Like every visitor to Japan, I was enthralled by its gaudy, neon vibrance and infectious, bustling energy. Here’s a hackneyed set of photographs every western tourist takes:
When Jack said he wanted to film his short Prints in the rural north, in winter, I was delighted. I’d met and befriended Jack King some years prior, creating music videos and having a laugh.
After a year living in Osaka and before moving home to Yorkshire, Jack wrote Prints. I travelled to snowy Hokkaido to film for him, on days so cold we had to tape hand warming sachets to the camera batteries to prolong their life.
I’d been shooting lots of run n’gun doc stuff in the run-up to Prints and welcomed the time to construct action and set the shots for it to play-out in. Cinematically Prints is very static, building narrative frustration and trapping Miho - the protagonist - in pregnant, unmoving frames. The desaturated, low-contrast look sympathises with Miho’s desperation, and a blue-bias emphasises the inhospitable, hostile cold.
I drew inspiration from Fargo and Lake Tahoe in considering the visual language for this film. Have a watch:
Prints enjoyed a successful tour of film festivals in Asia & Europe, playing at 41st Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, Leeds International Film Festival, Foyle Film Festival, Berlin British Shorts Film Festival, Sapporo Shorts Fest & Seoul Extreme Short Film Festival.
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