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Hayao Miyazaki is a living legend, and his movies have achieved commercial and critical acclaim for decades. Two of his creations,Spirited AwayandThe Boy and the Heronhave already received Academy Awards, but even his other movies are a pleasure to watch.
Studio Ghibli has excelled at handmade animation movies, and Hayao Miyazaki has failed to retire many times already. Thus, many people are curious about the behind-the-scenes procedure of creating Ghibli movies, and Miyazaki has a surprising confession to make.
Hayao Miyazaki Confesses Studio Ghibli Movies Don’t Have a Script
Hayao Miyazakihad a press conference in Paris in December 2001 on the occasion of the first European screening of Spirited Away. Duringthe question and answer session,Miyazaki confessed that his movies are all made without a script. Keep in mind that this interview is from more than two decades ago, so things might have changed in the meantime.
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According to Miyazaki, he does not have the story ready or finished whenwork usually starts on a film.Apparently this procedure came to be because Miyazaki doesn’t have the time to complete the script before the production begins. Thus, the story develops when he starts drawing storyboards, and the production begins very soon after. All of this happens while the storyboards are still in development.
It’s a dangerous way to make an animation film and I would like it to be different, but unfortunately, that’s the way I work and everyone else is kind of forced to subject themselves to it.
The staff never knows where the story will head to, but everyone keeps working on it as the film develops. Maybe this is the secret behind the fluid story and animation of Studio Ghibli movies, as well as their refreshing quality. Miyazaki’s movie-making technique might be unorthodox, but it is what grabbed him theAcademy Award forSpirited Away.
How Hayao Miyazaki’s Producer Tricks Him into Working Harder
To Hayao Miyazaki, what matters the most is how long the film’s duration should be. The big problem is whether it should be two hours long or three. This issue often leads Miyazaki to argue with his producer, who in turn asks if the director would like to extend the production schedule by an extra year.
In fact, he has no intention of giving me an extra year, but he just says it to scare me and make me return to work.
Miyazaki admitted that he hates being a slave to his work, and he dreads the idea of working for another yearon top of the already hectic schedule. So after the producer insists on an extra year, he usually returns to his work with more focus and it gets done at a much faster pace.
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Another principle that the director adheres to is making good use of everything that the staff creates. Even if the created foregrounds don’t fit in with his backgrounds, he never wastes them and tries to find better uses for them. Maybe the trick used by his producer is what helps Miyazaki get better motivation, like a lot of people who work better with strict deadlines.
Aaheli Pradhan
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :1558
Aaheli is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with 1300+ published articles. With five years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. From Shonen and Shojo to the most niche anime, nothing escapes her radar. Her poisons of choice are Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Ouran High School Host Club and every Ghibli movie ever. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cats.
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Hayao MiyazakiStudio Ghibli
