In 2020, the novel coronavirus spread on a global scale and drastically transformed our way of life as numerous countries issued state of emergency declarations. Heavy restrictions were placed not only on overseas travel, but also movement within Japan. Most educational institutions prohibited on-campus activities, and many classes had to be held online instead of in person. At the Department of Film Production at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, some students initially voiced negative opinions regarding virtual classes; however, as online lectures became the norm, students and faculty began to express positive opinions about the convenience of online learning, as well as cases where online teaching was better suited to the course content.
Given such circumstances, we began to consider holding the Programs of Curriculum Development for Creators of Film and Animation in ASEAN Countries online at a very early stage. We re-evaluated the film education programs that we had developed over the years and researched the equipment, facilities and circumstances at the educational institutions in ASEAN countries to investigate the methods that could achieve the highest educational impacts. As a result, a formal decision was made to hold the program online.
The ASEAN 2020 Online Digital Cinema Production Master Class and Editing Workshop was realized in tandem with ASEAN film education institutions, as well as cooperation from LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, one of the regions’s leading film schools. This important workshop enables participants to directly experience passion for film production, as well as the ideas and techniques needed for artistic expression through instruction from Japanese leaders in the areas of film editing, cinematography, production design, sound, directing and producing. This program follows the curriculum based on Tokyo University of the Arts’ experience in education and offers valuable opportunities to share Japan’s visual and artistic expression and cinematic creativity with youth from ASEAN countries, and also enables a deeper understanding of Japanese culture through the areas of film editing, cinematography, production design, sound, directing, and film studies. We have great expectations that this project can become a foothold for film production networking for the next generation in ASEAN countries.

【Staff】

Instructors

Ryuji Miyajima (Editor; Part-time Lecturer, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Katsumi Yanagijima (Director of Photography; Professor Emeritus, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Keiko Mitsumatsu (Production Designer)
Kenichi Fujimoto (Recording Engineer)
Kei Ishikawa (Film Director)
Shozo Ichiyama (Film Producer; Visiting Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts)

Assistant Instructors

Naoki Tanaka (Translator)

Director

Shogo Yokoyama (Assistant Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts)

Project Producer

Mitsuko Okamoto (Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts)

Workshop Assistants

Satoru Hirohara (Freelance Director)
Yuko Maemura (Freelance Production Manager)
Nana Kitaji (Freelance Production Design)
Hyeonsun Seo (Freelance Production Design)
Akio Suzuki (Freelance Recording Engineer)
Tokuaki Minami (Freelance Recording Engineer)
Tatsuma Hirata (Freelance Editor)
Zhenning An (Student, Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Cinematography Course)
Bi Cheng Wu (Student, Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Cinematography Course)
Schwaerzler Sybilla Raffaela (Student, Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Cinematography Course)
Megumi Fujita (Student, Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Cinematography Course)
Mukadasi Muhetaer (Student, Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Cinematography Course)
Shao-Ting Lee (Student, Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Cinematography Course)

Planning and Administration

Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media

Project Administrator

Saori Takenaka (Freelance Producer)

【Partner】

Instructor and Coordinator

Hideho Urata (Director of Photography; Professor, LASALLE College of the Arts)

Guest Instructor

Justin Loh (Freelance Recording Engineer; Part-time Lecturer, LASALLE College of the Arts)

Assistant Instructor

Tan Jin Lin Jesmen (LASALLE College of the Arts)

Supporting Organization

LASALLE College of the Arts

Participating Educational Institutions

Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia (Brunei)
Jakarta Institute of Arts (Indonesia)
Multimedia university (Malaysia)
University of the Philippines Film Institute (Philippines)
LASALLE College of the Arts (Singapore)
The University of Theatre-Cinema HCMC (Vietnam)
Wathann Film Festival (Myanmar)

Ryuji Miyajima [Editor; Part-time Lecturer, Tokyo University of the Arts]

Born in 1967 in Kanagawa Prefecture. Made his debut with Shunichi Nagasaki’s Romance in 1996. Won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Film Editing for Shinobu Yaguchi’s Swing Girls (2004) and Takashi Yamazaki’s Always – Sunset on Third Street (2005) and The Eternal 0 (2013). Films he has edited include Hotel Hibiscus (2002), Linda Linda Linda (2005), Sway (2006), One Million Yen Girl (2008), and Chugakusei Maruyama (2013).

