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“After School Midnighters”Exclusive Interview（2/5）
The director of this film is Takekiyo Hitoshi. He has received many awards from both home and abroad and is renowned as a talented visual creator. His short film BANANA is even part of the MoMA (New York Museum of Modern Art) Collection. We spoke to Takekiyo about the future of anime in Asia and the lead up to his current project.
It’s crazy mixed up like an amusement park, I just wanted to make film that entertains the audience.
asianbeat(ab): I heard that the short film After School Midnight was the catalyst for making After School Midnighters.
Director Takekiyo Hitoshi(Takekiyo): Originally I made After School Midnight as a 6 minute short about a bumbling anatomical model. I suppose for people of my generation it was a bit like the Japanese comedy team The Drifters. It is animation, but I used motion capture to give it a more life-like slapstick feel to the film. My producer Hirata and I came up with the idea of entering it into a contest. We entered it into contests around the world. The timing was good and we won many awards. At first we thought we would do a series, but that wasn’t aiming high enough.
Director Takekiyo Hitoshi(Takekiyo): Originally I made After School Midnight as a 6 minute short about a bumbling anatomical model. I suppose for people of my generation it was a bit like the Japanese comedy team The Drifters. It is animation, but I used motion capture to give it a more life-like slapstick feel to the film. My producer Hirata and I came up with the idea of entering it into a contest. We entered it into contests around the world. The timing was good and we won many awards. At first we thought we would do a series, but that wasn’t aiming high enough.
Knowing it was a huge ask we looked into making a feature length anime. At the time we ran it past our old friend Kii san from T・JOY, who is now the executive director of the film, and he was keen to make it happen, and that’s how the movie became a reality.
ab：Your current work is a feature length film, were you always thinking of making a movie?
Takekiyo: Yes. I graduated from the Kyushu Institute of Design (currently the Kyushu University Faculty of Design) and I joined Toei Inc. because I wanted to make movies. I later quit Toei and worked at a university in Kobe as an assistant, and then came back to Fukuoka and with a friend set up the motion graphics company KOO-KI. After gaining experience along the way I finally made my first film. Up until then I had worked on TV commercials and opening clips for TV programs and events, but when it came to complete works I only made about one every few years. My most recent is After School Midnight. The one before that was my university graduation research project all those years ago.
ab：Were you thinking about making a movie from when you were in your former company?
Takekiyo: Well it was a desire, but I knew it would be hard to do straight away. I was thinking more about how to make the company into one with more specialized designs. But as I worked I did say that I wanted to create my own content. After working for 6-7 years I am glad to say that our work has gained some recognition and the business is doing well, and me and my partner have made one film each. After School Midnight was one of those.
ab：What films have influenced you?
Takekiyo: There have been a number, but especially Star Wars. When it was first released I was still in elementary school so I didn’t get to watch it then. But when I was in middle school the Japanese dubbed version was released at the cinema and I received a huge shock when I saw it. I was hooked. In those days there were no videos so I went to watch Star Wars at the cinema every week. I became a real otaku. There were many great movies in the eighties, like Ghost Busters, Gremlins and Back to the Future.Rather than conveying a message, the movies back then were pure entertainment. These days most movies want to make you cry. I didn’t want to make that kind, rather one that is light hearted and makes you laugh and keeps you on the edge of your seat. My film is crazy mixed up like an amusement park, I just wanted to make film that entertains the audience. Films these days often have a deep message like “what is humanity” and “trauma”. I’m not saying that I don’t like those kinds of films, but I think film entertainment is at its best where there are many other types of movies to choose from.
ab：Your latest film has a feeling of Back to the Future and Ghost Busters.
Takekiyo: That’s right. Kunstilijk the anatomic model is a scientist, but in the sub-plot he is a big fan of Back to the Future. When you watch the movie some parts of Back to the Future will appear. If you know them it will bring a smile to your face.
ab：Your current work is a feature length film, were you always thinking of making a movie?
Takekiyo: Yes. I graduated from the Kyushu Institute of Design (currently the Kyushu University Faculty of Design) and I joined Toei Inc. because I wanted to make movies. I later quit Toei and worked at a university in Kobe as an assistant, and then came back to Fukuoka and with a friend set up the motion graphics company KOO-KI. After gaining experience along the way I finally made my first film. Up until then I had worked on TV commercials and opening clips for TV programs and events, but when it came to complete works I only made about one every few years. My most recent is After School Midnight. The one before that was my university graduation research project all those years ago.
ab：Were you thinking about making a movie from when you were in your former company?
Takekiyo: Well it was a desire, but I knew it would be hard to do straight away. I was thinking more about how to make the company into one with more specialized designs. But as I worked I did say that I wanted to create my own content. After working for 6-7 years I am glad to say that our work has gained some recognition and the business is doing well, and me and my partner have made one film each. After School Midnight was one of those.
ab：What films have influenced you?
Takekiyo: There have been a number, but especially Star Wars. When it was first released I was still in elementary school so I didn’t get to watch it then. But when I was in middle school the Japanese dubbed version was released at the cinema and I received a huge shock when I saw it. I was hooked. In those days there were no videos so I went to watch Star Wars at the cinema every week. I became a real otaku. There were many great movies in the eighties, like Ghost Busters, Gremlins and Back to the Future.Rather than conveying a message, the movies back then were pure entertainment. These days most movies want to make you cry. I didn’t want to make that kind, rather one that is light hearted and makes you laugh and keeps you on the edge of your seat. My film is crazy mixed up like an amusement park, I just wanted to make film that entertains the audience. Films these days often have a deep message like “what is humanity” and “trauma”. I’m not saying that I don’t like those kinds of films, but I think film entertainment is at its best where there are many other types of movies to choose from.
ab：Your latest film has a feeling of Back to the Future and Ghost Busters.
Takekiyo: That’s right. Kunstilijk the anatomic model is a scientist, but in the sub-plot he is a big fan of Back to the Future. When you watch the movie some parts of Back to the Future will appear. If you know them it will bring a smile to your face.
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