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Column by Scott Green
Kaiju fans, be one the look-out for Negadon: The Monster from Mars. The anime film was directed by Jun Awazu from his original script and rendered in staggeringly realistic, film noir computer graphic style, similar to recent blockbuster hits such as Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow. Credited as the world's first completely computer generated monster movie, Negadon pays homage to a wide variety of 1950's and 60's Japanese monster movies such as Godzilla and Mothra.
Released in Japan theatrically in October 2005, Negadon has won the Outstanding Production Award at the 20th Digital Contents Grand Prix and has been named a Jury Recommended Work at the 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival.
Central Park Media, who will be releasing the film this summer, arranged an interview with Jun Awazu.
Scott Green: Many American kaiju fans were instantly excited about Negadon when they read about the project. Was there the same sort of excitement in Japan? Do you think that there's something universal in the appeal of kaiju monsters?
Jun Awazu: Regretfully, I have to say that Japanese kaiju movies are having less appeal to audiences each year. A lot of kaiju movies were created in the 1960’s and it was established as a major genre. However, it soon was in danger of extinction due to targeting a younger audience, reduction of production budgets, and the consequent decline of quality. Most of people born in 1970’s, myself included, spent their childhood without watching kaiju movies. The ten years from 1975 through 1985 are called the "ice age of kaiju movies" because no kaiju movies were produced during that period. There is a significant gap between the generation which grew up watching kaiju movies and the one which didn’t. Now kaiju movies are niche product and nostalgic genre which the middle aged use to enjoy when they were young.
SG: It's been said that Negadon was the monster movie "created in a garage". Could you describe the creation process?
JA: We were 11 in total, including cast. A friend of mine who is a musician introduced voice actors and actresses. My former teacher referred a CG director to me who introduced a couple of people as staff members. My friend and his girlfriend (she is his wife now) worked on the project too.
SG: What technologies were used? What hardware?
JA: I used a PC, which was composed of parts which I purchased in Akihabara, Tokyo. Many of the parts are made in USA. Windows XP for OS. The software which I used for production is Autodesk/3ds Max 5.1, and Adobe/AfterEffects6.5 (Professional Version). As for plug-ins, I used Digimation/Shag: Hair, Red Giant Software/Knoll Light Factory, RE: Vision Effects/Twixtor.
SG: How long did it take?
JA: It took 28 months including pre-production and post-production. At the beginning, I was planning to complete it within a year, but the schedule got delayed little by little, and finally, the program got about 60 additional cuts, which accounted for the extra time. But, it was not that long time, considering that it was produced by one individual. If I wanted to increase the quality by 20%, I would have needed another year. I did not mean that I compromised and finished it up. In Japanese there is a word "yoi anbai", which means moderation, and a proverb of "sugitaru wa nao oyobazaruga gotoshi" (meaning "The orange that is too hard squeezed yields a bitter juice."). Everything has its own timing. If someone feels like, "something is missing", then, his/her imagination will make this work complete.
SG: Do think you there's an appeal in having a human perform in a monster suit? Is there is something special in the motion of the person? How did you try to recapture it in cgi?
JA: There are two important elements in suitmation - the character’s movement and the costume design. I heard that the person in Godzilla suits studied the way that animals move in order to create a more natural motion. In addition, the design of the suitmation is important. It should not make the audience feel that someone is performing inside a suit. Though these points are important in live action films with special effects, Negadon is CGI. I wanted to reproduce a sense of the texture and mass found in suitmation.
SG: Making Negadon, did you try to distinguish between the kinds of monsters that would be represented by people in suits versus those that would have been traditionally represented by marionettes?
JA: There may be a misunderstanding. Negadon is not the type of monster which an actor plays wearing a suit. Rather, it is a marionette type like Mothra. We hardly see any marionette type monsters in Japan recently because expert marionette players have been decreasing nowadays. Both styles have good points and bad points. I chose a marionette type for Negadon.
SG:. What's your opinion of modern monster movies versus the golden age of the 60's? Does a pure CGI movie capture something that a live action movie with CGI effect lack?
