Miwa Ono
(Photo courtesy of Keith Sayers)
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Lost in Grave received a 4 star award.
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Miwa Ono on making Lost in Grave
How did you start making films?
Before my 50th birthday my husband asked me what present I would like and I asked for a video camera. He gave me the camera before my birthday. I thought ‘OK I have a video camera now. I can play with it. If I have a script, I can make a movie.’ So I decided to do that because I love movies.
How did you get the idea for your film ‘Lost in Grave’?
I began making films only a year before I made this film. The films I made were love stories because they are easier to create. So I wanted to do something that is not sweet, that has a bad ending. I thought about an unhappy couple who get into trouble and two ghosts, and decided one of the ghosts would not know that he was dead. That is how the story came out.
Did you have some inspiration from other stories or films?
Not really. OK, there is a graveyard in it, that is my Dad’s graveyard. It is very big and very confusing and my inspiration was to make a film there and I thought we needed two ghosts.
So you have the story, you want to make the film and then what?
I wrote the script and I needed the actors. I got to know the actor. He has been acting for many, many years. Fortunately I got to know him as a friend and he said he would do it. I contacted the actress who plays the wife over the internet and she agreed to do it. I needed someone to play the mistress and for that I had a friend who is an actor and he introduced me to the actress. So the actors came from different directions.
And then you put them together. Did you do rehearsals first?
I didn’t do any rehearsals because they are mature experienced actors. I gave them the script a month in advance. On the day for shooting they read through and had me there to answer any questions but they did exactly what I wanted without any problems. It was amazing. When there was something I wanted done in a certain way, they did exactly what I wanted.
So it was a good experience.
Yes, it was so exciting. I did it in one day. The whole film. Because I couldn’t afford much money. It cost a lot for transportation and security. It is expensive in Tokyo. I couldn’t have the actors working for free so I paid them about £90 each. I didn’t want to keep them for too long. The camera man was sorry that it was so fast and he said that next time I should allow two or three days. You know Japanese people work hard so they never complained about shooting it all in one day.
There are a lot of very nice camera shots, such as when you see the man in the foreground and the grave in the background. I’m so surprised that you did so many different shots in one day.
I had a simple story board and I gave it to the cameraman. I told him that when the man is lost in the graveyard he should be in close-up, so the cameraman followed the instructions.
So you had very good preparation. That is very important.
The script itself is very confusing because it keeps moving between past and present. My assistant, who is a very long standing friend of mine didn’t like the script because it was confusing and she was shouting at me ‘Why do you want to do this kind of crap?’ So I told her not to worry, she could stay at home and not do anything and when I finish filming we could have a cup of tea together. She helped me with all my previous films but not this one. Next time she will help me again. The script was so confusing that we needed the storyboard to explain it better and show how to convert it into something audiovisual.
The music you use…
Yes, some people say to me that it just doesn’t fit. I use happy music when the couple argue and it just doesn’t suit. I did it on purpose. The idea of the music was inspired by Angel Heart where the music is blues but played with a major chord. I thought that was eerie because the story is weird but the music is bright. It gave me a spooky feeling and I wanted that. I searched on the net for royalty free music and I found some jazz with major chords, and I put that in the film. I used it because I liked it and because no-one would expect him to kill his wife with that music playing.
I thought the happy music was an indication of the marriage in the past. A reminder that it used to be like that.
Yes. Also if I always use ominous music there is no time for the audience to feel relaxed. If we are always tense throughout a film we get so we don’t want any more. You want to stop watching.
I also liked the titles at the beginning of the film, with the red. They are interesting and catchy.
That was created by Masashi Yokota. He is a very good editor. He always helps me with my films. And he is a very good photographer as well. He also did the sound this time. And the colour. He asked what should we do with the title? The Japanese title for this film is ‘The Maze’. The graveyard is very big and confusing and he put the Chinese character for ‘maze’ and wanted some red colour and turning movement.
It must be very exciting to show the film for the first time.
The first time, I screened it at a film club. This club is like a school that is run by a theatre. But nobody gave me any comment. No feedback, not even from the person who runs the theatre. I didn’t know what to do so I just submitted it to some competitions. So it was accepted by a German film festival but they didn’t give me any feedback. But I thought the actors did a very good job and I felt I had to do something with the film because it is not just mine, it is the work of a team. So I submitted it to BIAFF and I got a very good note from the judges and I thought I must go and say thank you. Also I had nowhere to show the film but this festival screened the film to a wonderful audience and I felt so excited. I really don’t know how to assess my film. I think it is ok but I don’t know what the other people think. The comments from the judge tell me just what I wanted to know. So I decided I would come even before I knew that my film would be screened.
That was quite a big adventure to come over.
Yes. I am taking care of my mother and I had to put her in the hospital while I am away. I have three dogs and I took them to the animal hotel. My husband said I had been so busy with looking after the house and these other things that I should come to the festival and have a break.
But you didn’t know anybody.
