John UM
The TV anime “The Astra of the Other Side” depicting the protagonist’s interstellar adventure tour, through the various aspects of image processing, atmosphere creation and so on, gives the audience a profound visual experience like the theater version of the space science fiction. In this regard, this film photography supervision Sakai scorpion can be described as an indispensable, may wish to listen to Sakai supervision about the sharing of photography skills
After reading the original comics of Mr. Sugawara Kenta, Sakai, who is the director of photography, immediately felt the excitement before the test. This is not only because I realize that the post-animation photographic processing expresses the technical difficulty involved in the differences in the environmental features of the stars visited by the protagonist along the way, but also because SF is the type of work that Sakai has always wanted to challenge, so she is determined to pour It is also necessary to grasp this rare opportunity
In view of the unique ecosystem on each planet’s surface, Sakai intends to give each planet a different sense of air. Implemented to the specific operational level, in order to reflect the characteristics of climate, temperature and humidity on each planet, different filters are set for photography. In addition, in order to emphasize the vacuum state of the vast universe, Sakai intends to increase the contrast between the relevant lens and other lenses
By communicating with the supervisor, Mr. Ando Masahiro, Sakai understands the intention of creating a theatrical version of the TV in the TV animation, so she came up with the corresponding countermeasures for adding a wide-screen black belt to the upper and lower parts of the screen. The black belt that is sometimes absent can also show the shooting effect of different lenses
Also, in order to preserve the original strength of the comics, the contrast between the lines and the lines of the characters in the film has also been worked hard. After repeated tests, the current matching scheme is finally obtained
Of course, the specific implementation of the above steps is inseparable from the coordination between the photography department and other departments. First of all, Sakai and the teacher Kurazawa, who is responsible for the character design, communicated the image processing of the character hook line. Because once the hook line mode is enabled, the original line will change, so the animator needs to additionally trim the sensitive areas of the character’s corners, corners, etc. that affect the expression
In addition, due to the use of the filter, the color matching of some of the lenses will suddenly change, so every time the hero arrives at the next planet, Sakai must quickly confirm the adjustment scale of the relevant lens to the teacher Tada Hiroshi who is the color designer, and Always waiting for the other party’s answer with a restless mood
“The Astra of the other side” constantly switches between different scenes such as space, spaceship, and various planets. In order to highlight the difference between several people, Sakai has a lot of brains. For example, for the first time, the dramas of the first time should be unfolded in the space. In order to make the scenes with only the stars and characters not too monotonous and dull in the visual impression, Sakai deliberately increased the contrast between light and shadow. In this case, the most troublesome thing in Sakai is the scene of the inner bridge of the spacecraft. Because more than 20 kinds of display contents need to be accurately and correctly pasted on the center console screen of the spacecraft, the supervisor is afraid that the deviation of his instructions will result in misplacement
Among the many planets, the most complicated photo processing is “Xiamuya”. In order to make the spores flying in the sky look less annoying, Sakai strictly controls the shape and color of the spores
By the way, the protagonist’s first stop, “Vilavas”, encountered the problem that the background art and the filter were green. Under this premise, how to show the beautiful scenery of the sunset on the planet. It consumed a lot of brain cells in Sakai, but it also gave her the same joy at the moment of overcoming the difficulties
It is worth mentioning that the scene of the 4th Wenyu singing is designed from Sakai’s handwriting. The photographic process of this period was inspired by her reading of the original work. Therefore, during the scripting session, Sakai actively submitted various proposals, and finally “let people wear flashing dresses and sing in the vast universe like the symphony orchestra.” The proposal was passed, and the expectations of Sakai were basically realized under the cooperation of various departments. It is especially desirable for the exiting wells in the OP
Speaking of the special photographic processing of this film, I have to mention the mysterious sphere that is hidden when the ghost is not present. This time, except that the sphere itself is drawn by CG, all other special effects are completed by photography. Since taking over the project, Sakai has attached great importance to this matter, and has worked with other members of the photography team to make suggestions and make the current results. Therefore, the supervisor hopes that everyone can pay more attention when watching
In addition, Sakai also mentioned the handling of the spacesuit helmet. It is said that thinking about how to rely solely on photographic processing to express the feeling of wearing a helmet in a comic book also makes her happy
Talking about the growth and gains of participating in the production of “Astra of the Other Side”, Sakai said that in addition to seeing the entire operation process from project establishment to implementation from the beginning, she also learned from the Ando supervision and expanded the reference to the live-action film. The thinking and vision. How to subtly use the stone of other mountains for his own use has become another valuable experience of Sakai’s new mastery
Finally, from the standpoint of photography supervision, Sakai is inconvenient to talk about the photographic processing involving spoilers in the future. I just hope that everyone who loves this film insists on chasing the film until the end. Maybe everyone will be in the past. The special effects in these fragments give birth to a sense of ignorance
References:
- “Partyのアストラ” 撮影监督・ 酒井淳子インタビュー”ScreenのUp and downについているシネマスコープの黒帯は映画のようなスケール感を狙っています”