tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809692012-02-17T02:18:02.015+09:00Halcyon Realms - Freedom Project/Otomo/animeBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.comBlogger4491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-91886341691845582802007-06-13T17:22:00.000+09:002007-06-13T17:27:27.118+09:00Halcyon Realms is moving. ( to Wordpress )http://halcyonrealms.com ( http://www.halcyonrealms.com will do fine too )This will be my last post at Blogger. Please do take a little time to update your links and head over for a new look !http://halcyonrealms.comBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com134tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-43225200734290838042007-06-06T01:58:00.001+09:002007-06-06T03:11:16.062+09:00There's good reason for a little elation today as lighting for Freedom episode 4 is finally completed, a total of about 350 shots spread between me and my chief Matsui-san, averaging about 10 cuts per day. Its a big relief there were no Crab Robos ( folks who have been following the series should know these critters, nasty buggers not only in Eden but to us too, for they consist of so many Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-6032008202117740752007-05-27T04:38:00.000+09:002007-05-27T05:49:58.225+09:00A few updates before I concuss into bed.I slogged till 3 in the morning finishing up some shots so I can take sunday off ( yes, take SUNDAY OFF ) and amongst other things, rewatch Paprika, undoubtably one of the better anime films of late. Check out that sumptous box set ! Talking about neat dvds everyone in the studio also recieved a limited collector's edition of Freedom 1 yesterday, a little Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-15916536049942457332007-05-20T01:06:00.001+09:002007-05-21T00:36:44.117+09:00The 2nd series of magazine ad spreads for the release of Freedom 3, illustrated by Sakiji-san. See the first series here.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-5324533921341324832007-05-19T03:53:00.000+09:002007-05-19T04:19:29.356+09:00The article as in appeared in Straits Times. Big thanks to all the folks who sent word of support, and also Mr Kwan for the article. Its mad rush hour again for Freedom 4, but I will try to write a little more if time permits.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-60459971282238925592007-05-12T13:45:00.000+09:002007-05-12T13:58:24.557+09:00Freedom's official English (US) website is up here :http://www.bandaivisual.us/freedom/Just as I suspected they have completely removed all Nissin Cup Noodles elements; check out this previous post here. As far as spiffiness of web design is concerned, the Japan site is definitely the much better of the two.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-12721119249073259672007-04-20T15:04:00.000+09:002007-04-24T21:35:05.504+09:00Screen caps from Freedom's 5th television commercial, airing on Japanwide TV from today on. ( 20th April ) You can watch it from Freedom's website by following the link below :http://freedom-project.jp/?filenumber=4018The theme song for this spot was initially Utada Hikaru's "Flavour of Life", but was changed during production to her latest single, "Kiss and Cry". In any case, I love both the Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-80773240279057454172007-04-17T18:42:00.000+09:002007-04-17T18:49:37.457+09:00My Mindgame ( Studio 4C ) dvd boxset, which I ordered immediately after watching the rented dvd. Its the biggest, baddest boxset I've ever bought. At around $100 singapore dollars, I dare say its somewhat of a bargain. The film itself, needless to say, is absolutely mindblowing.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-28815290637474384022007-04-14T21:00:00.000+09:002007-04-15T10:19:30.967+09:00Freedom Committee's celebration parties are always the best time to catch up on some industry news and gossips, considering all of us are always buried under a ton of work on normal working days. Yesterday we were out celebrating the completion of Freedom's 5th television commercial that is to go live on Japan TV from the 20th April, I will post some pictures once press is released. Matsui-san, Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-80053653265489979002007-04-04T02:13:00.000+09:002007-04-04T02:24:03.157+09:00What's Spring in Japan without some (pretty) pictures of Sakuras to show.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-8476584326946223572007-03-27T15:11:00.000+09:002007-03-27T15:12:20.033+09:00Cover art for Freedom 3.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-17130794135779795822007-03-26T18:39:00.000+09:002007-03-26T19:47:46.115+09:00Respect for Production I.G's Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex creative team; 26?! mind- blowing episodes that left me completely hooked and hungry for more. As far as quality of the production is concerned, if I may be allowed to translate in our local island colloquial; "biangz, dun play play." Hanpa ne-.Respect also, for Japanese photographer/filmmaker Ninagawa Mika. This lady has a near Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-80760267901300006162007-03-21T20:48:00.000+09:002007-03-21T21:56:31.563+09:00Its confirmed: Freedom Project will be seeing its US release on the 26th of June 2007, with both DVD and HD DVD versions to be made available. I'm wondering how the entire marketing campaign for the US version will turn out should they remove the Nissin Cup Noodles elements, ( Freedom been a huge tie up animation project with the giant noodle company Nissin, a ubiquitious, household name here Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-22925333747801725252007-03-19T21:49:00.000+09:002007-03-20T14:53:40.964+09:00With