Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541592
46 M PS E . O R G this technique has been put to excellent use in films such as Ping Pong (2002), The Tale of Shimotsuma (2004), Mount Bizan (2007), Norwegian Wood (2010), The Eighth Day Cicada (2011), Key of Life (2012) and Eternal Zero (2013). If constantly approaching Japanese films with new ideas and solid techniques expands their possibilities, then Okase's challenges in sound effects are of great significance." With recent credits including feature films All the Long Nights (2024) and Worlds Apart (2024), and the Netflix series Asura (2025), Okase's work continues to demonstrate a consistent focus on blending technical sound work with narrative-driven storytelling. Being a huge fan of Kore-eda's, and in turn Okase's beautiful, naturalistic sound design, I had been trying to contact Okase for an interview for over a year by emailing various Japanese film associations and colleagues. My most recent attempt in April 2024 landed in a producer's email inbox at a very sad time, and they were too heartbroken to respond. One month later, Kazuhiko Tomita, a friend and colleague of Okase's, kindly got in touch to share with me the sad news of Okase's passing on 26 April 2024. He was 56 years old. A year on, out of respect for Okase's friendship and artistry, his colleagues agreed to share their stories. *The Japanese Academy Film Prize do not have a sound editing or sound re-recording/mixing category, only a location sound recording award. In Japan, the on-set production sound mixer is also the sound supervisor for the film." H Hirokazu Kore-eda Photo: ©Mikiya Takimoto irokazu Kore-eda is a renowned Japanese film director, screenwriter, producer and editor. Known for his understated style and humanistic approach to storytelling, some of his most well-known works include Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008), Like Father, Like Son (2013), which won the Jury Prize at Cannes, Our Little Sister (2015), winner of five Japanese Academy awards and Shoplifters (2018) which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. More recently, his film Monster (2023) received international praise for its sensitive handling of childhood and societal themes. He is currently working on his next feature film, Sheep in the Box. What surprised me most when I made films in France and South Korea was that the production sound teams never took part in post-production. Their system was entirely divided by department. Of course, this is partly due to budgetary issues, but more fundamentally, it seemed to reflect a very different way of thinking about sound in cinema. In fact, I came to realise that the way I had been approaching sound was probably the exception, rather than the rule. I believe the first time Okase-san joined one of my films as a sound editor and a Foley artist was in 2004 on Nobody Knows. At this time, I was still experimenting with sound, and I could only vaguely express that I wanted the film to sound as natural as possible, using only production recordings. I think my values regarding sound effects were also extremely minimal. I had been working with production and re-recording mixer, Yutaka Tsurumaki and his assistant, Kazuhiko Tomita, on several projects. During the filming of Still Walking (2008), which was shot on an indoor studio set, we decided to go outside under the open sky to ADR the children's voices for the scene where they play "suika-wari" (the watermelon-splitting game). This was to prevent the voices from echoing off the studio roof. When I later heard the children's voices added to that scene, I completely forgot it had been shot indoors on a studio set. People often say that my films resemble documentaries. More than the use of natural light or casting of non-professional child actors, I believe that sense of realism stems from how this team approached sound. Yet this aspect is rarely acknowledged. As we went onto make more films together, the teamwork between Okase- san and the sound team—now led by Tomita-san—grew even stronger. The pinnacle of that collaboration might be our 2023 film, Monster. For that project, the production recording team and the Foley team, led by Okase-san, worked as one. After the film wrapped, they spent several days recording effects at the actual filming location, a closed-down school in Nagano. Footsteps walking through the entrance. Shoes echoing inside the open stairwell near the shoe lockers. The chime signalling the end of the school day. The distant siren of a fire engine. Every sound was recorded in the actual building and town used in the shoot, giving the film a sense of spatial depth and dimension. Such meticulous, or perhaps even excessive dedication to sound—by international standards—became one of the film's most compelling elements. I believe that's why, after watching the film, Ryuichi Sakamoto (the composer) said the sound design was so beautiful that he would compose music that wouldn't get in its way. Although my collaboration with Okase- san has now sadly ended, I believe his serious and thoughtful approach to sound will live on in the next generation.