JA: Regardless of recent progress in visual effects by CG, many of "Kaiju Tokusatsu" fans have a strong affection for traditional "suitmation", "marionette-like prop", and "miniature works". So, I thought they might either welcome this all CG-work as the birth of new "Kaiju" movie, or criticize it as blasphemy to the tradition. The result was that many of them accepted it because the CG of the program reproduced the excellent points of the traditional "tokusatsu" techniques. But, strictly speaking, this program is not a simple reproduction of the points, but the expression of its own uniqueness, which is mixture of the traditional "tokusatsu" and the recent Japanese animation technique.
SG: How did you take advantage of what can you do with CGI that you couldn't be done with physical suits and props?
JA: Specifically, CGI has a big advantage of fast movements in action scenes. Unlike live action films, which simply skip frames, I can slow down and speed up the movements freely in one cut with CGI. This gives battle scenes both the sense of gravity and speed, while live action films tend to end up with battle scenes that lack tension and tempo.
SG: Can CGI be used to expand on the classics without changing what made them special?
JA: Yes, it can. However, it is not meaningful to reproduce the classics. People have vague memories of the films which they watched a long time ago. They tend to store the memory in their brains as either better or worse than the film actually was. Their favorite movies must be beautified in their memory. What’s important is to reproduce the image in the brain rather than the films themselves in order to create movies with a classic atmosphere. If you just reproduce the old movie, it will not be a homage, but a parody.
SG: Older effects technologies conveyed a sense of humanity in an effort to overcome their limitations. As a result, the creators seem to leave a deeper impression of their creativity and care than what's seen in most CGI works. Did Negadon aim to capture this handmade spirit? If so, how was this achieved?
JA: I respect something handmade. But, I do not think it is absolute. If you stick to the traditional technique, you will not be able to expect further development. For example, what we call the traditional arts are sometimes seemingly boring, which may be a result of the difference in the rhythm and the rules of expressions in the senses between people of today and those of earlier times. There is a Japanese proverb, "Onko Chishin" (which means, "learn a lesson from the past"). I just wanted to take advantage of that as the proverb went. It is the Japanese way to build on the traditional foundations without destroying the traditional things. I don’t think that it works just to copy the old ones superficially. You have to start with thinking about why such styles were prevailing in the past.
SG: Compared to other animated animation, the push in most CGI film is to get humans to look as life-like as possible. Was this a technical challenge in your project? How does it effect the story telling?
JA: The most challenging aspect of this production was the modeling and animation of the human characters. As for modeling, to give a deep impression while making much of the reality, I added a little bit of exaggeration to it. But, too much exaggeration might make it look like manga. It was difficult to find the well-balanced point. As that was almost my first experience in animating the human characters, it took a lot of trial and error to get it right.
SG: Did you feel the creative freedom of working on your on own on Negadon? How did you take advantage of that?
JA: Yes, I had creative freedom. At least, it is the biggest merit to be able to try one approach, and then, another if it doesn’t work. It may not always be the best to follow the blueprint. You are always required to have the flexibility in applying a better way if you find it.
SG: With the increasing availability of the technology to make CGI movies, do you think there will be more smaller, more independent monster movies?
JA: Unfortunately, I don’t think so. There are fans for that, but "Kaiju"(monster) movies are regarded as just a genre, which used to be popular. Kaiju movies are an endangered breed. It may not be possible for the number of Kaiju movies to increase, but the number of the CGI movies will increase.
SG: I've read that the movie takes place in te 100th year of the Showa period?
JA: What's the significance of that date? Is it a key to the social context of the movie?
In the real world, the Showa Era was over in 1989 - 63 years after its beginning. I was born in the 49th year of the Showa Era (1974). When I was a kid, I thought that the Showa Era would continue forever. As long as I know, Showa was the age of prosperity, dignity and pride. However, Showa ended its 63 year old history when the Showa Emperor died. The "Heisei" Era followed the Showa Era and many people are uncomfortable with the name of this new era. "The 100th year of the Showa Era is impossible, but many people wonder "what if Showa continued?" Even though "the 100th year of the Showa Era" is in the future, this term creates a nostalgic feeling in the Japanese people.
