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| © SHINKAI Taketo |
SHINKAI Taketo
Born on July 9, 1982. Studying at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, Design and Craft Course, majors in design. Making an animated film called "Dialogue Drama Animation" in which movement as an animation is limited to the minimum and a story is developed by dialogues by characters. At present, he is busy working with his graduation production every day which is very hard!
Is there anything greater than being praised by people? I wouldn't say there is none but must be rare. So I am happy (I would like to become a person who can be pleased more straightforward).
Amongst the applied entries which tend to compete against one another by virtue of their highly skilled animation techniques, this piece exists as if to make fun of the others; we can hear the message clearly "You can make an interesting animation without complicated animation tech- niques". This is a cleverly composed, conversational animation, which seems to never end. The creator has succeeded in allowing the audience to experience the 'gvanity hell' between dreams and reality. GHOST, another piece entered at the same time, is also very funny.
What kind of medium did you choose for your work when the first time you were aware of your "creation"?
I can’t really remember, but I was a kindergartener, so it might have been crayon or something.
And, how old were you and what did you make?
I drew a picture of Kattobase! Kiyohara-kun, which is a manga by Kawai Junji.
Do you have any consistent subject matter or theme through your works?
Everything should have a story. Stories ought not to be only the province of moving images. When I draw a still picture, for instance, I always try to invest it with a story.
When do you feel the connection with the technology in your creative activity?
What is the difference of the sense of Media Art from the one of traditional fine art?
I mostly use computers for my work, but I have never felt as though by doing so “I am having a particular connection with technology”. I never feel like that. The difference between Media Art and traditional fine art? Umm, honestly, I really don’t know. I don’t think that its important to me.
How does your choice of medium affect on your works?
In another words, what kind of expression does your choice of medium allow you to make?
To make animations (for the present), and so on. Computers are great.
Do you feel that your theme of your works and the digital art will change along with the shift of the society?
I guess they are changing, because things always change. Though, of course there are some things that always remain the same, and they are what are really important.
What kind of field you are best at in your works?
And how do your works fit within and affect on this society?
My strength lies in creating stories, but the problem is that even so there are many people who are better at that than me. I’m still young at 22 years old, I have time to become more skillful and I hope one day to be as good as them.
What is your motto?
"Approach everything rationally, and you become harsh. Pole along in the stream of emotions, and you will be swept away by the current. Give free rein to your desires, and you become uncomfortably confined. It is not a very agreeable place to live, this world of ours (*1)." (Natsume Soseki) I think this is true. "Pole along in the stream of emotions, and you will be swept away by the current" sounds cool.
*1: Quote from Kusamakura (English title: The Three-concerned World) written by Natsume Soseki; Translated by Alan Turney.
What kind of situation in every day life do you get inspired most?
I am a person who needs to work in order to get ideas, but I find that when I am under pressure they come more easily. Anyway, because my concentration is easily broken, for me it is necessary, when I wish to draw my ideas out, to do so in a place free from disturbance.
What kind of vision do you have in your future development as the creator?
I am happy for a story I create to be presented in any form of media; such as animations, films, or novels (though as I am not good at composing sentences, novels would not be a good choice).
Please name of the people or phenomena that you have got most influenced by as the creator.
Manga
I have been a big fan of manga for a long time and I used to think that if I couldn’t get a conventional occupation, I would be a manga artist (I was a bit thoughtless). What I realized after I started studying art at university was that I don’t really like drawing pictures (and also I’m not good at it). I still love all sorts of manga very much as a reader. My favorite manga artists are Kuroda Iou, Arai Hideki, Ikuemi Ryo, Inoue Takehiko, Yoshino Sakumi, Furuya Minoru, Harold Sakuishi, Yoshimoto Yoshitomo, Ohinata Go, and… well there are too many to name them all..
Michael Jordan
I have loved heroes ever since I was a child and have long had a strong desire to become a hero, but after I encountered my real hero, Michael Jordan, my desire seemed to calm down. I believe that it was important moment for me my growth as a person, I found myself thinking “however hard I work, I will never be better than him”. Playing basketball, which I started because I wanted to be like my hero, has become a part of my life now. But it has nothing really to do with my creative work..
Ishii Katsuhito
It is no exaggeration to say that the day I went to watch the film PARTY7 was a turning point in my life. I thought “If we fool around seriously, it becomes work”. I envy him; I, too, want to direct commercials, be recognized for my work and shoot films. My favorite work by him is BLACK ROOM from the TV program Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari: Featuring SMAP. It’s great..
Rahmens (comedy duo)
I became a fan of them fairly recently. I thought “there are people who are already doing what I want to do!” and they are doing it at a much higher level than me. I probably shouldn’t be too much influenced by them or my work could become like theirs. My particular recommendation is their 12th public performance, ATOM. I have been showing a video of it to all of my friends.
I have been a big fan of manga for a long time and I used to think that if I couldn’t get a conventional occupation, I would be a manga artist (I was a bit thoughtless). What I realized after I started studying art at university was that I don’t really like drawing pictures (and also I’m not good at it). I still love all sorts of manga very much as a reader. My favorite manga artists are Kuroda Iou, Arai Hideki, Ikuemi Ryo, Inoue Takehiko, Yoshino Sakumi, Furuya Minoru, Harold Sakuishi, Yoshimoto Yoshitomo, Ohinata Go, and… well there are too many to name them all..
Michael Jordan
I have loved heroes ever since I was a child and have long had a strong desire to become a hero, but after I encountered my real hero, Michael Jordan, my desire seemed to calm down. I believe that it was important moment for me my growth as a person, I found myself thinking “however hard I work, I will never be better than him”. Playing basketball, which I started because I wanted to be like my hero, has become a part of my life now. But it has nothing really to do with my creative work..
Ishii Katsuhito
It is no exaggeration to say that the day I went to watch the film PARTY7 was a turning point in my life. I thought “If we fool around seriously, it becomes work”. I envy him; I, too, want to direct commercials, be recognized for my work and shoot films. My favorite work by him is BLACK ROOM from the TV program Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari: Featuring SMAP. It’s great..
Rahmens (comedy duo)
I became a fan of them fairly recently. I thought “there are people who are already doing what I want to do!” and they are doing it at a much higher level than me. I probably shouldn’t be too much influenced by them or my work could become like theirs. My particular recommendation is their 12th public performance, ATOM. I have been showing a video of it to all of my friends.
