By TREVOR HOGGImages courtesy of Takashi Yamazaki, except where noted.Takashi Yamazaki and Stanley Kubrick are the only directors to have ever won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.When people think about Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki often get mentioned, but that is not the entire picture as renowned talent has emerged from younger generations, such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai and Takashi Miike. Another name to add to the list is Takashi Yamazaki, who accomplished a feat only achieved by Stanley Kubrick when he became only the second director to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and in the process reinvigorated a legendary kaiju [giant monster] franchise with Godzilla Minus One. What impressed him most was not being handed the golden statue but getting the opportunity to brush shoulders with his childhood idol. Receiving the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects was a great honor, but meeting Steven Spielberg at the Nominees Luncheon was perhaps an even more exciting moment, Yamazaki admits. It was a chance encounter with the God I had longed for since childhood.Previously, Yamazaki had established himself by adapting mangas, such as Parasyte and Always: Sunset on Third Street, with the sequel of the latter foreshadowing his feature film involvement with the King of Monsters, as he appears in an imagery scene. That scene was a short one, but it was just about as much as we could do with our technology and computing power we had. At that time, it was impossible to complete the visual effects for a two-hour Godzilla film with our capabilities. As time went by, we were able to process information that was incomparable to that time in terms of technology and computing power we had, so I thought I could finally create the Godzilla I envisioned and started this project. It was a good decision to wait until this happened and make the Godzilla I envisioned.Like the kaiju, manga are a cultural phenomenon. The best way to succeed as a creator in Japan is to become a manga artist. Therefore, the best talent is concentrated in manga. Furthermore, the ones who survive in the very tough competition are the ones who become known to the most people. There is no reason why the stories told by those at the top of the giant pyramid should not be interesting. Adapting a comic book into a film potentially requires the characters to be the comic book itself, which is difficult, Yamazaki says.To help define Godzillas look, Yamazaki and the animator spent time developing Godzillas walk in Godzilla Minus One. (Image courtesy of Toho Company)The science fiction genre is interesting in that it can create things that do not exist in this world. I also like the fact that it can be used as an allegory with various messages. The biggest reason for my attraction is that it excites my inner child.Takashi Yamazaki, Director,Godzilla Minus OneGrowing up in Matsumoto, Japan, Yamazaki had a childhood fascination with insects and crafts. I was surrounded by nature, so I collected insects and lizards and observed them. I was also a child who preferred drawing paper to toys and would request 100 sheets of drawing paper as a Christmas present. Neither of his parents had much to do with the arts. My father was good at drawing, and I remember that when I asked him to do something, he would do his best to draw me Ultraman or some other character. A cinematic turning point was getting the opportunity to watch the sci-fi classic by Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What was shocking was the scene where the giant mothership flips over. With the visual effects before this, it took some effort to believe that it is real, but this was the first moment when I had the illusion that it is real.Four-year-old Takashi Yamazaki stands in front of Matsumoto Castle with his family.Takashi Yamazaki started off as a model maker for Shirogumi in 1986.Godzilla destroyed the Tokyo shopping district of Ginza. (Image courtesy of Toho Company)In 2009, Takashi Yamazaki directed the action romance drama Ballad: Na mo naki koi no uta, where a young boy prays for courage to a great Kawakami oak tree and finds himself transported to feudal Japan.A major reason that Godzilla Minus One won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects is that there were both practical and digital effects.Yamazaki became part of the Japanese film industry while studying film at Asagaya College of Art and Design. When I was at art school, many expos were being held in Japan, and Shirogumi, which was skilled in creating unique visuals, was producing visuals for many of the pavilions, Yamazaki explains. There was a part-time job offer for this, and I was able to join Shirogumi as a result of participating in it. Visual effects were led by TV commercials, which had a relatively large budget to work with. We were also trying to introduce the techniques we had tried in TV commercials into film. Around the time I made my debut as a director, CG became more