Tadanari Okamoto
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
independent
animator
. From 1965 until his death he completed at least 37 short subject
film
s in a wide variety of mediums, eight of which have been awarded the Ōfuji Noburō
Prize at the Mainichi Film Awards (more than any other director
in the history of the prize) and his films have altogether earned at least 24 other awards internationally. His work is also the subject a two-hour-long documentary The Magic Ballet, released in 1990, and in 2003 four of his films placed in a list of the best 150 animated films and series as voted for by practitioners and critics of animation from around the world in a survey commissioned by Tokyo
's Laputa Animation Festival: most notably with , which came twenty-eighth.
After working at MOM Production, known for its stop motion
work for Rankin/Bass
, he founded his own production company
, Echo Incorporated, in 1964, and soon after made a trip to visit Czech animator and director Břetislav Pojar
. One of his last films, , was commissioned and broadcast across the nation by NHK
, the national public broadcasting
organization of Japan, as one of their Minna no Uta
interstitial program
s. He died during the production of , an adaptation of the Kenji Miyazawa
story of the same name for which he enlisted the talents of Reiko Okuyama
, a former Tōei Dōga
animator and animation director
who had for many years abandoned animation in favour of illustration
, including copperplate engraving
, to aid in realising the engraving-inspired visual style envisioned for the film. Posthumously completed under the supervision of Kihachirō Kawamoto
, it débuted in 1991 and was awarded with, amongst others, that year's Ōfuji Noburō and Minister of Education prizes (the latter being an NHK Japan Prize for achievement in an audiovisual work relevant to primary education
) and prompted a special lifetime achievement Mainichi Film Award for Okamoto.
on August 24, 1986 and re-released on September 25, 1994. A more complete collection is to be released across three DVD-Video
discs on June 24, 2009: these will be available separately or as a box set, exclusive to which will be a fourth disc of additional materials such as university
and advertising
work.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
. From 1965 until his death he completed at least 37 short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s in a wide variety of mediums, eight of which have been awarded the Ōfuji Noburō
Noburō Ōfuji
was a Japanese film director and animator. One of the most notable auteurs of anime of the first half of the 20th century , he worked primarily with cutout and silhouette animation...
Prize at the Mainichi Film Awards (more than any other director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
in the history of the prize) and his films have altogether earned at least 24 other awards internationally. His work is also the subject a two-hour-long documentary The Magic Ballet, released in 1990, and in 2003 four of his films placed in a list of the best 150 animated films and series as voted for by practitioners and critics of animation from around the world in a survey commissioned by Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
's Laputa Animation Festival: most notably with , which came twenty-eighth.
After working at MOM Production, known for its stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
work for Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc. , also known as Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, was an American production company, known for its seasonal television specials, particularly its work in stop-motion animation. The pre-1974 library is currently owned by Classic Media,while the post-1974 library is...
, he founded his own production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
, Echo Incorporated, in 1964, and soon after made a trip to visit Czech animator and director Břetislav Pojar
Bretislav Pojar
Břetislav Pojar is a puppeteer, animator and director of short and feature films.Born in Sušice, Czechoslovakia, Pojar started his career in the late 1940s with his work on The Story of the Bass Cello based on the story by Anton Chekhov and directed by master Czech puppet animator Jiří Trnka...
. One of his last films, , was commissioned and broadcast across the nation by NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
, the national public broadcasting
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
organization of Japan, as one of their Minna no Uta
Minna no Uta
, literally Everyone's Songs, is a five minute NHK TV and radio program broadcasting several times daily since 1961. The program is generally used as filler at the end of regular television programs...
interstitial program
Interstitial program
In television programming, an interstitial program refers to a short program which is often shown between movies or other events, e.g. a cast interview after movies on premium channels...
s. He died during the production of , an adaptation of the Kenji Miyazawa
Kenji Miyazawa
was a Japanese poet and author of children's literature in the early Shōwa period of Japan. He was also known as a devout Buddhist, vegetarian and social activist.-Early life:...
story of the same name for which he enlisted the talents of Reiko Okuyama
Reiko Okuyama
, née , was a Japanese animator, notable for being one of the first female Japanese animators. She has also been credited as and .-Biography:Okuyama spent much of her early life confined to bed due to a series of illnesses. She developed her interest in drawing during this time...
, a former Tōei Dōga
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
animator and animation director
Animation director
An animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or animated segment for a live-action film...
who had for many years abandoned animation in favour of illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
, including copperplate engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
, to aid in realising the engraving-inspired visual style envisioned for the film. Posthumously completed under the supervision of Kihachirō Kawamoto
Kihachiro Kawamoto
was a Japanese puppet designer and maker, independent film director, screenwriter and animator and president of the Japan Animation Association from 1989, succeeding founder Osamu Tezuka, until his own death...
, it débuted in 1991 and was awarded with, amongst others, that year's Ōfuji Noburō and Minister of Education prizes (the latter being an NHK Japan Prize for achievement in an audiovisual work relevant to primary education
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
) and prompted a special lifetime achievement Mainichi Film Award for Okamoto.
Home media
A selection of Okamoto's films was released on LaserdiscLaserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
on August 24, 1986 and re-released on September 25, 1994. A more complete collection is to be released across three DVD-Video
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
discs on June 24, 2009: these will be available separately or as a box set, exclusive to which will be a fourth disc of additional materials such as university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
work.
External links
- Tadanari Okamoto at Anido Web Page