Katsumi Yanagijima［Director of Photography; Professor Emeritus, Tokyo University of the Arts］

Born in 1950. After graduating from photography school, joined Mifune Productions as a contract worker in 1972. Became a freelance cameraman in 1982 and served as cinematographer for the first time in 1987. Shot 14 films by Takeshi Kitano, including Boiling Point, A Scene at the Sea, Sonatine, Kids Return, Zatōichi, and Outrage. Also shot Sora ga Konnani Aoi Wake ga Nai by Akira Emoto, Battle Royale by Kinji Fukasaku, Go by Isao Yukisada, Ashura by Yojiro Takita, Sea Without Exit by Kiyoshi Sasabe, Dear Doctor and Dreams for Sale by Miwa Nishikawa.

Hideho Urata［Director of Photography; Professor, LASALLE College of the Arts］

Worked as assistant camera for Ernest Dickerson, Stephen H. Burum, etc. while studying at the graduate school of New York University. Now works as director of photography in Japan and abroad. Appointed as a professor at the Puttnam School of Film & Animation, LASALLE College of the Arts in 2011. Films he has shot include Kamataki (winner of
five awards at the Montreal World Film Festival and the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival), The Clone Returns Home (nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival; winner of the Jury Prize for Best Cinematography at the Fantasia International Film Festival), Disappearing Landscape (premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam), and 7 Letters (premiered at the Busan International Film Festival). 7 Letters was selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. He most recently shot A Land Imagined, which won the Golden Lion award in the international competition at the Locarno Film Festival.

Keiko Mitsumatsu [Production Designer]

Born in 1972. After graduating from the Art Department of Nikkatsu Visual Arts Academy, she started working on film art in 1994. Did the art work for films including Nobody Knows (2004), Like Father, Like Son (2013), Umimachi Diary (2015), and Shoplifters (2018) by Hirokazu Kore-eda; Blood and Bones (2004) by Yoichi Sai; Sway (2006), Dreams for Sale (2012), and The Long Excuse (2016) by Miwa Nishikawa; Kanikosen (2009) by Sabu; Silver Spoon (2014) by Keisuke Yoshida; Oboreru Knife (2016) by Yuki Yamato; The 8-Year Engagement (2017) by Takahisa Zeze; and Life in Overtime (2018) by Hideo Nakata.

Kenichi Fujimoto [Recording Engineer]

Born in 1967. Member of the first graduating class from Japan Academy of Moving Images. Debuted as recording engineer in 2006 with Norihiro Koizumi’s Midnight Sun. Main works include Junichi Mori’s Gravity’s Clowns (2009), Izuru Narushima’s Rebirth (2011), Cape Nostalgia (2014), Solomon’s Perjury 1 and 2 (2015), Kenji Uchida’s Key of Life (2012), Takashi Yamazaki’s The Eternal Zero (2013), Fueled: The Man They Called Pirate (2016), and Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017), Kankuro Kudo’s Too Young to Die! (2016), and Junji Sakamoto’s Another World (2019).

Kei Ishikawa [Film Director]

Born in 1977. After studying physics at Tohoku University, studied film at the Leon Schiller National Film School in Poland. Made his feature film debut in 2017 with Gukoroku, which was selected for the Orizzonti section at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival.

Shozo Ichiyama [Film Producer; Visiting Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts]

Born in 1963. Joined Shochiku Co., Ltd. in 1987 after graduating from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Economics. Served as producer for films including Muno no Hito (1991) by Naoto Takenaka and Goodbye South, Goodbye (1996) by Hou Hsiao-hsien. From 1992 to 1999 was in charge of selecting films for the Best of Asian Films (later to become Cinema Prism) in the Tokyo International Film Festival. Joined Office Kitano in 1998 and began producing for young Asian filmmakers such as Samira Makhmalbaf and Jia Zhangke. In December 2000 launched the TOKYO FILMeX international film festival and continues to serve as program director.

