"The Wonderful World" Director Miwa Nishikawa I felt Ryuzo Saki's gaze throughout "Identification Book" [Director's Interview Vol.105]

Character formation brought about by art meetings

Q: Speaking of the staff, the photography differs depending on the work, but on the other hand, editor Ryuji Miyajima and art designer Keiko Mitsumatsu have been working together for a long time.

Nishikawa: Mr. Miyajima has been working on this since the first movie. The sense of 1/24th of a second (one frame of a movie) is different from other people's perception. It's very difficult to correct that feeling every time. Mr. Miyajima and I understand each other in terms of how to choose editing points, so there's no reason to change it to someone else.

Q: I see. What do you think about Mr. Mitsumatsu, the art artist?

Nishikawa: I've known Mitsumatsu-san since I was working as an assistant director, and even though he was just a prop at that time, he taught me a lot of things. Mr. Mitsumatsu is an art designer who is good at creating sets that have a sense of realism and everyday life.

The films I've made so far have always been about worlds that are connected to everyday life and don't stray far from reality, so I always talk persistently with Mr. Mitsumatsu as we work on the details. Anyway, he's such a flexible person that he's been called "Buddha's Three Pines," and he'll tell me things like, "When you have a completely different worldview, try working with different people."

©Ryuzo Saki/2021 “Subarashiki Sekai” Production Committee

Q: When you say "persistently talking", do you mean that you have to hold a lot of meetings before filming?

Nishikawa: I'll repeat it. I talk a lot with the art department (the art department in film production). By talking about what kind of person this character is, what kind of things I want to put in this person's room, and what I want to change as time goes on, that in itself becomes like a brainstorming process for me, and I create a character. There is a point where things start to take shape. In that sense, I am talking with Mr. Mitsumatsu about various things.

Q: It feels very connected to reality. Even in a messy house, I feel relieved when I see my laundry hanging out to dry (lol).

Nishikawa: Well, he's good at getting dirty (laughs).

Attention to sound, from train sounds to dialects