Fr. Paul Glynn is the author of “A Song For Nagasaki”, which is one of the books that inspired our movie. In this interview filmed during our research trip to Japan, he explains what the story of Takashi Nagai can teach us today.
With more filming about to commence next week, we’re busy preparing for the work ahead. Stay tuned for more behind the scenes info, photos and production stills soon!
Show your support for “All That Remains” on Indiegogo! (Click the link below).
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on May 10, 2013
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/interview-with-fr-paul-glynn-author-of-a-song-for-nagasaki/
Below is the scene where Prof. Peierls writes up the memorandum which lays out the details necessary to construct a super bomb. This information would lead to the building of Fat Man, the atom bomb which destroyed Nagasaki.
The clip is pre-sound mixed
Our Indiegogo campaign is going great, thanks to everyone who has so generously contributed! Check it out by clicking the link below!
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on May 9, 2013
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/fat-man-is-conceived-video-clip/
As a thank you to all those who have been so generous in their donations to the production costs of All That Remains so far, we’d thought we’d share this very special memory from our trip to Japan with you.
When visiting Fr. Paul Glynn, author of “A Song For Nagasaki” in Nara, to interview him for our movie, we did not expect to get such a fantastic welcome, a welcome which included a wonderful meal (washed down with sake) and the above performance by Opera singer Yumiko Okada of the song “Nagasaki No Kane” (The Bells of Nagasaki) which was the theme song for the 1949 movie on Dr. Nagai. We think you’ll agree, it’s a very beautiful and powerful song and a stunning performance by Mrs Okada.
Remember every penny really does go a long way to helping us reach the finishing post! If you have a few dollars to spare and fancy being a part of this amazing project click the link below!
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on April 30, 2013
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/nagasaki-no-kane-a-song-for-nagasaki-and-a-thank-you/
These last couple of weeks, our main focus in the edit room has been FX work – turning concept art into convincing special effect shots and recreating iconic scenes from archive photos.
Most of the “digital set pieces” are a mix of photographic, live action and computer generated 3D elements.
For the dream sequence pictured at the top of this post, a 3D model of “Fat Man” – the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki was rendered to match the exact angle and lighting of the shot. Below, the Fat Man model is prepared for a final render.
All the elements for each shot were composited in PhotoShop, the shots were then completed in Adobe After Effects (an industry standard visual effects software) for coloring and final blending of all the elements.
For the shot illustrated above, we worked from an archive photo and built up the atom bombed landscape using a mixture of photographic material and 3D renders. Actor Leo Ashizawa was filmed in the greenscreen studio and superimposed into the scene to recreate an iconic photo of Dr. Nagai.
The above post was originally published on Life Through a Digital Lens .
As we push on with the final leg of the filming, we’ve decided to launch another crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo, to help cover the costs of getting the last few scenes in the bag.
As we always say, every dollar/pound really goes a long way, so if you can spare a few bob and fancy seeing your name included in the final credits, why not head over to Indiegogo now?
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on April 17, 2013
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/from-design-to-final-shot-a-look-at-the-special-effects/
As we prepare for our next shoot in Mid-March, the scenes we shot in early February are taking shape in our edit suite. The main focus of the February shoot was Takashi Nagai’s personal experiences of war during his service in the second Sino-Japanese War.
Takashi Nagai was called for military service in February 1933. Japan and China had been unofficially at war since 1931. Takashi was sent to China as a medical officer in the 11th Hiroshima Infantry Regiment. He would actually serve two tours of duty in China, the second being in 1937 when the unofficial war finally became official.
Takashi’s personal experiences of the horrors and brutality of war had a profound effect on him and influenced him greatly, so for directors Ian & Dominic Higgins it was important to portray at least some of his experiences in China.
“There’s no doubt that Takashi returned from his first tour of duty traumatised but also far more spiritual”, says Dominic.
“Up until his time in China, he was still the scientist exploring the possibility of life after death and religion through the clinical microscope of science, war changed that”, adds Ian.
The war scenes required the usual attention to detail and planning the directors insist on before cameras roll, which meant storyboarding, pre-visual art and shot lists…
During the filming of the war scenes, the directors have kept their cameras focused on the human cost of war and our make-up artists Stephanie Bentham and Jenny Gillings, aided by Birmingham’s South and City college students Donna Woodman and Dolly Karoni, did a fantastic job helping us to bring a sense of reality to the scenes.
Below are some stills from the China war sequences…
We’ll be posting an exclusive preview of a very special scene on the Production Hub page soon!
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on February 24, 2013
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/war-up-close-and-personal/
Watch the first official trailer of All That Remains.
Check out director’s Ian and Dominic Higgins’ blog for their commentary on the trailer.
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on January 25, 2013
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/all-that-remains-trailer/
Wasting no time at all, directors Ian and Dominic Higgins have been busy at work in the editing room since the New Year began, cutting a “special extended preview” of All That Remains.
