studiobondurri Chapter 386 Upgraded Action Scenes
Chapter 386 Upgraded Action Scenes
Tokyo, early morning.
The early summer sun is bright and clear.
In a private dojo, a tall, upright man, dressed in a slightly faded, loose tracksuit, stood meticulously.
This is Koichi Sakamoto's daily morning lesson, which he does without fail.
Each move was accompanied by a whistling wind.
His movements were crisp and clean, without any unnecessary frills.
If you look closely, you can see the shadow of Jackie Chan hidden in the rhythmic and aesthetically pleasing combat movements.
The classic action movies of his early years had a profound influence on him.
In fact, Koichi Sakamoto has been a huge fan of Jackie Chan since he was young.
That obsession with hard-hitting action scenes is ingrained in his very bones.
It was this passion that became his initial motivation to resolutely enter the action movie industry.
After graduating from the renowned Kurata Stunt Club, he devoted himself to pursuing even higher levels of action direction.
For a wider world, he chose to go to the United States to develop his career without hesitation.
However, this parallel world took a different turn.
Tsuburaya Productions went bankrupt after the end of the Showa era, and the tokusatsu industry fell into a recession early on.
It was a despairing silence.
Without the flourishing of Kamen Riders during the Heisei era, the later prosperity of Super Sentai also vanished.
Therefore, while Koichi Sakamoto's resume remains impressive, it lacks the legendary quality of his previous life.
In his previous life, Gu Nan was revered as the "God of Tokusatsu" by countless tokusatsu fans, but here, he is just an excellent behind-the-scenes action choreographer.
He worked his way up in the Hollywood industry, starting from the very bottom.
With his solid martial arts skills and a fierce fighting spirit, he became a dangerous stuntman.
From stuntman to action director, he fought his way up, and later even established his own action film studio.
He was even deeply involved in the production of the American version of the Power Rangers series, accumulating valuable practical experience.
However, within the Japanese film and television industry, his fame is limited to the niche field of action direction.
He has some fame, but he's not exactly a big-name, core director.
After finishing a set of fluid and graceful boxing techniques, he exhaled a long breath.
He picked up the towel draped around his neck and wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.
I walked to the rest area and sat down. I picked up my teacup, and steam rose from it.
In this warm, steamy atmosphere, the events of the past few days involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
That incident still stirs his emotions and leaves him feeling unsettled.
Not long ago, a top Japanese entertainment capital company hosted a dinner.
The venue was set in a high-end ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) in Tokyo with extremely tight security and a strong traditional atmosphere.
There, a highly secretive transnational meeting was quietly arranged.
The person he met was a figure who was at the height of his career in the film and television industry throughout Asia and even the world.
Gu Nan, a genius director from Xia Kingdom and the absolute helmsman of Light Chaser Animation.
Koichi Sakamoto was very familiar with the name Gu Nan.
In a world where tokusatsu should have been completely abandoned and forgotten, everything depended on Gu Nan alone.
With his terrifying talent, he revived the long-dormant Ultraman IP in China.
It even propelled it to the pinnacle of world-class cultural and entertainment IP.
From the groundbreaking emergence of Ultraman Tiga, to the inheritance of tradition in Project Seven, and even the ambitious space exploration in Dyna.
Then there's Gaia, with its overwhelmingly powerful cinematic feel, and now Goss, which has sparked a new wave of viewership frenzy.
Gu Nan's camera work is extremely complex, the special effects are grand and realistic, and the costume action design is meticulous and solid.
These works, which are considered god-level in the industrialized production line of film and television, left Koichi Sakamoto in awe.
Even now, many industry insiders are privately studying this young man's work.
Although he didn't know the great director's temperament in private, after all, they were separated by the ocean, and everything was unknown.
But based solely on these works, Koichi Sakamoto gave them his highest praise without reservation from the bottom of his heart.
Indeed, Gu Nan can be regarded as the only savior of this era who can keep special effects television dramas alive.
However, there was one thing that Sakamoto Hiroshi couldn't understand at all.
Why did Gu Nan ultimately choose to collaborate with one of the many studios he had?
With its current massive scale and abundant financial resources, Light Chaser Animation Studios has no shortage of choices.
Especially given the terrifying market in China and the reputation of Light Chaser Animation Studios, top Hollywood action teams would definitely line up to take on their projects.
Is his level of fame in the Japanese action movie scene really enough of a bargaining chip?
This huge information gap has left Koichi Sakamoto in a peculiar state for the past few days.
I felt both uneasy and slightly excited.
Koichi Sakamoto, of course, had no idea why he had been precisely chosen from among the vast sea of people.
But Gu Nan, as a time traveler, knew everything about the past life of this "action genius".
In Gu Nan's original world, the name Koichi Sakamoto was an absolute guarantee of quality action scenes in the tokusatsu industry.
He is the first and only legendary figure in history to serve as the chief director of three top tokusatsu series: Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Super Sentai.
In 2009, Koichi Sakamoto personally directed the groundbreaking film "Mega Monster Battle: Super Galaxy Legend".
