[Book]
THE LEGEND of Production Designers × Yohei Taneda
Alexandre Trauner, a great master of the film arts, once said; “Film sets are not about architectures, but lights.” What he meant was “lightings are what make a set emerged and look alive in a film.” Now I want to paraphrase it; “A film art itself sheds light; it breathes by itself.” —— Yohei TANEDA; THE LEGEND of Production Designers × Yohei Taneda , Prologue
Brilliant works by the production designers, who left their names on the film history; artistic skills, philosophies, essence of film production designs, handed down through unbroken chains from the Golden Age of Japanese Films to this day.
This book is developed from interviews by Yohei Taneda with various Japanese production designers, which originally appeared in a monthly magazine “Kinema Jun-Po” in the period of 2006 – 2007. Upon the publication, it was edited with additional texts, coupled with more interviews apart from his monthly series. After concluding the series, Taneda interviewed Isao Takahata, one of the great directors n the sphere of animation film, known for Kaguyahime no monogatari, Omohide poro poro and Hotaru no haka with Studio Ghibuli, who discussed the art of anime with Taneda.
Other featured production designers are those whom the legendary designers themselves look up as their mentors. Consequently, this book has become a complete guide to the history of film production art in Japan.
Additionally, Taneda talks to another prominent figure, Dante Ferretti, one of the leading production designers. Here Dante explains about his works with the great directors from Italy, as well as those in the Hollywood.
[Featured Production Designers - representative works]
1 Takeo Kimura — Tokyo Drifter/ Zigeunerweisen
2 Yoshinaga Yoko-o — Youth of the Beast/ Sailor Suit and Machine Gun
3 Shigeo Mano — Shiroi Kyoto/ Blind Beast / Ah! Nomugi toge
4 Hiroshi Mizutani — The 47 Ronin/ Chikamatsu Monogatari/ The Life of Oharu
5 Yoshinobu Nishioka — Zatoichi/ Kiryuin Hanako no Shogai /Taboo
6 Setsu Asakura — Funeral Parade of Roses/ In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom/ Yasha-ga-ike
7 Noriyoshi Ikeya — Utamaro/ Kagero-za/ Sharaku
8 Kazuo Takenaka — Nippon-ichi no Uragiri Otoko/ Dynamite Don Don
9 Norimichi Ikawa —13 Assasins/ Samurai Reincarnation/ Hibotan Bakuto : Oryu Sanjo
10 Kyohei Morita — Nippon Paradise/ Miyamoto Musashi/ Sunano Utsuwa /Village of the Eight Tombs (Yatsuhaka Mura)/ The Demon
11 Yoshiro Muraki — Yojimbo/ Nippon Chinbotsu/ Ran/ Dreams
12 Emi Wada (Costume Designer) — Ran/ Bai fa mo nu zhuan/ The Soong Sisters/ Prospero’s Books/ Taboo/ Hero
13 Dante Ferretti — The Name of the Rose/ The Aviator / Sweeny Todd/ Hugo
For all cinema fans, all those that work for films, and all those that would join the film industry to work – for all the people that love cinema, this is a book to read.
The Legend of Production Designers × Yohei Taneda 』
Author: Yohei Taneda
Edited / texts by: Yuka Kinbara / Yukio Todoroki
Publisher: Space Shower Books
Language: Japanese
Price: \4700 (tax not included)
256 pages
ISBN 978-4-907435-28-8
Product Dimensions: B5 (approx. 7.2 x 10.1 inches)
The Legend of Production Designers × Yohei Taneda
Note: Publisher’s official site above is provided only in Japanese text.
