documenting ian, blog

A time for reflection.

2011-12-11T14:29:00.000+09:00

Christmas and New Year are coming soon. Today as I was thinking of loved ones far away, I remembered March 11 was 9 months ago today.

Today marks eight months since March 11.

2011-11-11T10:57:00.000+09:00

How much is recovered?

How much is left to be done?

How many questions are still left unanswered?

Extra-curricular Viewing

2011-10-27T13:20:00.001+09:00

First, this 5-minute PBS report from August 16th (via @44de256):

Five months after the deadly tsunami and Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, Japanese authorities have acknowledged that they misled residents about the radioactive dangers. John Sparks of Independent Television News gets an inside look at the area and reports on how citizens are dealing with the ongoing risks.

Second, this 3-minute clip of Germany's 'Today' show which is an attempt to deal with the idiocy and bureaucracy of the handling of the nuclear meltdown through humour. Be sure to click the "CC" button for English subtitles (via @Shogannai):

3.11 Films

2011-10-26T12:43:00.006+09:00

We each have our own way of trying to work out our thoughts and feelings about things that are not easily understood.

Seven months after the triple disasters of March 11, the first films about it are starting to appear.

One such film, "311", premiered recently at the 16th Busan International Film festival in Korea. The documentary was shot by four director friends shortly after March 11.

Survivors often act with a mixture of horror and fury when they see the cameras capturing their grief and Mori said the team was constantly forced to question just what they were doing -- documenting or intruding.

This year's Tokyo International Film Festival (currently taking place) features 3 films about the events of March 11 in a special category, "Overcoming the Disaster".

"Overcoming the Disaster" showcases three films related to March 11, and any money raised from the category goes toward TIFF's "Arigato Project" fundraiser for Tohoku. But the support goes deeper than just financial aid. TIFF is using the festival's unique program to acknowledge support from the international film festival community, and provide a bit of hope in stressing how far Tohoku has recovered since the slew of catastrophes.

In an interesting project organized by the Sendai Short Film Festival 2011, sixty directors have created short films 3 minutes and 11 seconds in length that will be programmed together. One section of this project aired last night on satellite television here in Japan.

The films will be three minutes and 11 seconds in length to symbolize March 11, when the disaster struck northeastern and eastern Japan... The directors were asked to make movies on the theme of "tomorrow" to inspire hope for the reconstruction of the devastated region.

====================================================

(added October 27th via @japantimes)

The documentary "Mujo Sobyo" recently held its North American premier in New York.

Shot 50 days after the earthquake on the coast of Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, the film captures the ravaged landscape and the voices of survivors calmly recounting their memories of the twin disasters. But the film purposely does not reveal the exact location or the names of the people and their backgrounds.

Discovery News: guest blog #8

2011-10-25T09:22:00.003+09:00

I am honoured to receive continuing encouragement from Discovery News with the publication today of my 8th guest blog.

In case you missed any of the previous ones, there are links to them at the bottom of the blog on the Discovery website.

Thank you all for your continued interest and support during these seven months!

A breath of fresh (radiation-free) air

2011-10-24T18:57:00.003+09:00

I came across this video (via @silverstar22b) and it put a smile on my face and allowed me to escape to a different world for its five-minute duration.

Beautifully shot. Great music. An amazing protagonist.

Must-see.

Fukushima Fallout: life on the edge of the evacuation zone

2011-10-20T16:13:00.003+09:00

This is a new 5-minute news documentary by Justin McCurry, Japan correspondent for Guardian and Observer (more here) and filmmaker Michael Condon (more here).

It was filmed in Minamisoma City, most of which lies in the zone 20-30 km from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

I posted this team's previous video (here).

In the Radiation Zone: Revisiting Minamisoma (part 3 of 3)

2011-10-17T22:40:00.002+09:00

I have just uploaded Part 3 of our "Revisiting Minamisoma" update. In case you missed it, more information on Part 1 can be found here and on Part 2 here.

While this marks the end of the update Colin and I filmed in Minamisoma in September, we have already filmed the next update which I will start editing next week.

We are going to be filming the stories of the people of the north and sharing them with you until they recover. We hope you will be watching and thinking of them for just as long.

The Shoot, "The Fallout", and "The Japanese People"

2011-10-13T18:47:00.008+09:00

The Shoot

I am just back from shooting the 6th episode of my television documentary program, "Tadaima, Ian Desu!" (more on that here and here). It was beautiful weather in Tochigi Prefecture, which is located just south of Fukushima. There has been a lot of negative impact on the area as a result of radiation fallout, with some farms going bankrupt and the tourism industry suffering falling numbers of visitors.

My program, however, focuses on the local people and their stories (the concept for it was conceived prior to March 11), so the filming for me is a welcome relief from the work I am doing in Fukushima. It isn't that we ever forget what has happened or is happening... it's just that we still have hope.

The opening of this month's program was filmed at a Meiji-era (late 1800's) wooden elementary that has now been turned into an art museum (more on the current exhibit here and more on the museum's mission here).

The second segment we filmed was with author and cancer-survivor Fujita Katsuko at her beautiful home in the mountains. Katsuko-san wrote an inspirational book about her fight with cancer. Cancer-free for over 15 years now, she is more active than ever- playing tennis, taking art and tea ceremony classes and hiking in the mountains every week!

After the interview, Katsuko-san honoured the four-person film crew with a traditional tea ceremony in her garden overlooking the beautiful rice paddies and mountains of Nakagawa Town.

I am already looking forward to next month's escape to Tochigi to film with more beautiful people in the gorgeous countryside.

"The Fallout"

This week's recommended reading on the nuclear situation here in Japan is this article from the New Yorker (via @HirokoTabuchi). Please lick on the article to go the New Yorker website to read the article and see the accompanying photo essay.

"The Japanese People"

This week's recommended viewing is this video called "Nihon Jin" (The Japanese People), a ten-minute documentary about Japanese people working for Honda at their facility in Alabama (via @hikosaemon)

Nihon Jin (The Japanese People) by Alexandra Jo Hancock and Christian Sutton from Digital Community Studies on Vimeo.

In the Radiation Zone: Revisiting Minamisoma (part 2 of 3)

2011-10-11T08:30:00.004+09:00

Today marks seven months since the March 11 triple disaster.

The title of this article in yesterday's Mainichi sums up my feelings after visiting Minamisoma last month (click the headline for the full article):

I have just posted part 2 of "In the Radiation Zone: Revisiting Minamisoma". In it, I interview people who have recently moved from evacuation centres into temporary housing.

Full recovery from this disaster was never going to happen in seven months. I just pray it doesn't take seven generations.

Weekend Update

2011-10-10T20:32:00.003+09:00

It was a three-day weekend here in Japan, with Monday being a national holiday. I have kept busy working on the plan for film festival submissions for my new documentary and also editing the three-part "Revisiting Minamisoma" series I am doing for my YouTube channel (here). I have just finished Part Two and am doing the compression now, so I will upload that in the morning (if you haven't already seen it, Part One is here).

I will be going to Tochigi tomorrow (coincidentally, just south of Fukushima) to film an episode of the monthly documentary series that I am doing for a cable TV station there (more on that here). This is the 6th episode we have filmed and there will be three more in series one. It is in Japanese, but here is the page for the program:

In the Radiation Zone: Revisiting Minamisoma (Part 1 of 3)

2011-10-06T13:25:00.008+09:00

I've been silent for a couple weeks as we have been nearing the end of post-production on our (still un-named) feature documentary about the children living in the 20-30 km zone around the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

Producer/ cameraman, Colin, and online editor, Ed, (both from the UK) joined me in my Tokyo studio last month as we fine-tuned the film. The next step is the online/ colour grade and sound mix, and then we will start film festival submissions.

Meanwhile, Colin and I traveled again to Minamisoma last month (six months after the nuclear meltdown and five months after we filmed the documentary there) to see how the city is getting along now.

