Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 274: Learn editing from me, you will never finish learning
The film has been finalized and someone has been assigned to edit it. Gu Ming doesn't dare to let them make random cuts, so he has to go over and supervise it himself.

Especially for the parts that highlight action, if they are left to amateurs to edit, the final effect will be very poor.

——Of course, Gu Ming is also an outsider. He doesn’t understand editing, but he knows what kind of shots should highlight what kind of effects.

But when Gu Ming entered the editing room for the first time, he was dumbfounded.

In Gu Ming's impression, the so-called video editing is a man wearing glasses and with a numb face, who looks like Kong Lianshun, sitting in front of the computer and editing videos. On the screen are various PR interfaces, and there may be other auxiliary software such as Da Vinci and AE.

But of course, none of that stuff exists now.

In fact, the Internet and computers don’t even exist now.

There was an indescribable smell in the editing room that Gu Ming couldn't describe in words.

"What does it smell like?"

"It doesn't smell good, does it? Of course it doesn't smell good." Jissoji Akio raised his head and explained briefly, "This is the smell of the medicine."

Gu Ming nodded in response.

He did not intervene in the editing for the time being, but watched quietly from the side. After watching this, Gu Ming suddenly understood why it would take a long time to shoot the next drama.

Shooting is one thing, but the key is editing.

Later, with the advent of computers and various editing techniques, we could use all kinds of images at any time.

But that’s not possible now.

Today's footage uses the so-called 'linear editing', which means cutting along the material, so all materials must be recorded according to a strict timeline. Even if they are shot in jumps, they cannot jump too far.

Not only that, during the production process, the editor is required to watch the screen frequently to avoid any mistakes.

Fortunately, Toei is relatively wealthy, and several different devices are placed in this editing room at the same time.

One is used for recording and the other is used for real-time broadcasting. As for the other equipment, Gu Ming couldn't name them. He could only tell that one of the devices was probably specifically responsible for adding subtitles.

"Even adding subtitles requires a dedicated machine..."

Gu Ming couldn't help but sigh when he thought about the various editing software that were almost one-click capable in later generations.

With this efficiency, it’s no wonder that TV series can only be broadcast weekly.

It airs too fast and we can’t finish editing it!
Several editors, looking like office workers who might die suddenly at any moment, stared at the monitor in front of them.

Gu Mingben was embarrassed to speak, but when he saw they were about to edit to the action scene, he couldn't help but speak.

"Stop, can we cut like this here? Move the camera over, amplify the impact, and then..."

Several editors looked up at Gu Ming.

Without waiting for anyone to speak, Gu Ming quickly flipped his hand.

Stop arguing! I've got a big red envelope for you!
Gu Ming shamelessly asked another question.

"How do I use this thing? Is it easy to learn?"

In an instant, four faces shook their heads together.

Damn! It must be hard to learn!
If people are willing to learn, everyone can become an editor in a few decades.

……

……

After coming out of the editing room, Gu Ming felt a sense of relief.

It's not just because of the smell inside, but also because of the depressing environment, which makes people feel dull from the inside out.

Jissoji Akio also came out and handed Gu Ming a cigarette.

"No, thanks."

"It's really strange that there are men who don't smoke."

Jissoji Akio lit a cigarette and sighed, "I often feel that you might really be an alien. Apart from drinking, you don't seem to have any hobbies. Why don't you join me in appreciating the beauty of Noh..."

"I'm from Earth! We Earthlings don't watch Noh. If you must say, people who like to watch Noh are aliens." Gu Ming stopped talking instantly.

From now on, even if he died of exhaustion, died outside, or jumped from a building, he would never watch Noh.

"It looks like they'll be able to finish editing the film in a while. During this time, you and I have to keep an eye on it. It's best to convey the editing ideas to them so that we can make a better film."

Jissoji Akio asked one more question: "Have you figured out the publishing issue?"

"There's a company that's opened over at Toei that specializes in distributing small and medium-sized films. This film will be handed over to them."

When this is mentioned, Gu Ming also takes it very seriously.

By the way, there are many movie theaters in Japan nowadays.

How many are there?

Probably, five or six thousand cinemas...

That’s right, that’s all.

Later, this number shrank to no more than 600 nationwide.

In 2023, there were 592 cinemas across Japan, with a total of 3697 large screens.

The year 1960 saw the most cinemas in Japan, with several thousand cinemas operating simultaneously.

Of course, the two are different. In the past, they were all single-hall cinemas with two floors, hundreds of seats, but only one screen, and very low screening efficiency.

Later, multi-hall cinemas emerged, which means that a cinema has several or dozens of screens, which can show different movies at the same time and schedule different shows, making it more efficient.

But generally speaking, there were more than 5,000 cinemas in Japan at that time (around the 1980s), with a total of nearly 7,000 screens.

Toei owns about 800 of these cinemas, ranking third among its peers.

Toho ranked second. With film production declining, Toho was unable to compete with the other giants in film production, so it opted for a strategic contraction, shifting from film production to cinema operations. As a result, in the new era, Toho has become Japan's cinema giant, managing the entire production and distribution process from film to release.

The anti-monopoly hand obviously did not hit Toho.

Currently, Toei has over 300 theaters across Tokyo. However, most of the equipment is outdated, and some even only show black and white. Overall, it's still not as good as Toho's.

——Or it is far inferior to Toho.

According to Toei Film Production Center, the first batch of films will be shown simultaneously in 100 theaters in Tokyo and other parts of the country. The decision on whether to increase or reduce the number of theaters will be based on market response.

"A hundred-theater screening? That's great! If we can get to eight hundred theaters showing it simultaneously, the box office will definitely bring in billions of yen!"

Jissoji Akio marveled at this, and a sense of pride inexplicably emerged in his heart.

Although this was not his first time in the film industry, the films he made were all art films with good reputations but low box office performances, so he was not very famous.

If this movie succeeds, it will be good for everyone.

Gu Ming spread his hands.

"Let's edit it first. I don't want to design a scene and have it edited into a complete mess. Oh, and I didn't ask you before, if I were to learn editing from scratch, I don't need to understand it in detail... just a general understanding of the principles would be enough. How long would it take?"

Jissoji Akio raised a finger.

Gu Ming understood clearly: "One year? Ten years?"

"No," said Jissoji Akio, "a lifetime! Editing techniques and ideas change with the times. The earliest films were simply splicing shots together, but today they require the coordination of various camera movements. I believe that the techniques in the future will be even more advanced, so you can never fully learn them in a lifetime!"

Gu Ming hesitated to speak.

He was too embarrassed to tell Akio Jissoji.

The future techniques will be even worse...

Even bad movies like The Legend of the Condor Heroes and Investiture of the Gods can be shown in theaters.

The most infuriating thing is that Gu Ming went to see it.

(End of this chapter)