“The Disappearance” Director Hiro Kano What is needed is an absolutely unwavering “feeling” [Director's Interview Vol.220]

Movies and commercials: difference in sense

Q: What kind of work did you do in the commercial and film industries?

Kano: Currently, I mostly work in creative direction for advertising, and I also direct my own projects. When I was in the film industry, I was mainly an assistant director, and there was a time when I was in charge of CG. When I was in London, I worked on the set of an independent film, and that's what got me into the film industry.

Q: What was it like making a film in London?

Kano: At that time, I was working in music, and while doing that, I was in charge of photography and lighting for student-produced independent films. I was still just starting out. So I came back to Japan to seriously learn the techniques. I had always liked director David Fincher, and I wanted to shoot high-quality footage, so I started working on commercials and music videos.

“The Disappearance” (c) “The Disappearance” Production Committee

Q: I imagine the budget was much tighter than the commercials you usually do, but how was it shooting a feature film?

Kano: I used to be in the directing department of a movie, so I understood how tight the budget of a movie is. From the planning and staffing stages, I always had in mind how to do it on a small budget. In that sense, it was a completely different approach from a commercial, so I did it with a completely different feeling. The budget and schedule were quite tight, but since the way of thinking about movies and commercials is different to begin with, I didn't think about it in comparison to a commercial.

Q: You were able to make use of the experience you gained on the film set.

Kano: I've often had low budgets outside of film, such as music videos and corporate video productions. In those cases, I would film, edit, and even do the art direction myself. With this film, I was able to go back to those feelings, and I had a lot of fun working on it.

A special site that goes beyond independent production