Here is part 1 of 3 that update, In the Radiation Zone: Revisiting Minamisoma

Thyroid Irregularities Found

2011-10-05T14:37:00.004+09:00

One of our biggest fears for the children living in the radiation zone around the damaged nuclear power may be becoming reality. More tests need to be conducted, but thyroid abnormalities have been found in some of the evacuated children.

(Thank you to @44de256 for bringing this article to my attention).

Needing to believe it is safe (part 2)

2011-09-18T10:49:00.005+09:00

When I think about the open doors and windows in the schools and homes of the people of Minamisoma, I ask myself what the alternative is. Even the use of air conditioning during the oppressive heat would only serve to pull in more radiation from the outside. There just doesn't seem to be an easy solution.

Another big change that we saw compared to April was the number of homes where laundry and futons could be seen hanging outside to dry (the use of dryers in Japan is not common, and people typically hang laundry and futons outside to dry). In April, people had been cautioned against this practice due to the airborne radioactive dust particles. Yet now, laundry hanging outside to dry is a common sight.

Yuka helps hang the laundry outside.

Yuka helps her mother hang the laundry outside. Although a plastic roof protects the clothing and bedding from 'black rain', the wind blows freely across the balcony.

Laundry and futons hang outside to dry at a house in Minamisoma.

There isn't an easy solution to this problem and my intention here is not to criticize or judge. I understand the desire to put the potential danger to their children out of sight and out of mind. However, simply choosing to ignore the potential danger and pretending that everything is ok, only creates a sense of apathy toward the problem.

I don't want to think about the potential health risk to the thousands of children in Minamisoma either. But what is the alternative? To not think about it, to not let it rule our lives?

By not thinking about the harmful affects of radiation on the children, by not allowing this problem to rule our lives, will this protect the children?

Needing to believe it is safe (part 1)

2011-09-17T09:25:00.008+09:00

I have been in the city of Minamisoma this week. It has been six months since the events of March 11 and five months since we filmed our documentary about the children returning to school in the radiation zone 30 km from the damaged nuclear power plant.

Because of the airborne radioactive particles and 'black rain', in April there were strict rules- especially regarding the school children. Children were to wear long sleeves, hats and face masks. The children were to wash their hands and change their clothes immediately after coming in from outside.

The danger from the radiation and its unknown consequence was constantly in the minds and on the tongues of the all the people we met.

This week, however, we saw a very different mood in Minamisoma.

We were struck by the school children walking around freely without masks and in short sleeves and shorts in areas that were recently deemed so dangerous that the people living there were under orders to stay indoors. Although the children were not to play outside, we saw two little girls playing outside and bouncing a ball between them... their unmasked faces breathing in the potentially radioactive dirt their ball kicked up.

And because of the heat, the doors and windows of the elementary school were wide open, allowing the breeze- and anything it carried- to blow freely through the corridors and classrooms.

The doors and windows at the elementary school are wide open.

The windows in all the classrooms are open.

Though these children are still driven to school, they go without masks and in short sleeves/ shorts.

At first, I couldn't understand how people who had been so concerned in April about how much danger their children were in could be seemingly so oblivious to the potential threat in September. But as one parent I talked to put it:

We can't live in a constant state of fear. We need to believe that it is safe and that everything will somehow be ok.

On the road again.

2011-09-13T13:42:00.002+09:00

Editing on my documentary about the children of Minamisoma is going well and we hope to 'lock picture' (that is, finish editing the story of the film) this month. We will still have the colour grading and sound design left, but the end is in sight.

To help with this last leg of the journey, my UK producer/ camerman, Colin, is coming to Japan and arrives tomorrow morning. We will drive straight from the airport to Minamisoma where we spent a couple of weeks filming in April. We have three goals for going there this time:

1. To thank the participants and show them the film (and get their feedback on it).
2. To record some local music to possibly use in the soundtrack of the film.
3. To see how the city is getting on/ has changed since we were there just one month after the explosion.

Hopefully, I will get a chance to film/ post on my YouTube channel some updates about how things in Minamisoma are now. I hope to at least post some photos and written accounts here.

Then next week, Ed, an editor from the UK, will join us in Tokyo to help finish the edit.

It is a busy time, but it is when I am working on a film that I feel truly alive. Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Ten years and six months.

2011-09-11T16:00:00.002+09:00

September 11 and March 11.

Hard to remember life before those dates.

Harder still to imagine where we go from here.

The only way is forward.

The week in news.

2011-09-10T20:07:00.005+09:00

Although it will be six months tomorrow since March 11, Jonathon Watts reminds that "it's not over yet" (Guardian, Sept 9, via @justinmccury)

Making a painstaking decision, a "family with young children chooses to stay in radiation 'hot spot' district" (Mainichi Daily News, Sept 9, via @44de256)

And finally, this 6-minute news documentary: "Six months after radiation leaks from the nuclear plant led to their evacuation, residents of nearby towns briefly return" (Guardian, Sept. 9 via @justinmccury)

Mystery Man (part 3)

2011-09-09T09:30:00.004+09:00

I wrote earlier in the week (here) about the mystery man who was seen on the live cam at the damaged Fukushima Dai 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

To be honest, I am not sure why I am so fascinated about this 'happening', but it could be that I just love a good mystery or that it is sometimes easier to focus on the surreal than on the real- ie: what is happening to the children living in the radiation zone.

Well, Tokyo Times has just unraveled part of the mystery (here). (And not to ruin the ending, but it looks like it wasn't the group of artists known as Chim Pom as I had been secretly hoping.)

The man has come forward (albeit anonymously) presenting his intentions in a bilingual blog (here).

I would LOVE to interview this guy.

"No safety limit for radioactivity...only different levels of acceptable risk."

2011-09-07T13:11:00.007+09:00

Nearly 6 months on, there are many questions left answered, and still so many questions yet to be asked.

"David Boilley of ACRO: The Zone", Katuyoshi Ueno's interview with David Boilley, a nuclear physicist and the chairman of ACRO (a French NGO with a nuclear testing laboratory) that was published yesterday by Papersky, begins to ask some of those questions.

Ueno-san starts by asking an important question: does the government's stated goal of allowing people back into the evacuation zone make sense? Boilley answers this and other questions in a level-headed and intelligent way... sometimes almost too level-headed and intelligent.

For example, when he is asked about the Japanese government's 20 millisievert limit for radiation exposure for the people of Fukushima (this is the same limit as that for a nuclear worker), Boilley points out that there is a difference between what would be considered "normal" exposure to radiation and what is "realistic" under the current circumstances. While admitting that an 80 km exclusion zone would be necessary to stay within the internationally accepted limit of 1 millisievert, he also notes that this would simply not be possible.

The problem, he states, is that "1 millisievert is not achievable. 20 millisieverts is too high." The readers (along with Ueno-san) have already come to this same conclusion on their own and are perhaps looking for a more concrete solution. Unfortunately, Boilley simply ends his answer by quipping that "fortunately, I'm not a politician who has to make such a decision." Gee, Boilley, thanks for the help in figuring out this problem.

Ueno's questions address so many of the issues we are grappling with on a daily basis: from the affect the release of contaminated water into the ocean will have on marine life and how the radiation may affect the rest of the food supply to how the issues of radiation hot spots affect the people of Tokyo.

This article is essential reading.

(disclosure: Katsuyoshi Ueno is my personal friend and colleague.)

'Trip'ping Away from Reality

2011-09-06T21:43:00.010+09:00

For months after March 11 I felt as though things would never get back to 'normal', meaning the way they had been. "We will find a new 'normal'," I had thought. This new 'normal' would not include unbridled fun or the spending of any unnecessary money.

