Deep dive into the vision of Hiroki Ohsawa

Welcome Hiroki, we are very excited to have you today with us to discuss about your work.

Who is Hiroki Ohsawa, and how did your passion for creating begin?

This is Hiroki Ohsawa, a worldwide award-winning Japanese film and commercial director, and a tenure-track lecturer in filmmaking at Kinjo Gakuin University in Nagoya, Japan.

When I was in high school, I was obsessed with planning and executing live events and performances with a group of friends for visitors at school festivals. After I enrolled in university, I discovered filmmaking, which allowed me to record and distribute my work to an unlimited number of audiences across time and space. Finally, my dream came true! The more films I made, the more questions I had about visual storytelling and narrative techniques. So, I decided to study abroad at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. After earning my Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking, I worked as a professional film and commercial director in Hollywood and Tokyo for a total of seven years.

In addition to being a director, I’m also an active lecturer in filmmaking at several universities in the US and Japan. Meanwhile, I’m pursuing my Ph.D. in Media Information Literacy at the Graduate School of Tohoku University to enhance my filmmaking skills from an academic perspective.

Can you tell us about your previous work ?
Regarding film, my previous Japanese human drama ‘‘Wasurezu (Something Always There)’’ was nominated for Best International Short at the Marina del Rey Film Festival in Los Angeles last year. In terms of commercials, I worked with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and directed some of their official YouTube promotional video series about night schools and community schools.

What inspired the story of ‘‘The Deal’’and how did you come up with the idea for this short film? Are there any specific films, directors, or genres that heavily influence your work, particularly in ‘‘The Deal’’?

The logline of ‘‘The Deal’’ is: In New York, a young mob boss has a business meeting with a sexy female spy sent by the enemy mafia, which plans to terminate him if they do not make a deal. Because I was starting my new career as a tenure-track lecturer in filmmaking at Kinjo Gakuin University, I decided to create something simple yet full of basic filmmaking techniques from screenwriting to editing for educational purposes. I chose a simple scene setup with a conversation between two people, but the question was how to make it interesting. So, I referred to the idea of ‘‘the bomb under the table’’ one of the most famous visual storytelling techniques from the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Additionally, I repeatedly analyzed the visual expression in ‘‘The Godfather’’(1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, because ‘‘The Deal’’ was also a mafia story. As a result, ‘‘The Deal’’ became not just an award-winning film but also an educational material for visual grammar.

CONVERSATION ABOUT: The Deal

Your films often blend different cultural elements. How do you approach integrating your Japanese heritage with Western filmmaking styles?

First, understand the culture or society in which I set my story. Research the rules and habits my characters follow and how they work. Second, visualize these elements in detail so they fit in naturally. For not only dialogues but also wardrobes, makeup, and props, consult someone who is familiar with the culture. Lastly, and most importantly, focus on the core theme of my story. As long as the theme reflects an everlasting truth that humanity has experienced for thousands of years, such as love, family, friendship, revenge, good and evil, or death, audiences can empathize with my characters and experience the story with them. When I achieve these steps one by one, my film becomes believable even if I blend several cultures together in one story or even if it’s not based on reality. Have you ever wondered why the Star Wars series or the Harry Potter series are so believable even though their worlds are entirely fictional? That's what I strive to achieve in my filmmaking.

As someone who has worked both in Japan and Hollywood, what are some of the differences in filmmaking processes and challenges in these two environments ?

Because Hollywood has substantial budgets, they are adept at building up a good story and visualizing it as an art form, spending sufficient time and money.

On the other hand, Japan, with its significant budget constraints, excels at making films on the shortest schedules and with minimal expenses as a business. Both approaches have their pros and cons. In Hollywood, we focus on the philosophy of visual storytelling and discuss the script for months or even years. We hire, rent, and book an adequate number of cast and crew, equipment, locations, and studios.

