Director Makoto Shinkai will answer your questions!

chaos

chaos

The Boss
During the screening of "Children who chase lost voices from deep below" at the London Film Festival last week, we were blessed with the presence of director extraordinaire Makoto Shinkai!
After some begging from our part, we manage to get him to agree to an interview! So, if you have any questions you'd like to ask Mr Shinkai, login to our forums and post it under the thread for this article.
Please bear in mind that Mr Shinkai is very busy and agreed to a set number of questions, so we will filter the questions we will be asking and although we will try to fit as many of the fan submitted questions as possible, don't be disappointed if your question didn't make it.You have up to this Saturday the 29th of October to send your quests, so ask away!
 
After i watch 2 anime created by Makoto Shinkai that is The Place Promised in Our Early Days and 5 cm per second, I see there is a similiar story that is the story about two people who love each other are separated by distance.
Why did that happen?
Then, where did you get the inspiration to make the story of the anime? whether it comes from your personal experience or maybe from the people around you?
 
^ I'd say that's a pretty solid starter.

My qs:

Your films have a very distinct visual style and colour scheme, is there a particular reasoning behind such a "house-style"?

Your work often ends on a rather bittersweet note in each case, is this always an intention, or is it just how the story ends up turning out? Have you ever thought of a more traditional style of ending?
 
I have read a lot of comments by creators in Japan that they are surprised when their series are popular in the west, due to differences in culture and a perceived lack of familiarity with references, places or themes. Because of this perception, in rare cases it is obvious when creators try to appeal to foreign audiences by giving works very 'general' settings.

Even though your films cover themes that people can relate to no matter where they live, there is also a lot of detail in the Japanese settings you create, which adds a lovely atmospheric feeling. Even simple settings or objects are brought to life and depicted with care. As you have spent some time in England and spoken to fans here, do you think it's a problem that the fans here might not have the same familiarity with the scenery you create, or do you think it's exciting that they might be experiencing these beautiful, exotic settings through your work for the first time?

R
 
When directing do you try and create something you would want to watch, or something that you think the public/fans would want to watch?

What you create if you had unlimited funds, access to talent etc?

Do you think that the increase in fan focused, self referential shows exclusively for anime fans is harming the industry, as opposed those aimed a wider audience?

Why is there a decline in mecha shows despite the successes of Eva, Macross, and gundam?
 
Sparrowsabre7 said:
Damn married people, with their long sentences and their fancy words :p
Click to expand...

Haha ;p

hopeful_monster said:
What you create if you had unlimited funds, access to talent etc?
Click to expand...

I think this should be a mandatory question in all creator interviews, could be very interesting!

R
 
There were some brief glimpses of train tracks in Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo, but not nearly as much technology in the film as in your previous projects. Did you consciously chose to make a film with mainly "natural" components?

What is your opinion on the current state of the anime industry in Japan, in terms of young creators coming through to take over from people like Miyazaki Hayao and Kon Satoshi? Do you think there is enough upcoming talent to see the industry through the next twenty years? Also, what do you think when people call you "the next Miyazaki"? Of course, it is a great compliment, but does it hold back the industry to constantly compare new directors to older ones?
 
The beauty of your films is quite clear and a lot of attention has gone into crafting scenes with perfect lighting, positioning of characters and colours. The details of weather and the worlds you build are pretty incredible. How integral do you feel landscapes are to your stories and do you take more pleasure in crafting worlds than you do in other elements of your works? Where did this drive to create beautiful landscapes come from? Was there a particular film or film-maker that inspired you?

This question is in connection with your background in video games: Who is the most inspirational art director in video games and which video game do you find to be the most beautiful?
 
I have three questions, if possible, both very direct and I hope interesting for everyone. I personally dislike questions who are not about his works.

Basically, I wanted to ask :
1) what does the scene where Toono and Kanae see the rocket in Byousoku 5 cm wants to represent?

2) what does the tower symbolize in The Place Promised in Our Early Days (kumo no mukou yakusaku no basho) ?

3) Does he think that the Fukushima events will eventually have a place or influence his next movie?

Oh and, sorry for my bad english, guys.
 
Questions 1 and 2 strike me as far too direct, the kind of thing that creators are very wary about answering.

Question 3 is very interesting, though.
 
My questions,

Which up & coming director(s) are you most most impressed with (if any)?

Which is your favourite scene from your films and why?

If you could redo a scene from one of your films (George Lucas style) which scene would you redo and why?
 
I've seen all of your movies that have been released to us here in the UK and I've notice an underlying theme of unrequited love in all of them. Do you have any ideas that would show your talent in a different light, for example like a happy ending for once?

Also have you even considered producing and directing a series OVA, or TV production? :wink:
 
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