Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 495 New technologies are effective
In the past, the backgrounds used in special effects filming were fake; they were flat, hand-drawn backdrops.

And now...

Of course it's still fake.

However, the biggest difference is that it has evolved from a simple background to a scene made up of various props, which is more realistic.

A water tank was already prepared in the house. It was an inflatable water tank commonly used in American households. It was portable and could be inflated into a water tank for children to play in simply by pulling the valve. The only difference was that it was larger in size, enough for daily shooting, while the set could be placed outside the water tank.

The pool is filled with cheap props, ready to be smashed at any time.

Gu Ming stood outside the pool, his thoughts drifting for a moment.

The pool and the water battle looked quite ancient, reminding Gu Ming of the scene when he first arrived.

Today, however, he is the one standing outside, not the one wrestling and struggling in the pool.

The suit actor for this film is a newcomer, not the Yakuza we took in before, but someone who joined the agency specifically because he admired Tani Akira. His name is Muto Ittetsu, and he is only nineteen years old this year.

He's tall, and most importantly, he has long legs, which makes him look great.

If it weren't for the fact that the young man's appearance was a bit unappealing, he would be very suitable for appearing on camera.

As for now.

It would be perfect for him to be a suit actor.

"Brother Gugu, I'm ready! Brother Gugu?"

After being greeted several times by the actors in charge of the collaboration, Gu Ming finally came to his senses.

"Oh...right, you can all go in now."

Gu Ming greeted everyone and then had the stagehands distribute the small black props one by one.

Thanks to advancements in science and technology, suit actors no longer need to hold their breath underwater.

During Haruo Nakajima's era, filming Godzilla required actors to hold their breath, relying entirely on their physical stamina.

When it was Gu Ming's turn, the situation was a little better, but only slightly better. At least the fragmented footage gave him some breathing room.

But now, the situation is completely different.

The technology developed by a Japanese materials company and manufactured in an American factory, has resulted in the latest portable respirator produced in San Francisco this year. It can perform gas exchange simply by being held in the mouth.

Originally intended to replace older diving breathing apparatus, it was not mass-produced due to its high price and mediocre performance.

Gu Ming discovered that this device was actually quite suitable for actors to film underwater scenes, so he specially bought several portable breathing apparatuses.

—Just one small item, about the size of half an adult's fist, costs a thousand US dollars or tens of thousands of yen.

Gu Ming made sure all the actors had their breathing apparatus in their mouths before sending them into the pool one by one.

Episode 1. "Seven Dies, Tokyo Sinks"

Script: Tetsuo Kaneshiro

Director: Akira Furuya
Stunt Director (Battle Scene Performance): Akira Furuya
With a snap, almost all the lights in the studio went out, leaving only the venue's lighting.

Gu Ming raised his hand, and the stagehand stepped forward, silently counting to three, two, one.

With a click, filming officially began.

Gu Ming did not make any sweeping changes to the plot of the first episode.

The first episode opens with a battle scene in the water. The brother monsters, Gilas, under the command of the Magma aliens, launch a fierce three-on-one attack on Ultraman Seven. The battle takes place underwater, in a rainy night, and in a desperate situation—a seemingly insurmountable predicament for Ultraman Seven, who heavily relies on solar energy. In particular, the combined attack launched by the brother monsters possesses a high-strength defense capable of deflecting even ice axes and cluster shots.

In a desperate moment, the MAC team, which suddenly appeared in the rain, launched an attack. Captain Tetsuya Tsuya personally piloted the 'McGee No. 1' fighter jet, and together with Ultraman Leo who had just appeared, they drove away the Magma aliens and their brother monsters.

As the sun sets, the two transform into humans. Dan Moroboshi and Gen Otori bid each other farewell, and the responsibility of the guardian is passed from Seven to Leo.

These scenes will take up about twelve minutes, after which the scene will change, and Dan Moroboshi will once again exist on Earth as a human, but this time he is no longer a member of Team UG, but just an ordinary person.

In order to fight against the monster brothers, Dan Moroboshi put Gen Otori through special training and taught him the classic move, the Leo Kick.

This will also become a characteristic of Ultraman Leo, an Ultraman who eliminates monsters with punches and kicks.

Unlike the poor special effects of the past, this kick produced sparks and lightning along the way, which was quite cool.

