"Missing Child Videotape" Director Ryota Kondo x General Producer Takashi Shimizu: The Sense of Shooting a "Scary Atmosphere" [Director's Interview Vol. 466]

The ability to capture a "scary atmosphere"

Q: Director Kondo, it seems that Japanese horror has been ingrained in you since you were a child. What was the trigger that made you switch from "being scared" to "scaring others"?

Kondo: I've always been the type of person who, when I see something, wants to do it myself. If I read a children's ghost story book, I want to tell it to people and scare them, and if I read a manga, I want to write a manga about it. I've been doing things like that over and over, so it was a natural progression for me to share what I've absorbed with others and have them enjoy it.

Shimizu: A lot of people who become creators are like that. I was exactly like that. When there is a popular manga in class, everyone just reads it and likes it, but I want to imitate it and make my own arrangements. I want to try it out, thinking, "If this works, maybe my idea is more interesting?" I want to actually make it and see my friends' reactions. I think Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno are probably the same. I think that's what makes people creators.

"Missing Child Videotape" ©︎2024 "Missing Child Videotape" Production Committee

Q: What was it about Director Kondo that made you see his talent for horror?

Shimizu: Director Kondo himself stated that this time there would be no CG, no special makeup, and no jump scares. I also don't want to compete only in areas that anyone can do, such as jump scares and special makeup. However, producers and people at film companies who don't usually watch horror films often ask for a scary feeling that is easy for the general public to understand. I understand that this is important, but I want to compete in a different area. However, no matter how knowledgeable you are about horror, if you go too far and don't understand it, it's not acceptable on a commercial basis. It's important to be able to capture a scary atmosphere while keeping the balance right. Just by taking a shot of the mountain without any explanation, the person's personality comes out. Whether or not you can capture a scary atmosphere depends on your individual temperament and sensibility, which cannot be achieved through training, and Director Kondo certainly has that something.

When I'm selecting the "Japan Horror Movie Awards," I always think about it. It's important not to just imitate someone else, but to have something different from others. If you're just shooting something to make it look scary, it's obvious. That sense is important. What the creator is feeling is reflected in the work.

Influenced by "The Invisible Man" and "Loveless"