I mentioned earlier.

It is the place I visited many times with people like Yuras-san and the people of Shinra, and also the starting point of the supporter group that first screened the film “Yume Oikakete” in Osaka. Even now, Yasu an ex-Shiira member works there as a manager once a week.
I walked the streets of the area with the staffs.

As a result, the staffs said they wanted to shoot inside “Amanto”. I called the owner Jun-san on the spot, but found that he (being a performer) was in Tokyo.
I hastily asked him for his approval in shooting our film at his place.
He readily accepted our request!

Strangely, here too, we were able to renew an old bond.

On the way back, we saw that the red door of the ex-Shiira still retained its shape in the warehouse. Although it was small in size, it was an exciting place. A few years ago on July 26, they had opened the space calling it “Iwato-biraki (opening of celestial rock)”.

Perhaps it was one of the roots for me in the festival of creation.
I explained to the main staff,
“I had done all kinds of things with many young people there…”

“Oh director, you’ve done all sorts of things haven’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve done a lot of things.”

I would probably end up talking all night just on this topic.

Perhaps I should leave it at that for today.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 30, 2006)

Going back to Japan

2006-08-28T17:08:00.000+09:00

Returning to Japan →　Osaka

We left the hotel at 8:30 in the morning.
Pusan Airport was really crowded. Maybe it’s because of summer vacation – all the flights were full.

I read an article in the The Dong-A Ilbo.
In central Korea, the towns were flooded, causing much damage.

We heard that it rained heavily in Seoul, too.

It was as if the typhoon had turned north, and avoided hitting Pusan for our sake.

Which brought to mind, that on the day we started shooting the film “Yume Oikakete (Touch a DreamI)”, the typhoon that was supposed to hit Shizuoka turned its course by 90 degrees right in front of our eyes.
We were experiencing a great storm until 4 in the morning, but we ended up being blessed with an amazingly clear sky.
A local fisherman told us that it was the first time in more than twenty years that it did not rain in Hamamatsu.

In “A Delinquent’ Dream”, too, we were lucky to have continuous fair weather which was rare during the summer in Hokkaido.Even though it rained a record amount in mainland Japan, Hokkaido experienced days of sunny weather and heat.
Come to think of it, in “Lament of the Lamb” also, it rained severely around our location, but the skies over us at Suzaka city cleared up – in a shape of a doughnut.

Rain awaits us where ever we go. It pours on that spot like it is trying to cleanse it, and later, the skies turn light.
Do we owe this also to the God of dragon?Oh yes, speaking of strange occurrences, right after we finished shooting from the train in Pusan yesterday,
Naka-chan screamed, “look at the UFO!”

Sure enough, there was a gleaming round silver object just above the railroad tracks.
Four people witnessed it, including myself.

Oh, why did I forget to take a picture of it then (laughs).
So, we arrived safely in Osaka.

It was fair here, too, but somewhat humid.
But I guess we shouldn’t complain.

In the evening, the main troupe was to join us from Tokyo.
They will be coming in a location bus which would take take about 10 hours.
It must be an exhausting trip. Starting tomorrow, we will be shooting for 3 days in Osaka.

（Originally posted in Japanese on July 29, 2006）

Pusan Day 3

2006-08-23T13:53:00.000+09:00

We took off at five thirty in the morning.
The typhoon had left, and it was a beautiful day.
We were going to shoot with the five members that were still here – Ryu-san the cameraman, Chief Naka-san, Choi-san the producer, Assistant Director Ota and me. The rest was supported by the Korean coordination team. Kim-Kim, who had become really popular among us Japanese in the past 3 days, is energetic as usual.

A little after six, we arrived at Pugeon. Again, we opened the door of the last car of the 7:05 train, and went into standby for shooting.
The wind was strong, and the clouds were moving pretty quickly. The clouds of Pusan were floating like they were getting tangled with the top of the low mountains nearby. It was as if the clouds were lying right over the sea. Perhaps that is how the name Haeundae （海雲台）was born. Oh, but it is truly fine day.
The train started.

The scenery we saw from the last car was completely different from the previous time. A chain of clear scenery passed before our eyes.
But because the clouds were moving so swiftly, we could not tell whether they would hide the sun or not until a moment before we filmed the scene.
Naka-chan, the assistant to the chief cameraman was having trouble deciding whether he should determine the stop with a cloudy sky or sunny sky.
Depending on the position of the clouds, the blue sea will turn into grey. We can only pray for the best.

When we went past Haeundae Station, which is two stops from Pugeon, the sea waited for us on the left hand side.
The camera finally started to roll.
The sun was on the east side, which meant it was on our backs. Even though we were shooting silently to begin with, everyone was whispering from tension.
“Yes, it’s the blue sea!”
A beautiful blue sea lay before our eyes
We did it! It was a success!
In the scenery far away, clouds trailed, and the town of Pusan spread before us.
It made a fine picture.
This was to be the image for the beginning of the film, where the audience will form their first impression of Korea.
Actually, more than that, if this scene does not start with a fine weather, the impression of the film itself will start on a dark note.
In the very end, we attained victory. God of film, thank you!
A smile lighted everyone’s faces.

We packed our things to get off at the next station, and drove to the airport.
We needed to hand over our shooting equipment to the main troupe.
The load of equipment that we had brought from abroad, and of which we declared the QTY through a carnet application, had to be completely matched when we were going to leave the country.
If we could give them to the team going home, it would make the procedure a lot easier.

We made it in the nick of time, and we were able to complete the procedure without any problems.
The staffs of the main troupe were relieved to hear from us that we were able to film great shots.

”A miracle occurred again!”
This phrase was starting to become a habit, as we continued to talk.

We saw the main troupe off, and the five of us once again returned to our hotel.
For the shooting on the rain date, we had reserved for tickets that enabled us to go from Pusan to Osaka directly.
Everyone is tired out from working from early in the morning the past few days. We can finally rest in peace.
We even gave up shopping, and slept like logs.
In the evening, we went to a spa called VESTA in Haeundae.
We heard that it was a famous onsen from the old days.
The view from Haeundae is incredible.
It is the best resort in Pusan.
And our last dinner shall be barbecued meat!
And that’s final!

(originally posted in Japanese on July 28, 2006)

Pusan Day 2

2006-08-22T23:47:00.000+09:00

Again, we took off at six am this morning.

We were going to use Dong-A University for our shooting. Because there is a large hospital next to it, we were told that the there was a lot of traffic in front of the school.
So, we wanted to shoot before the traffic got heavy.

Though we left the hotel in fine weather, the clouds were moving really rapidly. In a matter of seconds, the sun started to go in and out of the clouds, and Naka-chan, the chief cameraman in charge of measurements was super busy watching the sky.
Because we had to determine the diaphragm according to the amount of light, his task was most important.

Although Pusan is a port town, the mountains are also close by – which means change of weather is incredibly dramatic.

In a matter of no time, big drops of rain started to fall from the sky.

“Oooh, it’s starting to rain!”
The voice was that said this, was very relaxed. It was my own voice.

