Copyright

Last year I worked with a talented graphic designer for the very British fashion brand. They needed my two letters with their logo for their new package design.

I signed their paper when I got to their meeting room.
The pile of paper stated how I should behave around this work.

I can say that I'm involved with this job, but cannot specify which project that was. I can not have any images of their final product, nor a link to those.

The product is out now and I saw massive posters everywhere!

For this film job, we all have to sign T&C and agreements even you work for them for a day. I have been paid by a production company, and they own the film. Whatever I've done under their name, the stuff I written or made are all theirs, rather than mine.

It is a simple fact.
But those massive posters in the city remind me that we, calligraphers and designers all have to be careful often.

Copy of wood cut print book from 16th C. 

But the good thing is I always can talk to my colleagues or friends to discuss these things and always always be saved and helped by... Thank you, all xxx

Second Unit - shooting

The shootings often take place in massive warehouses as studios. It is normally dark, cool and super quiet when the shooting taking place.

Cameras and lights were all set and the same table, ink stones and tools which were used in a main shooting were set. Actors who are pretending to be someone else's hands were make-uped and costumed.
We were still practicing last minutes in a corner of this big warehouse - Studio L. Some of them have not been very keen on practicing but after they saw cameras and lights, all of them became very passionate calligraphers.

It took a couple of days to finish taking everything they wanted. Different angles, different lights and etc. There were some monitors you can see what camera was catching at the time. I was laughed by colleague that I killed my breath while I watched my ‘pupils’ calligraphy.

They used 3D cameras which were as if they were monsters of machines of transformers. And they needed to shoot very close ups.
Set the desk on soiled and snowed ground, set the scrolls and inks, then camera decide the distance between or angles.
Then camera man changed lenses many times, checking lights, and checking again. Took ages to start shooting, I remember.

Then the ‘hand’ actors had to squeeze in between camera and scrolls, often they were forced to be twisted or take unnatural posture which made hard to do proper lettering.

But some of them done quite well, some of them didn't.
In any cases they were okay for non-Japanese audience or stuff. They all looked happy what they shot but they were obviously not fluent enough for the big silver screening in Japan.

I explained that to the second unit director, and they decided to shoot my brush tips without my ‘lady’ fingers. I squeezed my hand between monster camera and the paper, done ‘Kai’ twice, almost without looking (as my funny posture) then that was that.

All the shooing were done.
My leaving date was decided, some of my colleagues for six months were already gone for a holiday or to the next film. Funny feeling that people saying good-bye each other every day.

I'll continue a bit more about individual things I've done a little bit more.
Thank you x

Second Unit - practice

I didn't know what was ‘the second unit’ even thou I have heard about them.

One day assistant director of them  contacted me and asked me to instruct the extras for the close up shoots of Blood Oath signing scene.

As I watched, I could figure that they were shooting the close up or slow, detail shots of everything without revealing extra's faces.

He explained that they will shoot like picking brush up, actual signing, cutting their thumbs for blood stamps and maybe for the actual brush movements with writings.

And we've got a day and a bit to make all the beginners to be able to write - bearable to watch on a big screen.

Impossible.

But we had to do this.
I just let everyone write. So that they get used to handle the brush, being confident to write letters.

Sometimes, or often, quantity covers quality.

They were nice guys, hard working and friendly. We enjoyed practice together but they often struggled with controlling the sumi ink. 

It became one of my feelings now and am doing so unconsciously but they can't guess how much ink they should put on their brushes. Either too much or too dry.

Those kind of things, you just have to get used to it often.

Same thing for western calligraphy with pen writing.

Kai was the only person who has Westerners skin tone so they've chosen the right coloured handed guy who was a Japanese. Kai (Keanu) is left handed. But he, who has a right coloured hand, wasn't. He tried and thought, then decided to use his left hand to sign! I can't even write with my left!

Their faces were never seen on screen but they put their kimono on, hair done and make-ups too. And they moved as if they were actors. 

And I was with them for the shooting, too. 

Rolling!

2011 Summer @ Windsor forest.
But the scene suppose to be in winter. So you have snow covered ground. It was 8am I turned up but its already actors in costume, cameras were stand by and props were all set.

