"THU JAPAN 2023" Director Chie Hayakawa: The fun of "directing" revealed through acting [CINEMORE ACADEMY Vol.33]

The fun of directing revealed through acting

Q: Going off topic a bit, I heard that director Shuichi Okita's independent film "Hey! Don-chan" (21) started as a workshop. I heard that Director Okita was always laughing while directing, and this is exactly what they mean when they say "directors are professionals at watching."

Hayakawa: I also went to see "Oi! Don-chan." There's a legend that Okita's own laughter gets recorded in the footage, and it actually did make it into "Oi! Don-chan" (laughs). One actor said that what makes him happiest is when the director is laughing out loud while watching. I think that's so true. That's Okita's talent.

Q: Director Hayakawa's film " PLAN 75 " stars Baisho Chieko, but how was it actually directed?

Hayakawa: Baisho-san didn't need any direction (laughs). She was usually fine with just one take, but if I told her, "I'd like it to be a little more like this," she was able to do it right away. When we were shooting Baisho-san's scenes, I was just in awe and thought, "Amazing...!"

During filming, it often turned out much better when the actors were allowed to do what they wanted than what I had imagined. So rather than trying to change things through my own power as director, it was more interesting to collaborate with the actors. That's when I first realized, "This is what's so interesting about directing." Until then, I'd mistakenly thought that the director had to know everything and communicate it, but sometimes the actors know more than me, and sometimes things become clear as we work together. When I realized I wasn't alone, I felt like my anxiety disappeared. The same was true with the staff in each department. You can create something really good by borrowing the help of many different people. That's what I learned from making the film.

I try to communicate this to the actors in my workshops. As a director, I don't know everything, so by telling them, "I want you all to lend me your strength," and "Please feel free to say what you think," it becomes easier for each of them to unleash their inherent creativity and imagination. This makes it fun for the actors, and it makes me happy too. It makes me so happy to see everyone's bright faces and comments at the end of the workshop, saying, "That was fun!"

Film director: Chie Hayakawa

He directed one of the stories in the omnibus film Ten Years Japan (2018). His first feature film, PLAN 75 (2022), which reconstructed the story from that short film, was officially selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and won the Camera d'Or special award for new directors.

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.

THU JAPAN: https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/ja/bootcamps/thu-japan

Instagram: @thu_japan