It hasn't worked out this way exactly; there is fun again and I do splurge from time to time (although it is usually on a new piece of filming equipment for work). Saying that, there aren't any days that I don't think about what is happening up north, especially in Fukushima. And there isn't a delicious piece of fruit or a cold glass of water that I don't wonder how much, if any, radiation is in it.

In my blog post "Director for Hire" last week ( here) I talked about filming promotional videos as one of the ways that I earn money to help pay for my documentaries, such as the one I am currently making about the children of Minamisoma who are living in the 30 km radiation zone around the damaged nuclear power plant.

Since yesterday, I have been in Yamanashi filming one such promotional video for a hotel and hotsprings resort, the first commercial filming work I have done since March 11. For many reasons, including its relative distance from Fukushima and the fact that more Japanese people are traveling closer to home rather than abroad since March 11, Yamanashi has seen an increase in the number of visitors this summer.

Yamanashi is known for its natural onsen mineral baths and weather condusive to growing many kinds of fruits (grapes, cherries, peaches, persimmons and more). During this short trip filming, I found myself wondering which life of mine was reality- the one where I make documentaries about issues that I really care about or the one where I do commercial work for money?

The answer? Both. This is my new normal.

In the vineyard with the Stedi-cam operator, Tak-san.

Fresh peaches.

Poolside wine service at the onsen resort.

Chocolate fountain on the dessert buffet.

Two Rad Films

2011-09-05T05:44:00.007+09:00

I have been enjoying Twitter in a way I could never have imagined. It doesn't have to be the banal chatter that some people associate with it. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. The group of people that I am following have been such a great resource on news events and current topics, as well as a source of encouragement for my work.

Through Twitter, I have recently been introduced to a couple of films. Last night I watched "Blind", a beautifully photographed and produced short fiction film directed by Yukihiro Shoda. It has been made available online by its director, and the film's Vimeo page (here) describes it like this:

The film is set in post-nuclear Tokyo in a dimension not so distant from ours. Young salary-man's morning commute takes a surreal turn.

This 5-minute film will have you thinking for ages. (Coincidentally, the film's climax takes place in front of Taro Okamoto's mural "Myth of Tomorrow" which I blogged about yesterday.) Click on the still below to watch:

(Added Sep 7: Thank you to V, who blogs at Distant Land here, for bringing to my attention this great interview with the director and producer of "Blind" that was published by Time Out Tokyo. Interview here.)

@ikrockhopper tweeted awhile back about the short documentary film "Chernobyl Heart" (2003/ 40 minutes/ produced by HBO films) which won the 2004 Academy Award for best short documentary. The film, by director Maryann DeLeo, had a cinema release here in Japan last month. This documentary follows the director as she meets parents and children affected by the Chernobyl disaster years after the accident. "Chernobyl Heart" left me with more questions than answers, but I recommend seeing it... if only to be reminded that there is always another part of a story to be revealed. Here is part 1 (parts 2 and 3 can be found on the page to which you will be forwarded).

(Note: I have a problem with films being made available online by people other than the author so I am torn when it comes to linking to videos that may be in copyright violation. But with tens of thousands of views, I can only assume the copyright holder is aware of this upload and has chosen not to take action.)

Mystery Man part 2

2011-09-04T16:51:00.011+09:00

Well, Twitter is aflitter with different theories about the Mystery Man at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Is the video real? Has it been edited?

A very interesting discussion of the man's exact whereabouts was posted today by Tokyo Outsider:

One theory that is floating around about the man's identity is that he could be an activist or performance artist. If this was accomplished by an artist, one very cool group of artists that could pull something like this off is Chim Pom. (Note: I am not suggesting that they did do this, I just think they are a group that could do something like this).

Chim Pom pulled off a very cool public "guerrilla installation" where they added a section referring to the Fukushima nuclear disaster to Taro Okamoto's mural "Myth of Tomorrow" which is diplayed in Shibuya Station. I found a great description of the unaltered mural written by Shane Sakata for The Nihon Sun:

Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) was a citizen of the world whose much lauded abstract mural “Asu no Shinwa” (Myth of tomorrow) mural depicting the horror and destruction of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be unveiled to the public in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward on November 17th 2008.

This massive work was Okamoto’s largest, measuring 30 meters in length and 5.5 meters high, and was originally commissioned in 1967 by a Mexican property developer. The piece was displayed in the lobby of a luxury hotel until the developer had financial troubles and was forced to sell the hotel in 1969. Myth of tomorrow subsequently went missing and was not found until 2003.
After being returned to Japan, Myth of Tomorrow was displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo from April 27, 2007 to April 13, 2008. The piece was then dismantled and moved to a corridor linking the Shibuya stations of the JR and Keio Inokashira lines where it will remain on permanent public display starting on November 17th, 2008.

More on Chim Pom can be found on their website. It looks like they are facing legal action for defacing the mural, although their work did not damage the original. They filmed their exploits at Shibuya Station, which can be seen here:

Chim Pom also filmed a video one kilometer from the damaged nuclear power plant. In it, they paint a Japanese flag to look like a nuclear symbol.

This video art by Chim Pom is featured in part 3 of the web series Japan Rising:

Art, while being peaceful and respectful, can invoke thought and discussion. I say:

More paintbrushes, less war.

Mystery Man

2011-09-04T12:17:00.003+09:00

Who doesn't love a mystery?

Last week, watchers of the Live Cam at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant were surprised when a man in a protective suit walked into view and then appeared to speak to the camera FOR 2o MINUTES (!). A speeded up version of this 'happening' was posted to YouTube and has now been viewed over 400,000 times.

I first found out about this strangeness on Twitter via @tokyorich, a journalist with the Tokyo Times which published this article about my film a couple of months ago.

The man's actions (he is moving his arms about and is holding something that hasn't been identified yet) are weird enough, but the fact that Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) hasn't been able (or is unwilling) to identify him is stranger yet. The man's uniform doesn't have the usual identifications on it so TEPCO is claiming they don't know who he is. And this took place in the restricted zone in the immediate plant vicinity!

Theories are plentiful as to who the man is: a whistle blower, a performance artist, a ghost (!). More information can be be found in the description for the video (scroll down for the English) here and in this blog entry.

In the mood to be weirded out? You have been warned:

Time to re-'boot'

2011-09-03T17:47:00.004+09:00

I am still struggling with doing the compression of my film. I LOVE the story part of filmmaking... it's the technical part of editing that I find difficult.

In the meantime, I took my mind off things for a little while today by watching this documentary that I found via @hikosaemon (who in turn found it via @earthquasar ... oh, the power of Twitter!).

The 5-part web series is young, hip and was funded by a manufacturer of boots (!). The producers of the film describe it like this:

Tokyo faces a new reality after the tragedy of 3/11. While persistent challenges still lay ahead, the city’s creative class is hell-bent on making sure that their hometown thrives. Innovative and resilient, they are defining the future of Tokyo on their own terms. We put our boots on and went exploring.

It is a very interesting and certainly different point-of-view of the events of March 11.

Oh, and warning: it contains bad words(!).

Part one is linked below and the other four parts can be found on the page you will be re-directed to.

Depressing Compressing

2011-09-02T09:41:00.003+09:00

I LOVE editing. Well, I love the 'story' part of editing; the part where you go through the 40+ hours of footage finding the parts of the story and all the details that contextualize it to form the narrative.

What I don't love (and incidentally what makes me not a *real* editor) is the technical part. All the technical settings, capturing/ exporting files, etc. This is the part that drives me crazy and I feel it zaps some of my creative energy.

How frustrating it is that I have finished the newest version of my film and I can not get the file I need to send to the UK to compress fast enough! It has been compressing for 17 hours and shows that it has nearly 40 hours to go... for a 100 minute film! Obviously, I am doing something wrong.

My choice: cancel the compression and try to find a faster solution but risk losing the 17 hours I have already waited OR hurry up and wait (perhaps another 40 hours).