readily available. At that time, it was very difficult to scan live-action parts in theatrical quality, so we even built a scanner in-house that was converted from an optical printer. The pathway to becoming a director began when there was a call for pitches within Shirogumi leading to the production of Juvenile [2000], which revolves around a tween having an extraterrestrial encounter. The president of the company showed the idea I submitted there to Producer Shuji Abe, who was the president of another company; he liked it and worked hard on it, leading to my debut film.Science fiction goes beyond spectacle. The science fiction genre is interesting in that it can create things that do not exist in this world, Yamazaki observes. I also like the fact that it can be used as an allegory with various messages. The biggest reason for my attraction is that it excites my inner child. With science fiction comes the need to digitally create what does not exist in reality. I decided to become a director because I wanted to make films with the type of visual effects I wanted to make in the first place. When I made my debut as a visual effects director, most Japanese films didnt have spaceships or robots in them. I think that having three jobs at the same time is economical because I can judge things quickly and write scripts with the final image in my mind, so there is no loss of time.Yamazaki has directed 20 feature films. You never know what will be a hit, so when I have an original story, I only base it on whether it excites me or not. Making a film means you have to live with the original story for a number of years, so if its not a good match, it becomes hard to get on with it. I simply ask for good actors to join the cast. I am basically a person who wants to do everything myself. When it comes to the staff, I try to ask for people who are at least more skilled than me, people who have talent that I can respect.In Japan, Godzilla represents both God and Monster, so Takashi Yamazaki wanted its movement to feel almost divine or God-like in Godzilla Minus One. (Image courtesy of Toho Company)International markets are rarely taken into consideration when approving film budgets in Japan. This is because for a long time it was said that Japanese films could not go mainstream even if they were released overseas, and that was probably true, Yamazaki states. It was a great surprise that Godzilla Minus One was seen by so many people overseas, and to put it bluntly, it was a joyful experience that opened up new possibilities for future film production in Japan. Hopefully, the budget will reflect that element. I guess well just have to build up our track record and prove that pouring big budgets into it is not a bad option. Stories scripted and directed by Yamazaki have ranged from siblings trying to learn about their grandfather who died as a kamikaze pilot in World War II in The Fighter Pilot, to contributing to the Space Battleship Yamato franchise where an interstellar crew attempt to locate a device to make a devastated Earth inhabitable again, to a forbidden book that can grant any wish but at the cost of a life-threatening ordeal in Ghost Book. The growing popularity of video games has not altered the essence of storytelling. Interesting stories are interesting in any media, and the core of stories that can be developed in various media continues to be influenced by stories that have been around for a long time.Back in the early digital age when Takashi Yamazaki was learning how to create visual effects.At the age of 10, Takashi Yamazaki ventures to downtown Matsumoto with his sister Satsuki.An extremely complex shot to design, create and execute is found in Godzilla Minus One, where a kamikaze pilot has to overcome survivor guilt in order to protect those he loves and Japan from the rampaging title character. The sea battle between Shinsei Maru, the mine disposal ship, and Godzilla was difficult because we had to combine a live-action small boat with CG waves and a giant Godzilla, Yamazaki reveals. The boat in the foreground is live-action, so it was a very time-consuming job to build the waves at a level that would blend in with it. Im glad it worked out.When asked what are the essential traits of a successful director and what has allowed him to have a long career, he responds, What it takes to be a successful film director is to keep everything interesting all the time, but I am not sure about the career. It would be bad if a film failed, so I think its easier to prolong my life if I get the next project off the ground before the next film is released. Yamazaki is appreciative of his good fortune. Thanks to the many people around the world who liked Godzilla Minus One. Godzilla Minus One has received many wonderful awards. I will continue to make films, treasuring the memories of the days I created with you all. Thank you very much. Arigato.The sea battle between the mine disposal ship Shinsei Maru and Godzilla was difficult because CG waves and Godzilla had to be integrated with the practical vessel.