“Drainage” Director Masaya Takahashi x Producer Kazuya Shiraishi Until the script that was rumored in the industry sees the light of day [Director's Interview Vol.320]

A script that has become a hot topic in the industry

(Editorial Department): Apparently this script was ``a great script that was being talked about within the industry.''

Shiraishi: That's right. Everyone loves stories about things that go awry for various reasons right up to the production stage, so you can easily hear rumors about them (lol). I had heard from many people that it was a good script, and I had always wanted to read such a good book. However, it wasn't about me, so I got so busy that I forgot about it. So when I was approached to read it, I thought, ``This is that book!'' and it was actually amazing. It's a world that doesn't exist for me, and I didn't know the details of how many times it failed, but I had a strong feeling that they were probably rewriting it on a regular basis. I guess he didn't give up and worked hard to fix it with persistence. What was the actual final draft?

Takahashi: I think it's probably 8 or 9. I remember up to the 7th draft (lol).

Shiraishi: I felt that Mr. Takahashi's sincerity, including his involvement with movies, came out very clearly in the script. So as soon as I read it, I told him, ``I want to meet director Takahashi. I don't know if I'll be able to do it in the end, though.'' But when I read the script, I felt like I knew what kind of person he was before we met. When I actually met him, I was really impressed by his personality and quiet demeanor. Mr. Takahashi, do you remember what you said first?

Takahashi: No, I don't remember the details. All I remember is that Mr. Shiraishi read it to me. I forgot exactly what I meant (lol).

(From left) Producer Kazuya Shiraishi, Director Masaya Takahashi

Shiraishi: The quality of the script you read was high, but did you feel a sense of elation, thinking, ``This script might change my life?''

Takahashi: I thought that I could make a movie with this script, but I didn't realize that it would change my future film career (lol). But I felt that it would be a good work. As a commercial film, it may or may not sell well, but we received a lot of support from the staff and cast around us, saying it was a really good script and we should make it into a movie. It was well received. However, when we brought it to the distribution side as a business, we ended up with people saying things like, ``It's a bit plain,'' and ``I wonder who would watch a movie like this now.'' (laughs)

I think there was a way to reduce the scale of the movie and make it on a small budget, but if there are people who say it's a good script, I'd like to make it in a way that many people can see it. . As a result of my efforts without giving in as much as possible, I was able to have Haruhiko Hasegawa, the producer who was in charge of the book, read it, and as a result, I ended up having Mr. Shiraishi read it as well.

Shiraishi: You were able to continue without getting spoiled (lol).

Takahashi: It was almost rotten (lol). I took it to distribution companies about twice a year, but the reality was that I couldn't do it myself, thinking, ``I can't do this myself.'' When the script I gave him was sent back to me, I thought, ``Maybe it's not good after all.'' I didn't have any name or ability, so I felt that again and thought, ``If I were the director, it wouldn't work.'' I also thought that the chances of it becoming a movie would be higher if someone else directed it and I worked on the planning and production. However, there were times when I didn't know who to direct it, and some people told me that Takahashi should be the director, so I decided to keep my head down and persevere a little longer.

Shiraishi: But it's taking shape like this, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

Takahashi: I was very happy when I heard that Mr. Shiraishi would read the script and support me. Mr. Shiraishi has been drawing themes that include social issues, so if those kinds of people like it, I think it will go well. I had been rejected in many ways, but I was very grateful to be picked up and helped like this.

Photographing children with a focus on sequential shooting