"Kokoro Amiko" Director Yusuke Morii "Just talk" without acting [Director's Interview Vol.222]

Director of Photography: Hiroshi Iwanaga

Q: The images taken by Hiroshi Iwanaga were overwhelmingly amazing. The screen size was a little narrow on the left and right, is it European Vista?

Morii: That's right. It's European Vista. I hope you'll go see it at the cinema.

Q: The images that appear in various places in the film, shot with a camera set up in the middle of the road, are very impressive. I felt a strong sense of richness in depth. Are they all shot with the same lens and the same millimeter width?

Morii: You're really observant (laughs). This time I was using a zoom lens, and I think I was using something between 35mm and 50mm. I slightly changed the millimeter of the lens in some places, but I was trying to make it look like it was taken with a prime lens.

Q: Did you draw anything like a storyboard?

Morii: I had drawn it up in my mind. I would flip through it to make sure the look was correct. It was purely for my own use, so I didn't show it to Iwanaga-kun.

Q: Even though you drew the storyboard, you didn't show it to the photographer.

Morii: Well, maybe it was because I was bad at it (laughs).

Q: So you told them everything verbally.

Morii: Orally. I also told him my image of the film and asked him to watch three films: " Children in the Wind " (1937) by Shimizu Hiroshi, " Moving " (1993) by Somai Shinji, and " Mouchette " (1967) by Robel Bresson. I gave him DVDs. But Iwanaga said, "I just can't watch Bresson's films," and refused to watch them (laughs).

Q: Indeed, while watching this film, there were times when I was reminded of Tabata Tomoko from "Moving."

Morii: People who have seen the film talk a lot about " The Moving ."

“This is Amiko” ©2022 “This is Amiko” Film Partners

Q: Iwanaga-san's work was very interesting as it was completely different from the work of director Imaizumi Rikiya, with whom you often work.

Morii: It's completely different. This time, I asked them to shoot my face in the center of the screen. I think that's because they shot it high up, but Iwanaga-kun doesn't shoot like that in other movies.

Q: In the school scene at the beginning, there is a memorable long shot of all the children coming out at the end of school. How was that shot?

Morii: School corridors are usually indoors, but Hiroshima schools have a unique structure in which the corridors are outside. A lot of children gathered. I also called out to the kids who came to the audition, and I think there were about 120 kids in that cut.

Q: You said that you prioritized the children's feelings over efficiency, but in other words, it was a luxurious shoot where you took your time. Was it difficult to finish the shoot smoothly?

Morii: We always finished filming around evening. We filmed for a total of 21 days, so we didn't have much time, but Iwanaga and I had decided what to shoot, and we were done once we got that. That's why I think it was probably quick. As long as we got that shot, we didn't care what the kids were doing. So it wasn't difficult. It might have been difficult when Amiko was too free, but everyone was playing (laughs). It might not have been difficult.

I want to make a strange movie