SG: Negadon includes most of the kaiju variants with robots and sci-fi in addition to giant monsters. What inspired you to pack so much into the movie?
JA: Not many of today’s movie goers want to see movies with only Kaiju monsters unless some popular actors are cast. But, CGI movies are evaluated not with the actors, but with the image itself. So, as something else that people can easily sympathize with, other than human beings, I hit upon the human type robot, as Japanese love the robots from earlier times. The reason why the sci-fi element comes in is that it is the future setting. In the cases where the movie is created with CGI, the setting does not have to be the present day. It is easier to create a movie in the past, future or other world with CGI because you don’t have to be as concerned about the difference between reality and the world that you are creating.
SG: Is Negadon leading to larger projects? Are you interested in going on to bigger movies? Are there any plans of building on and extending the world of Negadon?
JA: Thinking about creating a 90 minutes Negadon, it would need at least 10 times the staff and budget. There are many problems. Is it possible to get that many reliable staff? Will it pay? So, the feature length Negadon is not feasible.
©Jun Awazu/CoMix Wave.
JA: Specifically, CGI has a big advantage of fast movements in action scenes. Unlike live action films, which simply skip frames, I can slow down and speed up the movements freely in one cut with CGI. This gives battle scenes both the sense of gravity and speed, while live action films tend to end up with battle scenes that lack tension and tempo.
SG: Can CGI be used to expand on the classics without changing what made them special?
JA: Yes, it can. However, it is not meaningful to reproduce the classics. People have vague memories of the films which they watched a long time ago. They tend to store the memory in their brains as either better or worse than the film actually was. Their favorite movies must be beautified in their memory. What’s important is to reproduce the image in the brain rather than the films themselves in order to create movies with a classic atmosphere. If you just reproduce the old movie, it will not be a homage, but a parody.
SG: Older effects technologies conveyed a sense of humanity in an effort to overcome their limitations. As a result, the creators seem to leave a deeper impression of their creativity and care than what's seen in most CGI works. Did Negadon aim to capture this handmade spirit? If so, how was this achieved?
JA: I respect something handmade. But, I do not think it is absolute. If you stick to the traditional technique, you will not be able to expect further development. For example, what we call the traditional arts are sometimes seemingly boring, which may be a result of the difference in the rhythm and the rules of expressions in the senses between people of today and those of earlier times. There is a Japanese proverb, "Onko Chishin" (which means, "learn a lesson from the past"). I just wanted to take advantage of that as the proverb went. It is the Japanese way to build on the traditional foundations without destroying the traditional things. I don’t think that it works just to copy the old ones superficially. You have to start with thinking about why such styles were prevailing in the past.
SG: Compared to other animated animation, the push in most CGI film is to get humans to look as life-like as possible. Was this a technical challenge in your project? How does it effect the story telling?
JA: The most challenging aspect of this production was the modeling and animation of the human characters. As for modeling, to give a deep impression while making much of the reality, I added a little bit of exaggeration to it. But, too much exaggeration might make it look like manga. It was difficult to find the well-balanced point. As that was almost my first experience in animating the human characters, it took a lot of trial and error to get it right.
SG: Did you feel the creative freedom of working on your on own on Negadon? How did you take advantage of that?
JA: Yes, I had creative freedom. At least, it is the biggest merit to be able to try one approach, and then, another if it doesn’t work. It may not always be the best to follow the blueprint. You are always required to have the flexibility in applying a better way if you find it.
SG: With the increasing availability of the technology to make CGI movies, do you think there will be more smaller, more independent monster movies?
JA: Unfortunately, I don’t think so. There are fans for that, but "Kaiju"(monster) movies are regarded as just a genre, which used to be popular. Kaiju movies are an endangered breed. It may not be possible for the number of Kaiju movies to increase, but the number of the CGI movies will increase.
SG: I've read that the movie takes place in te 100th year of the Showa period?
JA: What's the significance of that date? Is it a key to the social context of the movie?
