Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541592
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 45 BY KAZUHIKO TOMITA & JENNY WARD MPSE "A single strum of the strings or even one pluck is too complex, too complete in itself to admit any theory. This complex sound … and that point of intense silence preceding it (is) called ma... To the Japanese listener who appreciates this refined sound, the unique idea of ma—the unsounded part of this experience —has at the same time a deep, powerful, and rich resonance that can stand up to the sound. (This is) the Japanese sound ideal: Sound, in its ultimate expressiveness, being constantly refined, approaches the nothingness of that wind in the bamboo grove." –T̄ ōru Takemitsu Composer, Confronting Silence: Selected Writings (Volume 1) ike the work of so many Japanese artists, past and present, Akihiko Okase's sound editing and Foley emphasises the importance of space and silence and the delicate nuances of light and shadow. With over 220 films to his credit, you might not have heard of him by name, but you have definitely heard Okase's work, especially the incredible sound for Hirokazu Kore-eda's films such as Monster (2023), The Third Murder (2017) and After the Storm (2016). Over a 30-year career, Okase's skills spanned animation (Howl's Moving Castle in 2004 and Shin Jigen! in 2023) to live-action films such as Shoplifters, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2018. After graduating from Komazawa University in 1990, Okase joined Toyo Onkyo, a company specialising in audio equipment, and a few years later became a freelancer in the Japanese film industry, where he made an impact by introducing groundbreaking methods, including following Walter Murch's lead in worldising Foley. In 2017, the Japanese Academy gave Okase a special award in recognition of his impact on, and contribution to, the industry. In bestowing the award, the committee stated: "'Sound, so strong that it can be measured against silence' is an essay from title of a book by the late composer Toru Takemitsu, and it is a wise saying. The impact that sound effects in a film have on the audience is enormous. If the sound is not strong enough to rival silence, it can ruin the film. It is no exaggeration to say that sound effects hold the power of life or death over a film. Okase left the traditional Foley room and went out to the actual location where filming took place to carry out Foley recording, and L Akihiko Okase Sound Measured Against Silence