Document compiler: YOSHIKAWA Tatsuo
Abstract
This is an interview transcript of Chinese director Huang Ji and Japanese director Otsuka Ryuji at the Hiyoshi Festival on the Hiyoshi Campus of Keio University, December 2018. We learn about their initial entry points into TV documentary production for Japanese TV stations, and how they developed filmmaking techniques. In the latter half of the interview, the conversation centers around the ‘independent’ aspect of independent cinema. Developments in cinematography and editing technology led to changes in the production process and subsequently the production conditions of the Chinese independent film industry. Through the experiences of the two directors, we see not only the (current) situation in 2018 but also a larger picture of the industry after 2000 in China. The panel participants weigh in on the idea of ‘post-independent cinema’ and its implications.