Lately, no one in the team panicked even when it started to rain in the middle of a shoot.
It’s probably because we believed that if we just waited, we would be able to shoot for sure.
“Should we prepare for it and wait?”
“That’s good. Let’s wait.”
Such a conversation went on between the cameraman Ryu-san, and while we were discussing our plans, the sun makes a sudden appearance.
“So, should we give it a try?”
“Yes, let’s”
So like that, the weather somehow always recovered at the crucial moment.

Because we started early today, we had some free time in the afternoon.
All of us went to a restaurant that specialized in kuppa that Lee Tae Sung’s manager recommended.
It took us 30 minutes.
But it was more than worth it.
We were in Pusan all this time, and we never encountered anything as good as the white pork bones soup we ate there.
It was that good.
Lee Tae Sung mentioned that he came here often during his long stay in Pusan when he was shooting “Violent Circle”.
Everyone was sweating furiously, but ate happily.
“Who would want to eat a boxed meal on location when there is something so good!” someone exclaimed
That is so true. Good food makes a world of difference. Or you can say that as long as actors and staffs are able to eat a good meal, it makes us all want to work really hard.
Never take “food” lightly, I’d like say.
The afternoon went smoothly, so we once again went back to the hotel for some rest.
We were aiming to shoot the scene of dusk.
While we were moving by car, the rain gradually went away, and at last, some blue sky started to appear from the clouds.
Our chance was approaching. But a plain blue sky would be useless.
We would need some clouds in the sky to give the image some expression.
A pure blue sky does not make a picture.
I might be asking too much, but I didn’t want to give up on this point.

When I was taking a nap in my room, the staff called for me sooner than I expected.
“It seems that the sky is clearing, so let’s shoot it now.”
Apparently, there was heavy rainfall. There were puddles on the streets.

“Kenchanayo~.” (meaning, it’s alright.)
This phrase is becoming a habit for me recently, and I said it
without even thinking.
We did what we could, so all we could do now was pray!

The location was a fabulous spot on top of the hill behind the hotel – one could overlook the Pusan port.
This spot is never listed in the tourist guidebooks.
I heard that they also shot the movie “Chingu” here. It is quite natural for movie people to choose places in common.

“Ready ….. Action!”
So, we finally finished shooting the scenes in Korea which involve the actors.
All that was left was the scenery from the tracks that we intended to tackle again tomorrow morning, by boarding the trains.
In the evening, we went to a restaurant where we were able to view the sea of Haeundae. We heard the seafood was good there. The night view of the shoreline was fabulous.
The president of Lee Tae Sung’s agency had also come from Seoul.
Once again, we had Lee Soo Hyun’s parents join us, and we wrapped up the day with a small celebration on the occasion of finishing the shooting in Korea.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 28, 2006)

Part 2 Pusan Day One

2006-08-15T22:44:00.000+09:00

The first troupe departed for Pujeon Station at five thirty in the morning.
Rain was falling in large drops... it stopped once in a while, but there was no hope for a fair sky.
A blue sky is a must for the train scene in the intro part of the film we’ve been blessed with many miracles so far, but it looks like we are finally defeated by the typhoon in Korea.

We decided to give it another try on the extra day we saved in our schedule, and returned to a station in the suburbs.
There, we joined the main troupe that including the actors.
I was so sleepy!!
We turned back to Pujeon.

We started shooting in a train we rented. It is absolutely impossible to rent a whole train for shooting in Japan. The staffs and I came to the agreement that this was possible here, because the film industry in Korea is booming.

But, here too, there were big raindrops on the windows… when we confirmed on the phone, it was raining badly in the inner city, too.
We can still take measures in the editing stage. Only if we had a moment of sun!

After reaching the station, we next headed for a fruit and vegetable market in the suburbs.
When we stopped the car to get some coffee, Lee Tae Sung drew an immediate crowd.
He is yet unknown in Japan, but he truly is an up and coming star in Korea.
Young women gathered from all over the place with their cell phone cameras in their hands.
We hurriedly left the spot.

We had Korean meal at the market. The staff all cried with delight at the big servings of side dished (laughs). This is the Korean way. In any restaurant, they serve lots of complimentary side dishes of vegetables, grilled fish and such which are not on the menu. Lee Tae Sung’s manager looked happy, too.
Yona-san, our staff explained to me that in the Korean households too, it is normal to have at least a few side dishes in every meal. So, the Korean omonis (mothers) are always busy preparing for meals. .

The shooting at the market ended in no time.
Thanks to Chief Inokoshi!
“I can’t help talking to them in Japanese because we look alike, but hey, I can’t get through to them!”
He experienced many surprises in his first trip to Korea, but enjoying himself nevertheless.
As usual, he did a great job in getting the ladies in the market to loosen up. We had extras on hand in no time at all.
Here too, Lee Tae Sung was a really popular. The ladies all lined up for autographs and photos.
The women working in markets and such are really powerful.

Watching the weather, we went back to the hotel, and filmed at a nearby slope.
We had heavy rainfall in between…but, it’s alright! The God of Cinema was going to work once again.
There was such a big storm that the jumbo plane that producer M flied on (he joined us in the afternoon) had once failed in landing, but now blue skies were appearing between the clouds.

“It happened again, a miracle!”
It seemed that we were not forsaken by luck here, either.
Sun showers continued.

We aimed to shoot the sun down in a place we discovered that was use in the movie “Chingu”. It was a spot we found yesterday by coincidence, but it is a fabulous site that almost overlooks the entire Busan Port.
Needless to say, the staffs were really excited and took commemorative photos in between shooting.
Just when the light of the buildings and the ships started to light the town, our day’s work was done.

For dinner, we went to a samgetan restaurant Lee Tae Sung’s manager recommended.
He said it was near Pusan Tower and the international market.
This is the first trip to Korea for many of the Japanese staff.
We enjoyed our dinner thoroughly, and went back to the hotel.

On the way back, stars were starting to shine in the sky.
“It will be a fine day tomorrow.”
Everybody couldn’t help smiling. I renewed my conviction, that all the staffs shared a common joy – above everything, we wanted to shoot a good film. Feeling fatigue creeping up on us in an oddly pleasant way, and we all went back to our rooms.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 27, 2006)

Part 2- 18 Shooting in Pusan... Standby

2006-08-13T15:12:00.000+09:00

We arrived in Pusan yesterday with the first team, and started to work on the location from early morning.
The weather forecast predicted 60 percent rainfall, bur once we started moving, it turned completely sunny.
We actually preferred having good weather from tomorrow…
With such thoughts lingering in my mind, we drove around the sites by car.

The coordinators on the Korean side are members introduced to us from the FC (Film Commission) of Pusan. I can’t remember all of their names yet. I think there were two “Kim-sans” and a Kan-san… ?
But I can tell they are great people.
All relationships begin with a good personality… and then the attitude towards one’s job. And capability.

We went to a number of places in one day, and in the evening joined the main team that arrived from Japan.
After all the staff gave a toast, “kanpai (cheers!)”, in a relaxed atmosphere to celebrate the start of our filming in Pusan, the producer Choi-san and I went to Haeundae to have dinner with Lee Soo Hyun’s parents.

