Let's think about thinking ―Copywriting and film both originate in the brain― (Part 2)

Film director Miwa Nishikawa, who has produced hit films like " The Long Excuse" and " Dear Doctor," is currently filming her own Naoki Prize-nominated work " The Long Excuse " (scheduled for release in 2016). Copywriter Masayoshi Taniyama, who assists with promotional copy for her films, facilitated this conversation between the two. Moderating the discussion is Shinichi Fukusato of One Sky, who has worked extensively with Mr. Tanigawa and is also a fan of Ms. Nishikawa's films. What does it mean to think? How does the brain generate ideas? The top runners in their respective fields traced their creative processes and discussed these questions. Here is the second part of their conversation.

(From left) Mr. Tanigawa, Mr. Nishikawa, Mr. Fukusato

Nishikawa asks Tanigawa a question
"When you're thinking of ideas, do you show them to someone? Or do you think them through on your own?"

Fukusato: Next, from Nishikawa-san. "When you're still at a stage where you can't make the plan public, and you're struggling to choose ideas or can't make an objective judgment, do you show it to someone or consult with them? Are you someone who immediately seeks others' opinions? Or do you agonize over it alone until the last minute? If you do seek opinions, who are those people?"

Taniyama: I don't show it to amateurs. People outside advertising are just speaking their own opinions, right? In contrast, true advertising professionals carry the perspectives of hundreds of thousands, even millions of people. So, ideally, I want to hear from those kinds of people.

Fukusato: Do you actually consult anyone, Mr. Tanigawa?

Taniyama: I don't consult any specific person. My mentor is Takuya Onuki, but if I showed him my work, he'd completely overturn it from the ground up (laughs).

Nishikawa: Do you consult with anyone, Fukusato-san?

Fukusato: I don't actively seek advice, but when I come up with an idea, I ask everyone for their opinions. Advertising needs to be accepted by the public, so I believe that incorporating a little bit of everyone's input creates a certain flexibility that leads to broader reach. At my age, it's common to also serve as a CD, but I'm not really the type who wants to do that. I worry that if I handle both planning and judging, I might become too rigid within my own perspective.

Nishikawa: That's exactly what I'm struggling with... You really do become rigid. When you spend about a year and a half refining a draft from the initial idea, everyone around you becomes hesitant and reluctant to voice complaints. As you gain age and experience, it gets harder to get constructive criticism, and I really feel that sense of becoming the Emperor with no clothes. I'm searching for friends who will give me honest feedback.

 

Nishikawa → To Taniyama
"What did you learn in your youth?"

Fukusato: Continuing from Mr. Nishikawa. "When something other than your own best idea is chosen, how do you respond? Do you accept it immediately? Or do you have a way to shift your perspective?"

Taniyama: I don't really have a "best" idea within myself. If a client says, "This proposal is really great," I tend to think, "Oh, really?" Ultimately, since it's work that makes others happy, I think it's better to trust what others say is good and go with it. Rather than accepting or rejecting it, I end up feeling more like, "Oh, I see. Thank you for letting me know."

Fukusato: One more thing. "Looking back from when you first became a copywriter to now, how do you think your style has changed? Things you could do when you were young versus things only you can do now, things you've gained, things you've lost, and so on."

Taniyama: I think I processed an incredible amount of information in my twenties. I always slept eight hours a day, but I wrote about 300 pieces of copy daily. Now, I've learned to calculate what kind of change this word can bring to the world before and after it's released. I'm 54 now, but I still compete on sheer volume of thought. I'm not the kind of soccer player called a "fantastista" who makes unbelievable plays, but I think I'm the type who runs around nonstop for the full 90 minutes.

Fukusato: Mr. Nishikawa, is there anything that has changed about you since you were young?

Nishikawa: I think my style has changed. Before, my thought process was about peeling back the surface of things that looked beautiful and trying to break them down. Now, I might be starting to turn my attention toward what it means to rebuild what's broken. I think it's because I've come to deeply understand how incredibly difficult it is to continue something and nurture it.

 

Taniyama → Nishikawa
"How do you approach the final scene of a film?"

Fukusato: This is a question from Mr. Tanigawa. "This might sound incredibly rude, but I get the impression that Mr. Nishikawa relies more on sheer volume of thought than on flashes of inspiration. I also consider myself the same type, and I've been feeling a kind of sympathy toward you. Is that perception correct?"

Nishikawa: I never get flashes of inspiration, and I have no concentration. I have to sit at my desk and push myself to the limit before I can write. It's clear I'm no fantasista either.

Fukusato: So, does scriptwriting still feel like the core of your creative process, Mr. Nishikawa?

Nishikawa: I've never really felt I had much visual talent. I'm more the type who builds thoughts with words. Writing helps me understand what I want to do and see the story emerge, so scriptwriting is definitely at the core of my work.

Taniyama: That said, there are many memorable scenes. Fukusato-san, I believe you referenced Nishikawa-san's films in your own commercials...?

Fukusato: For the Daihatsu third eco-car commercial, the scene where Eita comes back to his hometown in an American car was inspired by the scene in "Sway" where Odagiri Joe returns home.

Nishikawa: Ah! I thought it was a great commercial (laughs).

Taniyama: That said, I absolutely love the visuals of the final scene in "Yureru."

Fukusato: So that wasn't inspired by the scene either? It came from the setting?

Nishikawa: To use a tree analogy, sometimes ideas start from the tips of the leaves. The ending of 'Swaying' just popped into my head, and then I spent a long time filling in the branches and leaves between the trunk and the leaves, figuring out how to get to that final destination.

Fukusato: Finally, about how you end your films. Even when Nishikawa-san's works have a clear conclusion as a story, they often strongly suggest life continues beyond the screen. The length difference from commercials makes it hard to draw direct parallels, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

Nishikawa: The themes I tackle are so deeply complicated that I can't just wrap them up simply with "happy ending!" where everyone reconciles and lives happily ever after. Personally, I also love endings that make you think, "Wait, that's it?" Like Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men or Dog Day Afternoon, I find that endings that leave life fragmented and unresolved feel more vividly alive. I think I'm influenced by that.

Fukusato: That's the end of the questions. Mr. Taniyama, have you finished the tagline for The Long Apology yet?

Taniyama: I'm still in the middle of presenting it. Mr. Nishikawa's films are really tough to come up with taglines for.

Nishikawa: That's exactly why I'm asking you to make it work. Mr. Tanigawa always comes up with phrases that absolutely wouldn't come from someone in the film industry.

Taniyama: Is it a home drama? A love story? I tried summarizing Nishikawa's films in three seconds, hyping them up... It's hard to say it briefly.

Fukusato: That's precisely why it's a movie—because you can't capture it in a single word. Mr. Nishikawa, what were your impressions today?

Nishikawa: I've always felt that while films and ads both create visuals and words, there's been little exchange of ideas or talent between them. Today, hearing about completely different approaches to brainstorming and ways of thinking from Mr. Taniyama and Mr. Fukusato was incredibly valuable. Thank you very much.

<End>

You can also read the interview here on AdTie!

Planning & Production: Aki Kanahara, Dentsu Inc. Event & Space Design Bureau