FRUSTRATING:

Focusing on the story of HOPE

2011-09-01T09:35:00.003+09:00

Today, I came across the 'Kickstarter' page for what looks to be a very powerful and moving documentary film by Stu Levy that focuses on the re-building of Ishinomaki City. "Pray for Japan" is a much bigger documentary than mine, and Stu is trying to raise funds to help finish his film. With only 3 days left in his campaign, time is running out to help support this beautiful documentary. More information can be found here on Stu's 'Kickstarter' page. His trailer is here:

Some of you may remember that Ishinomaki is the first city I filmed in up North, soon after the tsunami. In case you missed those pieces, here they are:

Anime Jay

2011-08-31T23:22:00.004+09:00

I had a wonderful meeting today with fellow ex-pat and artist Jay Horinouchi (aka @Jaykun) about creating an animated sequence to open my new documentary. Understandably, Jay needed to first watch the film to see if it was a project he wanted to work on.

We talked about the film for a couple of hours after he watched it, but the short version of our conversation is: He's on board!

After he works on his ideas for the opening, we will have another meeting next week to talk more specifically about how the animation will look, etc. And meanwhile, I still have a LOT of work to do before I can officially say that we are through the 'rough cut' stage and into the 'fine cut'. But even still in its rough stage, Jay really seemed to interact with the material and I was so honoured to hear his reaction and feedback.

Colin and I are so excited to be working with Jay and to welcome him to our team.

Jay blogs (here) and you can see his showreel, here:

No news is... well...

2011-08-30T22:45:00.005+09:00

I have been busily working on the PAGES of notes I have received from Colin, my producer in the UK. This is the stage where we start turning the 'rough cut' of our documentary into a 'fine cut'. The story of the film is now solid and we are working on the transitions between scenes and the overall pace of the film. Also, we are securing an artist to do an animated sequence and a composer to score the film. That is about all the news on our documentary.

Meanwhile, in Japan there has been LOTS of news. Or was that just lots of prime ministers? Yes, our 6th prime minister in the past 5 years (!). Yes, really. This is a great example of "truth is stranger than fiction".

Speaking of news, I will end this post with a couple of articles. The first is about a group of moms in Yokohama (south of Tokyo) who have formed a group to monitor the radiation level in their children's school lunches.

And here is an excellent article by David McNeill for the independent.

iPen and iPaper

2011-08-26T19:32:00.004+09:00

Technology never ceases to amaze me.

I started working on my first documentary, "the ballad", eight years ago. We shot in the UK, but in the middle of post-production I had to return to Japan. Our UK editor would burn DVDs (!), send them through the post (!) and then I would give her my notes on the phone (!). Eventually we reached the limitations of our system and I had to travel to the UK a couple of times toward the end of post-production. Even still, at the time I remember that we thought we were so modern, doing the edit in different countries.

Since then A LOT of things have changed and we no longer use DVDs through the post (we send compressed data over the internet) and we Skype rather than phone. This week I have had a couple of such viewings and meetings with our team members in the UK. They are a world away, and yet it is like having them in the studio here in Tokyo.

One thing that hasn't changed for me, though, is the 'paper edit'. This takes a different form each time for me, but this time it has manifested itself in the form of a wall full of sticky notes. Each of these notes represents a different scene or piece of the narrative of the film. Physically moving them around on the wall is the only way I can envision the story; it just isn't something I can do on the computer.

To work and edit a film, I need all the modern tools: iMac, iPhone, iPad. But to get the narrative right, I first need my good old iPen and iPaper.

So many people to thank!

2011-08-25T14:01:00.005+09:00

I have always thought it was obnoxious when people talk about how many 'friends', 'subscribers', or 'followers' they have.

But now that I can't resist the urge to note that I now have 200 subscribers to my YouTube channel, I realize that it is not about self-promotion; it is about recognizing and thanking all of the people who have supported and encouraged me.

So thank you- all of you who have helped to support and encourage me through these last 5 months!

Director for Hire

2011-08-24T09:24:00.010+09:00

Making documentaries is like having a drug addiction. And like an addiction, I sometimes have to do things I might not normally do to support the habit. Like, for example, make promotional videos (gasp).

Today I had a meeting at a very posh hotel and hot springs resort outside of Tokyo. I directed a short promotional video shot with a stedi-cam for them last year. The result can be seen here on the hotel's website (push play on the movie icon to see the video).

This video was delivered in standard definition and now they have asked me to come back to re-shoot some of the areas of the hotel that were re-furbished over the summer and to deliver a longer version in high-definition.

We all have a price. And mine enables me to pay the rent while working on the documentaries that I really care about.

Not just 'I(an)' in 'Team'

2011-08-23T16:27:00.004+09:00

Over the past five months, I have received such wonderful support from so many people around the world. They have thanked me for the work I have been doing to document the situation here in Japan and have encouraged me to keep working. Recently it has occurred to me that I haven't had much time to talk about some of the other people on our team who have made this film possible, so I would like to briefly introduce just a few of them here.

Colin O'Neill is my cameraman and producer. On my YouTube channel, he is the guy I am talking to in all of the "Children of Minamisoma" videos. In April, one month after the nuclear meltdown and explosion when so many foreigners evacuated from Japan, Colin got on a plane from the UK and came here. Not only did he come here, he traveled with me into the 30 km radiation zone to document what was happening to the children living there. Colin is my filmmaking partner, working as an adviser on my first film ("the ballad") and shooting/ exec producing our second film ("Jake").

Ed Ison is a producer and editor in the UK. He will be grading/ colouring/ onlining the film. (Basically this means that he will be giving our film its "look" and fixing all of the mistakes we made during filming). Typically, an online editor would be brought in after the film was already edited, but Ed is also a friend and adviser and has been part of the filmmaking process all along, giving advice on everything from technical issues to story points. Ed was also the online editor for our film "Jake".

Saito Yuuji is a bilingual customer service representative for an American company in Tokyo by day and an assistant producer by night and weekend. Saito-kun has worked with Colin and me since the beginning of this film. He has done everything from arranging the cars we used during production, to mapping out what roads we should use to avoid as much as possible driving near the nuclear plants when going up north. He created an emergency plan for us that included contact information for hospitals that were still open in the zone in case we got hurt and the center where we could go to get monitored for radiation exposure. We spoke to him every night we when we were in the zone and he worked from Tokyo to arrange and research everything we needed. During post-production, he has been a consultant on the English subtitles.

Katsuyoshi Ueno is a photographer and graphic designer in Tokyo. During the months following the earthquake and tsunami, Ueno-san was a prolific Tweeter of news and stories relating to issues dealing with the nuclear crises. The information he gathered was so good, that even the journalists were following his work. I was fortunate enough to be contacted by him and he not only educated me, but also inspired me to keep working. Ueno-san was the FIRST person to see the rough cut of my film and gave me invaluable advice on how to proceed.

Joseph Tame is a UK expat and celebrity blogger/ Tweeter here in Tokyo. He is a crazy, funny and intelligent tech guru. Honestly, his life should be my next documentary. Between flying off to Paris to present at tech conferences, live-streaming the Tokyo marathon WHILE running it (!) and getting stuck in a bidding war for his services, Joseph has advised me at key stages throughout this film. Two days ago he honoured me by watching the rough cut of my film and giving me the tough advice I needed. I am also indebted to Joseph for helping me out numerous times before, including filming the Q and A after the exhibition of my film "the ballad" here in Tokyo as well creating the website for my film "Jake".

And our team continues to grow!

Jay Horinouchi is an artist and coordinator for volunteers going to the devastated areas up north. I met with him yesterday and have asked him to animate the opening sequence of our documentary. He will be watching the rough cut next week, after which he will make a decision. You can view some of Jay's animation and commercial work here.

Finally, thank you all, dear readers, for your continued support and encouragement!

I would like to leave you with this video on the people that are still homeless after the tsunami. It is from the BBC and was brought to my attention my Joseph.