That’s right but I didn’t really care because we all love films and can talk about the films we have seen. I didn’t worry. Not at all.
Before my 50th birthday my husband asked me what present I would like and I asked for a video camera. He gave me the camera before my birthday. I thought ‘OK I have a video camera now. I can play with it. If I have a script, I can make a movie.’ So I decided to do that because I love movies.
How did you get the idea for your film ‘Lost in Grave’?
I began making films only a year before I made this film. The films I made were love stories because they are easier to create. So I wanted to do something that is not sweet, that has a bad ending. I thought about an unhappy couple who get into trouble and two ghosts, and decided one of the ghosts would not know that he was dead. That is how the story came out.
Did you have some inspiration from other stories or films?
Not really. OK, there is a graveyard in it, that is my Dad’s graveyard. It is very big and very confusing and my inspiration was to make a film there and I thought we needed two ghosts.
So you have the story, you want to make the film and then what?
I wrote the script and I needed the actors. I got to know the actor. He has been acting for many, many years. Fortunately I got to know him as a friend and he said he would do it. I contacted the actress who plays the wife over the internet and she agreed to do it. I needed someone to play the mistress and for that I had a friend who is an actor and he introduced me to the actress. So the actors came from different directions.
And then you put them together. Did you do rehearsals first?
I didn’t do any rehearsals because they are mature experienced actors. I gave them the script a month in advance. On the day for shooting they read through and had me there to answer any questions but they did exactly what I wanted without any problems. It was amazing. When there was something I wanted done in a certain way, they did exactly what I wanted.
So it was a good experience.
Yes, it was so exciting. I did it in one day. The whole film. Because I couldn’t afford much money. It cost a lot for transportation and security. It is expensive in Tokyo. I couldn’t have the actors working for free so I paid them about £90 each. I didn’t want to keep them for too long. The camera man was sorry that it was so fast and he said that next time I should allow two or three days. You know Japanese people work hard so they never complained about shooting it all in one day.
There are a lot of very nice camera shots, such as when you see the man in the foreground and the grave in the background. I’m so surprised that you did so many different shots in one day.
I had a simple story board and I gave it to the cameraman. I told him that when the man is lost in the graveyard he should be in close-up, so the cameraman followed the instructions.
So you had very good preparation. That is very important.
The script itself is very confusing because it keeps moving between past and present. My assistant, who is a very long standing friend of mine didn’t like the script because it was confusing and she was shouting at me ‘Why do you want to do this kind of crap?’ So I told her not to worry, she could stay at home and not do anything and when I finish filming we could have a cup of tea together. She helped me with all my previous films but not this one. Next time she will help me again. The script was so confusing that we needed the storyboard to explain it better and show how to convert it into something audiovisual.
The music you use…
Yes, some people say to me that it just doesn’t fit. I use happy music when the couple argue and it just doesn’t suit. I did it on purpose. The idea of the music was inspired by Angel Heart where the music is blues but played with a major chord. I thought that was eerie because the story is weird but the music is bright. It gave me a spooky feeling and I wanted that. I searched on the net for royalty free music and I found some jazz with major chords, and I put that in the film. I used it because I liked it and because no-one would expect him to kill his wife with that music playing.
I thought the happy music was an indication of the marriage in the past. A reminder that it used to be like that.
Yes. Also if I always use ominous music there is no time for the audience to feel relaxed. If we are always tense throughout a film we get so we don’t want any more. You want to stop watching.
I also liked the titles at the beginning of the film, with the red. They are interesting and catchy.
That was created by Masashi Yokota. He is a very good editor. He always helps me with my films. And he is a very good photographer as well. He also did the sound this time. And the colour. He asked what should we do with the title? The Japanese title for this film is ‘The Maze’. The graveyard is very big and confusing and he put the Chinese character for ‘maze’ and wanted some red colour and turning movement.
It must be very exciting to show the film for the first time.
The first time, I screened it at a film club. This club is like a school that is run by a theatre. But nobody gave me any comment. No feedback, not even from the person who runs the theatre. I didn’t know what to do so I just submitted it to some competitions. So it was accepted by a German film festival but they didn’t give me any feedback. But I thought the actors did a very good job and I felt I had to do something with the film because it is not just mine, it is the work of a team. So I submitted it to BIAFF and I got a very good note from the judges and I thought I must go and say thank you. Also I had nowhere to show the film but this festival screened the film to a wonderful audience and I felt so excited. I really don’t know how to assess my film. I think it is ok but I don’t know what the other people think. The comments from the judge tell me just what I wanted to know. So I decided I would come even before I knew that my film would be screened.
That was quite a big adventure to come over.
Yes. I am taking care of my mother and I had to put her in the hospital while I am away. I have three dogs and I took them to the animal hotel. My husband said I had been so busy with looking after the house and these other things that I should come to the festival and have a break.
But you didn’t know anybody.
That’s right but I didn’t really care because we all love films and can talk about the films we have seen. I didn’t worry. Not at all.
Thanks to Romy Van Krieken for interviewing Miwa.
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