Film Director Kazuo Nagai Having the power to make decisions is both a source of pressure and a rewarding task.

■ Profile

Born January 1990, 9.Born in Osaka Prefecture.
After working for a television production company, he went freelance. His directorial debut, "Smelly But I Love You," was screened at over 20 film festivals both in Japan and overseas, winning the Supporter & Audience Award at the Shitamachi Comedy Awards in 2015 and the Creators Factory Feature Film Award in 2015 at the Kyoto International Film Festival. In 2018, "The Haze Rises" won the Grand Prix at the 1st Shiga International Film Festival. He has written the screenplays for Teppei Isobe's films, including "Plans Undecided" and "Mi Is Future Mi."

The film "This Town and Me" will be released on March 4th. The director is Kazuo Nagai, who worked for a television production company before becoming a freelance filmmaker. The film, which centers around a 23-year-old assistant director, is said to heavily reflect his own experiences as a company employee. We spoke to him about the struggles he faced as an assistant director, his journey from his student days to the present, as well as the background and highlights of the film.

■Big decisions made during my student days

　I was interested in physics since high school and went on to study physics at university. However, I didn't have any desire to work in a physics-related field after graduation, and instead had a vague idea that "I like comedy shows, so I want to become a director at a TV production company."
　At university, I was one credit short and had to repeat the year. This prompted me to start attending a screenwriting school about once a week. The following year, I obtained the credits required to graduate in the first semester and took the remaining six months off school. During that time, I studied screenwriting and helped out at events, and I began to enjoy writing scripts, so I decided to aim to become a screenwriter. However, I couldn't become a screenwriter straight away, so I applied to TV stations and production companies that made comedy shows, and joined the company that offered me a job. However, once I joined, I was overwhelmed with menial tasks and it became increasingly difficult to see what I wanted to do. I couldn't get rid of my desire to write screenplays, so I quit my job as an AD and started making movies with the people who had attended the screenwriting school.
　I wasn't particularly scared about quitting my job as an AD. Rather, it was a bigger decision to get a job at a TV production company, the only company that had nothing to do with physics, even though I studied physics when I graduated from university. Rather, while I was at the production company, I was more worried about whether it was okay to continue working as an AD, so I felt strongly that I could break away from that.

■Having influence

　I feel that the most rewarding part of being a director is having the power to make decisions. While ADs are often given tasks, as a director you are the one who is asked to give instructions. How you judge and decide each and every thing can make a big difference to the content of the work. That is what I find rewarding about being a director.
　However, directing comes with responsibility because you make the decisions yourself, and the evaluation of the work directly reflects your own evaluation. Of course there is pressure, but that is what makes it rewarding. Writing scripts is also fun. What I personally find interesting is how the content changes when the actors actually perform it. Of course there are failures, but I think the fun of making a film is coming up with new ideas on set.

■ "This Town and Me" is also a story of my own conflicts

　I decided to film "This Town and Me" after my previous film was selected for a film festival, and a film producer who was at the festival invited me to take on the role. He said, "Yoshimoto Kogyo is looking for someone to direct a film about the Katsushika region." During the meeting, I was told, "It's up to you to decide," so I presented a project I had been working on. Then, they suggested, "Couldn't you incorporate more elements of Katsushika and Yoshimoto?" It was only then that I realized I hadn't given any thought to the significance of working with Yoshimoto Kogyo or Katsushika Ward. While walking around Katsushika Ward once again to refine the project, I thought about what Yoshimoto meant, and memories of my time as an AD came flooding back. The conflict I felt then and the current conflict of needing to give shape to the project I had been given linked together, resulting in the film "This Town and Me."

■The highlight is the realistic depiction of the world of television

　One of the most memorable shoots was the climax scene. The day before filming, I reconsidered the flow of emotions of the characters and realized that I still hadn't been able to portray them objectively at all, so I wrote out the entire flow of emotions and organized it. Then, on the day of filming, while the staff was packing up and during brief breaks, I used those notes to write new lines. I got almost no sleep during this time, and it was physically tough. But unlike the endless days of my time as an AD on a series, I feel like I was able to work hard because I could see the end in sight during filming.
　I received a variety of feedback from people who watched this film. In particular, people in the television industry said things like, "It brought back some really unpleasant memories," and were surprised, asking, "Is the lead actor a real assistant director?" I think that's how realistic I was able to portray it.
　I would also like people to pay attention to how I have framed Katsushika. Unlike a simple promotional film for the region, I believe I have managed to capture my own version of Katsushika. I personally tried to deeply explore the question, "Why should this film be about Katsushika?", so I would be happy if that helps promote it in the end.

■ I want to make a film from scratch that I originate from myself.

　So far, I have made two independent films, including this one, which will be shown alongside the others. One is about a friend and his girlfriend ("I Love You, But It Stinks"), another is about a YouTuber ("Mist Rises"), and this one has already been decided as "Yoshimoto Kogyo's Katsushika Regional Film." Up until now, all of my films have had a source material for the story, so next I would like to try making a feature film, one that I originate from scratch. I would like to express the conflicts and feelings I have in my first feature film. Also, while I will continue to work in film and video, I would like to continue to focus on directing as my main job.

■Message to university students

　During my university days, I studied physics and wanted to become an AD, but I often felt the painful stares of those around me. I'm sure there are many others who find themselves in situations where what they want to do is different from the environment they find themselves in. However, the important thing is to stick to what you want to do. If you're worried, I hope you'll take the first step you want to take. And if you can't take the first step, I hope you'll watch "This Town and Me."

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on January 24, 2022, by Koji Ishida, a second-year student at Nihon University

---