OK. This is from my old blog. I haven't transfered all of the entries from the previous blog, but I figured it best to at least migrate this one to explain why there is an "amended version" to Missing Pages and what the "non-amended version" is. So here we go!
The Project:
In October 2004, I was approached by Rockdom Artists Inc., the J-Pop duo Chage & Aska's management company, to make a special Chage DVD. I'd done work with them previously designing C&A's DVD menus and was asked to do a Portfolio DVD of Chage's pictures. The idea was to show Chage's photos in various DVD layouts and sell it to his fans. When asked what I thought, I recommended we push the idea further.
"If you want to make a DVD," I suggested, "why not make a movie with the photos? That way you can sell it to more than just C&A's fan base - you'll hit a wider market."
No one had seen or even heard of a film done with still photos, so I presented the idea by showing Chris Marker's La Jetee, a fantastic movie that became the inspiration for Missing Pages. Chage and the producers loved it. With a green light, I started writing the script while exploring different ways we could use photos in an interesting style that would be conducive to telling a story. I wanted to move beyond what had been done in La Jetee, using the tools I'd learned working as a motion graphic designer, I wanted to create what could be seen as a modern rendition of the ideas presented in Chris Marker's classic short movie.
The Execution:
After a few months of preparation we went into production and shot Missing Pages at break neck speed. As with any production on a limited budget and ambitious aspirations, there's never enough time.
Once we'd finished our seven-day location shoot, I was faced with the job of sifting through 40,000 stills and selecting the photo elements to be used to create the final animations.
From the beginning of May until the end of August 2005, I worked every waking hour cutting up photos in the computer, stitching them into the scene and animating them. It was next to impossible to follow the original storyboard since our shooting schedule had been cut too short, so I improvised, building new shots with elements taken from different scenes and basically rewriting the story with whatever images I could find and merge them into a cohesive story.
Midway through postproduction, one of the executive producers threw a deadline into the mix, "We have to make it for the 2005 Short Shorts Film Festival September 10th."
Making the deadline would be tough, that much I knew, but I was convinced that with some luck we could do it. But as I continued to labor with the repetitive process of cut & paste & animate, I realized we were faced with a deadline no one could possibly meet without making aesthetic and narrative sacrifices.
I knew story was more important than fancy effects, so I focused on assembling the narrative as best I could, constructing the shots and throwing them onto the timeline as quickly as possible so I could finally start the crucial editing phase.
On a good day I could assemble 8 shots, but on a bad day I'd struggle to finish one. The further I got along, the more exhausted I became, the more bad days I had.
The Screening:
By late August, we'd thrown together what I openly referred to as the preview version of Missing Pages. There was still a lot of work to do. Most of the scenes weren't edited properly, more than half of the animations weren't done and the sound design we'd commissioned was nowhere near satisfactory.
After the screening, I returned to my hotel room and started screaming. Locked up in my studio with the blinds down, submerged in darkness for four months had taken its toll on me & I needed a break.
The Reality:
The following week I don't remember clearly. I think I spent most of my time catching the last few rays of summer sleeping under a tree. My body needed light and my brain needed sleep, so I took in both.
During my absence, decisions were made. It was agreed the version we presented at the Short Shorts Festival would be pressed, wrapped and sold on DVD.
When I learned this, I put up as big a fight as I could, but there was no use. The decision had already been made and no matter what I said, the production of Missing Pages was over.
There was a month before the DVD went to press, so I tried to come up with a solution, a plan to finish the project for next to nothing, but all my ideas were turned down. Everyone had moved on to other projects. Missing Pages was over.
I didn't know what to do. I was beside myself with grief and contemplated throwing everything away and leaving Japan for good when a friend of mine, now living in America, came to visit. I think it was his "that's bullshit - fuck them!" point of view I needed to get me back on my feet.
After watching the movie and listening to my story he said, "Dude, you got a raw deal. Fuck that. Finish the movie. What've you got to lose?"
He was right. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The Amendment:
I set up a meeting with the president of Rockdom and laid out my plan to finish Missing Pages. After carefully listening to my story, I was surprised by how open he was to the idea I finish the film as I had originally envisioned. With a smile he said, "Go for it!"
We shook hands and I returned to my studio.
Locking myself back in my studio, I came out three months later proudly waving Missing Pages (amended version) in the air.
The Result:
Missing Pages (initial version) is currently sold in Japan on DVD and is managed through Rockdom Inc., Chage & Aska's management office. Missing Pages (amended version) is intended for the festival circuit and will hopefully find its way onto compilation DVDs and sold online once we find interested parties.
And that's the story behind the "amended version" of Missing Pages.
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Looking back on it now, I know I made the right decision and am proud of the project, despite whatever shortcomings I feel it might have. As I write this, Missing Pages has found renewed interest. It is currently reviewed on http://dekku.blogspot.com/ and will also be part of a special feature on J.C. Hutchin's popular podcast 7th Son which should be up in a few days - more info on this as it becomes available.
In the meantime, also make sure to check out the website for the original version of Missing Pages and heck! ...buy a DVD so I can see some royalties!