the bulk of work for Freedom 3 completed there is finally some time to catch my breath before the rush sets in again when Freedom's TV commercial postpro starts, and not till that is finished may I, there are rumours abound, get a week off work. I think I'm just going to sprout wings and fly straight out of the studio when that actually happens.Anyway. I was fairly thrilled yesterday to Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-25278453007181644012007-03-18T19:08:00.000+09:002007-03-18T19:20:14.160+09:00I can't believe a trivial attempt to fix my broken blog archives ever since my migration to the new Blogger template left them in net limbo could escalate into a full fledged, multi-tasking mission to overhaul my blog, but there you are. New are the easy on the eyes Trebuchet MS typeset and a cleaner template, I've kept the page at 800 pixels so folks on 800x600 res can still browse comfortably. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-79239261170786353962007-03-06T15:04:00.000+09:002007-03-06T15:14:30.225+09:00I've just gotten word from my chief Matsui-san that we will be working on the fifth installment of Freedom Project's television commercial which will be aired Japanwide. The past 4 spots have been done by our friends from Production IG ( Ghost In the Shell folks ) because we had to concentrate on the actual animation series. The theme song for the commercial by the way, is Utada Hikaru's latest Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-45677615218335831672007-02-18T02:25:00.000+09:002007-02-18T02:39:48.889+09:00Designs for 2 separate full page ad spreads now appearing in various Japan magazines for the release of Freedom II, marvel comics style. Sajiki-san, our most talented illustrator, referenced old copies of Akira graphic novels previously published by Epic comics and emulated a smilar inking style. Sweet.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-17940175888736007542007-02-13T19:17:00.000+09:002007-02-12T13:54:52.521+09:00The ending credits for Freedom. That's me right there ! See it ? No ?My apologies...i'm just this excited little bloke.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-36975830084576781602007-02-07T18:39:00.000+09:002007-02-07T19:42:03.384+09:00An eleventh hour approved 7 day vacation saw me jetting back to Singapore on the otherwise exorbitant SIA, the earliest flight I could book. One week is just too miserably short for chicken rice, barchomee, sambal stingray, kaya toasts squeezed in between 5 movies and dinner with old friends and family, I've hardly had a whiff of home and the next thing I knew I was packing my luggage.On the Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1169614663184573722007-01-24T13:55:00.000+09:002007-01-24T13:57:43.196+09:00Cover art for Freedom 2 dvd.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1169534243662871882007-01-23T14:48:00.000+09:002007-01-23T20:12:28.253+09:00Sitting in for a preview screening of Freedom 2 with the rest of my colleagues yesterday I was engulfed by a pang of surreality watching the scenes I had so painstakingly lighted for the past 2 months materialize in its final, finished form, complete with background art and effects. Calculating the number of shots I was assigned, I must have lighted about 1/4 of the entire episode, the rest Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1169036847257115892007-01-17T20:40:00.000+09:002007-01-17T21:37:33.116+09:00I swear, after watching Zack Snyder's dizzyingly intense trailer for his film 300 I almost wanted to leap out of that weary cubicle seat of my, hunt down the nearest gym and sign up for 2 lifetime memberships to start working out some serious abs. Well, almost, until the thoughts of Jiro ramen ( the biggest, baddest ramen you'll ever eat ) for lunch wafted my mind, certainly something as Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1168489219086692762007-01-11T12:53:00.000+09:002007-01-11T13:20:19.110+09:00I've got all three bikes parked in my garage, had them shined this morning too. All Illustrations by Sajiki-san, our character and concept designer, whose usually serious and calm demeanour vanishes inexplicably to be replaced by loud, gregarious laughs and silly antics everytime he gets into a conversation with Matsui-san, my lighting chief, who oddly enough displays the same affliction. Crazy Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1167727266236843602007-01-02T17:35:00.000+09:002007-01-02T17:41:06.253+09:00Those were some screencaps off the 4th 30 second spot for Freedom now playing on Japanese television. You can also catch it streaming from the official Freedom website here. Happy New Year folks !Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1167723895023405182007-01-02T16:10:00.000+09:002007-01-02T17:05:45.436+09:00Films Retrospect 2006Total tally for films watched in 2006 stands at 28 in theatres and 96 on dvds, making that 124 in all ( Click here to see the entire list ), down from 178 in 2005. This decline is largely due to a full 5 month hiatus from summer as I got bogged down by my film project and job search. Here are my top 10 favourite films viewed in 2006, in no particular merit.1)Pride and Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1166004191093418822006-12-13T18:30:00.000+09:002006-12-13T21:32:10.126+09:00Its 6 weeks into work here at Freedom Committee and I continue to be astounded by the animation giants that surround me. ( I am composing this post in a rare studio moment where work stands still for a second while waiting for lighting jobs to come in. ) For starters, my effects chief Yamaura-san, a nice lady who offered us delicious croissants last week, worked on Morimoto's Noiseman Sound Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1165767486430877852006-12-11T00:16:00.000+09:002006-12-11T01:22:08.473+09:00Working 12 hour days is becoming the norm as the deadline for Freedom 2 draws closer, and with the animators finishing up their scenes work is piling up as they get passed on to us for lighting and rendering. Just last friday we had first look at the 30 second spot for Freedom 2 that will be up on Japan TV soon, and it feels great to be involved in a project that is always on air, at least for Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1164043472247810442006-11-21T02:03:00.000+09:002006-11-21T02:24:32.340+09:00Steamboy Studios in Ogikubo, Tokyo. Previously the workplace for Otomo Katsuhiro's Steamboy crew, its now home to the Freedom Committee team.