The main reason is that Wangu is now relatively wealthy, has a powerful backer, and does not have Wangu Ao.

The first scene is a water battle, where Seven fights his brother monsters while Magma Alien launches a sneak attack from the side. Seven then launches Ice Axe and Cluster Shot, but they are all countered by the brother monsters' combined attack.

"Three, two, one... push!"

Gu Ming gestured, and from a location out of sight, several stuntmen worked together to yank the wires attached to the suit actor, causing Ultraman Seven to perform a somersault with the help of several stagehands. "CUT! Stop!"

Once he was sure the scene had been captured in its entirety, Gu Ming called for a stop and quickly ran a few steps to the edge of the pool.

"Hands, feet, and waist should all be secured with wires and harnesses, and arms and legs should be stretched out."

The costumed actor responded by spreading his arms and legs as far as possible, assuming a flying posture.

On the roof, the pulley track had already been installed, tethering the costumed actors there like roast ducks.

With the camera pointed at him, Gu Ming gave the order, and several martial arts masters pulled ropes from the sidelines, using pulleys to haul them across in their leashes.

The scene shifts, and as Seven flies past, the Gilas brothers fall to the ground one after another, while the Magma alien also dodges aside.

"CUT! Stop! Come back and fly again, Red Kiras, you fell too early! Why did you fall before we even got there? Are you afraid of dying? If you're afraid of dying, don't come out as a stunt double. Fall down when we get to you!"

"CUT! Fly it again, don't you know you're blocking the camera?! You're blocking his position!"

"CUT! Magma, fall face the camera! Make sure the camera captures you lying down!"

"CUT!"

……

After countless takes, the scene was finally filmed, showing Ultraman Seven flying past and several monsters falling to the ground.

Gu Ming waved his hand, telling the costume actor to come down and rest for now.

About an hour had passed, and seeing that everyone was breathing rapidly, it was clear that even with respirators in their mouths, it was still difficult for them. The inside of the respirators must have been soaked through with water.

Gu Ming invited the group to come out and rest, and also brought them salt water to replenish their fluids and energy.

Seeing the stagehands bustling around serving the costumed actors and feeding them water, Gu Ming couldn't help but sigh.

Mom's.

Actors these days have it so easy, it's so much easier than it was back then!
Seeing that twenty minutes had passed since the break and it was getting late, Gu Ming clapped his hands and gathered everyone together.

"It's almost time, let's continue!"

After a brief struggle in the water, Magma Alien launched a sneak attack. Seven realized he needed to finish the fight quickly, so he seized the opportunity to roll in the water and unleash an ice axe. At the same time, Magma Alien commanded his brother monsters to activate their combined attack and deflect the ice axe.

Seven used Cluster Shot again, but it was also deflected by the Brother Monster.

Faced with the spinning monster, Ultraman Seven was unable to dodge in time and was thus defeated.

Just then, as the Magma aliens were about to deliver the fatal blow and break two or three of Ultraman Seven's legs, a small plane flew into the rain.

Team MAC, McGee the First Fighter.

A fighter jet, trailing a long cable, flies past in the frame.

This is not the kind of aircraft used for fishing with fishing lines in the past, but a remote-controlled aircraft.

Although it's called a remote control, it can't actually be operated or powered without a cable; it has to be attached to an electrical cord.

This makes it extremely difficult to remove traces of the wires later on, because the movement of the cables is irregular, while the movement of a fighter jet fishing with a line is regular. Sometimes, by using the illusion of light, it's even possible to leave the cables untouched.

However, Gu Ming still opted for the remote control solution.

Because this way, the shooting effect is better and more realistic, giving the impression of a fighter jet.

As for the problem of the cables being difficult to remove, it is actually quite easy to solve.

It all depends on the computer.

Manually painting dozens of frames will definitely cause problems, but using a computer will greatly reduce these problems.

Even if some bloopers are exposed, it doesn't matter, because it's hard for people to spot them now. When the bloopers are discovered many years later, they will become an interesting anecdote.

This is exactly the effect Gu Ming wanted.

After the airplane footage ended, Gu Ming looked to the other side.

"Is Leo ready?"

Off-camera, Ittetsu Muto gives a thumbs up.

Ready!

(End of this chapter)