Five months later, there is still much to be done.

Choosing My Words Carefully

2011-08-22T17:44:00.006+09:00

Right now, the 'rough cut' of my documentary is 1 hour and 50 minutes. While normally one would save putting the subtitles on it for the end (since scenes will still be changed throughout the 'fine cut' stage) I decided to spend three days (!) last week subtitling the film in English so that my producer in the UK could have a look at it and give me some help with getting the story right.

And, yes, it really did take three FULL days (and not the wimpy 8 hour kind, but the lots of coffee 14 hour kind) in order to subtitle a 2-hour film.

Yesterday, I asked a native Japanese-speaking colleague to come to my studio to help me go through the English subtitles one by one. I did this because as I was writing the subtitles, I became suddenly more aware of the personal responsibility I had to be accurate. In a scene where a town official was discussing radioactive water being released in to the ocean and ruining the local fishing industry, I could not afford to make a single word mistake. Mistranslating the word 'leak' could mean the difference between an assertion that the water was 'intentionally' rather than 'accidentally' leaked.

Although I do of course speak Japanese, I would feel challenged having these discussions about radiation, nuclear energy and the federal policies that govern them even in my native language.

I am sure I never thought about how much work and thought goes into writing each subtitle before I started making films myself. A person's personality, level of expertise and trustworthiness comes through in the words they choose. If this isn't taken into account in the subtitles, then entire layers and subtexts of the film will be lost. Perhaps this might not be as important for a Hollywood blockbuster, but for a human interest documentary built on interviews, if you couldn't trust what the subtitles say, there wouldn't be much left.

"Please don't forget about us."

2011-08-20T20:56:00.004+09:00

As I have been editing my feature documentary (trailer here) on the children of Minamisoma City, Japan who are living in the radiation zone 20-30 km from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima, I have found it hard to keep up the momentum of updating my blog and YouTube channel.

Last week, I received words of encouragement from Anonymous in the form of this comment. I realized that while I have been so worried that the world was beginning to forget about the dire situation here in Japan that it was possible that there were people in the world who might think I was the one who was forgetting.

While nothing could be farther from the truth (I have been editing long hours everyday), I was reminded that I need to keep the people updated who continue to support and encourage me so much. So thank you, Anonymous, for your lovely words.

And keeping on the theme of not forgetting, no one could say it better than this man. He is a pediatrician, born and raised in Minamisoma, and is currently working there to care for the children whose parents have not been able to evacuate them.

Life is Busy

2011-08-11T13:27:00.002+09:00

Don't forget to take out the trash and pick up the dry cleaning.

Trying to forget radiation fears.

Must not forget those who died five months ago today.

Putting It Where Your Mouth Is

2011-07-31T19:43:00.006+09:00

The radiation-contaminated food scare (which really began with leafy greens such as spinach back in March) made it back into the news this month with beef. The government's lack of a timely and united approach to the problem even led to radiation-contaminated beef being served in school lunches.

While many people chose to live in a bubble where as long as one doesn't "have a cow" they would be fine, others of us knew that there was no way the radiation-contaminated food scandal would end with the beef industry as its only victim.

Now it has become a fact of life to see signs in supermarkets such as this one (via NYT reporter, Hiroko Tabuchi).

Additional stories in the news this week raise questions about the safety of our seafood (here, via Bloomberg) and indeed of our entire food chain (here, via The Japan Times).

I wrote on Twitter earlier today:

The JP gov'ts motto in monitoring food supply for radiation seems to be: The economy first. The people's health second.

What choice do we have, but to trust the government to monitor our food supply... the same government which is a party to the silencing of the truth such as this:

What is our choice? What alternative do we have but to hope that the government has the people's best interest at heart and are diligently monitoring the food supply?

I wonder what the bureaucrats in Tokyo are eating. Are they as worried about the food supply as the people they serve? What are they feeding their children and grandchildren?

=================================================================

(added Aug 2, 2011)

This story from Reuters outlines the worries and potential threat to this year's rice crop. Let's hope the central government can get on top of this issue to determine the safety of rice- a staple food of the Japanese diet- before it goes to market... unlike they were able to do for beef.

Anger and Sacrifice

2011-07-26T17:46:00.005+09:00

This week has already been filled with news stories that have caught my attention... and it is only Tuesday.

A video that is going viral (as far as news-related videos in Japan are concerned) is one that shows the growing anger against Tokyo bureaucrats among residents of Fukushima Prefecture. Called "Japanese Government Killing Its Own People" the title is the least shocking thing about it.

The tactics that were used against the politicians in order to prove the point are certainly debatable, but in this country where traditionally "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down", it is refreshing to see people standing up for their rights and challenging authority.

And in stark contrast to this May 31 article which describes senior citizens volunteering for what is described as a "suicide corps" to help bring the damaged nuclear plant under control is this:

A man in his 20's who is sacrificing his future to do the same thing.

Another Cry For Help From Minamisoma

2011-07-24T20:21:00.004+09:00

One of the things that first made me interested in going to Minamisoma to film was the video that the mayor of Minamisoma posted to YouTube on March 26 in which his plea for help as his town was virtually abandoned by the central government was heard around the world and earned him a place in Time's most influential people list.

I had been looking forward to meeting the mayor and interviewing him. I wanted to ask him how he would use his newly found fame to help the people of his town; how he would go up against the government machine that was already putting policies in motion that would cover up and deny the severity of the threat against the people- and especially the children- of his town.

When I received the opportunity in April to interview Mayor Sakurai, I was disappointed to learn that as quickly as he had become an advocate for his people, he had seemingly reversed 180 degrees and was answering questions in the same "government-speak" we had all gotten used to from the central government.

He denied there was any threat to the children and asserted that the children could safely play outside (a portion of this interview in which he makes this claim can be seen here in the trailer for my film).

When I heard Mayor Sakurai address the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Japan last month, his new message was even more honed and clear: he was to start new programs to invigorate the local economy and try to bring the citizens who had evacuated back to the town (putting these goals, in my opinion, ahead of the safety of his town's children).

Meanwhile, as I have written here recently, the government is looking for ways to DECREASE the evacuation zone even while new HOTSPOTS are being announced and additional citizens are having to make the decision as to whether to evacuate or not.

Unable to bear this crazy situation any longer, a local city council member has taken a page out of Mayor Sakurai's book and posted a video on YouTube on July 18 asking for the government to come to its senses when making policies that affect the children of this area (Time article can be found here with the video below).

Interestingly, the council member, Koichi Ooyama, had granted me an interview back in April. At that time, however, he would not speak to me on film as a city council member. He did agree, however, to be filmed as a citizen and as a father. A well-respected local potter, he introduced himself to me by his artist name of "Sato" and that is the name under which he appears in my documentary. Apparently as the months have passed and the gravity of the situation and how it will affect the children has become more understood, "Sato-san" realized that the message that he gave during my interview needed to be given again... this time to the world as City Councilman Ooyama.

I commend him for his bravery and hope that the world is listening. He has inspired me to work even harder as I finish the editing on the documentary on a subject that he holds dear to his heart: the children of his town.

=================================================================

Mayor Sakurai's March 26 video message to the world can be seen here:

Radiation-contaminated food fears and government buck-passing

2011-07-18T19:18:00.006+09:00

With the unfolding (unraveling) story of radiation-contaminated beef making it to market and being consumed, I am left almost numb at the prospect of what this means for all the other products in our supermarkets. If the "checks" didn't work for the beef...

There are fears (both justified and not) about eating products from Fukushima Prefecture, the home of the damaged nuclear power plant. But let's be honest: the radioactive particles have been blown all over the place and are not contained in neat little circles drawn with a compass by a bureaucrat in Tokyo.

A Japanese friend said to me yesterday: "It isn't just the beef, is it." The Japanese people around me are just now figuring out that they have been lied to. And yet many others would rather believe that it is just the beef.