We had so much to catch up on… but the majority of the conversation went on in Korean.
The three of them were so engrossed in the conversation, that they had forgotten me (laughs).
But I put my instincts to full gear and listened to what they were saying… surprisingly, I was able to make out a lot of it. Being trained by ear during the past few months, I was able to hear the words.

They mentioned that they were coming to Japan around the fifth of August.
This would mean that we would surely be able to see each other in Nagoya. I look forward to that!

The only concern we have now is tomorrow’s weather…
Though we hear that the typhoon is coming, the sky is yet quiet.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 26, 2006)

Extra

2006-08-12T22:40:00.000+09:00

A spirit that is said to live in the banyan trees. Marky gave me this charm as a present.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 24, 2006)

Part 2 - 17

2006-08-12T22:13:00.000+09:00

The weather forecast predicted that it would rain all day.
The chief staff called me in the morning in a desperate voice.
The location was Shinjuku. The main staff met at a nearby coffee shop and had an urgent meeting. We couldn’t possibly shoot the car scene in this rain.

Today will be the last day Kaneko-kun (one of the main cast) can join us for the shooting. He will start rehearsing for a play starting tomorrow.
Because we already filmed the scenes connected to the remaining one in fine weather, we cannot change the contents or setting.

“Too bad! This must be the end of the series of miracles …”
But the team worked with the strong determination to shoot whenever the rain stops for a short while. They started to prepare in the pouring rain. Then, gradually, the sky started to become lighter, and the rain turned to a fog. Immediately after we started the camera car which pulled the car to be used in the scene, the rain stopped completely.

Everyone turned all smiles. Postponing our lunch time, we were able to finish shooting before two o’clock.
We shook hands with Kaneko-kun in a pleasant atmosphere, and Marky gave him flowers to see him off.

Then, we moved to Shimo Kitazawa. We didn’t need to worry about the rain anymore, but we needed to hurry to shoot before sun down. We trusted Segawa-san with his great handheld camera work, and shot the scene straight through. And we were able to complete this, too!

A few hours later, we reassembled at Shin Okubo Station. We were scheduled to shoot the requiem scene. Shooting began late in the evening. This was the last scene to be shot at this station.
Losing Lee Soo Hyun, Yuri dedicates flowers, and cries on the platform.
Marky, who had come to the station for the first time, saw the place where the accident occurred. After reading the plate of requiem, she could not contain her emotions, and burst into tears.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 18, 2006)

Part 2 - 16 At Zepp Tokyo

2006-08-12T19:48:00.000+09:00

We were finally going to shoot at Zepp Tokyo.
The stage directors and staff in charge of music events were working from early in the morning, setting the moving lights etc. in accordance to the songs we were going to shoot.

Ta-bo, along with Ren-chan, the personality of the net radio station “Midnight Connection”, came from Hokkaido to support us.
I was able to get in touch with Chikurin, the representative of “Yume (Dream) Net” all in good time, and he was able to drop by at the site as well.

Because the movie team worked till late last night, we gathered at the location after noon. First, we shot the acting scenes which take place back stage. It was good for a scene where snow starts to fall, but unluckily, it was drizzling.

After completing the shooting in the rain we went inside. It continued to rain steadily after that.

I suppose we could call this lucky.

The main event of that day was to shoot the stage scene of the World Indies Festival (WIF) which was to become the climax of the story. Although I have experienced filming music scenes and scenes with singers in TV drams, the arrangements for films are quite different. With videos and hi-vision, we can shoot consecutively for as many hours as we want, as long as the cable is connected. However, for film, we can only shoot in accordance with the amount of film we attach to the camera.
This means that there is a limit to the amount of time we can shoot at one time. It would be ideal to be able to use ample film and cameras, but with more projects than usual being filmed this year, I heard that the majority of cameras were already out for rent. Plus, musical projects require an enormous amount of film.

This is one of the aspects in film making that probably differs among the countries. If we compared the amount of film that would be used in filming a certain project, the Koreans would use ten times the amount of film we would use in Japan. In the States, (excluding the Indies projects) it would be more than twenty times. I don’t know whether it’s because we dislike wasting things, or whether it’s because we’re just stingy, but we Japanese would naturally think, “if we have that much film, we would be able to shoot many more films!”
Perhaps we can say that this is a cultural difference.

Now, for this project, we asked an extra photographer to help us out, and shot the scene with a total of four cameras. As for the other bands that appear in the story, there are no worries as they would be performing their own songs.
But “YURI & the BLOODSTONES” is an imaginary band made up of actors – they needed a lot of work.
The original song created for this film was completed only a week ago. The score for the rehearsal of the drums and guitar was made three days later. Even the vocalist Marky did not have time to memorize the lyrics.

Needless to say, Kaneko-san on the drums, Takada-kun on the guitar, Futatsuki-kun and Kazu from Jancruise had little time for rehearsal.
We really wanted to have the song ready much earlier, but things were delayed due to the circumstances. However, all of them really worked hard to make it work.

The scene performed by them was really impressive. They had prepared well even when they were not given much time. The song, and the lyrics written by Marky were both great.

Rather than just have her sing the song, we wanted to have them start with a cappella.
Explaining my intentions, we rehearsed a few times, and went for the shooting.

A spotlight brought out Marky on the stage.
A quiet, sad voice with the slightest tremble echoed throughout the hall.
The moment we heard this voice… tears flowed naturally from many people in the audience.

The important part of the last scene of this movie was filmed successfully in this way.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 18, 2006)

Part 2 - 16 At University of Yamanashi

2006-08-12T13:53:00.000+09:00

Today was our second day in Yamanashi Prefecture.
We did our shooting in University of Yamanashi.
We were covered by some local broadcasting stations including NHK. There were people watching from Yamanashi FC, a club that was newly formed only last year.

These are the bosses of the shooting and lighting team.
The main staffs of the Hanadou clan.

Chief I, a reliable supporter who’s come to help out.
He was the chief assistant director in “Touch a Dream".

And a new bike makes its appearance – it doesn’t have a name yet. Ryu-san insists that we would be able to get a great shot with it (laughs). I love these people who are always up for a challenge.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 14, 2006)

Part 2 - 15

2006-08-11T23:21:00.000+09:00

“Director look, it’s fantastic!”
Lee Tae Sung looked up at the shining bright sun, and exclaimed on impulse.
The weather that awaited us today was so magnificent that it made us laugh. Yesterday was our day off, but it was drizzling from early evening. As we were walking towards the barbecue place in Ueno where the supporters of our film were holding a party for us, Lee Tae Sung had been worried.

But near the Shojin Lake (one of the five lakes of Fuji) in our first location site in Yamanashi Prefecture, the sight of Mt. Fuji which had shown itself clearly at the moment of our arrival was quickly being covered by the clouds. Though it was our intention to shoot the lake and Mt. Fuji at its best, we had to make do with “blue sky, white clouds, and a beautiful lake.”

We would have to make the best of the next opportunity.