I have worked near by the shooting but it was first time for me to stay and work on the shooting.

Discussed how we proceed with prop men and actors. I made some inks and prepare the papers. Actors who wants to re-check how to sit and hold brush came to sit down in front of the scroll.

 

We knew they're not going to shoot the scroll itself, that means not their writing themselves. So we decided to have a another layer of paper on top of the scroll so that we were not wasting the actual scroll.

I did not know the word, but when some people shout ‘Rolling!’, that means complete silence. Cameras are rolling so we, the background should not make any noise.
The atmosphere changed.

And then I saw actors moving in front of my eyes.
They were also moving in the monitor, through the camera lens.
Those two things should be the same and they were but
it looked completely different thing.
Very strange.

Tense silence during the shooting, and back to normal in second when the camera stopped.

It took long time to go through.
I had to leave when my part of job finished there. I prepared sumi ink again and left some new papers.

When I looked ‘signature’s on paper, off course Oishi's writing was best but Kai was not too bad, too! And he did not know what sort of character his should be two days ago.
He must have done some practises.
I was simply touched so with the paper I visit him where he was having break.
‘Well done, it looks great’
‘Really? Great!’
He said with big smile. Such a nice guy.

My one day with A-listers finished and went back to make more stuff. Then shortly after, I was contacted by ‘Second Unit’ to do more Japanese calligraphy instructor.

What is second unit?

Blood Oath contents

Scroll is one of the style of protecting the documents. It can be hang vertically on the wall. But it also can be a very handy way to carry documents around when you are travelling.

I wish I could make it by myself but I have never tried. I did some research how they are and gave the references to Prop guy - and he made it look very decent. We knew its going to be a lots of takes when they shoot so we prepared more than 20 silk scrolls.

They were already made. So if I do some spelling mistake or smudges the whole scroll was wasted.

From the references I figured that we should have some ‘legend’ first, and then the signature later. The legend would have said these men swore to do the revenge to clear their master's name.

We knew they will shoot only at the beginning and the last - Chikara & Kai of signing. Not all 47 of them. So I have prepared the half of them with only legend and the rest were written up till 45 names.

And then the names. At this stage, we thought Oishi would have written everything first then Ronin would just do the blood pressing stuff. So I've written everything in the same script, pretending that is Oishi's hand writing.


They thought they shoot the scene at Budapest. But it actually happened in July, in Windsor forest. And at that point, they have changed their mind to every Ronin has to sign and blood pressing. So we had to prepare the ones with all the different hand writing because everyone's signature would be different!

And the spelling of Kai.
Should it be in Kanji? Would he have Kanji for his name?
Or just Hiragana? かい, 可以, 可イ, 可衣 ?
You can think of many different Kanji for sound of Kai - 海、快、怪、隗,,,  When we thought about his new name, from the sound of Kai, I imagined it would be 魁 which means the brave one who takes initiative. But is that okay for the whole production?
It was.
After I checked with certain people, Kai is 魁 now.
He's got a character but without any surname.

Pin ups and ‘clear’ things

I was sitting on the path people walking past and had walls, so decided to pin everything I think relevant to the story and scenes. Also I pinned were rough mock ups.

Everyone asked me ‘that looks cool, but what does it say?’
Naturally they could not read.

When I write some letters, it says something. It must have some meaning or information.
In the next six months I was often asked ‘could you fill that space with something?’ ’write something there’ But I have to be careful.

I did not have anyone whom I can ask whether these things right to say in this era.
I needed to understand the situation of those scenes. I could go online with these things.

But hardest for me of all was to ‘clear’ the information. We need to make sure to check everything, literally everything whether we are not touching any copy rights. I should be well prepared what I was going to write, and submit everything as documents to person who is responsible of ’clear’ing. Names on gravestones, poems, shop names, 47 names and also Buddhist sutras.

I am not sure painter has to do the same, but just because I was dealing with ‘information’ I had to do this everyday. But often forgot, then was so told off. They cannot shoot if things are not cleared. Hundreds of people had to wait because of me.

Everything was new to me, every day.