2+4x4 : Update 1

I was able to start the 2+4x4 project in earnest today. I've split Elle's work into 4 videos based on her collections categories and then thought about a colour and theme for each one. I then went about finding a suitable piece of poetry that I had written. Then it was just a simple process of putting it all together on the time-line to create a sort of animated slide-show.

The next process is writing and adding the music, and that will be where the energy and emotion of each short video will come out.

There will be four videos, these will be (running times included):
2+4x4 Butterfly / Endymion 3:10
2+4x4 Dreams / Solo 2:30
2+4x4 Goddess / The Unholy Temple of The Accused 2:30
2+4x4 Snakes & Ropes / Family Viewing 3:00

Below are 2 samples from 2+4x4 Butterfly / Endymion. This shows how the images and graphics may look next to each other.

Music Influences : The Cure: Pictures Of You

I was very pleased to find this Cure video on IFILM. This track is from the Disintegration album that I mentioned in the 'Keeping up with the Goths' post last week. Something of a coincidence I'd say. Just check out that guitar sound.

2+4x4

The Art/Film/Music/Poetry project I'm doing with Elizabeth (Elle) Sison will be known as 2+4x4. This wont be a big labour intensive or time consuming project and I'm hoping it'll be done before Design Festa.

I made an example video for Elle today and I'm just waiting on her approval before I continue with it. I hope to produce four 2min 30secs videos.

Design Festa *Free pass

As I mentioned on September 19th, I will have a stall at this year's Design Festa on December 2nd & 3rd. All the details came through today, I'll let you know the details closer to the time.

I have 3 extra exhibitors passes so if anyone would like to spend the day with me at DF then get in touch.

You'll be able to enjoy the whole event free of charge!!

Elizabeth Sison Takagi

Last night I went to Shinjuku to meet a talented Filipino artist Elizabeth Sison Takagi. She's a graphic artist and her art has a very erotic and sensual look and feel, incorporating nudes, ropes, snakes, butterflies and some religious references.

We have talked about the possibility of some kind of collaboration in the not to distant future, although the exact nature of this is not clear yet. But something along these lines...
This is a link to her website.
www.elizabethsison.com

I got home late however because of a delay on the Keihin Tohoku, so work was something of a challenge.

Keeping up with the Goths

People who have watched both GIRL ALONE and GLOOM will have heard my attempts at music, ahem (clears throat)...well my style of play and the sound I prefer is greatly influenced by the 1980's UK Gothic Music scene. Bands like The Cult, Sisters Of Mercy, The Cure, Fields Of The Nephilim and Bauhaus have greatly influenced me.

To achieve the 'jangly' 80's Gothic sound I use a Guyatone analog delay and a Boss Chorus CE-3. But I felt that I wasn't getting enough chorus sound, I wanted my guitar to sound like The Cure in Plainsong from Disintergration. So I went out and bought a second chorus pedal. It's made in Japan by Hot Line Music and it's called Buskers Chorus BCH-4.

That extra depth to the sound will be very important. Now I will sound even more Goth than ever!!!

Art Collaborations

Hi everyone.

I haven't been blogging so much recently as, to be honest, I haven't been doing so much. After GLOOM I have pretty much finished film making for 2006, but of course I still have Design Festa to think about and plan a few smaller projects for.

I've been thinking a lot recently about doing some kind of art project with a Fine Artist or Graphic Designer or even an Anime/Manga artist. I want to combine 4 areas.

1. The Artist's 'Art'.
2. My poetry (I've written a lot over the years).
3. My guitar music.
4. Computer graphics and titles.

I have made a few enquiries to artists around Asia (Japan/Taiwan) but I haven't had any positive responses yet.

So, if you are an Artist, Painter, Graphic Designer, Photographer, Illustrator, Comic Book Artist, etc, and you would like to collaborate with me then please get in touch.

Exclusive Interview with Rich

"I wanted to get some acting experience, because as a director you need to understand what the actors are thinking. I think some directors are more interested in visual things...they're not so interested in the acting side of things"

Here is the link to my interview with Marcus McLelland. Please enjoy. It's quite a long interview so those of you who aren't native speakers of English may need plenty of time and a dictionary to read it. Hahahaha. But, I hope it gives you some insight into me and my film-making.