“Wow!! We are so lucky!”
A sky clear beyond words and clouds appeared. When we had tried to shoot from the fifth level of Mt. Fuji, the clouds had quickly disappeared. It was unmistakable. The God of cinema is watching over us. If we had not been able to finish this today, we would have been in big trouble in terms of our schedule. We were able to finish the shooting of an important day.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 13, 2006)

Part 2 - 14

2006-08-11T22:39:00.000+09:00

It was a hot and humid day – Lee Soo Hyun is riding on his bicycle all over Tokyo, and meets Yuri and Kazama who are performing on the streets. This is an important scene.

One hundred extras, five bands and units (including dancers) assemble at the east exit of Ikebukuro Station. We were to shoot an action scene which would also include Hee and Yabuki playing yakuzas (Japanese mobsters). The action advisor who worked with me in “A Delinquent’s Dream” added a good touch to this scene.
Lee Tae Sung is a great athlete as expected. He is a natural when it comes to action scenes.

There, we encountered a sudden shower!
But when we looked up at the sky above us, we were able to see a slit in the clouds. We decided to take our chances, and continued shooting… after a while, the rain stopped completely, and the sun shone beautifully upon us. The weather forecast is absolutely unreliable in a situation like this. We always keep our fingers crossed.

We finished taking all the scenes, and moved on to Nippori.
Because we took longer than scheduled on the afternoon scene, we changed our plan. Instead of taking the sun down, we decided to do the night scene.

This was going to take place at Lee Soo Hyun’s apartment by the railway tracks.
It was a scene with Lee Tae Sung and Kaneko-san, and had a long dialogue in Japanese. It had one of the most Japanese lines among the scenes with Lee Tae Sung.
If his Japanese goes well, it was a scene I wanted to shoot in one long cut. We tested it… great! He is memorizing the lines just by hearing, but you cannot tell the difference. What wonderful talent!

He responds well to the subtle nuances, too.
After a few rehearsals, we were able to shoot the scene in one cut as planned.
During the ride on the way back, Lee Tae Sung expressed his excitement in receiving tremendous energy from the dialogue he had with Kaneko.

Even when the other staffs were dozing off, he continued to talk passionately about his impressions.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 12, 2006)

Part 2 - 13

2006-08-11T16:57:00.000+09:00

We started shooting from the studio this morning. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, but that does not affect the work we do inside. An old room in the studio was being decorated meticulously by the art team which started working from early morning. The room was making a dramatic transformation into an office of a trade company.

Then, the main team arrived and we started to confirm the direction plan and camera work. Needless to say, the decor of the set influences the direction plan and the movement of the camera in a subtle way. In this project, the designs and décor of each scene is quite interesting. We are ceaselessly tempted to adopt the various ideas that come up.

In the mean time, the lights and cameras are unloaded from the trucks and the setting takes place. After the general preparations are done, we invite the actors in for the “dandori (making arrangements), in other words, we have the rehearsal. Here, we confirm and modify the lines, and if necessary, make corrections on the storyboard.

The story setting of the scene – Yuri’s father Hirata loves rock music. He was a top businessman in a major trading company, but failing in a deal with Korea, he was forced to leave the company. It is Naoto Takenaka-san who gives a chilling presence to this role of a man with a complicated personality.
Making an ingenious suggestion, he contributed in making the scene much tighter.

The shooting proceeded in a good tempo, and we moved to Shimo Kitazawa in the afternoon.
We shot the exterior of Hirata’s place “Scatty Cat”. The people of Shimo Kitazawa is used to seeing movie cameras in their neighborhood, but even they stopped to watch when Takenaka-san stood in front of the camera. I heard that they had been shooting a movie there last year, and I was surprised to see banners all over town advertising the movie. It will be released soon.

We finished the afternoon scene sooner than expected, so we ended up waiting for about 3 hours until the night scene.
This was because we are not able to shoot night scenes until it gets dark, which is about 7:30 around this season. Using this free time, the staff and cast went about doing their own things like shopping and getting a massage.

The night scene centers around the conflict between Yuri and her father. Lee Soo Hyun later comes into the scene, and this becomes an important transition point in the human drama of the latter half of the film.
Marky feels no inhibitions even acting opposite Takenaka-san. He gives her advice on the important points that is expected of her, and listening earnestly, she absorbs those comments.
There is no trace of the Marky who cried tears of frustration when we read through the script.

So, on that day too, we were able to complete the shooting with everyone working energetically.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 11, 2006)

Part 2 - 12

2006-08-11T00:41:00.000+09:00

Ms. Miho Yoshioka, an up and coming young actress made an appearance as a teacher. Because we could not adjust our schedules to meet beforehand, this was virtually the first time we met each other.

She seemed like a pure, fresh, intelligent and well brought up lady – unaffected in a positive sense. She is probably the type that changes according to each work. She also gives the impression of being not particularly skillful, but passionate. Seo Jae Kyeong,playing Min Su shows his deftness as an actor by inserting effective ad libs even in the short scenes. His friendly smile and kindness, good instincts and dexterity, remind me of Ei-chan (Japanese actor Eiichiro Funakoshi).　I can tell that he gives good advice to Lee Tae Sung　even in the trivial parts. Come to think of it, Ei-chan like Seo Jae Kyeong is a son of an actor, too.

There was an unexpected accident, where the students who were participating as extras went home in the middle of shooting for some reason, but we were somehow able to finish before sun down.

After splitting up for awhile, we again assembled at Shin Okubo Station at 10 in the evening. We shot the scene with the actors and extras all dressed in winter clothing.
We finished shooting a total of 9 cuts including the intense scene with the mob. There were moments when we were able to capture great expressions shown by Lee Tae Sung　.
That was the end of our shooting of live-action. The rest depends on the editing of the CGs.

We finally got back to the hotel when the sky was starting to turn white. Thanks for the hard work, staff and cast!

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 9, 2006)

Part 2 - 11

2006-08-05T22:54:00.000+09:00

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)

Part 2 - 10

2006-08-01T18:52:00.000+09:00

We cancelled the outdoor shooting session and mostly spent the day on meetings. We reconfirmed the standby of the shooting we were planning for the end of this month. We were dismayed to find that we had been wrong on an important point. It was a good thing that we realized this, because otherwise it would have caused quite a riot in Korea. Just in the nick of time!

Afterwards, we met up with the main staff at Shin Okubo Station, and reconfirmed the arrangements for the shooting to take place late tomorrow evening. We also completed the detailed arrangements with the station personnel as well.

We cannot go into shooting until the last train on the Yamanote Line goes through. We need to get everything done between 1:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. – everything from standby to backing out. Furthermore, it was a scene to take place in the cold winter season at 7 p.m. in the evening right after snow begins to fall. There was so much to watch over, such as instructing the extras that were supposed to crowd the platforms and getting the right amount of snowfall. We had no idea how much time all of that would take. We just had to tackle it!

But tomorrow during the day time, we also had to take the live scene on the streets of Yoyogi. There were plenty of things to fret over including the sound issue. What to do?!

I have the images all ready in my head, but what would happen in reality?

In the evening, while I talked to the producers on some ideas I had for changes in the script, something surprised me when I heard their update on the progress of our project.
It was again another strange coincidence.
Lawmaker N-san, who is a friend of the producer and has been supporting our film from the very beginning, was a member of an ethics corporation association in a certain region. On top of that, the his secretary was from Chita Peninsula!

