“Search” Director of Photography Naoya Ikeda Only people who face the work. What is the strength of a small staff? [Director's Interview Vol.182]

Don't trust the script as a blueprint

Q: So when does the image come to you?

Ikeda: There are many things. When I work with a director for the first time, the image I had in mind changes as I meet him, go on location scouting trips, and meet the cast. There are many times when what I had in mind until yesterday changes completely. I don't have the feeling that I decide a lot of things from the beginning and create a blueprint. I don't think that the script is a perfect blueprint, so there may be some parts where I don't trust the script very much.

In the end, a lot of things change on the spot. Especially in the case of Japanese films, things change almost entirely on the spot from the initial assumptions. We are in the technical department, so in order to use technology/equipment to put it into the film, it's better not to decide in detail where we're heading from the beginning, but to keep it broad. Even so, we're always working on the very last minute (laughs).

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Q: I was surprised that you didn't trust the screenplay as a blueprint.

Ikeda: How the script turns out depends on the director. Some directors follow the script faithfully, while others change it into something completely different. They may change it, but the essence may be lost. There are many different types of directors, so maybe that's why I look at the script differently depending on the director.

Q: Is Director Katayama the type of person who changes?

Ikeda: Yes. Filming with Katayama-san is special. The first time we worked together was filming the pilot video for a certain original work that Katayama-san was trying to turn into a movie. At that time too, we didn't talk much beforehand and started filming.

I also used a very unique method for "Cape Brothers and Sisters." The script wasn't completed until the end, so I didn't know how the story would develop after the scene I was shooting today. So I just shot the situation that exists there. Because I've been making it that way, my way of interpreting the script is naturally different from the work of other directors.

The significance of a small staff