The Interview

Déjà Vu

One of my favorite Hollywood Directors is Tony Scott. His new movie is called Déjà Vu a dark, time travelling, thriller with Denzel Washington. You can see the trailer for it at the following link:

Déjà Vu

Gloom

グゥム　リェス

Now, I know I said it would be Design Festa exclusive, but I changed my mind, so GLOOM is now available to watch at the following link:

Gloom.wmv

Gloom : Music

I recorded the music for GLOOM today. Very nice! I love making music. The sound is very similar to the stuff I did for GIRL ALONE but this is a little more Gothic, and by that I mean 'jangly guitars', dark chords and tons of chorus and delay. I can't seem to escape this aesthetic that when I write music.

Gloom : Update 2

I had an enjoyable stroll around my neighborhood yesterday and was able to get a lot of good shots. I started editing and have an edit of around 4:45, which is about right for this mini-project.

Today it's time to make the music. I'll be writing/recording something very similar to the music I made for GIRL ALONE but this will have more of a theme (less random).

Here's a shot of me with my 'beautiful' city behind me.

Mirrors

The Queen also possessed a magic mirror, to whom she would often ask "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?", and to which the mirror would always reply, "You are". But after Snow White became seven (which is the official age that a girl becomes a maiden) when she asked her mirror, it responded, "Queen, you're the fairest where you are, but Snow White is more beautiful by far".

I've realized that I'm obsessed with mirrors. They crop up in all my drama films and in the case of GIRL ALONE and BLOODSHOT not once but twice. You might say that I use mirrors to help the characters show 'reflection'. Cliche perhaps, but I'm sure it will come up again in future films, so look out for it.

Gloom : Graphics Preview

Over the weekend I've been experimenting with graphics and images for GLOOM. I've decided that I will use the Modern-art typeface for the graphics and use dark red text as it's quite striking.

The image used in this shot is of the industrial area around Mt. Fuji. Anyone who has ever taken the Shinkansen down to Mishima or Shizuoka-shi will have seen this view before. It's quite disgusting. (However, I wont be using this image in the final edit, as it doesn't belong to me).

Gloom : Update 1

It's a beautiful sunny day in Yokohama, in fact the light is perfect for filming so today I'm going to take a walk around the bay/port area and try to capture as many shots of industrial air pollution as I can, I'm hoping it's a lot! (unfortunately).

I had to do a lot of research for this film, so I've been reading about air pollution in Japan and it's affect on children's health, especially as dioxins can cause increases in bronchitis and asthma. (Both issues particularly pertinent to my life).

I've uncovered a lot of quite alarming facts...

"(in Japan) Air pollution caused by sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions has led to a rapid increase in the number of people suffering from bronchitis"

(The National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. US)

Exclusive Interview : Coming soon!

Well there comes a time in all of our lives when we need to do a little self promotion and that time will come very soon as today I did an exclusive interview with an American reporter. This interview will be on my TPJ homepage very soon. It'll give you a little bit more background information to what went into making my films. So look out for that very soon!

Girl Alone & WMP 11

There's an excellent new version of Windows Media Player available. All the better for watching GIRL ALONE with. Highly recommended.

Gloom *next project

ニュー　プロジェクト

I'm taking some time off work for a few weeks, just a break, and I'm planning to make a short (3-4 minutes) film on the theme of pollution. I will be calling this GLOOM, which just about sums up my feelings about environmental issues! This will be shot and edited using the VS Effect and will feature music by myself.

I will shoot it around Tsurumi and Kawasaki port areas which are particularly bad areas for pollution.

In fact, the beginning title sequence of BLOODSHOT features shots of some of these areas, which gives GLOOM a nice synergy with the that film. I guess living in the Tokyo Bay area its not easy to avoid the smoke stacks, oil refineries, recycling centers and factories that illuminate the coastline and I want to make some comment on this issue.

Tengu & Girl Alone

This week saw the release of two of my short films. Both are available to watch FOR FREE so just click on the links on the posts below. I'd really like some feedback please. If you want to remain anonymous I understand. Just click on the 'Comments' link below. Thanks.