Project Name

『ASEAN2020 Online Digital Cinema Production Master Class and Editing Workshop』

Dates

November 24 (Tues.), 2020 to January 22 (Fri.), 2021

Venues

[Main Venue] Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Bashamichi Building, Small Audiovisual Hall

[Venues for the Participants] Lecture rooms at each educational institution and participants’ homes

Participants 

58 students in the master classes (total number of participants) / 7 in the editing workshop *1

*1 The participant from Tokyo University of the Arts Department of Film Production joined as an assistant. 

Students’ Affiliation 

Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia (Brunei) 4 students / 1 student

Jakarta Institute of Arts (Indonesia)  3 / 1

Multimedia University (Malaysia) 5 / 1

University of the Philippines Film Institute (Philippines) 6 / 1

LASALLE College of the Arts (Singapore) 32 / 2

The University of Theatre-Cinema HCMC (Vietnam) 6 / 0

Wathann Film Festival (Myanmar) 1 / 1

Languages

Japanese, English (consecutive interpretation)

The opening ceremony for the ASEAN 2020 Online Digital Cinema Production Master Class and Editing Workshop was held online using the Zoom platform from the Small Audiovisual Hall in the Bashamichi Building of Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media.
Project director Yokoyama first discussed the purpose of the program and the circumstances that led to the online format, followed by an explanation of the program content and schedule. This year’s program consisted of two parts: the editing workshop and the film production master classes. The editing workshop participants were allowed to join the film production master classes, but the participants in the master classes were not allowed to join the editing workshop.
After the opening remarks, editing workshop instructor Miyajima served as representative in welcoming the participants and introduced the lecture assistants. The editing workshop orientaiton was conducted at the same time with explanations of things to keep in mind, rules and the course structure. The participants in the master classes were given a list of works that the instructors requested that they watch beforehand.

Film Production Master Classes

〈Editing Master Class Day 1 (November 24)〉

Instructor: Ryuji Miyajima
The editing master class was conducted with the theme chosen by instructor Miyajima, namely “Japan’s cinematic expression techniques.”
In this class, instructor Miyajima conveyed fundamental knowledge as well as his experiences as an editor, and he explained how he achieved cinematic expression through editing using actual clips from previous works. The wide-ranging topics included his analysis of a trailer he had edited in order to clearly convey to the students the importance of structure in editing, as well as discussions of methods for creating rhythm in editing and techniques to make cuts smoother. He also touched on the importance of communication with the director and other departments, citing his own experiences. Although the theme was film editing in Japan, the lecture made one realize that editing techniques and cinematic expression transcend national boundaries.

〈Directing Master Class Day 2 (November 25)〉

Instructor: Kei Ishikawa
On Day 2 of the master classes, film director Ishikawa gave a lecture on “Direction and editing of Gukoroku.”
Instructor Ishikawa presented the film’s raw footage and editing timeline, and elaborated on how scenes and sequences had been structured while actually looking at the footage that had been edited. He also told the participants about his experiences as a student and how he started working as a film director in Japan after studying film at the Leon Schiller National Film School in Poland. The lecture covered a wide range of topics, with the students asking him about cinematic expression techniques as well as career paths.

〈Cinematography/Lighting Master Class Day 3 (November 26) 〉

Instructor: Katsumi Yanagijima
Moderator: Hideho Urata
For the Cinematography/Lighting Master Class, instructor Yanagijima lectured on the theme of “Camera and lighting expressions and how to control light” and instructor Urata of LASALLE College of the Arts served as moderator.
The participants had watched a black & white Japanese film as specified by instructor Yanagijima, and his analysis of how light is controlled in black & white film deepened the students’ knowledge of lens characteristics and their understanding of cinematographic expressions in Japanese film. In the discussion with instructor Urata during the second half of the lecture, instructor Yanagijima discussed cinematic expression in Takeshi Kitano’s Boiling Point, which he shot early in his career as a director of photography, and he also revealed behind-the-scene anecdotes. Insightful questions from instructor Urata’s vantage point as a professional made the class even more stimulating for the students.

