approved excerpt from EK SHOOTING EYE 2000.9 No.38

In my student days, I was just in the midst of the 8mm filming boom.I was using an 8mm camera myself. I began to go to the movie theaters, where I hadn't been so often before. The ATG at Shinjuku, which you can't see any more now, was one of the places I remember visiting many times. The movies at ATG were always so difficult to understand that I saw the same one over and over.
At that time, I began to work part-time in order to make money for 8mm films. Director Mamoru Watanabe of porn films happened to be recruiting staff members. I began to work under him, thinking I could learn so much working in the movie industry because I was already involved with 8mm filming. Though the hard reality was beyondall my imagination, the overwhelming joy of this job really made me "fall into this world", I'm telling you.
It was after my graduation that I met Mr. Hideo Ito, cameraman of Tokyo Eiga (Tokyo Cinema). I worked under him as an apprentice of his assistant cameraman. In those days, few women worked as a cameraman, so I was a surprise to everyone, everywhere. People who worked with me seemed to be at a loss on how to deal with me. I myself was so absorbed in the work that I didn't care about anything around me. Now I'm afraid I was a big pain in the neck without noticing. However,once the work began, people who took care of me forgot that I was a woman. In those days that was the situation.

●The balance of both wheels is very important.

Compared to the movie industry, the commercial-message industry was straightforward and easier toward women. Mr. Ryuseu Ishikiri and many other commercial-message cameramen helped me in this world.One commercial filming inspired me to make a collection of my stills, " Elegy for the Wooden Schoolhouse ". I heard that the wooden shool-house where we were filming for a stationery manufacturer was to be demolished within a few days. During the filming, I walked around. I thought the sunlight and shadows were wonderful. These wonderful things wouldn't exist from now after! This idea made me run for a still camera. This was the starting point of my walking tour throughout Japan.
Still filming is individual work, so I can give 120 percent of myself. It enriches me. At this point, still filming remains very significant to me. On the other hand, in filming commercial-messages and movies, all staff members coopetate in order to make them better. Sometimes one plus one could make three! How fascinating! I am beside myself with joy! From now on, I'd like to keep the balance of both.

●To try to keep my own color

After watching your favorite movies many times on video, you see it again on big screen and it is so much better than the first time you saw it but in a different way. Imagine the site of shooting a film " My home on Mars". At the center Director Hiroshi Oshima is surrounded by all the staff. He is devoting all energy to filming. It is natural that you can see such devotion of moviemakers so much more on big screen than on video. If those involved in making videos could have opportunities to use bigger screens, they could get to how wonderful movies and images can be. There are many young creators who hesitate, saying " I'm eager to have atleast one chance of filming, but it's too expensive and seems too complicated. " We need film manufacturers, film processing laboratories, equipment stores who work on a system to support and encourage the young creators to ensure future moviemakers in this industry. I'm sure only one " experience in filming " will be a great advantage in their future, in this rapidly changing situation of film making.
Recently active women are becoming leading figures in the world. It is not too much to say that active people around you are almost always women. To my pleasure, the increase of vocational schools has provided young women with the environment where they can join the film industry if they so desire. They have many opportunities to learn and to be trained in the world they are about to jump into. However, be careful. Too much focus on technical details could easily become your only objective in assignments, and you will end up forgetting what you wanted to do. In fact I had a similar experience. I had an opportunity to do what I wanted but I focused only on technical aspects so I missed the chance to be creative. I'd like them to keep taking a strong stand for what they believe in. It's sometimes all right to be selfish.