“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]

I want to value what comes out from within me.

Q: When you talk to director Katayama, the names of Scorsese and Fincher come up. Like the works of these directors, ``Search'' is full of cool and shocking cuts, but are you also conscious of Scorsese and Fincher in the images you take?

Ikeda: For me, almost none. When I was an assistant, I wasn't thinking about anything, so even when I watched a movie at that time, nothing came to me, but now the movies and images I watch come to me, so lately, I consciously try not to watch movies. I don't particularly watch Japanese movies. I want to avoid having other people's images unconsciously reflected in the images I take.

Rather than shooting a film with an existing film in mind, I try to create a film based on what came out from within me or what the director would have wanted. Of course I think Fincher's videos are cool, but rather than studying them, I value what comes out from within me.

Q: In ``Sagashisu,'' I really like the scene in which Yamauchi, played by Hiroya Shimizu, appears, and the scene between the starling and Yamauchi, played by Mochi Morita, at the sea. As with ``The Brothers and Sisters of the Cape,'' the way the ocean was shot was very impressive. I felt the same way about Daisaku Kimura's sea scenes in `` STATION '' (1981) and `` Yaksha '' (1985), and I feel like I'm captivated by the images.

Ikeda: Perhaps Daisaku-san's influence is the strongest. I often take pictures with things placed in the center. That's probably due to Daisaku's influence. In that sense, they may be similar.

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Q: Last question. What kind of films would you like to work on in the future?

Ikeda: That's a very difficult question... There are many different directors, but for example, if it was director Kazuya Shiraishi, it was Shiraishi and Ikeda that made this work possible. “Sagashi” was made possible because of Katayama-san and Ikeda. In other words, I would like to have an ``Ikeda'' style when facing each director.

Also, from my perspective as a cameraman for Japanese movies, when there is a director with world-class talent, I would like to contribute to the production with techniques that are comparable to those produced overseas. I think it is necessary to prepare for this. That is the mission of the photography department, and I think it is a necessary condition.

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Photography: Naoya Ikeda

Born in 1980, from Kagawa Prefecture. Japanese photographers include Hajime Kobayashi of Climber's High (2008/directed by Masato Harada) as a cinematographer, Daisaku Kimura, a master of the film world, Yoshihisa Sakamoto, an authority on digital photography, and Kenji Takama, a pioneer in the field of cinematography. Studied under famous cameramen who have led the film industry. Major filmed works include "Siblings on the Cape" (18/directed by Shinzo Katayama), "Wandering Blade" (21/WOWOW), "Paradise Next" (19/directed by Yoshihiro Hanno), and "Soiree" (2020/directed by Bunji Toyama) ), ``Majime Band's Vague War'' (21/directed by Akira Ikeda), ``Uraaka'' (21/directed by Takuya Kato), and ``Gosh!! This Yarrow'' (21/NHK). .

Interview and text: Fumio Koda

Editorial staff and writer for CINEMORE. My favorite movies are ``The Goonies'' and ``Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'' My recent favorites are 4K digitally remastered classics by Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu.

Photography: Kazunari Aoki

"Search"

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Distribution: Asmik Ace

©2022 “Search” Production Committee