Violence supervision in Conan

Chapter 661 From Bad Movie to Masterpiece: A Love Letter to Cinema

If a movie was made with a budget of only 300 million yen (18 RMB) but ultimately grossed 30 billion yen (1.8 million RMB) at the box office, resulting in a return on investment of 1000 times, would you believe it?

Would you believe it if this movie had only been shown in two small theaters at the beginning, yet it beat Hollywood blockbusters to top the box office?
A film with extremely low budget, no famous actors, and simple sets swept the Japan Film Academy Awards and the Hochi Film Awards, and was praised as "Japan's best zombie film".

This is "One Cut of the Dead!"

A classic that turned a terrible movie into a masterpiece!
A group of ordinary people, who are not particularly outstanding, have made the most sincere film!

From its conception and filming to its unexpected box office success, this film reveals one thing:

"Outrageous!"
The film opens with a 37-minute long take.

The story is about a film director who takes his crew to a remote mountain ruin to shoot a horror movie, but unexpectedly, real zombies appear halfway through filming!

The story is about a director who, disregarding the lives of others, shouts "Don't stop the camera!" and demands that the female lead fight her way out.

Unlike other long takes that have made their mark on film history, this long take is poorly made, riddled with awkward scenes and continuity errors, with expired ketchup spilled everywhere and the actors' performances even stiffer than those of popular Chinese celebrities...

If that's all there is to it, it's undoubtedly an unbearable B-grade flop!
It's so bad it makes you want to pick your toes.

But if you can get through the 37-minute "main feature," the "bonus episodes" that follow act like a fuse, revealing the most exciting part of the movie, making you laugh and cry, and leaving you feeling thrilled.

As one commenter put it: "The first 30 minutes are worse than 'Tiny Times,' but the last 30 minutes are more exciting than the Oscar-winning film!"
The scene shifts, and a brand new story unfolds before everyone's eyes, showcasing the production process of the previous long take from a third-person perspective.

It turns out that was a "play within a play"!
Director Higurashi was commissioned by a sponsor to film a zombie movie that was being filmed live, so it had to be done in one continuous shot.

This was a huge challenge for this down-on-his-luck director.

What's even more frustrating is that from the investors to the staff, the entire production team exudes an unreliable attitude.

The idol-type female lead can't do anything but act cute.

Popular male leads only know how to act like divas and are keen on rewriting scripts.

There are also alcoholic "photographers", "sound engineers" who are easily swayed by gentle persuasion but not by force, "makeup artists" who bring their children to work... all sorts of problems arise!
As the director, Higurashi had to lead such a group of people to complete the filming, which once caused him to break down and cry.

After filming officially began, problems arose one after another.

Two actors were in a car accident; one was drunk, and the other had diarrhea…

The photographer fell and strained his back; even the camera boom broke.

Higurashi had no choice but to take on the role alongside his wife.

The script was changed midway through the live broadcast, forcing the actors to improvise.

To pass the time, the actors started engaging in awkward conversations, and even the "zombies" had to stop biting from time to time to wait for the others to finish their makeup.

But at the same time, everyone was desperately trying to salvage the situation, and they eventually finished filming, which resulted in the first 37 minutes of what was described as a "bad movie".

There were countless frictions and arguments during the filming process, but when they were finishing the last scene, because the camera crane broke, everyone worked together to build a gimbal with their bodies.

This scene is arguably the highlight of the film—it's an absolute flop, but it's also a work that the creators poured their hearts and souls into!

After watching the entire movie, you'll definitely want to go back and watch that long, continuous take again.

You'll find that all the awkwardness now has a reason.

Those numerous plot holes were actually the director's elaborate schemes to ensure the live broadcast could proceed smoothly. It turns out every single one of those holes was a hidden surprise!

Behind the seemingly absurd and humorous surface lies a reflection of the current state of the film and television industry:

The cockroaches in the film crew's lunchboxes are a metaphor for the investors' exploitation of the budget;

The daily wage of zombie extras is only enough to buy a bottle of mineral water, reflecting the real living conditions of the bottom-level workers in the film and television industry.

What's even more infuriating is the film's premise of the "zombie virus"—the real culprit behind the "zombification" of industry professionals lies in the environment of capital exploitation and the pursuit of traffic.

This is a film made for film.

From a blood-soaked reality show filmed in one continuous shot to revealing the behind-the-scenes production process, it's like a phoenix rising from the ashes, showing how much effort people put in behind all the "shoddy production"!
The process of combining the two is both hilarious and touching.

Therefore, fans call the movie "One Cut of the Dead" "a love letter to cinema".

It uses a bizarre and humorous style to express the director's love and respect for film, and to express gratitude and respect to countless grassroots film workers.

This also serves as a counterattack against the current film market: film is a utopia pursued by countless people, not a prisoner of capital and traffic!
Good movies are not about grand special effects, exquisite visuals, or popular stars, but about making the audience truly feel sincerity and dedication.

This is precisely what some people lack.

However, Takeshi Ono fully agrees, as he has always done the same. Even though it is a copy of the previous life's ideas, he puts his heart and soul into every film and does his best to make every movie well.

Therefore, he highly approves of the movie "One Cut of the Dead".

The title of masterpiece is truly well-deserved!
Not only did it receive outstanding reviews, but the film was also a true dark horse at the box office.

A 1000-fold return on investment is nothing short of miraculous!
If you exclude advertising costs, One Cut of the Dead has a much higher return on investment than so-called "high-return" films like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.

After all, the movie "One Cut of the Dead" didn't really need any promotion; a bunch of poor people couldn't afford to promote it.

Director Shinichiro Ueda even mortgaged his house to pay for the crew's meals.

A truly authentic "naked run" is now showing!
The preview screening had only 7 audience members, 4 of whom left midway through, and 2 of the remaining 3 gave it a five-star rating.

These two people sparked a massive online buzz!

Therefore, whether considering the film's inherent meaning or its astonishing return on investment, this film has immense value in terms of its production.

What's even better is that this movie wasn't particularly difficult to film.

After all, all that's needed is for the actors to give an "exaggerated" and awkward performance.

The props, sets, and makeup lived up to the reputation of being "crude and shoddy".

The only challenge was the opening long take, but it only required repeating the filming a few more times. The actors had to work a bit harder, but there were no particularly sophisticated filming techniques involved.

It's perfect for aspiring directors.

This is one of the reasons why Takeshi Ono produced this script.

For Tetsuto Uchida, a relatively new director, this film was a perfect fit.

After reading the script, Tetsuto Naito was undoubtedly captivated.

(End of this chapter)