This is, of course, the most ideal way of filmmaking, but it works only in Hollywood. In Japan, we work as efficiently as possible despite the lack of time and money, or filmmakers must sacrifice their personal lives and engage in overtime work without payment. We strive to find the best way to achieve good quality with minimal resources. One successful example is ‘‘Godzilla Minus One’’ (2023).

How do you approach character development, particularly in a short film like ‘‘The Deal’’ ?

When I think of character development, I consider their objective, including their wants and needs, and the obstacles they face. Want is the character’s external desire, while need is their internal desire. These should be simple and clear, especially in a short film like ‘‘The Deal’’ The mob boss doesn’t care about the deal itself because he knows his enemy offers something he cannot accept anyway. He wants to investigate what the enemy is planning through the female spy and welcomes her, even though it means putting himself in danger. What he really needs is to maintain his dignity as a mob boss.

On the other hand, the female spy wants to get what the mob boss has, which we filmmakers call a MacGuffin. The problem is that her sexual manipulation doesn’t work on the mob boss and makes him irritated. Thus, what the female spy needs is to survive the situation while being in the same room with the annoyed mob boss. I explained and discussed these character details with the actors before shooting, asked for their opinions and suggestions, and then let them play out their character arcs.

What do you hope the audience takes away, and what emotions or reactions do you intend to evoke through your storytelling?

I used the technique ‘‘the bomb under the table’’ as I mentioned before, so it would be great if audiences are thrilled even though the story setup is very simple. In addition, I hope audiences believe that the scene is located in New York, or at least in the US. In reality, it was shot on a studio set in Tokyo with non-Japanese actors living in Japan. Luckily, I found two very skillful and appealing actors. The mob boss was played by Derrick Dover, who has worked on numerous movies and TV shows not only as an actor but also as a producer and screenwriter. The female spy was played by Keren Louis, a professional model for some big-name companies and brands. I hope audiences enjoy their amazing performances, which made "The Deal" very believable and attractive both visually and narratively.

In future projects, do you plan to explore similar genre intersections, or are there other genres you're eager to explore?

I’m open to any genres and stories for my next project. Currently, as a tenure-track lecturer in filmmaking at Kinjo Gakuin University, I have access to a wealth of university resources, including students and faculty, equipment and facilities, and funding. This means that technically, anything is possible, but the genre ‘‘slice of life’’seems to be a perfect match for what I have at my disposal. I’m always surrounded by hundreds of students, and the university itself is a significant part of their lives. Every single day, they experience various dramas related to study, friends, family, love, and more. As long as I’m at the university, I’ll never run out of ideas for a new movie.

Can you tease any upcoming projects or themes you're excited to explore in your future works?

After I started my new career at Kinjo Gakuin University, I initiated an ultra-professional filmmaking program called Kinjo Productions with the other professors. This program is designed for students who aspire to work in the motion picture industry, including film, television, and digital media. We aim to enhance students’ productive skills in visual art, and about 50 students have joined it.

Like a typical film production, every student is assigned a role based on their interests and works together through development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution to create at least one short film a year. Following the steps of filmmaking, we teach them everything about the process, including screenwriting, producing, production management, directing, acting, camera work, lighting, sound, editing, VFX, and more. The reason why it’s ‘‘ultra’’ professional is that we do what actual professionals often cannot. For example, the relationship between art and AI is currently very sensitive, and some industries seem to be against it. However, we encourage students to use AI to accelerate various filmmaking processes and enhance creativity from an educational perspective.

I’m looking forward to establishing a new filmmaking method in this AI era with the younger generations.

This marks the conclusion of the interview featuring our esteemed artist, Hiroki Ohsawa. Our community is growing steadily, with a continuous influx of skilled filmmakers and screenwriters joining us. Explore our other interviews, and consider scheduling one for yourself to showcase your creative endeavors.

To publish an interview simply submit on the ‘‘INTERVIEW OF YOUR FILM’’ category on our Filmfreeway page.