〈Production Design Master Class Day 4 (November 27)〉

Instructor: Keiko Mitsumatsu
The production design master class consisted of a lecture by instructor Mitsumatsu on the theme of “Artwork for on-location film sets,” one that the students could actually put to use in film production.
First, instructor Mitsumatsu showed art-related materials and clips from the films she had production designed. Her detailed and novice-friendly explanations used clips to show the course a scene follows from the design stage to the screening stage, and she also covered points to keep in mind on location and the process through to the film’s completion. The students were amazed at the skillful artwork they would not have noticed during the ordinary viewing of a film, such as the transition from an on-location set to a sound stage. Various questions posed at the end of the lecture touched on anecdotes from the films instructor Mitsumatsu had production designed as well as cinematic expression through art.

〈Sound Design Master Class Day 5 (November 30)〉

Instructor: Kenichi Fujimoto
Guest Instructor: Justin Loh
Moderator: Hideho Urata
The first half of the sound design master class consisted of a lecture on production sound by instructor Fujimoto. During the second half, instructor Urata moderated a talk session between instructor Fujimoto and guest instructor Loh, a sound mixer based in Singapore.
In his lecture, instructor Fujimoto talked about how he found success in his career as a sound mixer, going back to his student days. On the subject of techniques, he not only analyzed some of the films he had worked on but also discussed in detail what one should keep in mind when recording sound on a set, how members of the sound department move on an actual set, and the significance of recording sound on location, citing his own experiences and showing documents from film productions.
His wide-ranging discussion with instructor Loh addressed basic differences regarding the systems used and how the field of sound is understood in Japan, Singapore, and other ASEAN countries, as well as differences in methods of expression. Differences and similarities in the field of sound across national borders greatly stimulated the creativity of the participants.

〈Film Studies Master Class Day 6 (December 1) 〉

Instructor: Shozo Ichiyama
Instructor Ichiyama serves as director of TOKYO FILMeX, a film festival well known in Asia. He lectured on the theme of “Asian films in the future.”
Instructor Ichiyama reflected on the history of Asian cinema and internationally renowned Asian filmmakers to the present day and talked about the position Asian cinema occupied and the reputation given to it in the world, as well as the current status of cinema and film festivals in Asian countries. The lecture was based on the instructor’s ample knowledge and experience gained over the years and presented a valuable opportunity to glimpse the inner workings and social aspects of cinema that usually are not easily accessible.

Film Editing Workshop (November 24, 2020, to January 22, 2021)

The curriculum for this workshop focused on film editing and consisted of projects and reviews, with all interactions taking place online.
The screenplay and footage to be edited were provided as downloadable files on the first day of the workshop. We prepared about one hour of footage in the horror genre, with the expected final duration of five to ten minutes. When we shot the footage, we tried to ensure that there were many overlaps in acting between shots, so as to provide more editing options. We chose a genre film, i.e. a horror film, rather than a drama. While the storyline of a drama can become blurred, a horror film has a clear story structure and the story development and key points easy are to grasp. These qualities allow the editor to make editorial decisions more efficiently within a limited timeframe. The shot footage was distributed in two stages. When the editing work had progressed to a certain point, additional footage such as establishing shots was provided.
Also, the footage that had been previously used for editing in the film production workshops of the Program for Dispatching Experts of Pop-Culture to ASEAN Countries was distributed to interested participants after the review session on Day 9. The students were given free rein to edit the footage, and feedback on the edited pieces was provided during the second final review session.
Feedback was given at the interim review sessions on Day 4 and Day 8 of the editing workshop, with the first final review session held on Day 9 and the second final review session held two months later. The participants submitted their edited pieces before the review sessions, so that instructor Miyajima could watch them in advance. This resulted in more specific and detailed feedback provided to the participants. Instructor Miyajima asked participants about their themes and overall intentions and tailored his feedback to help the students get their ideas across. It turned out to be a very fruitful workshop, with the participants asking numerous questions.