Keiichi Sakurai in April 2022. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on May 9, 1950, Keiichi Sakurai grew up in Hokkaido and became enthralled by tokusatsu movies at a young age. He got his start in special effects as an assistant cameraman apprentice on the Toho TV series Zone Fighter (1973), which eventually led to numerous … Continue reading GODZILLA IN FOCUS! Tokusatsu Cinematographer Keiichi Sakurai on Toho’s Biggest Kaiju Movies!
Shinji Higuchi
MAKING MINIATURES IN JAPANESE SFX FILMS! Atsushi Hagiwara on Creating Tokusatsu Models in the 1980s and Beyond!
Atsushi Hagiwara during the making of Sayonara Jupiter. Photo © Atsushi Hagiwara. Atsushi Hagiwara got his start as a tokusatsu modelmaker working on the ambitious Toho production Sayonara Jupiter (1984), which features some of the best special effects in Japanese film history. That experience led to a variety of other film and television projects on … Continue reading MAKING MINIATURES IN JAPANESE SFX FILMS! Atsushi Hagiwara on Creating Tokusatsu Models in the 1980s and Beyond!
HOW TO MAKE ULTRAMAN! Kevin Hudson on His Experience Creating ‘Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero’!
Kevin Hudson is one of Hollywood's leading visual effects artists whose impressive career runs the gamut of decades. Mr. Hudson’s SFX credits include: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Batman Returns (1992), Contact (1997), Stuart Little (1999), The Polar Express (2004), Superman Returns (2006), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). In 2017, Mr. Hudson made … Continue reading HOW TO MAKE ULTRAMAN! Kevin Hudson on His Experience Creating ‘Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero’!
KAZUAKI KIRIYA ON ‘CASSHERN’! The Director Recalls His International Box Office Smash!
Japanese filmmaker Kazuaki Kiriya made waves both in Japan and in America when he released his 2004 opus Casshern to theaters. A groundbreaking sci-fi/action film, Casshern earned Mr. Kiriya praise around the globe for his unique visual style. Casshern is currently available in the United States on DVD. Mr. Kiriya came to the United States … Continue reading KAZUAKI KIRIYA ON ‘CASSHERN’! The Director Recalls His International Box Office Smash!
Vantage Point Interviews 