The connections we come across in this project really goes beyond our imagination. Just why is it that these things come up every day?

We have so many of these strange stories that I don’t know where to stop.
I really should concentrate on tomorrow’s shooting for now.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 6,2006)

Part 2 - 9

2006-07-31T21:37:00.000+09:00

This is the apartment that will be used as Lee Soo Hyun’s room where he lived alone. We learned that this building was going to be torn down in September. This is in Yanaka, the downtown part of Tokyo where there are a lot of temples and traditional Japanese scenery. It is one of my favorite areas in terms of its images.

Seo Jae Keyong who plays the part of Min Su is doing a good job in portraying his character. He is a popular actor in Korea, known for the diversity of his acting – the flexible way he changes a serious expression to a comical one is really something. He knows exactly what is expected of the character he is playing in context of the film.

As the producer said to himself, ”The casting was perfect!”, he and Lee Tae Sung are starting to make a good team.

Incidentally, Lee Tae Sung’s Japanese pronunciation is improving rapidly.
It’s probably because he is still young and has got a good sense in learning the
language, but all the same, it is quite amazing.

During our ride back, I was taken aback when he asked me, “The train is an important motif in this film isn’t it?” in Japanese. You are absolutely right!

How many trains will be crossing the screen in this film, I wonder? Maybe this will make a great question for a quiz.

P.S. A surprise present.
Lee Tae Sung shared one of his valuable “hot rahmen” he probably brought from
Korea. And this is just delicious! It’s one of my favorite foods now.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 6, 2006)

Part 2 - 8

2006-07-31T17:39:00.000+09:00

We had a shooting at the Lotte factory in Shin Okubo.
Hong Kyung Min-san plays a businessman who is a graduate of Soo Hyun’s Japanese school. Just by coincidence, he comes to visit the factory where Soo Hyun worked as a part-timer.

This a photo of Lotte candies, my cigarettes, and the Korean Jinro Chamisu I drank too much of last night.

I wrote this scene based on the fact that many Korean students actually worked in this factory.

During the shooting, Hong Kyung Min, Lee Tae Sung, and I were interviewed by Sankei Sports Shimbun and Tonichi News. They will be releasing this article in tomorrow’s paper.

The shooting went very smoothly.
Although the scene is completely in Korean, I can tell that Hong Kyung Min understands what I am trying to say just by listening to my Japanese explanation. We seem to have good chemistry, because he apparently understands my ideas before it is translated into Korean. Such great instinct!

Lotte is involved in this film as our special sponsor.
This factory is where Lotte began its business, and it was a strange coincidence that it stands right in front of Shin Okubo Station, where our story takes place.Adding to that, upon learning that Lee Soo Hyun’s father and the president of Lotte were from the same town, Lotte offered their full support on our project.

Shooting ended by early evening, and we (Hong Kyung Min, Lee Tae Sung, the people from the music business and the reporters from the papers) had dinner at a Korean restaurant nearby.

Hong Kyung Min shared his story on how he began to be involved in music to his respect, or should I rather say adoration towards his aboji (father). It was his father’s advice that prompted his decision to participate in this film.

His determination upon starting his activities in the Japanese music world, seemed to somewhat overlap with Lee Soo Hyun’s sense of responsibility and passion in trying to bring Japan and Korea together.

I too, revealed my thoughts even more passionately than usual. I talked about how films and music have the power to bring people together, and also about the potential this power has, taking the Beatles as an example. Shaking our hands on this, I felt the tightness of his heartfelt grip. This was going to be the beginning of a great friendship…. I was convinced of this that night.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 5, 2006)

Part 2 - 7

2006-07-27T16:05:00.000+09:00

We took the day off today, because we worked all night the day before, and used the day for preparations. Early in the evening, we met up with Hong Kyung Min and his musical staffs at a hotel lobby.

On our side was Lee Tae Sung and the producers of our film.

My first impression of Hong Kyung Min was that he seemed the shy type. I had listened to his songs, but he seemed smaller than I imagined. He is probably a different man on stage. Many people who excel in something can seem shy until we get to know each other.

By a strange coincidence, he belongs to the same baseball team (made up of Korean actors and singers) as Lee Tae Sung . They had some friends in common, and after discovering this, the air became considerably friendlier.
On top of this, he seemed to have some common ties with our interpreter Uran in the army.

We were told that he was playing the lead in a Korean TV drama until the end of June.

We discussed a few matters on tomorrow’s shooting, and ended our first meeting on a friendly note.

He seems to have a few projects waiting for him in Japan. It looks like I will be seeing more of him off the set, too.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 4, 2006)

Part 2 - 6

2006-07-18T14:49:00.000+09:00

Yesterday’s shooting ended a little after 5 in the morning, just as the sky started to become lighter.

Lee Tae Sung is showing dramatic changes in this film – so much so, that even he is aware of it.

All the staffs that are supporting him - in costumes, make-up, camera, and lights - testify that he seems like a different person from the actor in the beginning of this project. Everyone is impressed by how his expression has become manly and sharp.

When he stood in front of the train, with his whole being charged with energy, his expression and image had an aura that made one gaze at him unblinkingly.

”Lee Soo Hyun is here this moment for sure!” These words were voiced as if in unison by everyone at the site.

There is no doubt that he will become an actor that will lead the Korean film industry of the next generation. Marky, who joined us around 1 a.m. also made a heartfelt performance of the very first scene of the film just before sunrise. A sorrowful requiem inexpressible by words was flowing from her whole being. It made me naturally recall the image of the music used in the opening of the film.

This would surely make another beautiful scene.

What is being shot is surpassing my expectations of the completed image in a positive sense. This is the best reward of all. Perhaps that is why my shoulders are not as stiff as it usually is.

On the way back, I slept like a log in the car. I was so energetic until a while ago, but strangely, I felt totally drained then.

EXTRA

Green back

The front part appears to be completely white in this photo, but actually, a green cloth to be used for computer generated images is being put up all over the wall.

So, what sort of picture will appear in this scene? I look forward to seeing it in the film.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 3, 2006)

Part 2 - 5 Extra 2

2006-07-09T18:52:00.000+09:00

On the way to Ibaragi, we found a bamboo Tanabata ornament at the high way rest area by surprise (Translator’s note: July 7 is the “Star Festival” in Japan. People write their wish on a strip of colorful paper, and hang it on a bamboo ornament). We all wished for the same thing – the success of our film. Lee Tae Sung’s card also had the title of his other film that was in its final stage “Violence Circle”. The color of my card, was green, of course. In the process of making films, we cannot help turning to God. But it’s been an awful long time since I’ve last written a wish for Tanabata.

While I was writing this, the sun shone only where we were. It had a rather nice effect.

Part 2 - 5 Extra 1

2006-07-09T18:49:00.000+09:00

This is the set of the platform we made at the railroad siding.
We were told that the Kashima Railway would be completely defunct next March. This reminded me of the station of Nagano Railway we used in “Lament of a Lamb”. The station in that movie does not exit any more, either.

The apartment by the railroad tracks in Nippori that we will be using soon (Soo Hyung is to live there alone), and the apartment we will be shooting in Tsuruhashi in Osaka (the place he will meet the old lady who is a first generation Korean), is also scheduled to be torn down this summer.

