"Minna no Uta" Directed by Takashi Shimizu Scary rather than Surprise [Director's Interview Vol.341]

The cursed melody is a simple hum

Q: Please tell us how Sana's "Cursed Melody" came about.

Shimizu: We first decided to make the story about a cassette tape being found, and then I remembered about 30 years ago when I was working part-time at a movie theater in Kyoto, and the manager asked me to clean up and dispose of the storeroom. The idea that a cassette tape was the culprit reminded me of the episode of Kaguyahime's farewell concert. Someone had secretly recorded a concert on tape, and there was a sound like a girl crying, and even if you played it backwards, you could still hear the same voice... This story was often featured on ghost story shows in the summer when I was in high school. Even now, if you search for it on YouTube, it comes up right away. When I introduced it to the screenwriter Rumi Kakuta and the producers, no one knew about this story, and I was the only one who knew it, being from the Showa generation (laughs). So I thought, what if the detective who investigates the truth of the incident was from my generation...

Since it's a movie by GENERATIONS, who are musicians, I think it's better to have a melody rather than just a voice, and I wanted something that was slightly sad and gradually felt creepy every time I heard it. The melody that immediately came to mind was the melody of " Rosemary's Baby " (1968). It was like singing the lyrics but not singing them, it was more like humming, so I thought it would be better to have something that simple. I also had them create a melody based on the song that plays at the beginning of " The Amityville Horror " (1979). Songs by Hako Yamazaki and songs by people who sing dark songs were also candidates, but in the end I thought it would be better to have a simple humming.

“Minna no Uta” ©2023 “Minna no Uta” Production Committee

When I explained to them when I was placing the order that it would be "Run, run la la, run run♪" or "Hun, hun hun hun♪", they said, "No, that would sound like the 'Ohmu Theme' from 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'" (laughs). Humming tends to make you think of something pre-existing, so it's surprisingly difficult.

Q: Did you have an image of the voice in mind?

Shimizu: The image of the voice is that of a middle school girl. At first, there was an idea of ​​a high school student, but a middle school girl's identity and physical and mental development are still unstable, and there is a danger of being seduced by some impulse. It is also delicate, so I thought it would be better. The first condition for the audition for the role of Sana was that she look like a middle school girl.

Meeting at an audition