| Glimpse into independent filmmaking in Japan |
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| written by hneline1 |
February 1, 2004 - 10:15 PM PST |
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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I recommend the Bonus Disc if you're interested in independent filmmaking in Japan or you just can't get enough of Versus.
The best features to watch:
Interview with the Editor -- Now, this was fascinating. This short segment is an interview with Shuichi Kakesu of JayFilm, who edited Ghost in the Shell and Jin-Roh along with Versus. He talks about the difference between editing live action vs. anime, some techniques for things like creating a sense of speed in an action sequence, and his involvement with independent film. I wish this interview lasted longer.
"Making of Versus" documentary -- This feature combines interviews, film clips, and production clips about the creation of Versus. Director Ryuhei Kitamura talks about how Versus came about, techniques he used to film it on a low budget, stories from filming, and his views on working with such a close knit staff. Producer Keishiro Shin discusses some of his techniques for marketing the film, including trying to create an overseas market at film festivals. Various actors and staff talk about how they got involved, how they helped in the filming, and make comments about what they're doing now.
The other features are pretty mundane. Evolution of Versus, Scenes from Cannes, and Preview Featurette are just a montage of film and production clips set to music. The "Behind Versus" featurette, The Birth of the Dark Hero is a set of interviews with Tak Sakaguchi, which is ok but I would have liked more depth in the questions. "Nervous" Side Story Mini-Movie is a badly shot, very short, supposedly comic side story. Team Versus was interesting, but it's just a very short take by someone with a handheld camera following Kitamura into the Napalm Film office. I enjoyed seeing how cramped the office space was.
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