“We’re very excited with how this film is shaping up and we really wanted to let everyone who has supported us and everyone who has contributed to the making of this film up until now, see for themselves, the results of all the hard work so far”, says Dominic.
“Although we have a lot of work ahead and plenty more scenes to shoot, the trailer will give a really good impression of the scale of this project and the vision behind the scale,” adds Ian.
The trailer will premiere in 9 days’ time on our official Facebook page, but if you have access to our Production Hub, you can watch it right now!
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on January 16, 2013
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/coming-soon-a-special-extended-preview/
We’ve been very busy since our last blog….
With more filming set to take place this Friday (the 14th December), we’ve also had two other big filming days since the previous update.
The first was a location shoot that took place in St. Augustine’s Church in Birmingham (UK) a stunning church that made a perfect set-piece for the interior of Urakami Cathedral – the cathedral that was destroyed in the bombing, and whose spire was used to guide the B29 that dropped the bomb on that fateful day.
Once again, the supporting cast were incredibly patient and a joy to work with.
The second shoot was studio based and started with filming the infamous night that Professor Rudolf Peierls turned the theory of an atom bomb into a reality. To play the part of Peierls, British actor Roger Harding underwent a complete physical transformation thanks to the stunning work of our very talented make-up artist Vera Fenlon and her assistant Stephanie Bentham.
“Roger was such a great sport,” says director Ian Higgins, “we asked him if he’d be OK wearing contacts and he told us he’d never worn them before but was completely open to whatever we had in mind – which was a big relief as it was a pretty big make-up job that we had in mind!”
“The make-up looks amazing and Roger literally transformed into Rudolf Peierls before our eyes”, adds director Dominic Higgins.
The remaining first half of the day focused on scenes with the occupying American forces in the aftermath of the bombing, working with American actor Sid Phoenix and British actor Richard Grayson. “Both these guys were very strong actors and great fun to work with, but it was very much a case of knowing the moment we first saw them that they would be right for the roles we had in mind”, explains Ian.
“We first saw Sid in a short film and we knew he was the right actor to play the part of a character we had written – a young American officer who witnesses the devastation of the bombing and later argues to have Dr. Nagai’s seminal book, The Bells of Nagasaki published”, says Dominic.
These scenes also included a short scene with Kayano Nagai, Takashi’s daughter. “We’ve found the perfect little girl to play Kayano in 4 year old Anna Kimura,” points out Ian.
“We were a little apprehensive as it was her first scene and she’s had no previous experience in front of cameras, but Anna was such so relaxed in front of the camera, we got some great shots very easily,” says Dominic.
The entire second half of the day was given over to getting more shots for the bombing scene itself – with supporting cast members undergoing intensive make-up by Vera and Stephanie.
“Vera and Stephanie really helped bring the horror of that day to life again”, says Dominic.
We were joined on both shoots by, hair/make-up and film technician students from Birmingham and South College (UK). As always, the new crew were thrown straight into the deep end from day one – with the hair students getting to grips with period hairstyles for 30 extras.
“The students proved to be a credit to the college and we certainly look forward to welcoming more students to the upcoming shoots ahead”, says Ian.
We were also privileged to have Sir Doug Ellis OBE visit the set, he chatted to both students and production crew and shared some fascinating personal stories of his own experiences in the pacific during WW2. He also offered to make an incredibly generous donation towards the film! A huge thank you to Sir Doug!
The local press were also there, you can read all about it here.
Also once again, we’d like to say thank you to all who have been so generous during the course of this production, with our most recent crowd funding campaign those who donated have contributed to over half of the money we need. We couldn’t mention the crowd funding campaign without mentioning our great friend and honouree producer Frank Weathers for his very considerable part in helping us achieve the success we have. Thanks Frank!
After Friday’s shoot, we’ll have filmed almost all of the first half of the script which deals with the life of Dr. Nagai before the atomic bombing. Although much of the bombing sequence has now also been filmed, most of the drama scenes that take place during and after the bombing have not.
“It’s very exciting though to have almost reached the half way milestone!” Exclaims Dominic.
“The second half of the script is the really tough part, with so much of it dealing with the aftermath of the bombing and it’s devastation, so it’ll be nice to have a few days off over Christmas first.” says Ian.
Now it’s back to storyboards, shot lists and organizing, as we prepare to get more scenes in the bag this Friday!
Below are some stills from the last two days of shooting. All behind the scenes photos are courtesy of Phil Pugh.
St. Augustine’s church made a great set piece
Filming at St. Augustine’s church – Ian and Dominic explain what they’re looking for, while Joel gets the camera set up.
The impressive interior of St. Augustine’s church caught the eye of directors Ian & Dominic Higgins as an ideal location to film the Urakami Cathedral scenes.