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1163702766918004472006-11-17T03:12:00.000+09:002006-11-19T01:23:01.163+09:00Today the entire Freedom Committee team bugged out of the office earlier for our ( 3 newcomers, including myself ) welcome party. Certainly its but a good excuse for everyone to get sloshed but the Japanese do take their drinking very seriously ! The lowermost photograph just above this text shows ( from L to R ), Matsui-san, my lighting, rendering and compositing chief, next Morita-san, directorBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1163337840880517172006-11-12T22:23:00.000+09:002006-11-12T22:24:00.893+09:00Get yours today.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1162573156697741762006-11-04T01:29:00.000+09:002006-11-12T22:26:34.343+09:00Some cool stuff that comes along with work on Freedom Project : 1) My email address is myname@steamboy.net, which I am more than ok with; 2) Otomo ( yes, the dude who created that somewhat famous animation Akira ) came by the studio yesterday, tying up some loose ends on a new animation film soon to be released. His work desk by the way, is really untidy...ha.Here at Sunrise Studios Ogikubo work Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1162133741092109092006-10-29T23:36:00.000+09:002006-10-29T23:58:07.116+09:00Browsing through a dvd shop in Shinjuku this evening I was pleasantly surprised to see Freedom Previsited soldout only a day after its release; I suspect the same to happen for Series one , slated for a late November release. Order yours today from Amazon Japan ! Haha. I was thinking wishfully that perhaps I might be entitled to a free copy when I start work but I ordered one anyway to boost Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1161170844136348832006-10-18T20:26:00.000+09:002006-10-18T20:27:24.136+09:00Blue Skies.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1160846508503349782006-10-15T02:19:00.000+09:002006-10-18T20:26:31.733+09:00The year was 1989. I was on a usual weekend family visit to my grandparents place. It was totally mundane and largely routine; we would always arrive in the mid afternoon, have dinner prepared by my grandmother, and then head home around 9 or 10 o'clock. But something that would transpire that evening made it an unforgettable day etched forever in my memory. My youngest uncle, whom me and my Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1160289527043864652006-10-08T15:02:00.000+09:002006-10-08T15:39:35.753+09:00In an era when most folks are eagerly abandoning those mouldy film cameras for their sparkling, high tech digital counterparts I seem to be taking a journey in the opposite direction, shooting on my 2nd hand Mamiya 645 medium format camera. Been an absolute sucker for rich, intense tones and that inexplicable warmth of celluloid my Mamiya delivers, and then some. Certainly, digital is here to Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1159116255746330602006-09-25T00:04:00.000+09:002006-09-25T01:45:22.326+09:00A seemingly perpetual drizzle that lasted 3 days washed away the arid summer heat and with it came numbing, piercing gails, the sure harbinger of autumn, rattling the flimsy wooden window panels of my old house. Interestingly, this transitional change in the seasons, though happening a thousand miles away from home, brings back very vivid memories of Singapore, rainy days where the temperature Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1159004400151706462006-09-23T13:50:00.000+09:002006-09-23T18:40:01.906+09:00Some screengrabs off my recently completed graduation film project "Umi no Namida", where I tripled as cameraman/cinematography, storyboard artist, as well as editor. For any filmmaker there's always the indescribable rush of excitment and pleasure as one watches the film take shape slowly during the editing stage, so I guess those all-nighters hadn't gone to waste. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1157468892926451292006-09-05T23:39:00.000+09:002006-09-06T00:08:12.943+09:00Kyoto/Osaka/Nara trip - Quite simply in two words; beauty and tranquilty. Think breathtaking shrines and temples, and then some. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1155141111638498842006-08-10T01:18:00.000+09:002006-08-10T01:31:51.726+09:00Some production photos from the locations of my final year film project. More updates coming soon. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1150823293224290132006-06-21T01:37:00.000+09:002006-07-05T21:42:24.663+09:00A recent 16mm film shoot filling up 2 weekends have had me appreciate the value of sleep in a way I had not since the army days; let's hope at least the rushes turn out decent. As we wrap up things on this shoot preproduction starts for my final year project, in between a serious and earnest lookout for a job opening here in Tokyo. Amidst these hustling events just as I am about to lose sense of Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1148369584963197072006-05-23T16:25:00.000+09:002006-05-23T16:33:04.973+09:00On planet Tokyo, people travel to work in elevators. I mean lifts. No I mean cars damn it. But cars are elevators. So are lifts cars too ? Or are elevators lifts ? I'm confused !!!!Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1146992613743770752006-05-07T17:53:00.000+09:002006-05-07T18:03:33.753+09:00I could have just died of esctacy right there in Shinkiba's club Ageha on Friday when Paul Van Dyk finished up his dizzying 3 hour set with the mind blowing tunes from his magnum opus track "For An Angel". PVD me anytime, anywhere.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1146991473564341842006-05-07T16:45:00.000+09:002006-05-07T17:50:33.270+09:00The annual retreat back into wilderness and the embrace of everything natural continues this year with a 5 day travel itinerary to Takasaki in the Gunma Perfecture, hometown of my very good friend Takeshi. Here ample thanks and gratitude must be appropriated to my hosts Takeshi+Kojima whom without them this trip would never have been possible. We travelled far and wide for hours to distant Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1145810898486869282006-04-24T01:46:00.000+09:002006-04-24T01:48:18.503+09:00Takeshi+Kojima+loadsa'cactus.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1145161072947035962006-04-16T13:12:00.000+09:002006-04-16T22:08:58.346+09:00Bloody crazies Vol II. Pizzacato5ive art directs a soon to be released print ad for the Takashimaya NAC scholarship. Too radical perhaps for MITA, but stylish nontheless. Photography by Kenneth. Bloody crazies these blokes. Image courtesy of Pizzacato5ive.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1144515293085061762006-04-09T01:51:00.000+09:002006-04-09T01:54:53.120+09:00Babes galore, rush hour in Shibuya station. This is but only half of the entire ad spread.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1144413177321254642006-04-07T21:22:00.000+09:002006-04-07T21:36:46.823+09:00I don't ever remember seeing a Macdonald's print ad as hip as this one in our ( Singapore ) Mac's. Not even remotely close. Simple and clean, yet screaming coolness, its interesting how a mere Macdonald's tray sheet can tell you about a country's culture and fashion sense ( or lack thereof ).Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1143816494172742522006-03-31T23:21:00.000+09:002006-03-31T23:48:14.233+09:00My second trip to Miyazaki's Ghibli Museum. I must have been too excited during my first visit to have missed thess 3 blokes perched on the top of the entrance signboard. Charming folks.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1143392908041164362006-03-27T01:58:00.000+09:002006-03-27T02:08:28.053+09:00Revisits to familiar tourists' spots like the Meiji Jingu and Shibuya's 109 junction as I accompanied my 2 friends Gabriel and Waimeng from Singapore had me tuning my accustomed eyes to little hidden nooks and corners, delightful sights I never knew existed; indeed, god is in the details.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1142881746840446802006-03-21T03:24:00.001+09:002006-03-21T04:09:06.843+09:00I would like to take some comfort in believing that the jetlag suffered from the flight back to Tokyo after my annual Singapore holiday is the genuine cause of my recent bumming and inactivity in all matters big and small ( school doesn't start till the 2nd week of April. I think. ), but a full week would be pushing it. even for someone particularly susceptible to disruptions in their circadian Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1140542618170442762006-02-21T23:43:00.000+09:002006-02-25T02:11:59.156+09:00As far as I can remember I've always had bad things happen to my everytime I board a flight, bizzare as it seems. Take for example my first momentous trip out of Singapore to LA for the Siggraph convention in 1999. As our plane was descending to LAX I started making out ( it was a window seat ) pinpricks of red, flashing lights all over the runways and no, they weren't guidelights but the entire Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1139755515960352702006-02-12T23:38:00.000+09:002006-02-12T23:45:16.006+09:00They always say if something's not broken, don't fix it, but heck, I really felt like a change. (picture for blog header). To usher in the new year, a breath of fresh air, the works. I just hope it still runs in parallel to the "halcyon realms" theme. Tell me what you guys think. Shot on a beautiful evening near the train tracks near my house.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1139418268652688602006-02-09T01:22:00.000+09:002006-02-09T02:23:56.016+09:00Watching Reality Bites (1994) for the first time in its entirety brings back very fond memories of my early secondary days where the nostalgic soundtrack featuring Lisa Loeb's "Stay" was one of the first CD's I ever owned, and this was still way back in the early 1990's where the now mesozoic cassette tapes were been slowly but surely supplanted by CDs, a fate they themselves seemed doomed to Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1137858262088245362006-01-22T00:07:00.000+09:002006-01-22T00:46:15.946+09:00The gods must be lazy this year as they clumped Tokyo's annual worth of snowfall into one single serving, those huge flakes of white crystals transforming a once familiar landscape into an almost unrecognizable winter wonderland; I woke up finding snowflake shadows cascading past my frosted glass windows; 10 minutes later I was out of the house, stepping into fresh snow, my d70 clasped readily inBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1137674485687719122006-01-19T21:34:00.000+09:002006-01-19T21:41:25.696+09:00On location in Minami-Sunamachi. Principle photography has wrapped and editing is in the works for a short film about 2 ladies who start a cat fight over a cheesecake. As the cameraman for the shoot I also got a humble cameo ( actually almost everyone else in the team did a cameo )as an english teacher ( in a TV advertisement within the film )who tries unsuccesfully to instruct proper Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1137407207841438622006-01-16T19:15:00.000+09:002006-01-16T19:26:47.860+09:00Article on an online Japanese newspaper, quote : "Japan says its research whaling is in accordance with international rules" International rules my ass. I've never heard of any research that kills its subjects with harpoons and whose meat eventually turns up on someone's menu in a Japanese restaurant. Leave those whales alone you fucking bastards.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1136909953078200312006-01-11T01:13:00.000+09:002006-01-11T01:19:13.113+09:00Ok, the person in the bottom photo's not me, but its going to be one day, I promise you that. (You just wait Jason. Ha. *green with envy*) Still not getting the picture ? Watch Iwai Shunji's Love Letter.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1136735451198464532006-01-09T00:30:00.000+09:002006-01-09T00:50:54.836+09:00I wonder if the collective filmmakers ( I would like to think at least half of them had to be sane when the film was shot ) who took part in Chen Kaige's latest film The Promise knew how *beep* ridiculous the notion of a man capable of running faster than the speed of light is. ( trivia; not even our fastest, most advanced fighter plane today can reach even a mere 1% of light speed, which if Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1136462960214834322006-01-05T20:41:00.000+09:002006-01-05T21:13:14.476+09:00So beautiful and realistic is Weta's rendition of King Kong ( with the chompy chirpy Rexes coming in a close 2nd, though I still feel the Rexes from Jurassic Park are the most realistic ever ) that barely five minutes past his first appearance in the film I have lost the ability to visualize him as a CG character generated from mere pixels and texture maps but instead saw him more as a real Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1136289707557412022006-01-03T20:37:00.000+09:002006-01-03T21:15:17.553+09:00Films Retrospect 2005Total tally for films watched in 2005 stands at 28 in theatres and 150 on dvds, making that 178 in all ( Click here to see the entire list ), averaging out to about 1 film every 2 days for the entire year. Here are my top 10 favourite films viewed in 2005, in no particular merit.1)The Machinist (Brad Anderson)2)Not One Less (Zhang Yimou)3)Tony Takitani (Ichikawa Jun)4)Batman Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1136120214322250752006-01-01T21:35:00.000+09:002006-01-01T22:00:11.690+09:00Having tried out the great Meiji Jingu Jam ( Check out this entry; )in Harajuku during last year's New Year's Eve I figured I'll go see something else this year; the great Ameyoko Jam, a very popular shopping street in Ueno, think a Japanese version of Chinatown on Lunar New Year's Eve. Mingling into the crowd I was literally carried around involuntarily by the human traffic and I soon decided toBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1135879649087167932005-12-30T02:30:00.000+09:002005-12-30T03:13:52.653+09:00Today, the 29th of December, 2005 will go down in my personal history as the day where I, an infinitesimal and paltry existence on this planet, meets Miyazaki Hayao, world renowned animator and master of the Ghibli Universe. No, I didn't see him at a premiere for a new animation film; nor was it at a press conference or anything of this loud, official nature; I meet him while he was on his way toBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1135529752902844632005-12-26T01:41:00.000+09:002005-12-26T01:55:52.966+09:00Tokyo's metropolitan landscape stretches as far as the eye can see from Ebisu's Garden Place, as breathtaking as it is dizzying. Taking the elevator up to the top viewing levels I almost felt like a character playing in Otomo Katsuhiro's Akira as I gazed upon this colossal, hulking entity, the hectic home to 12 million denizens. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1135271027753606942005-12-23T01:26:00.000+09:002005-12-23T12:22:15.726+09:00Winter holidays are here and I've taken this opportune moment while taking a short breather from school to indulge in a little creative pleasure; taking s**tloads of photographs with my newly acquired, long overdue and hitherto much desire(d) Nikon digital SLR D70s. I'm loving every second of it; the handling and feel of the camera, the expanded creative options I have ( check it : ISOs from 200 Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1134311706787638882005-12-11T23:19:00.000+09:002005-12-11T23:35:08.900+09:00Winter are the days when I have to roast my Nutella Chocolate spread over the kitchen stove before I can apply them on my bread because the cold weather have had them frozen; Winter are the days when I feel I have the rabies because any contact with water is like having dry ice pressed against my skin; Winter are the days when snow, glittering, tiny little flakes of crystals descend from the Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1134052787671232682005-12-08T23:10:00.000+09:002005-12-14T00:56:12.986+09:00Its a memorable day at this year's Toho Video Festival (TVF), a film festival with works from all the different faculties of my film school. Chosen from a