The Secret Behind the Ultra-Analog Production by a Film Director and an Advertiser: "The Two Are Best Friends" (Part 2)

Film director Daihachi Yoshida, creator of hits like "Kirishima, Quit the Club" and "Paper Moon," and Keiji Tajima of Dentsu Inc. have been friends for 20 years. They first met as opponents in a soccer match, later teaming up as director and commercial planner to create numerous commercials. How has their relationship changed amidst such sweeping times of change? Or rather, how have they managed to stay the same? How do the production environments of film and advertising differ? How did they generate ideas in this digital age? This is the second part of their candid conversation, covering the challenges they've overcome in various workplaces, the work methods and production techniques refined over their long relationship.

 

Finally, onto the topic of film

Tajima: I'd like to hear about film now. How did you come to direct "Kirishima, Quit the Club"?

Yoshida: A producer who saw my previous film, "Permanent Wild Rose," brought me the original novel. Just seeing the cover of the book made me think "Kiritoshi~" was a story about high school youth, something far removed from my own experience. I started reading the novel while thinking about how to decline the offer.

But then, just like when making commercials, I found a thread within myself – a point where I could really dig in. Once that happens, you just want to try it out, right? There's a scene in the original where Hiroki (played by Masahiro Higashide) and Maeda (played by Ryunosuke Kamiki) briefly cross paths. I fell in love with that scene. I decided to make that my goal and build the story around how to get there. As I did that, parts diverged significantly from the original, but it ended up working out well.

Tajima: Precisely because everyone experiences youth, getting it wrong is scary, right?

Yoshida: Exactly. If there are 50 students in a class, that means 50 different youth stories. Most youth films focus on a pretty limited slice—like the super cute girl, the slightly clumsy girl, and the cool guy. With this film, like the original "Kiri-shima~," I wanted to show that there could be perspectives from kids in all sorts of different positions.

Tajima: The rooftop climax in "Kiri-shima..." was memorable. Is that kind of climax something you deliberately plan?

Yoshida: We decided on it relatively early in the scriptwriting process. We also came up with things like introducing realistic-looking zombies at the end, which weren't in the original work at all.

I think the source material for a film is like the concept for a commercial. As long as you firmly grasp the spirit within that concept, it's okay if the expression changes; it won't lose its focus. I've made several films now, and while some adaptations have boldly changed the source material, I have a very good relationship with the original authors. I think that's because they appreciate that I'm adapting within the spirit of their original work.

Tajima: In filmmaking, have you learned anything from commercials?

Yoshida: For over 20 years in commercial production, I focused on how much I could surprise people with the director's storyboard compared to the concept storyboard. However, if the direction completely transformed the concept, it was hard to get acceptance. That's why I trained myself to obsess over the minutest details. So, through commercial production, I learned to identify the points where it's okay to omit or add elements. I think that's become one of my strengths as a film director.

Tajima: Ohachi-san, you once said, "Kiri-shima~ has left my hands. That's a good thing."

Yoshida: More and more people who see the film "Kiri-shima..." are starting to read the original novel. The collective weight of how everyone perceives it has become far greater than my own intentions in making the film. At this point, I really can't interfere anymore.

Tajima: The film you released after 'Kirishima~', 'Paper Moon', was quite shocking. Was casting Miyazawa Rie as the female bank employee who embezzles money a decision made from the very beginning?

Yoshida: No. When the script was solidifying, the producer suggested several candidates. Among them, Miyazawa Rie felt the furthest from the protagonist, Umezawa Rika. But in both good and bad ways, she felt the most unpredictable. In that sense, it was a gamble, but I had this vague feeling like, "Maybe I should take a chance," so I approached her.

Tajima: I read the original novel before seeing the film, so I was surprised they cast Rie Miyazawa as the lead. The novel spends time on Rika gradually being drawn to the younger man, but the film shortened that part and expanded others, right?

Yoshida: I was interested in what happened after Rika embezzled the bank money and fled. So initially, I told the producer I wanted the script to be about half just her running, running, running. That idea cooled off as we developed the script (laughs).

This story is about the protagonist, Umezawa Rika's, downfall, so it's not portrayed positively. Even so, I thought that within her, there must have been a moment of letting go, a kind of catharsis. So I established the keyword "refreshing downfall" and communicated that to the screenwriter and producer as we moved forward.

Tajima: So you intentionally included more scenes of their descent into ruin.

Yoshida: I kept the process of Rika and the college guy developing a relationship brief, thinking that since they're a man and a woman, it's understandable that they'd become involved the moment they locked eyes. Reviews from viewers harshly pointed out, "It was hard to understand why those two ended up together," but that was intentional.

Tajima: The line from Sumi Yoriko, played by Satomi Kobayashi, where she tells the protagonist, "But you got to do what you wanted, didn't you?" really stuck with me.

Yoshida: That character wasn't in the original novel. The novel uses various characters' monologues to show the protagonist, Rika, from an outside perspective. For the film, I wanted the audience's feelings to be projected onto one of the characters. Naturally, that led to "Sumiyori Yoko," who shares the audience's viewpoint.

 

Applying What I Learned from Commercials to Film Production

Tajima: Is there a difference between directing TV commercials and films?

Yoshida: As I mentioned earlier, if we use soccer as an analogy, directing commercials is like being a "forward," while directing films is like being the "coach." When making a film, you need to maintain a broad perspective to oversee the entire picture.

Tajima: Ohachi-san's films have a commercial-like feel in their shot composition and editing, right? I think that creates the "pacing" that keeps viewers engaged... Commercials are 30 seconds, but films are two hours long, so I sometimes wonder if incorporating commercial directing and editing techniques must be quite challenging.

Yoshida: I hadn't realized it myself, but that might be true. Especially with the first and second films, I think I approached them like I was directing commercials—focusing more on choreographing actors shot by shot rather than on the overall performance. There was definitely a commercial feel to it. But as I continued making films, my approach gradually shifted toward first directing the scene and then deciding how to cut it—a more cinematic method.

Tajima: We worked on various commercials together, but I always felt there was a cinematic "pause" in Daihachi-san's direction, giving it the feel of a scene from a movie. Perhaps, unconsciously, he already had this desire to make films.
Finally, please tell us about your latest work, "Beautiful Star."

Yoshida: "Beautiful Star" is a rare science fiction work by Yukio Mishima, about a family who awaken to the realization that they are aliens. The original novel was written in 1962 during the US-Soviet Cold War, with the fear of nuclear war as its backdrop. This film is an adaptation that transposes that story to the present day. It's scheduled for release next May, so please do see it.

Tajima: Daihachi-san is like an older brother to me. We creative directors and planners are constantly anxious about how the things we find interesting will spread in the world. But I can honestly consult Daihachi-san about those worries. He's the only one who truly knows the destination. Having such a confidant is a strength for creatives, and I consider it a real blessing.
Thank you for today.

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You can also read the interview here on AdTie!
Planning & Production: Dentsu Inc. Event & Space Design Bureau, Aki Kanahara