In the real world, the Showa Era was over in 1989 - 63 years after its beginning. I was born in the 49th year of the Showa Era (1974). When I was a kid, I thought that the Showa Era would continue forever. As long as I know, Showa was the age of prosperity, dignity and pride. However, Showa ended its 63 year old history when the Showa Emperor died. The "Heisei" Era followed the Showa Era and many people are uncomfortable with the name of this new era. "The 100th year of the Showa Era is impossible, but many people wonder "what if Showa continued?" Even though "the 100th year of the Showa Era" is in the future, this term creates a nostalgic feeling in the Japanese people.
SG: Negadon includes most of the kaiju variants with robots and sci-fi in addition to giant monsters. What inspired you to pack so much into the movie?
JA: Not many of today’s movie goers want to see movies with only Kaiju monsters unless some popular actors are cast. But, CGI movies are evaluated not with the actors, but with the image itself. So, as something else that people can easily sympathize with, other than human beings, I hit upon the human type robot, as Japanese love the robots from earlier times. The reason why the sci-fi element comes in is that it is the future setting. In the cases where the movie is created with CGI, the setting does not have to be the present day. It is easier to create a movie in the past, future or other world with CGI because you don’t have to be as concerned about the difference between reality and the world that you are creating.
SG: Is Negadon leading to larger projects? Are you interested in going on to bigger movies? Are there any plans of building on and extending the world of Negadon?
JA: Thinking about creating a 90 minutes Negadon, it would need at least 10 times the staff and budget. There are many problems. Is it possible to get that many reliable staff? Will it pay? So, the feature length Negadon is not feasible.
©Jun Awazu/CoMix Wave.
JA: Yes, I had creative freedom. At least, it is the biggest merit to be able to try one approach, and then, another if it doesn’t work. It may not always be the best to follow the blueprint. You are always required to have the flexibility in applying a better way if you find it.
SG: With the increasing availability of the technology to make CGI movies, do you think there will be more smaller, more independent monster movies?
JA: Unfortunately, I don’t think so. There are fans for that, but "Kaiju"(monster) movies are regarded as just a genre, which used to be popular. Kaiju movies are an endangered breed. It may not be possible for the number of Kaiju movies to increase, but the number of the CGI movies will increase.
SG: I've read that the movie takes place in te 100th year of the Showa period?
JA: What's the significance of that date? Is it a key to the social context of the movie? In the real world, the Showa Era was over in 1989 - 63 years after its beginning. I was born in the 49th year of the Showa Era (1974). When I was a kid, I thought that the Showa Era would continue forever. As long as I know, Showa was the age of prosperity, dignity and pride. However, Showa ended its 63 year old history when the Showa Emperor died. The "Heisei" Era followed the Showa Era and many people are uncomfortable with the name of this new era. "The 100th year of the Showa Era is impossible, but many people wonder "what if Showa continued?" Even though "the 100th year of the Showa Era" is in the future, this term creates a nostalgic feeling in the Japanese people.
SG: Negadon includes most of the kaiju variants with robots and sci-fi in addition to giant monsters. What inspired you to pack so much into the movie?
JA: Not many of today’s movie goers want to see movies with only Kaiju monsters unless some popular actors are cast. But, CGI movies are evaluated not with the actors, but with the image itself. So, as something else that people can easily sympathize with, other than human beings, I hit upon the human type robot, as Japanese love the robots from earlier times. The reason why the sci-fi element comes in is that it is the future setting. In the cases where the movie is created with CGI, the setting does not have to be the present day. It is easier to create a movie in the past, future or other world with CGI because you don’t have to be as concerned about the difference between reality and the world that you are creating.
SG: Is Negadon leading to larger projects? Are you interested in going on to bigger movies? Are there any plans of building on and extending the world of Negadon?
JA: Thinking about creating a 90 minutes Negadon, it would need at least 10 times the staff and budget. There are many problems. Is it possible to get that many reliable staff? Will it pay? So, the feature length Negadon is not feasible.
©Jun Awazu/CoMix Wave.
See Negon Attacks for more information.
