Wouldn’t it be like a dream came true, 35mm full frame digital sensor that could go inside Bessa or Leica M6? With today’s technology should be doable.
Check out the insight by Olivier Duong: http://bit.ly/1cC6BcA
Manhole Children
I got chance to talk with producers of Manhole Children today.
I hope I get chance to meet them in person. What a great documentary!
Continue reading “Manhole Children”
Katatsumori
This is one of my favorite works by director Kawase Naomi. It’s about her grandma.
Continue reading “Katatsumori”
Song of Yesterday, Flood of Today
I love Michael Moore’s “Capitalism, Love Story”.
I realized how HUGE impact the movie made within these four years. We just don’t live in same world than we did in 2009. Capitalism is yesterday’s song. It’s gone. Communities are formed everywhere, people are waking up to realize the value of each other’s help and spiritual thinking. People grow healthy food by themselves and share it with their friends. Money just isn’t as valuable as it was before. True innovation and originality is suddenly more valuable than gold.
It’s pretty remarkable to live in this era and see this change happening. It’s huge flood; something impossible to stop.
Scratched Negatives
Note to self: next time wait until you return to Japan to develop your negatives.
Finnish photo lab (Fuji piste) in shopping center Keskinen pretty much ruined my negatives. They are full of scratches and odd irremovable dust that was caused by the developing process.
It would be OK if few frames had these but almost all frames have scratches and dust.
And not only this but the whole process of developing three rolls and make some one hour prints costed more than 5000 yen equivalent. That’s so expensive, although I must admit that the 10x15cm prints were very high quality on very nice matte paper.
Oh mann!!
Nature likes to hide
..so one must become invisible in order to capture it
Don't be nice, Be You
Photo of Jaakko © Masashi Furuka
Thoughts on Kaze Tachinu
I just saw the latest animation film by Hayao Miyazaki. This film is very anticipated movie for all Ghibli fans. Kaze Tachinu (Wind Rises) is dramatized biography of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of Zero fighter plane for WWII. I haven’t yet read the manga which this movie is based on.
The movie begins with a dream-like sequence from the main character’s childhood. He sleeps, dreaming of flying. In his dream he climbs on roof of his house on which there is a fantasy airplane waiting. He takes off enjoying the breeze, but suddenly finds huge bomber ready to deliver it’s payload, sinister dark creatures on huge black bombs. The boy’s glasses are torn away by the wind, and the boy falls, then wakes up.
In overall Kaze Tachinu is a great movie; this is genuine Ghibli production. Hand drawn old-fashioned animation is great and is occasionally complemented by CG-aided sequences. As you might expect, level of detail is amazing.
I love the way how CG techniques were used only to aid the main storyline, they were never too obvious to steal the attention. This is exactly how it should be done.
The overall style of the film is so elegant and true to the era it depicts, furniture and houses for example looks so real; significant effort must have been done to research and ensure the authenticity of the environments.
The movie doesn’t really show war but wartime is just a context or environment for this film. It would be wrong to call this romantic movie although the story contains tear-jerking romance. It feels appropriate, warm and human.
It would be easy to imagine that Miyazaki wanted to make more stronger anti-war movie but couldn’t because of pressure from sponsors. So he might have had to choose more subtle method; reference to the horror of war via metaphors such as natural disaster, injury or death of a loved one. Even though this is huge Ghibli production, Kaze Tachinu Has received a little attention in mass media. It just seems that in present day Japan, war or recent history isn’t very popular topic. Some TV channels seem to have even decided not to mention the movie at all.
It is curious that Miyazaki chose this topic, in this very moment in Japan. The Liberal Democratic Party had landslide victory in the two last elections, and the party has been very open about it’s intentions of changing the pacifist article in Japanese constitution and arming Japan with military and possibly nuclear weapons. Anti-war theme couldn’t be more unpopular.
But then, it might be the reason why Miyazaki decided to make this film.
I did notice that some of the scenes were cut, probably by some other factor than Ghibli or Miyazaki, maybe sponsor forced edits. If there is ever going to be director’s cut, it will be a must-see!
I really recommend this film. Bravo, Miyazaki Hayao!
Kaze Tachinu
Tomorrow I will take my family to see the new Miyazaki film Kaze Tachinu. I really look forward it. I will write my impressions after the movie session.
Selecting the movie this time was not difficult. We soon agreed 100% it’s going to be Miyazaki. There’s new Star Trek, World War Z, Emperor and couple of american action movies, and none of them seemed interesting. Seeing the trailer is enough and makes me kind of feel like “this was enough, no need to see more”.
I love Hayao Miyazaki’s movies, they seem to grow with me. And it makes even more sense now to watch the movies here in Japan. Princess Mononoke is still my personal favorite. It’s actually kind of statement.
I really hope that the Kaze Tachinu is true Ghibli production and bold enough. Knowing the history of Miyazaki’s movies and his strength and dignity as a director, I’m pretty sure it is.
@document_jaakko
I decided to change my twitter username to @document_jaakko. There are two reasons for this.
- I don’t like to call myself artist. It’s kind of limiting. I might be anything. I might be husband. I might be nothing.
- Artist might refer to someone who has special skill of arts. I absolutely don’t. I can use (a simple) camera but that’s not art. I can’t even paint or draw. I lack skill to handle musical instrument.