It leads me to think that perhaps films have meaning as a record of the age.

Part 2 - 5

2006-07-09T18:45:00.000+09:00

We arrived at the site in Ibaragi.
It seems that I am able to make postings from my cell phone. Of course, I have set my phone so I could see it, too. In that case, I need to access my original livedoor address.

There at Ishioka Station, on Kashima Railway, the shooting was going to take place by creating a part of a platform at the place which is used to do maintenance on the trains. The art team was making final touches to the set. The camera crew was to arrive in less than hour. The shooting will probably take until dawn.

This is a scene that needs snow fall with CGI. It’s summer in reality, but we’ve been taking a lot of winter scenes lately. The magical first scene also begins from here. Whether this becomes an impressive scene that opens and closes the film will determine the impact of this work. I’m going to have to give it my all again today…..which means, another day of stiff necks and shoulders, I guess (laughs).

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 2, 2006)

Part 2 - 4

2006-07-08T19:15:00.000+09:00

The weather was cloudy.
We shot the “chase scene” which comes directly after the scene where the two main characters meet.

Going through the downtown area of Ikebukuro Station’s east exit, Soo Hyun and the guys run between buildings and all over the place. Tae Sung is really energetic. Being a born athlete, he seems to feel at ease when he is moving his body.

In between takes, he played at the near by game arcade, and got many prizes with the UFO Catcher game he was good at. I was told that he is so good that his hotel room is overflowing with prizes.

During break time, I saw a copy of an article in the newspaper Sports Hochi with the headline, “Marky, of High and Mighty Color Wins the Lead in a Movie”.
According to the producer, we were informed yesterday at 4 p.m. that they were planning to put out the article today.
Following the articles which went out yesterday mentioning Hong Kyung Min’s appearance in this movie, information on this movie started to fill the pages of the media all at once.

I asked Ren-chan of the network GOHEY in Hokkaido to help us write a guitar score for the music we were going to use in the film. Tae Sung needed to practice his guitar, but the preparations were not ready. I wanted him to look at the score as early as possible, so I asked my friend for his assistance. To Kattsu-san of “21 (twenty first)”, thank you so much!

After shooting the scenes with Lee Tae Sung riding the bicycle, in the afternoon, we went to the motion picture studio in Ikebukuro.

The staff did a terrific job in remodeling the studio on the fifth floor into a Korean style apartment. From the color of the wall to the objects in the room, they arranged the room paying the utmost attention to the details. Lee Tae Sung and the other Koreans were quite impressed, saying “It’s very much like a real room of a young Korean man”.
This was the fruit of the work done by the art team and Yona-chan, who is a staff/interpreter. Yona-chan is a junior of the Japanese language school Lee Soo Hyun attended, which is called Akamon-kai. She is presently attending a film school here, and with the dream of working in the film industry in Japan, she is participating in this project.

The scene we were about to take, was where Lee Soo Hyun drinks with his friend while talking about the future. The conversation between the two friends (chingu) go on and on. Although I cannot understand the exact meaning, because I had gotten used to the sound of the Korean language while on location in Korea, I was able to detect some mistakes in their lines. But it seems that I get tense in the shoulders while we are shooting without being aware of it. I had thought that my shoulders were better after the treatment I received, but it started to become painful again during shooting.

We finished off before 11 p.m., and went back to our hotel in Shinjuku. We had a meeting at a nearby restaurant with the producers that came back from Nagoya, reporting on such matters as the progress of the shooting.

On the way back, I could not tolerate the pain in my neck and head any longer, so I jumped into the nearby sauna and got a thorough massage.

I finally felt some relief at 4 in the morning, and went back to the hotel. I should be able to get some sleep now.

(Originally posted in Japanese on July 1, 2006)

Part 2 - 3

2006-07-08T11:50:00.000+09:00

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)

Part 2 - 2

2006-07-08T00:05:00.000+09:00

Part 2-2

Day two, and it started to get cloudy earlier than forecasted. Don’t need an umbrella yet, but it’s getting kind of dark.

Lee Tae Sung left the earlier than us to take guitar lessons. He needs to learn the song he will be playing in the film. The scheduled rehearsal was called off, so shooting will begin from the afternoon.

The whole crew assembled at the road by Tokyo Tower. The staff is great. I can just leave it to them to get the job done. In the meantime, I have things going through my mind concerning the script. I rather like thinking this way, in a somewhat noisy environment, just going along with the flow with the questions that come up in my mind. I guess I’m just not the type to sit and contemplate at the desk.

Though the looks of the sky is not very encouraging, the expressions and movement Tae Sung shows is exactly as I envisioned it to be. It looks promising. Tae Sung was shooting an action movie just awhile ago in Korea, but the influence of that experience is not coming out in a negative way. The private lives of actors who are good in getting into the character tend to be influenced by the roles they are playing. With Tae Sung, I have had many discussions on “creating a character” and “acting”. Though he is young, his ideas on acting are quite mature. What pleases me is that it’s not all talk neither.

From late afternoon, we started to shoot the night scene at the park by the railroad tracks near Takadanobaba Station. It is the scene in which Lee Soo Hyun (Lee Tae Sung) and Yuri (Marky) are alone together for the second time. There were more trains going by then we imagined, and we had a hard time getting a good take because we could not hear their lines.

The scene needed a relaxed mood, so we did not want a very detailed storyboard, and we did not want to postrecord it, either. But the “train” is a very important motif in this movie. I wanted to include it in the image implicitly somehow. The staff scouting for locations, knows how I feel about this. Which unfortunately leads to other troubles… (laughs)

It is necessary to have plenty of time for a shooting in the night time. Film, is an art in the visual sense of “light and shadow”. The night scene is indeed a world in which we can create everything by what we choose to light up from the dark and how.

No matter how great a job the art director does in providing props, we cannot capture it without light. The same can be said of beautiful actors. That is why it takes time.

So, by utilizing the standby time for lighting and art work, we did a reading of the script. The rehearsal we did with Marky paid off, and she was showing much change. She seems to have grasped something in the way of putting her emotion into the character. She is responsive, just as I thought. But it took some time to reconsider the script. Every time the word “Korea” comes up, we tend to become sensitive. I believe this is something this film cannot get away from.

Tae Sung was constantly talking amiably and making jokes, and along with the staff, he was trying to create a space with Marky. The two are creating a good atmosphere. This kind of communication is what makes the atmosphere of the movie itself. In this way, we produce a film, one cut at a time.

First was the scene where they play in the basketball court in the park. When I told them, “Do it for real!”, little Marky (her height is in the 150s, where as Tae Sung is over 180 cm) gets serious and goes to seize the ball. This brought out a natural expression from her that worked well. I could also see some of the intensity that is desirable in her role. The chemistry between the two also seemed good.

We were able to take a few cuts. Then, the last cut for this scene was the expression on Yuri’s face as she walks away. I wanted to see the many emotions that goes through her in the moment, but it is difficult to get it out of her. We go through many retakes. She knows why I am calling the NGs. It is one thing to be able to understand it in your head, and another to be able to express it. I can tell she is trying desperately to respond to my request.