hundred pieces of film submission by a panel of judges, notably Yukisada Isao ( director of Shouting Out Love, ), my short film Robot Dreams ( a renaissance piece built from a culmination of unfinished work including Memento Mori, Do Robots Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1133717705132221682005-12-05T01:18:00.000+09:002005-12-05T02:35:08.400+09:00The initial impression upon watching Hou Hsiao Hsien's Millenium Mambo, ( especially the first scene where we have Hsu Chi strolling down this bridge as the camera follows behind her, shot perhaps on a 48 or 60 framer ), was how much it reminded me of the splendid Korean film Take Care of My Cat. 2 things : 1) The dreamy and carefree, immediately memorable music ( I liken it to the pleasurable Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1132937520283016392005-11-26T01:27:00.000+09:002005-11-26T01:52:00.340+09:00Fright nights twice in a row with viewings of Gibson's Passion of the Christ and then Scott's Hannibal, I think I've been served enough cinematic blood and gore for a long time to come. Meanwhile, Yukisada Isao ( director of Shouting Out Love, ) makes a surprise visit to school, popping into our art direction class today to give us a few words on filmmaking. I just had to disagree with his views Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1132247049005277992005-11-18T01:09:00.000+09:002005-11-18T02:15:07.273+09:00Despite having watched a total of over 140 films ( and still counting ) on a mixture of dvd and cinema screenings so far this year ( this is excluding film appreciation seatings in school now ), the unthinkable, unprecedented has still happened : I have not yet seen even one of the 31 new films reviewed in this December's issue of Sight and Sound, which by far is still the most insightful and Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1132156758129132082005-11-17T00:24:00.000+09:002005-11-17T00:59:18.186+09:00Suffering, revenge, and finally salvation, the 3 recurring themes in Park Chan Wook's "Revenge" trilogy comes full circle as the series ends with Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Oldboy ( as compared to other excellent korean films per se ) and I've yet to see Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, the first in the series ( though reliable sources from my personal Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1131645927124808332005-11-11T02:39:00.000+09:002005-11-13T00:34:40.170+09:00Recently just as I was starting to get jaded with the largely nondescript, unsatisfying Japanese films that I have had access to here in Tokyo, comes a mind blowing piece of work that utterly sweeps me off my feet, myself smiling and swearing unwittingly throughout the film's viewing, marvelling at its sheer brilliance and beauty. Based on a short story of the same name by renowned writer Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1130607111894662892005-10-30T02:31:00.000+09:002005-11-10T01:22:13.703+09:00Despite playing like an Apple endorsed film at times and my at best lukewarm interest in political satire films, Wim Wenders Land of Plenty nontheless held my attention with a narrative ( Winders writing up a treatment in just 3 days ) that was languid in the beginning but built up momentum as the film progressed, and one is certainly reminded of a similar plot setup in Wender's much older work, Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1129909463048803032005-10-22T00:03:00.000+09:002005-10-22T00:44:23.093+09:00This year's seasonal transition from summer to autumn seemed to have creeped in cladestinely, but the clearest harbinger of the big freeze season are the nights when I could feel myself curling up my toes as the piercing cold air assailed my feet. Back in school, I've just only realized that Yukisada Isao ( director of Sekai no chushin, and his soon to be released Haru no Yuki ), who also Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1128790635265181982005-10-09T01:37:00.000+09:002005-10-09T01:57:15.326+09:00Just a week into term 2 and three film production shoots are cramped back to back, I'm thinking about dropping a module lest I die a painful, undeserving death : " film student dies of fatique during shoot, hand still clasping zoom servo. " Meanwhile, time for watching films become harder to come by but I was glad I finally got around to see Majo no Takyubin ( Kiki's Delivery Service ), fantasticBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1128183489982726452005-10-02T01:02:00.000+09:002005-10-02T01:18:10.036+09:00Having bought us memorable tracks like "Yesterday & Today", "Fukai Mori", "Rakuen" amongst others, Japanese rock group Do As Infinity has officially disbanded with the release of their greatest hits album "Do The A side", which contains all 20 singles since their debut in 1999 with "Tangerine Dream". Recalling the early days when the trio performed as a street band in Shibuya before they made it Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1127908363128661262005-09-28T20:24:00.000+09:002005-10-02T01:02:08.936+09:00Watching Brad Silberling's Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is like tasting the delicious icing and toppings on an otherwise bland cake; its like savouring the attractive, beautifully illustrated cover of an otherwise boring novel. That much said, the film's astonishing photography and production work is unlike anything we've seen since Sleepy Hollow, granted, they were done by Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1127409854316546982005-09-23T01:18:00.000+09:002005-09-23T11:53:05.146+09:00For the last time, Tsui Hark's Seven Swords is not at attempt at remaking Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, quote "and a piss poor job at that.", so say the folks who hated Hark's latest film. For the record, Seven Swords is based on the much-read novel "Seven Swordsmen From Mount Tian," by Liang Yu-sheng, one of the fathers of 20th century Hong Kong martial arts fiction. I know what you want to say. "SoBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1126896477621218052005-09-17T03:04:00.000+09:002005-09-17T03:55:49.850+09:00Sweet, sweet eye candy from start till end, Nomura Tetsuya's Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children is the ultimate culmination of the brilliant CG work conjured up by the artists at SquareEnix ( formerly SquareSoft ), dating back to the then revolutionary Squall Leonheart character in 1999. This time round what sets Advent Children apart from 2001's FF Spirits Within is not so much the faithfulnessBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1126104575468465832005-09-07T23:28:00.000+09:002005-09-07T23:54:31.576+09:00As Typhoon No 14 lashed past central Japan plains glancing past Tokyo the winds here were still strong enough to give me one of those Stormriders hairdos as I struggled to get to school today. On my way home as I got off the train station I was greeted with a quaint and nostalgic sight; in the far distance the setting sun has spilled a wondrous palette of reds and oranges reflecting off the Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1125505199218217592005-09-01T01:03:00.000+09:002005-09-01T01:19:59.253+09:00A nice little farewell party for Hide,(seated) who having stayed with us for a memorable 4 months at Borderless Tanashi is now headed for greener pastures in Yokohama. After dinner and a considerable amount of booze we had ourselves a little Hanabi party, a closing event for the summer that is drawing to an end here in Tokyo. Time to dig out those fudons soon.Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1124811619183498842005-08-23T23:57:00.000+09:002005-08-24T19:40:11.603+09:00A half-reluctant 3 days holiday trip to Yamanashi Highlands had me reliving the forgotten horrors of an organized group tour. Sponsored by a certain Rotary Club, whose members have affliations with my former Japanese language school, I had fatally commited my name a month ago, thinking perhaps I could meet up with some of my old friends, most of whom didn't turn up anyway. So after checking into Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1124209808528441722005-08-17T00:54:00.000+09:002005-08-18T00:06:54.430+09:00I dunno which galaxy these guys came from, but on the planet where I live, and I'm no linguistic expert here either, I dare wager desert dwellers in Mongolia sure as hell don't speak Cantonese ( Lei hai bingor ? ). Cracked me up. Still, John Moore's remake of the film Flight of the Phoenix does happen on this planet no ? Confusing. Anyway, a phonecall from my concerned mother regarding the Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1123773290943337112005-08-12T00:02:00.000+09:002005-08-12T01:10:04.050+09:00An invitation from my good friends Takeshi+Kojima for a summer vacation in Takeshi's hometown Gunma ( a largely rural prefecture north of Tokyo, very Riri ShuShu-ish. ) was an excellent way to kickstart the vacation, although temperatures there soared to a searing 37.1 degrees as we arrived, threatening to set my short crop on fire. This time round armed with a video camera documentation was highBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1122039078260619392005-07-22T22:11:00.000+09:002005-07-22T23:00:21.593+09:00Shimoyama Ten's Shinobi is looking sharp with some impressive action sequences as seen from its trailer, but remembering the Kazuaki debacle that was Casshern, with equally promising visuals and a most attractive trailer, let's not put in too much faith just as yet. Check out the official website here. Anyway, attention on this post ought to have been dedicated to some writings on the excellent Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1121104503256686792005-07-12T02:34:00.000+09:002005-07-12T23:55:21.920+09:00Two production stills from a short film production "Hanako to Taiichi" that just wrapped last Sunday. The story entails a girl set on suicide that receives some pretty stylized divine intervention. I was covering lighting on set and will also be doing a cut of the film soon. Shooting on location the view and backdrop from the rooftop was simply fantastic, and very...well, Japanese. If you've seenBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1120568503158274232005-07-05T22:01:00.000+09:002005-07-05T22:01:43.166+09:00The Punisher - Bad. Bad. Bad. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1119957977569222252005-06-28T20:05:00.000+09:002005-06-28T20:51:16.933+09:00Required viewing was in store for Doi Nobuhiro's Ima, Ainiyukimasu, the biggest Japanese film for 2005 so far, picking up 3.8 million viewers. Despite been unabashedly melodramatic and saccharine, cliched even, *ahem*, I liked it. Perhaps an understanding of the original japanese dialogue added to the enjoyment of the film too. Take it as a guilty cinematic pleasure one indulges in every once in Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1119887153557213252005-06-28T00:05:00.000+09:002005-06-28T00:53:20.723+09:00In one of the ending sequences from Iwai Shunji's Hana and Alice, Alice, one half of the film's 2 main protaganists, turns up for a teenage magazine covergirl audition. Having been scouted by a talent agency early in the film but with several botched auditions so far ( including an excruciatingly hilarious Kitkat CM screentest ), she attends unenthusiastically, nonchalant at best. As her turn Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1119626436998352902005-06-25T00:18:00.000+09:002005-06-25T00:23:35.296+09:00Finally. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1119187000109476752005-06-19T21:53:00.000+09:002005-06-20T00:46:51.963+09:00Respect I believe, is the appropriate word of the day for Mr Nolan, wtih 3 features to his credit, the latest impressionable Batman Begins, Insomnia, and Memento. Did anyone mention he's 35 ? That said, perhaps there's still time to rethink my silly filmmaking antics and seriously consider lifelihood as a Char Kueh Tiao hawker. Anyway, go here for a decent review of Batman Begins : http://Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1118510907605625382005-06-12T01:37:00.000+09:002005-06-12T02:54:53.510+09:00On many levels, Yomigaeri ( Resurrection ) takes a striking affinity to past films like Soderbergh's remake of Takovsky's Solaris, as well as Mimi Leder's disaster movie Deep Impact. Looking beyond the overt sci-fi setting where all the 3 films share a similar premise, what strings the 3 films into tandem are their nuanced and skilfully constructed plot devices that very successfully coaxes and Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1117728252901933452005-06-03T00:59:00.000+09:002005-06-03T01:04:12.906+09:00A bbq party by the Arakawa River. Now these folks are really a lot crazier than they look. Photo courtesy of Mayo. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1116940791875668182005-05-24T22:11:00.000+09:002005-05-24T22:19:51.883+09:00Japan must be the last bloody place in our galaxy to screen Episode III with such an incredulous date as July 9th. That's almost 2 full months later than the official worldwide release date, if that's supposed to mean anything here at all. Empires have been built in less time, fortunes made and squandered. By the way, would anyone have happened to watched the teaser trailer for The Chronicles ofBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1116087653565480132005-05-15T00:21:00.000+09:002005-05-15T01:20:53.606+09:00When I first read about the plot summary of Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven at Cinfex.com many months ago while it was still pretty much in production, the immediate thought that crossed my mind was a biased one; how will the filmmakers portray the legendary military general Saladin ? My impressions were swayed in the direction that he would be misrepresented as a tyrant, merciless in his war Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1115823850319620102005-05-11T23:26:00.000+09:002005-05-12T00:29:16.033+09:00A mere five minutes viewing into Night Shyamalan's The Village and I could have swore the dvd was worth buying almost on pure account of DOP Roger Deakin's most handsome photography work. This must be Night's most aesthetically pleasing film to date, plot notwithstanding. Despite setting out watching this film with full knowledge of its eventual plot development credit certainly must be given toBlauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1114010517106486642005-04-21T00:04:00.000+09:002005-04-21T00:21:57.106+09:00Its hard to describe in words just how bizzare Ishii Katsuhito's Cha no Aji ( The Taste of Tea ) is but its delightful combination of queer plot elements and even queerer characters makes for one very arresting viewing experience. I can't quite remember the last time I was so zonked out after watching a film. Kanarazu mitekudasai. Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1113834485593228962005-04-18T23:11:00.000+09:002005-04-18T23:31:26.276+09:00Film school enters the 2nd week as lesson proper starts, trial classes are expected for another week before we decide on the modules we want to take. I would have personally preferred more lesson time on the ARRI 16mm film camera but with so many students in the film module I doubt that can be helped. On a much more exciting note I am without a doubt the most linguistically challenged student on Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1113237344461392822005-04-12T01:16:00.000+09:002005-04-12T01:35:44.463+09:00Hou Hsiao Hsien's Kohi Jikou ( Cafe Lumiere ) is an extremely quiet and halcyon film ( in fact bordering on extremes, especially to those whose tastes are not attuned to the arthouse ) that however speaks volumes in emotional resonance beneath it seemingly mundane scenes and locked camera shots. Tsai Ming Liang's What Time Is It There comes to mind. Lee Ping Bing's photography is remarkably Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1113139186108473422005-04-10T20:14:00.000+09:002005-04-10T22:24:08.413+09:00A new start calls for a fresh look, here in Japan as the seasons finally come full circle the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms symbolizes new beginnings, as with the commencement of my film school. Today folks from the various Borderless Tokyo houses got together for a Hanami party in Koganei Park, a cosmopolitan mix from Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, France, Germany, Korea, Australia, China and Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3080969.post-1112546386823780132005-04-04T01:31:00.000+09:002005-04-04T01:42:10.300+09:00I'm absolutely getting spoilt by my new Japanese friends. Check out the Takoyaki ! Anyway, here's the hilarious introduction written on me at the Borderless Tokyo website by Yoshi-san, our fantastic manager : Mar. 23 Welcome! Yonghow! (Tanashi-house) The star of Singapore Yonghow is moving in Tanashi-house!He's been to Japan for 1 year. so his Japanese is quite good!He loves Shunji Iwai's film Blauereiterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04586402139998808450noreply@blogger.com0