Animation Industry Watching No.39: Satokeiichi's Anime Directing Style, Focusing Thoroughly on Emotional Depiction

The multi-talented and versatile director, Iichi Satoh, directs everything from 3DCG animation to live-action films in any format. This year, he has been so busy that he worked as the general director of "Inuyashiki" right after finishing "Rage of Bahamut: VIRGIN SOUL," but I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to interview Director Satou.
He talked about sound, planning, storyboarding, and camera work at ....... We got down to the technical details that are usually unavailable, and tried to find out the secrets of Satou's directing style.

5.1ch surround sound work is physically demanding

───First of all, please tell us about your specialties in sound direction.

Sato: I have been working as a sound director in recent years, and I would like to talk about what I think. I am careful to make sure that sound is not attached to everything that we see and that it does not interfere with our emotions. I feel that Japanese animation, in particular, has too much woofer. It is as if the bass is always echoing. That is why I cut the lows (bass) to make it more effective. I tried this in the movie "Ashera" (2012). When you come to the edge of a cliff or the edge of a building, you can cut out the bass that is the base of the sound. Then you feel like you are about to fall off the building with a "whoosh". It is thrilling to watch. I can say that this is a quality that can only be experienced in a theater. As for the sound, it is no use pointing out the waveform on the monitor, but rather, I trust the sensation I get when I hear the sound with my ears.

─ ─ Actors Fumiyo Kohinata and Nijiro Murakami appear as voice actors in "Inuyashiki" (2017), which is currently airing, how do you feel about dubbing?

Sato: Regardless of whether they are voice actors or actors, I am careful not to be mechanical. What I find when I have live-action actors do postrecording is that they try too hard to read the feelings from the character's picture for each cut, and the rhythm of their acting changes from cut to cut. Therefore, in "Inuyashiki," instead of every few cuts, I leave it to the actor's senses and let the cut flow until I say, "Cut! I try to record without cutting until I say, "Cut! I tell the actors, "Think of it as if the camera is recording from five different locations. That way, they don't have to look down at the script, and the play connects naturally. I don't want the actors' performances to fit into a certain shape.


─ What criteria do you use for music?

Sato: In the play, I apply music to the emotions of the characters. Recently, there are many TV dramas and animations that apply music to "phenomena" rather than emotions. For example, if I knocked over a cup and Mr. Hirota stood up and said, "What are you doing? I often apply panic music to that phenomenon. If I want to focus on the emotional aspect, I put in anxious music while reading the atmosphere between the two of them even before the cup is knocked over. This creates a mood of disquiet, as if Satoeiichi might be upsetting Mr. Hirota. Then, the mood could be turned around and he could say, "I'm going to the restroom," which would elicit laughter. That's what I mean when I use music to convey emotion.

─ ─ Are there any difficulties with the sound?

Sato: The 5.1 channel sound work is very strenuous. When you put yourself in the middle of a huge amount of sound for a long time, from morning to night, your semicircular canals go haywire and you get a headache like a fever. The headaches also get worse. I'm really happy when it works because I can hear the layers of sound and make them three-dimensional. However, I think we should take more days and spend more time on sound work for animation.