Are the checks being carried out on our vegetables? How about the fish and seafood that may have come into contact with the radioactive water that was dumped into the ocean? What about this year's rice crop? And our water supply? Shall I mention what is in the air and rain?

Some might say that the amounts of radiation being found in the food supply are, at the moment, small. But let us not forget that our annual exposure to radiation is calculated as our TOTAL cumulative exposure.

And this is the same government that is talking about easing the restrictions on the zone 20-30 km from the nuclear power plant (a decision that is is in my opinion both premature and dangerous) and yet still can't even figure out how to give the people living there access to full medical care.

The residents of Minami Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, are still being denied full medical services even though more than four months have passed since radiation leaks started...the primary reason for this denial is "buck passing" by the central and prefectural governments.

This is just another shocking example of governmental impotency.

(Note: I would like to thank Katsuyoshi Ueno who is on Twitter @44de256 and is a great source for all the latest news stories on what is happening in Japan.)

Discovery New: guest blog #8

2011-07-18T18:56:00.002+09:00

Discovery News has just published my guest blog about finding humor amidst the tragedy of Japan.

Thank you, Discovery News!

The events of March 11 have taken away so much, but they haven't taken away our ability to laugh.

The week in news.

2011-07-14T20:26:00.013+09:00

Since March 11...

2011-07-11T16:41:00.002+09:00

It has already been four months.

It has only been four months.

Which do you feel?

Until we are healed, how long will it be?

Radiation in the news

2011-07-04T15:55:00.007+09:00

For those of us in Japan, the daily news of radiation being found in the food supply (both in vegetables and in seafood) brings with it more questions and (justified or not) more worry.

In this article from the Wall Street Journal, former nuclear adviser Toshiso Kosako provides a grim prediction of what is to come when the autumn harvest begins in a couple of months.

And this article from Bloomberg, reports that radioactive cesium has been found in Tokyo's water supply for the first time since April. The amount is small, but given that it is the cumulative exposure to radiation that is worrisome and given that we still don't know ALL the sources of radiation that we are being exposed to on a daily basis, what is a level of radiation that can be considered safe?

Gallows Humour part 4: Papa vs. Radiation (Papa wins)

2011-07-02T08:05:00.003+09:00

In the last (for now) part of my Gallows Humour series, a middle-aged man finds something other than genetics to blame for going bald.

Too Hot to Not Eat Crow

2011-06-29T13:08:00.005+09:00

During the cold months after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, we faced rolling blackouts due to the shortage of electricity that followed the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Now that the summer heat is in full force, the increased use of air conditioning again threatens to max out Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) ability to provide enough power.

To help keep us aware of the continued need to conserve energy and ever mindful that blackouts are again increasingly possible, TEPCO has taken to publishing online each day's power usage in a handy chart. Now the stress of blackouts isn't only reserved for when they happen, but it can be enjoyed all the time by worrying about the possibility of them happening... in real time! Thank you, TEPCO!

I have been too proud that I haven't used my heater or air conditioner since the March 11 disaster. Today, it is 90F/ 32C and I have just broken down and am using my air conditioner for the first time.

Eating crow and contributing to potential blackouts never felt so refreshing. Is this the beginning of the end?

Gallows humour, part 3: Tsunami vs. Car GPS (Tsunami wins)

2011-06-27T14:37:00.003+09:00

The title says it all. This is Gallows Humour part 3.

May I present to you: Tsunami vs. Car GPS (Tsunami wins)

Gallows Humour part 2: Grandma vs. Earthquake (Grandma wins)

2011-06-18T19:57:00.009+09:00

The story of the children of Minamisoma is frustrating and sad. While editing, I have found myself with a range of emotions: anger, disbelief... but one reaction I hadn't expected was: laughter.

There have been a few really funny moments in the footage. At first I felt like I shouldn't be laughing, but then I realized:

The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown have taken away so much from so many people in Japan. We simply cannot allow the events of March 11 to take away our sense of humour as well. We can still laugh.

May I present to you: Grandma vs. Earthquake (Grandma wins)

"This is not politics, it's life or death."

2011-06-17T21:15:00.003+09:00

The Tokyo Times' published an article today by Richard Smart about the documentary I am currently editing.

I am really overwhelmed by the support and interest I have been receiving from so many people.

PARENTAL ADVISORY: There are a couple of naughty words (in direct quotes) in the article. Honestly, some people have no manners.

It's three months today.

2011-06-11T21:47:00.003+09:00

The missing are still unfound.

The dead are buried.

The buildings will be rebuilt.

And we are changed forever.

Gallows Humour, part 1: The Reporter vs. Radiation (Radiation wins)

2011-06-10T09:20:00.004+09:00

The story of the children of Minamisoma is frustrating and sad. While editing, I have found myself with a range of emotions: anger, disbelief... but one reaction I hadn't expected was: laughter.

There have been a few really funny moments in the footage. At first I felt like I shouldn't be laughing, but then I realized:

The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown have taken away so much from so many people in Japan. We simply cannot allow the events of March 11 to take away our sense of humour as well. We can still laugh.

May I present to you: The Reporter vs. Radiation

Is Minamisoma to be evacuated?

2011-06-08T10:36:00.003+09:00

According to this report from Majirox news, the government "might decide" to evacuate Minamisoma. I am a bit hesitant to believe that the government is ready to admit that it has been wrong/ dishonest for the past three months, especially when the article hasn't cited any specific sources for this assertion. I have written the editor of the piece to ask for clarification. If this turns out to be true, this would represent a complete reversal for the government. My only hope is that it would not be too late for the children who have been living there for the past three months.

In the meantime, the mayor of Minamisoma will be speaking at the Foreign Press Club of Japan tomorrow, so I am very interested in what he has to say. Apparently his focus will be on making the town a center for renewable and "green" energy. That is all fine and good, but maybe he could put his plans for saving the town's economy on hold for a little while... at least until he saves the town's children.

UPDATE

I have just received this response from the editor-in-chief of Majirox News:

Dear Ian,

Thank you very much for your email.

It's a good question. The source was NHK Radio, the Mainichi and
Yomiuri Newspapers, which I've added to the article. They didn't give
a timeline.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Catherine Makino
Editor-in-Chief
Majirox News

Wow. I can't wait to hear what the mayor has to say tomorrow.

From Serious to Series

2011-06-07T10:04:00.003+09:00

I have just started production on a new Cable TV series called "Tadaima, Ian desu!", which translates roughly as "I'm home! This is Ian." (OK, it sounds better in Japanese.)

The documentary program has been commissioned by the local government of Nakagawamachi, where I lived for three years from 2000-2003. The premise for the program is that I have come back to the town after 8 years to meet my old friends and see how they are doing. I also visit shops and restaurants I used to frequent.

Through conversations with old friends, the viewer is treated to a unique look at a beautiful countryside town and its people. Likewise, the townspeople themselves enjoy a renewed pride in their town.

More information (in Japanese) can be found in this article from today's Shimotsuke newspaper.

Season one, on which I am a producer and the onscreen director, has 10 episodes and will run until March 2012. The series is produced by Tochipro, and the first episode airs next month.

A little gallows humour, the intro

2011-06-06T10:27:00.003+09:00

I have been focusing on some of the really sad and difficult issues related to the continuing problems at the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima. I have been struggling with my feelings and trying to find a balance between filmmaker and activist (I am a filmmaker) and my public vs. private life.

Going through the footage (so much of which is frustrating/ sad/ unbelievable) I have found a few really funny moments... no doubt I will be leaving myself open for criticism about how inappropriate it is to laugh at a time like this. I will soon be posting a series of 'funny moments' that won't be making it into the film, but nonetheless will provide some needed respite from all the evils of the world.

We can still smile.

