In the heart
of Tokyo, a crew is setting up for this unusual shoot. Gear is unpacked from the back of a car, and
a kitchen space with a hardwood floor is temporarily cleared of its clutter. Meanwhile, microphones and cameras are set up
outside. Make-up is applied to the
dancer (Masumi Endo). Traffic noise and the sounds of nature are
caught on the microphones outside.
With the
space clear, and the performer ready, the sound of a dripping tap (shown in
close-up) gives the opening beat for the improvisational dance performance to
begin. The sounds of Tokyo: crickets,
jungle crows, whirring of a Japan post motorcycle, latches and windows opening,
a gas stove-top being lit, footprints, become the soundtrack to which the dancer
dances.
Although the
film is called Impro. (short from
improvisation), and gives the impression that the dancer is responding to live
sounds (cars starting, traffic signals, shop workers’ greetings, trains, etc.)
as the sound crew travels the city streets, this is clearly a planned and
edited production. It gives the
impression of the dancer responding spontaneously to the sounds of the city,
but this is a carefully woven illusion.
The result is an ode to a day in the life of Tokyo, from dawn to dusk,
with the dancer working herself up into a crescendo of as the sounds of night
life increase. Finally, a moment’s
respite. A new day dawns on the green
space next to a river, the dancer pauses to catch her breath. A living, breathing member of this vibrant
community.
Impro. was co-directed by Keisuke Nishizaki (西崎啓介) and
Tomomi Okamura (岡村知美) of Tokyo
Eizo Brig. (東京映像旅団). Both
graduates of the College of Art at Nihon University, Nishizaki is a director,
illustrator and animator while Okamura calls herself an independent motion
graphic director. Learn more about them
on tumblr.
This film screened at Oberhausen 2015.
This film screened at Oberhausen 2015.
2015 Cathy Munroe Hotes