When I was finally able to call, “Okay!” it was nearly 11 p.m.
“Good job! Let’s pack up!”
That was the end of day two.

(Originally posted in Japanese on June 24, 2006)

Part 2 - 1

2006-07-07T21:12:00.000+09:00

Getting up at five in the morning, we started shooting in front of the Asakusa Kaminari-mon. It was a fine day. The god of cinema seems to have smiled upon us.

I looked at the familiar big, red “Kaminari-mon” lantern – today, I found a carving of a dragon at the bottom of it. “Dragon” happens to be my lucky item!

The shooting started smoothly. To start things off, we only took one cut. We wrapped things up by 8:30, and we moved on to Akihabara. That is the only way we can get permission to shoot there. Therefore, we shot a montage picture at a different place. This will be used for the scene Soo Hyun goes sightseeing on his bicycle.

With an iPod shuffle in my ear, I am listening to the music that will be used in this scene which just arrived yesterday. I need to come up for an image for the live session scene which we will be shooting on the 22nd. The music is good, but I still don’t have any of the lyrics nor the score. Okay, how should I arrange the cuts for the shooting? I’m at loss....

My own outfit for today is a green battle surcoat. It is one of my favorites, made with material for a kimono. I thought of wearing it today to get fired up. All I need is a fan then I could be a feudal warlord! (laughs)

Some of the staff told me wryly, “Maybe you’re just a bit overzealous”, but they seem to like it okay.

A bit after noon, Marky, who is going to play the part of Yuri appeared at the sight. Her shooting is scheduled only for the evening, but the chief assistant director was going to tend to her rehearsal. We’ll see how far she gets tomorrow. I wonder how things will turn out.

When I trained her personally a few days ago, she shed tears from frustration, but all talented rookies go through this phase. There isn’t an obstacle that can’t be overcome. But the problem is, there is just too little time for rehearsal. I am worried whether she will be able to keep up with us.

When we went back to the Nakamise shopping street in Asakusa, the area was full of sightseers from all over the world, even though it was a weekday. I asked Tae Sung for his personal opinion as a Korean, to think about what Soo Hyun would have thought at the souvenir shop. His preference of souvenirs was a bit different from what the Japanese staff imagined. That’s the interesting part.

As usual, we were disturbed by traffic congestion, and traffic lights going on and off at the wrong time, but we were able to finish shooting the bicycle riding scene as scheduled. The picture is pretty good – a refreshing scene full of speed. It should go well with the music.

The only thing left for today was the first cut with Marky. We travel across Tokyo for Shibuya. In this scene, she is working as a part-timer. This will be her first experience in movies – how will it turn out? The audience can check for themselves in the theater.

That was day one. I’m not sure if I will have the time to blog from now on. But I want to leave a record of this project somehow. The shooting has just begun!

(originally posted in Japanese on June 21, 2006)

Commemorating the 5th Anniversary of the Death of Lee Soo Hyun

2006-07-06T23:29:00.001+09:00

The Commemorative Ceremony on the Fifth Anniversary of the Death of Lee Soo Hyun
& Party Announcing the Kick off of Shooting

It has been a while since I have updated this blog.

The main cast from Korea arrived in Japan on the 25th. We all met at the Akasaka Prince Hotel – it has been a while. Everyone went out of their way to make time for this event. Although it’s only been about ten days since we last saw each other, it some how seems like more, and it was good to see them again. The Korean members were all smiles, saying they had been looking forward to coming to Japan.

On the next day, Jan. 26, a ceremony commemorating the fifth anniversary of Lee Soo Hyun’s death was held from 2 p.m. Because it was a weekday, we were worried about the attendance of the event. But as things turned out, we didn’t need to worry. The room was packed and we were even short of seats.

In front of the room, there was a screen showing an image video that was made in Korea, and with the staff from the Akamonkai International Language Academy (Akamonkai L.A.) and LSH Asia Shogakukai (scholarship foundation) acting as host, the ceremony began solemnly by everyone giving a minute of silent prayer.

Many participants of this event gave heartfelt messages in commemoration of this young man. Among them, were such people like, Mr. Nishimura, a young Diet member from the “Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union” (a group with 360 bipartisan members led by the former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori) expressed his willingness in heading a support group for us; members from the Korean Residents Union in Japan, and the Korean business leaders residing in Japan; the councilor of the Korean Embassy in Japan. Ms. Makiko Tanaka, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, also sat discreetly in the corner of the crowd.

Following the speeches, we all lined up to lay flowers in memory of Lee Soo Hyun。
Many members related to this movie were seated in the audience. Business representatives who were dedicated to helping out and had even gone to Korea earlier attended the event. Many participants from the public were present also

From a fan club that supports the actor Bae Yong Joon, as many as 20 members from all over Japan gathered for this occasion. I learned that not only have they been participating in this event every year, they are committed to extending continuous support to the LSH scholarship program by collecting donations. As many of them are mothers themselves, they claimed that they felt a strong compassion towards Lee Soo Hyun’s mother. They were there with the yearning to make the most of Soo Hyun’s good will, and to support his parents’ wishes in any way they could.

Some of my own friends were there, too. There was N-san, who had just joined our project to lend us a hand as one of the producers…..he was the one who gave me the chance to direct my very first film, “Lament of a Lamb”. He is a truly energetic man, who also produced my second movie, “Touch a Dream”.

The leading member from “WAO!”, a group I have been collaborating with for more over 2 years with the aim of establishing a　graduate school specializing in films, was also there. We will be collaborating in a new way in this project. Also present was I-san, an old friend of mine who came to the rescue when we were having a hard time with the casting in Korea. We’ve known each other since I sought advice on psychiatric treatment in the drama “Forever Child” – so, how many years does that make? Ms. Masako Imai, a scenario writer also kindly made time to participate in this event. O-san, who I got to know at the screening of “A Yankee’s Dream” in Gamagori, came from Nagoya. The members of “Yume-net” sent us flowers, and Jin-san in Akita delivered a cake for us. I am supported by so many people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you again.

Indeed, there were so many people there that we almost ran out of flowers.

Next, we gave our presentation announcing the kick off of the shooting of this film, in front of the photo of Lee Soo Hyun. First, M-san, the producer gave a speech, followed by me, Lee Tae Sung and the members of his family, and lastly, the boys playing Soo Hyun’s friends. Frankly, I don’t remember what I said, as I spoke without a memo. But I was later told that it was an OK speech. I’m sure I’m going to feel embarrassed when I see a video of it one of these days, but oh well, it will have to do.

Lee Tae Sung was really something! He managed to introduce himself in Japanese and his pronunciation was great, too. Listening to him speak I was confident that there would be no problems with his Japanese in the film!

There is one thing I do remember mentioning in my own speech.

The photo I uploaded on this blog is the “image poster” for the film, and there is an interesting episode behind it.

One day after the shooting of the film started in Korea, the producer received a letter. It was from someone who claimed that he had witnessed Lee Soo Hyun’s in the last moments of his life.

