Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘Summer’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make animation?
I always like to use objects from nature in my animations. I made some animations in which stones, flowers, cotton, etc. were animated like real characters.
I'm a self-taught animator. My way also started with an animation in the forest. Maybe at that moment I already thought about the ‘Summer’ project.
Tell us about ‘Summer’. How do you describe it?
We always create animation in our studios, my idea was to use the nature of Japan as my studio with real light and animate geometries papers forms as forest spirits there.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
PES is the animator who inspired me to become a stop-motion animator. He was one of the first in modern times to start animating everyday things. He was nominated for an Oscar 10 years ago for his influence in the industry.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
I would prefer to create a series of ads for world-famous brands such as Y3, Yuji Yamamoto's sports brand and Adidas. I would invite my favorite designers, props and animators such as Tomohiro Okazaki, Helga Stenzel, etc. to create something truly unique.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
I worked in the production industry for many years, so we started with an idea, storyboarding, then props, location setting, etc.
What was the hardest part of making ‘Summer’.
My material is paper, so humidity is one of the hardest parts of the shooting process. Even if the weather is sunny, there is water everywhere in the forest - in the plants, in the ground, so paper loses its shape very quickly.
And then there's the real light, one scene usually takes 3-4 hours, during that time the light changes several times.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
I'm going to continue the ‘Summer’ project next year. I'm also going to have an exhibition at Kyoto Kyocera Art Museum next July. There will be several screens of this animation, behind-the-scenes, and an installation with props from the project, so I'm going to prepare for that.