Radiation Number Crunching

2011-06-02T22:04:00.005+09:00

I am NOT an expert on radiation or on interpreting the radiation data. I also believe that the numbers are like the Holy Bible: open to interpretation and used by different people to support whatever view they already have.

Therefore, I am not going to present any specific radiation amounts here. I am simply going to provide a few observations (as I see them) about the numbers themselves and how those numbers are reached:

1. Any calculation that determines that "the current amount of radiation is X and therefore the annual threshold for radiation exposure will not be surpassed" does NOT take into account the radiation exposure UNTIL TODAY. That is, the children who were NOT evacuated in the hours and days IMMEDIATELY after the explosion at the nuclear power plant were potentially exposed to LARGE amounts of radiation. This amount WHEN ADDED to what the current annual radiation exposure would be, has the potential to exceed the annual threshold (even if the current level of radiation has decreased slightly from the original level of two months ago). Unfortunately, accurate data for the levels of radiation immediately following the explosion does NOT exist for all of the affected areas.

2. Likewise, any calculation that determines that "the current amount of radiation is X and therefore the annual threshold for radiation exposure will not be surpassed" does NOT take into account INTERNAL exposure. That is, the irradiated vegetables that people (in Iitate Village, for example) were eating for up to TWO MONTHS before they were evacuated. They were not immediately evacuated because they were 40 kilometers away from the nuclear power plant and therefore technically outside of "the zone". Unfortunately, the wind carried the radiation WELL BEYOND the 30 km circle the government drew on a map. This internal exposure also includes the irradiated water the children drink and also the dust they inhale when they walk/ play outside.

3. The Japanese government has raised the accepted level of annual exposure of radiation for children to 20 TIMES THE NORMAL AMOUNT. With these new limits, the area which must be evacuated (and therefore compensated for evacuating) is GREATLY decreased. And yet NO EXPERT can say for certain what the actual risk for the children will be when exposed to this new amount.

4. There are not enough people or Geiger counters to measure each school accurately. The government currently takes measurements in pre-decided locations in the schools. For example, the entrance, the lunchroom, a classroom on each floor, and in the school grounds. However, radiation spreads UNEVENLY and even within the same classroom HOT SPOTS can exist. That is, the level of radiation near a window may be MUCH HIGHER than within the middle of the SAME classroom. Likewise, an area directly outside of the school building may have MUCH HIGHER levels of radiation than in the school grounds because of the way rainwater falls off the roof and gathers in certain spots where students may pass. Therefore, in order to ascertain the safety of a school, the ENTIRE school must be monitored for dangerous HOT SPOTS of radiation. This is NOT being currently done.

Am I fear-mongering as some might suggest? To answer that question, ask yourself this:

Would you allow your child to live in these areas of increased radiation under orders to stay indoors because of the risk of exposure to radiation if they went outside?

Would you allow your child to both drink and bath in water which contains increased levels of radiation because the levels would still allow for staying within the RECENTLY INCREASED safety limits?

Would you allow your child to attend a school that was merely 2 km from a school that could not open because it is in an area deemed to have levels of radiation that are too high? Keep in mind that this school is also located just 32 km from the damaged nuclear power plant that is still CURRENTLY emmitting radiation and is still NOT under control.

Would you trust a government that told you the levels of radiation were safe when this is the same government that had not provided you with the information that there had in fact been a nuclear MELT DOWN or that areas OUTSIDE the 30 km zone needed to be evacuated until two months after the fact?

I invite all of those people who suggest that I may be overreacting to pitch a tent in these areas and live there for the next year. Drink the water and eat the vegetables. Oh, and bring your children, too. Don't have any children yet, but plan to someday? Don't give your sperm or eggs a second thought. After all, you have the government's word that it is safe.

Discovery News Blog #7

2011-06-01T07:15:00.006+09:00

I am really honoured that Discovery News has published my 7th guest blog. Having Discovery News carry these blogs means that many more people who would not otherwise know about these issues are watching.

Thank you, Discovery News, for keeping the story of the children being affected by the radiation in the news!

PoliticIan

2011-05-31T08:37:00.004+09:00

While editing the footage of interviews with politicians, I have found myself asking:

What is the biggest difference between them and me?

Is it that I believe that the children living near the damaged nuclear power plant are in potential danger and should be evacuated while the politicians are saying there is no health risk to the children?

No. It is this:

I hope I am wrong. The politicians, however, hope they are right.

In the Radiation Zone: The Children of Minamisoma City, Part 4

2011-05-30T17:11:00.003+09:00

I have just posted the last part of "In the Radiation Zone: the Children of Minamisoma", the behind-the-scenes footage of my new feature documentary.

I will let it speak for itself:

Rebuilding Japan: film project for Discovery

2011-05-29T23:05:00.005+09:00

A friend of mine just sent me the link for this press release (the Japanese version is linked to the photo on the left. The English version is here).

In short, Discovery Channel here in Japan is taking applications for up to six filmmakers to make 30 minute documentaries with the theme of "re-building Japan".

I have lots of ideas for films, but I am not sure if any of the themes qualify as "re-building".

Like a hot apple pie

2011-05-26T12:55:00.004+09:00

I have finished part 4 of the behind-the-scenes look at the feature documentary we filmed about the children of Minamisoma. I have decided not to show what happened to the children when they returned to school (I am saving that for the film).

Instead, I made a trailer for the film. In it, there are clips from interviews with the mayor of Minamisoma, the superintendent of schools, medical doctors treating patients in Minamisoma, and a government adviser on radiation health-risk.

Although it is finished, I am having to prevent myself from uploading it just yet. It is like when you take a pie from the oven and it looks so delicious that you want to have a bite right then, but you know that this could result in burning your tongue.

Because some of the things that are said by people (including politicians) are quite shocking (at least to me), I want to be sure that the English subtitles are as accurate as possible. I don't want to leave room for being accused of taking things out of context, so I have a colleague coming over today to check and re-check my work.

I am all for hot apple pie, but rather than risk being burned I am going to serve this one up after I let it cool off a bit. Just a bit.

Radiation Discrimination

2011-05-24T09:51:00.003+09:00

Before I could speak Japanese, I used to think that the Japanese people were more respectful, more polite than Westerners. My mother used to say "She wouldn't say sh*t even if her mouth was full of it" to describe someone who was really high class. This is how I used to feel about Japanese people.

However, as I began to learn more Japanese, I learned something else as well: Japanese people are just the same as the rest of us.

Doing research and filming for my documentary on the children of Minamisoma, I have come across several shocking examples of discrimination of Japanese people by Japanese people. I will say that I just hope these are isolated examples... yet with the frequency people shared them with me, I fear that this may be more widespread than I would want to believe.

Accurate information regarding radiation contamination needs to be made available: how it can and cannot occur. It is not a communicable disease that is airborne and can be 'caught' person to person. It is from a lack of information that rumours run rampant and things like this begin occurring:

1. An elderly man approached me when I was up north because my car had Tokyo plates. He told me that when he had visited Chiba prefecture (near Tokyo) the week before that his car had been 'keyed'. The words "GO HOME" were etched into the side of his car, presumably because his plates were from Fukushima Prefecture (the home of the damaged nuclear power plant). There have been many reports in the news here of the people of Fukushima facing discrimination from people who fear radiation contamination.

2. A father in Minamisoma who evacuated his wife and children told me that one of his children faced discrimination in his new school. The children called his son names, including "bacteria".

3. The rice farmers have not been able to grow rice this year due to the dangerous levels of radiation. This has a knock-down effect on the agricultural supplies businesses and rice sellers. Even though the rice from last year's crop has been in storage and is perfectly safe to eat, many people won't buy it. When I have mentioned that I bought the rice to try to help support the shop owners, I have had people in Tokyo tell me they would never eat it because it is "dirty".