In that historic theatrical film, he facilitated the first stunning appearance of the super popular character Ultraman Zero.
More importantly, he revolutionized the grammar of actions.
He perfectly blended Hollywood-style sharp editing techniques with the textured feel of Japanese tokusatsu suits.
The specific methods used were extremely radical.
He completely broke the stereotypical fighting pattern of the Ultraman series.
On the editing table, he significantly shortened the duration of individual shots, reducing the average switching frequency to less than two seconds.
The rapid and frequent camera work creates a breathtaking rhythm of action.
At the same time, he incorporated a large number of MMA joint locks and ground control techniques into his action design.
This is unprecedented in the past special effects fights that relied solely on boxing and grappling.
Moreover, Gu Nan's mind flashed back to the series of glorious achievements created by Koichi Sakamoto in his previous life.
The life-size fight scenes in "Kamen Rider W", "Kamen Rider Fourze", and "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger" are also of high quality.
In multiplayer team battles, he designed a continuously moving Steadicam track path that connects the combat highlights of each member.
The most typical example is the perfect combination of visual tension in the later "Ultraman Galaxy Fight" series.
Numerous impactful slow-motion shots are precisely timed to the exact moment the attack erupts.
When switching forms, the use of lens flare and fragmented effects creates a smooth transition, forming a strong personal style.
This director is not only skilled at directing grand and spectacular gunpowder explosion scenes, but also possesses a unique cinematic language.
Although within the industry, fans often jokingly refer to him as an "erotic director," teasing him for his particular fondness for close-ups of female characters' thighs.
But looking at the industry as a whole, absolutely no one can deny his contributions.
His revolutionary and epoch-making contributions to special effects action scenes are unparalleled.
The bottleneck that Gu Nan is currently facing is precisely where he needs someone like Koichi Sakamoto the most.
We need action choreography geniuses who can disregard conventions and break traditions in a crazy way.
The filming of "Ultraman Cosmos" has steadily entered its mid-stage.
There is no doubt that Light Chaser Animation's existing martial arts choreography team is excellent.
But Gu Nan also knew that traditional special effects action scenes were gradually hitting their ceiling.
The visually stimulating ceiling is already faintly visible.
No matter how hard one tries to recreate the scenes from the previous life, it is ultimately not as appropriate as inviting the original owners of those scenes.
To deliver an unprecedented visual spectacle in subsequent episodes, especially in the ferocious close-quarters combat of Cosmos Corona Mode, fresh blood must be introduced.
Fresh blood with an aggressive edge.
And that man named Koichi Sakamoto was the perfect choice. He could completely transform Goss's action scenes.
My thoughts drifted back to a few days ago. That secret meeting at a Tokyo ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant).
Inside the elegant private room, the tatami mats exuded a faint scent of rush.
Gu Nan and Sakamoto Hiroichi sat facing each other.
The premium matcha in front of me is steaming hot.
Skip over any unnecessary pleasantries and stalling in business negotiations; Gu Nan always acts swiftly and decisively.
He went straight to the point.
"Mr. Sakamoto, I'll get straight to the point."
Gu Nan stared intently at Sakamoto Koichi across from him, his tone carrying an undeniable authority.
"I've seen your in-house design samples at the Hollywood action studio; they're outstanding."
"One of the purposes of my trip to Japan is to invite you to join the cast of Ultraman Cosmos."
"I was fully involved in the action direction during the later stages, as well as directing some of the core episodes."
Koichi Sakamoto was clearly taken aback.
He suppressed the turmoil within him and tentatively asked:
"Director Gu, it is a great honor to have your appreciation."
"But as far as I know, Light Chaser Animation's current martial arts choreography system is already at the top level in the industry."
"The action scenes in the early episodes of 'Goss' received excellent feedback online."
"What specific area of breakthrough do you need me to achieve?"
Gu Nan placed his hands on the table, crossed.
His eyes became as sharp as a falcon's.
"Breaking away from the traditional 'turn-based' system."
"I want to completely eliminate the stage performance style of Ultraman fighting monsters, where you punch and I kick."
"What I want is the brutal explosiveness of a true life-or-death battle, the ultimate sense of speed, and the overwhelming sense of pressure that sends your adrenaline soaring!"
"Through your work, I can see that you are proficient in the routines of Chinese Kung Fu and extremely familiar with Hollywood's mature wire work techniques."
"I think these hardcore elements have a bright future in Ultraman Cosmos."
Upon hearing this, Koichi Sakamoto's deep eyes lit up instantly.
It was a terrifying cluster of flames.
Indeed, he has wanted to try this for many years, but has always struggled because he lacks a platform and has many ideas for action.
Without a major production platform and top-tier funding, it's all just empty talk.
For example, in the traditional tokusatsu (special effects) circle in Japan, countless industry veterans stubbornly believe that suits are too heavy and rigid.
They asserted that the high-difficulty close-quarters combat and extremely complex camera movement were simply impossible to achieve.