It is a fact that there was about 7 seconds from the moment Soo Hyun jumped off the platform until the moment that the train came in. Seven seconds is enough time to escape if one wanted to, and being a young healthy athlete, this certainly should have been the case for him. The same can be said of Mr. Sekine, the photographer who also tried to help.

What were they trying to do during this time?

This was a point we could not find an answer to, no matter how we tried. We could imagine things of course, but we had no means of verifying our guesses. But what we were looking for was exactly what was written in the letter we received.

The answer is in the pose taken in the poster. Lee Soo Hyun had embraced the last moments of his life, by opening his arms wide in front of the train, as if he were standing up to some challenge.

How can we deliver this message as a film?
For now, I want to continue to think deeply on this point.

(Originally posted in Japanese on Feb.1,2006)

고이수현군 5주기 추모기념식

이수현군 사망 5주년 기념식과 촬영시작을 알리는 파티.

오래간만에 브로그를 합니다.

25일에 주연배우가 한국으로부터 일본에 도착했습니다. 아카사카 프린스호텔에서 오래간만에 만났습니다. 모두 시간을 내서 이 이벤트에 참석했습니다. 만난지 10일 정도 밖에 안되었는데 더 오래된 것 같았고, 다시 만나게 되어서 좋았습니다. 한국회원들은 모두 미소를 지었고 일본방문을 기대하고 있었다고 말했습니다.

다음 날인 1월 26일에 이수현군의 사망 5주년 기념식이 오후 2시부터 열렸습니다. 주중이어서 참석하는 사람이 많지 않을까봐 걱정했었는데, 괜한 걱정을 했었습니다. 룸은 다 찼고 좌석이 부족하기까지 했습니다.

룸앞에서는 한국에서 만들은 영상비데오가 상영되는 스크린이 있었고, 이수현 아시아장학회와 아카몬카이 국제언어아카데미가 사회를 보고 진행을 하는 가운데 모두가 1분간의 묵념을 함으로써 기념식은 엄숙한 분위기에서 시작되었습니다.

모리모토 전총리가 회장을 맡는 초당파 의원 360명이 소속되어 있는 「일한의원연맹」에서 오신, 응원단장을 해 주시겠다고 하는 젊은 니시무라 의원, 민단이나 재일의 경제계의 분들, 재일 한국 대사관의 참사관분들등, 한사람 한사람이, 진심에서 우러난 메세지를 주셨고, 5년전, 당시의 외무 대신이었던 타나카 마키코 의원도 살그머니 한쪽 구석에 앉아 있었습니다.

헌화가 계속되었습니다..
이 영화의 관계자석에도, 여러 멤버가 모였고, 한국까지 와 준 열성적인 협찬 기업의 대표들이 있었고. 일반인도 다수 참가했습니다.

배용준씨를 지지하는 팬클럽에서는 일본 전역에서 20명의 회원이 이 행사에 모였습니다. 매년 이 행사에 참가 할 뿐아니라, 기부금을 모음으로서, 이수현장학회를 계속해서 지지하고 확장해 나가겠다는 약속을 했습니다. 그들 대부분도 어머니이기 때문에 이수현씨의 어머니에 대해 강한 동정심을 느꼈다고 했습니다. 그들은 수현군이 남기고간 뜻 뿐 아니라 할 수 있는 한 부모님들의 바램도 지지하기 위해서 모였다고 말했습니다.

제 친구 몇몇도 참석했습니다. 프로듀서로서 우리를 돕기 위해서 프로젝트에 참가한 N-산이 있는데, 그는 저의 첫 작품인 “양의 비가”를 감독할 기회를 준 사람입니다. 그는 정말 활동적인 사람이고 제 두번째 영화인 “꿈을 뒤쫒아”도 만들었습니다.

영상대학원설립을 목표로 제가 2년여 동안 관계하고 있는 그룹, “WAO!”의 지도자도 역시 참석했고, 이 프로젝트에 새로운 관계를 가질 것 같습니다. 그리고 한국에서 배우를 캐스팅하는데 어려움에 처했을 때 우리를 구원해 주었던 제 옛친구인 I-산도 참석했습니다. 드라마 “영원한 어린이”에서 정신과 치료에 대한 어드바이스를 원했을 때부터 알았으니 벌써 몇년입니까? 시나리오작가인 Ms. 마사코 이마이도 참석했습니다. 가마모리에 있었던 “양키의 꿈”의 영상회에서 알게 되었던 O-산도 나고야에서 왔습니다. “Yume-net”회원들은 꽃을 보내왔고 아키타에 있는 JIN-산은 케익을 보내왔습니다. 여러분으로부터 많은 지지를 받았습니다. 이 기회를 빌어서 다시한번 여러분께 감사드리고 싶습니다!

너무 참석자들이 많아서 꽃이 거의 모자랄 뻔 했습니다.

다음은 이수현군 사진앞에서 이 영화의 촬영을 시작하는 보고회를 가졌습니다. 첫번째로 프로듀서인 M-산께서 스피치를 했고, 다음은 저, 이태성씨 그리고 그의 가족, 그리고 마지막으로 선현의 친구역할을 맡은 2명의 소년들이 스피치를 했습니다. 메모없이 이야기를 했기 때문에, 솔직히 무슨 말을 했는지 기억이 안나지만, 나중에 스피치가 괜찮었다는 얘기를 들었습니다. 비디오를 보게 되면 부끄럽겠지만, 할 수 없지요.

이태성씨는 정말로 굉장했습니다. 그는 일본어로 자기 소개를 했는데, 발음이 너무 좋았습니다. 그가 얘기하는 것을 들으면서 영화에서 일본어로 말할 때 아무 문제가 없으리라는 것을 확신했습니다!

제 스피치에서 기억나는 것이 하나 있습니다.

제가 이 블록에 올린 사진은 영화 ‘이미지 포스터”인데, 흥미있는 에피소드가 숨어 있습니다.

한국에서 촬영이 시작되고 다음날, 프로듀서가 편지를 하나 받았습니다. 그 편지는 이수현군의 최후의 순간을 목격했다고 주장하는 사람으로부터 온 편지였습니다.

사실, 수현군이 플랫홈에서 뛰어내린 순간과 기차가 들어올 때 까지 약7초간의 간격이 있었습니다. 7초는 만약 원한다면 피할 수가 있는 충분한 시간이었는데, 하물며 스포츠로 단련한 그와 같은 사람이라면 가능한 얘기였습니다. 도와줄려고 했던 Mr. 세키네도 같은 말을 했습니다.

그러면 그 시간 동안에 무엇을 하려고 했을까?

아무리 노력해도 대답을 찾을 수가 없었습니다. 물론 상상은 할 수 있었지만, 추측을 확인할 수는 없었습니다. 그러나 우리가 찾던 것이 바로 우리가 받은 편지에 쓰여있었습니다.

답은 포스터에 있는 모습입니다. 이수현군은 전철을 향해 양팔을 펼치고 직면하듯이, 그의 최후의 순간을 맞이했다는 것이다.

어떻게 이 메세지를 영화로 전달할 수 있을까요?
지금은 이 점에 관해서 깊게 계속해서 생각하고 싶습니다.

(English to Korean translation by suehan)