Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 23: The alternation of the old and the new, Ultraman officially starts

Without a martial arts director, of course I can only rely on myself.

Gu Ming was also confused about this.

Without the action design of a martial arts director, Gu Ming could only express his movements freely. He was thinking about how to express this.

Although the original Ultraman was said to be good at wrestling, the fight scene that was presented was mostly just two suit actors rolling into a ball.

This is mainly because several of the suit actors have no relevant experience and cannot perform good-looking fights.

This problem was greatly improved in Ultraman Seven. By the time of Ultraman Leo, although the production was of poor quality due to insufficient funds, the actions were already extremely outstanding.

Unfortunately, Gu Ming is neither Seven nor Leo now.

He is the first Ultraman.

So, there is no martial arts director here, everything is free to play!
At the shooting site, just after seeing off the human protagonists such as Kurobe Susumu, they welcomed Ultraman Gu Ming.

Several staff members hurriedly loaded the building used as the backdrop onto a cart and took it away, replacing it with a rockery in the suburbs.

"Oh! That's really good." Wanguyi exclaimed, "This is the first time I've seen someone hold up a suit so perfectly!"

Gu Ming didn't answer.

The main thing is that I can't make any response. It's not convenient to speak in the leather case.

Gu Ming was thinking about the Ultraman settings explored by Wangu.

The Space Guard, Doctor Monster, and Ultraman who are like encyclopedias, use various throwing techniques in judo to fight, have absolute confidence in their physical fitness, and dare to use their chest muscles to withstand electric shocks.

He will underestimate his enemies when he encounters familiar monsters, and he will also observe their weaknesses to defeat unfamiliar monsters. As for whether to protect humans or not, Ultraman's attitude is neutral, because he comes from the universe, and it is more about defeating monsters than protecting humans.

Based on this character setting, the moves can also be determined.

A fighting style based on throwing and wrestling is difficult to perform alone, but if you just strike a throwing stance, it's not a problem.

Thinking of this, Gu Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

No fancy punches or kicks needed, just a precise style that delivers a lethal blow.

The gorgeous somersault is just for the sake of appearance, but the fighting style of the first generation Ultraman does not require that level of somersault, but rather uses more actions such as dodging and stepping back.

Gu Ming made several fighting gestures, then half-crouched down, stretched his body as far as possible, and made a tumbling motion.

For an action scene to be engaging, it can't be modeled entirely on real martial arts. Gu Ming, relying on his powerful waist strength, flips sideways, twisting his waist. Before his head and face turn, his fists have already swung back.

Wan Guyi's body instinctively leaned back, fearing that he would be hit in the face by a punch. He then realized that it was just the scene in the viewfinder and would not actually hit him in the face.

Wan Guyi secretly looked around and fortunately no one else noticed this side. He breathed a sigh of relief and focused on filming.

Several Wangu staff members put on the prepared monster suits, such as the Bermula suit, and came forward to cooperate with Gu Ming to take a few photos. These stills will be placed at the end of the short film to verify Ultraman's record.

Finally, of course, the classic hands crossed, cross rays, and Spessium rays are displayed.

The lighting effects of Spesium will be produced later.

This was an action that was already prepared when Ultraman was being set up, and the stunt supervisor even wrote a set of settings specifically for it.

That is, Specium is a substance unique to Mars that has a restraining effect on monsters. Ultraman uses the positive ions attached to his arms to combine with negative ions to cross-release Specium light, which can crush almost all monsters with high heat and destructive power.

Well, never mind why there are positive and negative ions on Ultraman's arms... Anyway, as long as the setting seems reasonable, there's no problem.

After completing a set of actions, not half a roll of film was wasted.

Wangu stopped, but was the first to applaud. "It was truly spectacular! That skill was even more impressive than I imagined. I'm sure an Ultraman like him would be able to handle monsters with ease! Now, let's do the dubbing. Furuya-kun, I'll leave this to you. Is that okay?"

Gu Ming nodded naturally.

He is responsible for dubbing those common Ultraman battle cries. In this way, Wangu can save a penny on the staff's wages, which is considered to be making the best use of resources and talents.

As the last episode of the pre-release, Ultraman's suit display, personal settings, etc. will be broadcast on TBS TV this Sunday.

The children who have been waiting for a week can finally see the true appearance of Ultraman.

Although the filming was only a short ten minutes, Gu Ming was still sweating profusely when he took off the leather suit. The talcum powder on his body had been completely soaked in it, and it was harder to remove the leather suit than housework gloves sticking to his hands.

"Then we can officially start filming the battle scenes for the first episode today." Wang Guyi gave the order and called over the suit actor of Bermula.

This is a suit actor named Teruo Aragaki, who has appeared in many Ultra Q films and is considered one of the more experienced suit actors in Bankai.

"Aragaki-kun, and Furuya-kun, regarding the upcoming battle scene, please discuss your cooperation with Mr. Takano, who is in charge of the special effects supervision."

Gu Ming naturally agreed.

And Bermula in front of him also raised his short little hand, with a look of wisdom in his eyes.

Ultraman and the monster went aside to discuss the action scenes.

For works without martial arts directors, of course we can only rely on the two of them to discuss it.

But then I heard a click on the set.

Narita Toru pressed the shutter button at the right time and took a photo.

Appropriate on-set photos can help with publicity and provide a source of conversation years later.

"However, it's really interesting to see Ultraman, the symbol of justice, chatting with the little monsters."

Narita Toru moved closer to Wan Guyi and asked, "Should we notify Nakajima that the filming has officially begun?"

"Not yet." Wanguyi explained, "My father means to wait and see if Nakajima-kun is truly repentant. If so, he will probably take the initiative to visit Wanguyi. So, for the first episode, Bermuda will be played by Aragaki-kun for the time being."

In fact, the original plan was for Haruo Nakajima, the actor who played Godzilla, to play the pioneering monster Bemula.

This is a symbolic meaning for Wan Gu.

After all, Eiji Mantani was the stunt supervisor in Godzilla.

Therefore, the appearance of Godzilla's suit actor in Ultraman has a sense of alternation between the old and the new.

But because of the recent lateness incident, Eiji Mantani was very disappointed with Haruo Nakajima, so he simply left him alone for a while.

Narita Toru was about to go somewhere else to take photos on the set, but when he saw the person behind him, he stood at attention instantly.

"Dad!"

Mantani Eiji nodded slightly and walked over from the other side with an extremely solemn expression.

Outsiders would naturally call him Mr. Wangu Eiji, or similar honorifics. However, those who knew him well would privately address him as "Dad," "Wangu Dad," or even jokingly as "Kami Sama."

Upon hearing that Eiji Mantani was actually present at the scene, Mantani Ichi also quickly stood up from the director's chair.

He has enough respect for his father.

Mantani Ichi just didn't understand why Mantani Eiji came to the shooting scene in person.

(End of this chapter)