But Sakamoto Koichi simply didn't believe in this superstition.
"Director Gu, in traditional action scenes, in order to ensure the integrity of the suit and the clarity of the movements, the camera position is usually fixed at a safe distance."
"They are accustomed to using conservative wide or medium shots, with fixed camera positions or slow-moving track vehicles for filming."
Koichi Sakamoto's passion for action was completely ignited.
He started gesturing with a teacup on the table, speaking at breakneck speed.
"While this filming method is safe, it greatly weakens the kinetic energy transfer of the physical impact. Therefore, we have to add a lot of special effects to mitigate those shortcomings. Otherwise, what the audience sees is just two rubber dolls colliding, with no sense of weight at all."
"So, I came up with a shooting idea. We can completely fix a specially customized small high dynamic range camera to the front end of a specially made long pole."
"During close-quarters combat filming, a professional action cinematographer wields this long pole, acting as a third fighter, directly cutting into the heart of the suit actor's high-speed combat."
"This special miniature camera uses a sensor of the level of a miniature 4K cinema camera and is equipped with an ultra-wide-angle fisheye lens, which can perform dynamic capture shooting with no blind spots in 360 degrees."
"When the monster throws a heavy punch, or Ultraman makes a close-range dodge, the long-pole camera will move in sync with the trajectory of the action."
"Synchronized rotation, propulsion, and even rapid retreat."
"In this way, the audience's perspective is no longer that of a detached bystander, but rather as if they are directly swept into the eye of the storm of giant creatures fighting."
"By making flexible use of the 360-degree perspective and dynamic shooting positions, the sense of presence will explode exponentially."
Upon hearing this, Gu Nan's gaze sharpened slightly, and he secretly marveled at the achievement.
He truly deserves to be called the man who changed the history of tokusatsu action films.
Even without experiencing the baptism of his peak in this parallel world, he still keenly conceived of this technique.
This is the visually striking 360-degree rod-style camera movement from the previous life.
"It sounds like an extremely bold and disruptive industrial concept."
Gu Nan immediately gave the most professional evaluation.
"This filming method, which is close to the source of the action, can greatly enhance the sense of immersion during the battle."
"It can also forcibly stretch out a sense of spatial depth in the originally flat and monotonous miniature real scene."
"However, this kind of close-up shooting places extremely high demands on the camera operator's positioning, physical exertion, and seamless coordination with the costume actors."
Gu Nan leaned forward slightly and pointed out the core difficulty.
"In high-speed combat, the photographer needs to constantly and flexibly move his position, making sudden stops, changes of direction, and accelerations."
"And, under no circumstances should the poles and cameras at the front touch the suited actor who is tumbling or punching."
"In a film set where there is no green screen assistance and everything relies on miniature real-life buildings, there is no room for post-production remediation using chroma keying."
"This is a huge challenge with an extremely high error rate and is extremely physically demanding."
"You're absolutely right. This is definitely a challenge that puts immense demands on industrial collaboration."
Sakamoto nodded heavily, his tone becoming extremely serious.
"This requires our motion direction team to conduct extremely precise motion breakdown and confirmation in the early stages."
"Before the official start of filming, the suit actors even had to rehearse their positions countless times in an open space with the cameraman holding a long pole, without wearing the heavy suits."
"We need to be precise down to the arc of every turn and the distance of every punch."
"The spatial coordinates of each movement node must be formed into muscle memory."
"As long as the coordination reaches a high level of perfection, even raw footage without any post-production computer effects can exhibit extremely shocking and explosive visual tension."
Gu Nan picked up his teacup and took a sip.
The two engaged in a deep exchange, exchanging words back and forth.
We discussed the specific parameters of camera movement, as well as the load-bearing limits and safety redundancy of piano wire harnesses during stunt shooting.
From the breakdown and connection logic of actual combat routines, we talked about the tear resistance of the suit material and the range of motion of the joints.
What was originally an ordinary transnational meeting turned into a highly informative and extremely hardcore technical seminar.
In this closed and routine film and television industry, Koichi Sakamoto hadn't met someone like this in a long time.
Producers and directors like Gu Nan are willing to spend a fortune and experiment with entirely new industrial technologies in pursuit of the ultimate visual effects.
"Mr. Sakamoto, I think we don't need to waste any more time on this nonsense."
Gu Nan stood up and extended his large right hand to Koichi Sakamoto. His eyes were sincere and filled with fervor.
"I formally invite you to come to Xia Country and join Light Chaser Animation. Participate in the mid-production of 'Ultraman Cosmos.' Turn all your crazy ideas into reality within the Light Chaser crew."
The two fanatics, who had an extreme pursuit of special effects action scenes, reached the most perfect consensus at this moment.
Now that we've decided to cooperate, we need a high-intensity real-world test.
This practical experience will allow Sakamoto and the current production staff to work together more effectively.
Theoretical discussions are useless; only by engaging in real combat on set can a team build synergy.
As for which episode Gu Nan plans to have Sakamoto use for the experiment?
"Ultraman Cosmos Episode 10".