"Ice Cream Fever" Director Tetsuya Chihara Any way you do it, just do it yourself [Director's Interview Vol.332]

Riho Yoshioka and Marika Matsumoto were the core of the movie.

Q: The sense and skills that you have cultivated through design are on full display, but I don't think you have had any experience in creating or directing a play before. How was that handled?

Chihara: That was exactly the part I was most worried about. I've shot music videos before, but I didn't have any lines. So I got to see the movie sets of Mika Ninagawa and Isshin Inudou, and I was glued to them all day. I even talked to Sayuri Yoshinaga when I was working as director Inudo (lol). Ninagawa-san and Inudo-san all said, ``There's no need to learn anything special, the most important thing is to be like Chihara-kun.'' Mr. Ninagawa was originally a still cameraman, but when it came to making a movie, the number of staff suddenly increased, and he said, ``Being yourself is the most important thing for a movie, because you get absorbed in the atmosphere on set. Just don't forget that.'' He gave it to me. As I listened to various stories like that, I started to think that it was better not to worry about what kind of production other people were doing.

The way I thought about directing was to create an environment where the actors could give 100% of themselves. I felt like the director and the actors decided on the details of the characters that wouldn't be revealed publicly, and the director and the actors shared those settings, creating a portrait of the characters before going into the movie, but I don't think that's really the case. For example, the hobbies, preferences, and childhood experiences of the characters can be whatever the person playing them likes, and it's fine as long as they bring out the character as they are. I try to create a situation where the person's true nature comes out as much as possible on set, and when I am asked, ``Which is better, A or B?'', I ask them back, ``Which is easier for you to do?'' I entrusted it to you.

“Ice Cream Fever” ©2023 “Ice Cream Fever” Production Committee

Q: I had the impression that Riho Yoshioka and Marika Matsumoto were the core of the play. I felt that the convincing acting of the two actors made the stylish visuals into a movie.

Chihara: It took about three years to make this movie, and during that time I watched a lot of movies made by so-called video creators. There were some things that didn't feel like movies because they were so focused on making the images interesting and strange. At that time, I happened to watch `` A Wonderful World '' (20), and I was moved to tears by the simplicity of the production. I guess they're really just following people, and they're not trying to make strange videos at all. I realized that I need to carefully consider the balance between what I want to do.

It's not that there's anything wrong with trying to be weird, but it ends up becoming an extension of the music video. If all the images are bizarre, I get tired of it, and my heart doesn't turn to it. I think something like human rhythm is necessary in movies. I paid attention to the pros and cons of that aspect.

“Ice Cream Fever” ©2023 “Ice Cream Fever” Production Committee

I also asked Riho Yoshioka and Marika Matsumoto to be the core of the project, and to bring a sense of what it's like to be making a movie. The two of them sensed the atmosphere of this movie on the first day of filming. On the first day, he sensed what level of acting would be appropriate for this movie. Mr. Yoshioka's co-stars on the day he started working were all non-actors, including Serina Mottola, Junpei Goto (Jarujaru), Momo (Charan Porantan), and Utaha (Wednesday Campanella). It was as if Mr. Yoshioka sensed, ``Ah, this is what it's about'' after saying one or two lines, and it was as if a switch had suddenly turned on for Yoshioka-san. I felt like, ``This is the tone of this movie. I have to lead the way.'' It was very reliable.

Marika Matsumoto also seemed to know that it was different on the first day. Normally movies need to be realistic, so I think people choose clothes that match their personalities. But in this movie, regardless of personality, everyone has cute hairstyles and wears fashionable clothes. Rather than reality, priority was given to the 90's feel and atmosphere, and Tetsuya Chihara was the director, which is why the clothes and hairstyles are that way. However, on the first day of filming, Marika, who had a realistic hairstyle, was asked, ``I'm not into it, am I?'' However, the next day I changed my hairstyle to that (princess cut). This time, instead of prioritizing reality, I thought it would be better to make it fashionable for inclusion in this movie. After doing that, I was hooked without any discomfort. Those two people had a solid understanding of this movie and were the ones who pulled it together.

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Director: Tetsuya Chihara

Born in 1975. Born in Kyoto Prefecture. As an art director, he has worked on various genres such as advertising (H&M, Nissin Cup Noodles x Laforet Harajuku, etc.), corporate branding (Unnana Cool, etc.), CD jackets (Keisuke Kuwata's "Garakuta", Kayoko Yoshizawa, etc.), drama production, commercial production, etc. I handle the design. In addition, as a producer, he is involved in a wide range of activities, including hosting ``Katte Ni Southern DAY,'' initiating the Tokyo support logo ``KISS, TOKYO,'' and managing Fujiyoshida City's revitalization community ``Kissa Lemon.''

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

"Ice Cream Fever"

July 14th (Friday) TOHO Cinemas Hibiya, Shibuya Cine Quinto and other nationwide releases

Distribution: Parco

©2023 “Ice Cream Fever” Production Committee