Producer Joel Fletcher with crew member Dan Woodward
The supporting cast getting ready for a take
Ian setting up for a shot.
Producer Nigel Davey making sure everyone is happy.
Dominic gets the angle while Ian checks the lighting is just right.
Monica, by now an expert in fastening a Japanese Obi.
We were joined on both shoots by members of South and City Birmingham college.
Hair department, courtesy of South and City Birmingham college!
South and City Birmingham student Chris getting to grips with one of our cameras.
Make-up artist Stephanie Bentham making sure American actor Sid Phoenix is “camera ready”.
British Actor Richard Grayson on his way to the greenscreen studio.
British Actor Roger Harding just about to undergo his make-up transformation.
Make Up artist Vera at work.
Roger has one eye on the part – Roger with his first contact lens fitted.
Ian and Dominic getting the shot framed.
Ian and Roger enjoy a chat and a coffee.
Dominic setting up a shot.
Anna Kimura plays Takashi Nagai’s daughter. But first, she needed a change of hairstyle…
Anna getting her wig fitted.
Anna’s new hairstyle!
Ian checks Anna before her first scene.
Anna with actor Sid Phoenix on set .
Anna and Sid about to film a short scene.
Vera prepares Japanese actress Miwa Saeki.
Students from South and City Birmingham help our make-up artists. Singer/actor Charlie Green also joins the line up as we get ready to shoot more scenes from the day of the bombing.
Vera’s make-up work really brought the horrors of that day back to life.
One of the supporting cast in make-up.
Sir Doug Ellis OBE on set, with South and City college principle Mike Hopkins.
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on December 11, 2012
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/the-halfway-point-almost/
On Christmas eve night 1945, from the atom bombed ruins of Urakami Cathedral, the Angelus bell rang out its message across the wasteland for the first time since that fateful day.
“These are the bells that did not ring for weeks or months after the disaster. May there never be a time when they do not ring! May they ring out this message of peace until the morning of the day on which the world ends.” – Takashi Nagai – The Bells of Nagasaki
This is one of the most important scenes in the film as it represents the ‘story of Nagasaki’ in a few powerful images.
It takes faith…
… to raise the bell
Actors, Tanroh Ishida and Mark Roy Tsai get to grips with one of the key scenes in the film, with no props, just an actors best tool, their imagination…
Looking down on Urakami…
Christmas Eve
“People say that Nagasaki is famous for persecution and devastation, for it has known much in it’s history. But Nagasaki is not the only place that has experienced both persecution and destruction… The reason Nagasaki is famous, is because it is rebuilt, because it has always survived.” - Takashi Nagai
Once again we would like to give special thanks to Fr. Paul Glynn, Mr and Mrs Yoshida and the people of Nara for their recent generous donations and for their on going support.
We will be uploading a few rough cuts of some of the scenes we’ve been working on very soon to the ‘Production Hub’.
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on November 8, 2012
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/the-bells-of-nagasaki/
Last Monday was a busy day – what with holding auditions for the role of Kayano (Dr. Nagai’s daughter and the young Takashi) and the filming of key scenes from the opening sequences!
It was a great day though, well worth every minute and we’ll be announcing our casting decisions very soon. In the meantime, a big thank you to all the parents who brought their children to the auditions.
Also another thank you to our wonderful costume assistant/adviser Kikuko Wall whose help was invaluable, and to Bill Evans, who went the extra mile for us, quite literally!
Actress Theresa Nguyen and hair stylist Jenny Gillings
Japanese actress Kyoko Morita plays Tsune Nagai, the mother of Takashi.
Actress Kyoko Morita kindly postponed a trip to Japan for a week so she would be available for our shoot. Not only did she look great in the part – she gave a wonderful performance as Tsune Nagai, the mother of Takashi.
Check out Kyoko’s website here.
Actress Ava Lyn Koh with Kyoko Morita preparing for a scene
The next big shoot will be the “Cathedral scene” on 10th November, which will be filmed at a location in Birmingham. “We’ve found the perfect place for the scene,” explains Ian, “a beautiful church that really has the grand look of a cathedral inside and looks simply stunning on camera”. “We just need to fill it out with as many people as we can”, adds Dominic.
So, once again, we’re looking for members of the Japanese community to appear as extras. All ages are welcome, both male and female. If you’re interested in doing something a little different on Saturday 10th November, why not come along – it’ll be a fun day for sure! For further details please contact Nigel at daveyfilms@aol.com.
Here’s a video showing some before and after shots from the greenscreen scenes we’ve filmed so far.
Below are a few more stills too showing how the footage we’ve shot so far is shaping up…
Still 1
Still 2
Still 3
Posted by Major Oak Entertainment on October 29, 2012
http://allthatremainsthemovie.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/more-auditions-and-more-greenscreen/
------------------- Everyone who donates $15 or more will see their name in the end credits!