4. A young, unmarried woman shared with me that she was blatantly told to change her family registry. She was told that no man would ever accept her as his wife if she was registered as being from Fukushima Prefecture, let alone from Minamisoma City.

How can the people of such a small island nation turn against their own citizens in such an unjustified and unwarranted way? It just makes me question even more:

Under all the social structures put upon us, are we humans just basically evil?

In the Radiation Zone: The Children of Minamisoma City, Part 3

2011-05-21T22:02:00.002+09:00

This is Part 3 of the behind-the-scenes look at our new feature documentary about the children living in the zone 20-30 km from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan.

Due to the orders to stay indoors because of the radiation, the children spend their days inside making origami cranes. A boy brings his irradiated cat to the testing site. Prior to the classes beginning again, I interview the children's elementary school principal about whether he thinks it is safe for the children to attend the school. Radiation-laced rain welcomes the children back to classes.

Editing this together into one cohesive story just makes thinking about these children even harder for me. When we were there filming, our heads were spinning and we didn't really have time to process everything what was happening. When the story is condensed into what really matters, it becomes painfully clear:

Maybe no one can say for certain if these children are in danger or not, but if so, why should the chance be taken with their lives?

Red Cross for Japan Disaster Relief fundraiser

2011-05-20T09:38:00.003+09:00

Jacqueline Church, a Boston-based writer, has organized a fundraiser on her website.

During this round, each $20 donation gives a chance to win a Japanese cookbook signed by the author.

For more details, please visit Jacqueline's website.

All proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross for Japan Disaster Relief.

Discovery News: guest blog #6

2011-05-19T11:24:00.002+09:00

I feel so fortunate to have a continuing relationship with Discovery News and am honoured that they have just published my sixth guest blog.

In it, I give some of the background for Part 2 of the behind-the-scenes look at the documentary we filmed about the children of Minamisoma City who are being exposed to much higher than normal radiation levels.

It is so wonderful to know that there are still news organizations out there like Discovery News that are helping to keep alive the story of the continuing nuclear situation here in Japan.

The story of Iitate Village

2011-05-14T21:04:00.002+09:00

On our way to the city of Minamisoma, we passed through the village of Iitate. In part one of the behind-the-scenes footage from that trip I mentioned that Iitate was being evacuated because of the extremely high radiation levels.

They have not been allowed to plant rice or grow vegetables this year. They have been told to kill their cows as they cannot be sold due to radiation exposure. The ENTIRE village is being evacuated and will be abandoned. Not only will the people lose their land, their houses, and their way of life, but they will be losing their sense of community as well.

David McNeill, a foreign correspondent that I know from the Press Club here in Japan, wrote a really beautiful portrait of one of the families being affected. You can read that, here.

I have decided to travel to the village of Iitate tomorrow to film and to try to help tell this tragic story.

Harmony Addict

2011-05-14T09:16:00.002+09:00

I am really new to YouTube and just created my DocumentingIan channel two months ago. I am still learning the ins and outs, dos and don'ts and exactly what is possible.

Today I received a message from a fellow YouTuber named harmonyaddict. She used footage from two of the documentary pieces I filmed in Ishinomaki (this one and this one) in her music video. She wrote to me to say that she had felt like she could better comprehend the situation through my work.

Admittedly, I didn't even know that it was possible to download and re-edit something that is on YouTube (that shows you how old school I am!), and I was a little surprised at first. But like harmonyaddict, I am trying to get the message out to as many people as possible that Japan still needs the world's help and that it is going to take years to try to get back to some kind of normalcy in the most devastated areas.

I am really grateful to harmonyaddict for using her amazing voice to help keep Japan in the spotlight, and I am really honoured to have my work used to help inspire people.

Please check out harmonyaddict's video of "Talking to the Moon".

Two months later, what is the forest?

2011-05-11T19:30:00.003+09:00

I have the news on in the background as I am editing the footage from my recent to trip to Minamisoma City, one of the many places so badly affected not only by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami but also the invisible threat of the radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Can it really be that two months have passed?

I have been so absorbed in the work I am doing to try to tell another piece of this story, to try to keep the story alive in the minds of people who are far away that this anniversary nearly slipped by without me noticing.

"Was it a case of not seeing the forest for the trees?" I ask myself. But then I quickly answer, "No, the two month anniversary was not a forest I could not see. It was just one of the trees among so many others."

"What is the forest, then?"

Each of the people I have met, the problems I have witnessed, the brokenness I have seen... each of these is a tree. The forest that they form is there, I know, but I am still unable to see it.

Perhaps it is true that I can not see the forest for the trees; for I am one of the trees and cannot yet see the forest in which I am.

In the Radiation Zone: The Children of Minamisoma City, Part 1

2011-05-05T21:47:00.006+09:00

I have just returned from two weeks in the city of Minamisoma.

Minamisoma is in Fukushima Prefecture, the home of the damaged nuclear power plant. Not only was it devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, but it is still dealing with the continued threat of radiation contamination.

When so many other foreigners have fled Japan and the radiation threat, my good friend/ cameraman/ producer Colin O'Neill flew over from the UK last month. We had decided to make a feature documentary about something to do with the events of March 11, but we still hadn't decided what our focus would be.

We initially decided that we would split our two week filming block between two locations. The first would be the city of Minamisoma.

What drew us to Minamisoma was the story of the children of the town and how they would be affected by the exposure to such abnormally high levels of radiation. Once we got there, we were so blown away by what we uncovered that we decided to abandon our original plan and to spend the entire two weeks there.

As I edit what will be our next feature documentary, I will be posting some behind the scenes footage and video diaries that will show what it was like to be staying in the zone, 20-30 km from the damaged nuclear power plant.

Here's part 1:

One month today

2011-04-11T23:35:00.003+09:00

It is one month today that the earthquake and tsunami hit.

So much has changed in this time. There are the things that have changed for Japan, and especially the people of Tohoku. And there are the things that have changed within us.

This country will be forever changed. And so will we.

This past week, amid so many aftershocks, amid so many questions I have found it hard to keep my focus. "What is the purpose in all of this?" I ask myself.

It is this 'purpose' I am searching for when filming.

For a moment today I felt as if I should have filmed something to commemorate the one month anniversary of this terrible event. But that is too clinical, too orderly, too clean a thing to do for me.

The chaos of the last month will not be neatly fitted into compartments labeled "One Month", "Six Months", "One Year". And the same is true for our feelings as well. People's feelings aren't fixed as easily as the words "doing better", "getting over it" and "healed" would have us believe is possible.

It is one month today that the earthquake and tsunami hit.

I want to tell you something meaningful and hopeful and insightful and significant about this milestone. And yet, all I can tell is that today we are marking one month since the terrible events of March 11.

What to film next?

2011-04-06T16:14:00.002+09:00

I never know what I am going to film next.

In the beginning, whether it was the panic-buying of toilet paper in my neighbourhood or the wasteful uses of electricity by big corporations while the rest of lived in fear of rolling blackouts, I just began by filming whatever was happening around me without much planning.

Even when the opportunity to travel up north to the tsunami-devastated city of Ishinomaki came about, I simply went up there to film what I saw without really knowing how I was going to put it together as a documentary.

I never know what I am going to film next.

Last week, my sister forwarded me some e-mails written by ENS Margaret Morton, a sailor in the US Navy who is stationed on the destroyer the USS Mustin. These e-mails offered a first-hand account of her ship's contribution to the rescue and relief effort immediately following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. I spoke with Margaret by phone this week and our conversation and excerpts of her e-mails are accompanied by images captured by the crew of the USS Mustin.

Today I have been thinking about how interesting Margaret's story is. The truth is, it hadn't really occurred to me to document what the US service members stationed in Japan were doing until I read her e-mails.

And even as I have just finished Margaret's story, I am left wondering:

What am I going to film next?

The death and destruction in the north becomes clearer with each passing day, and I continue to think about how best to document the growing fears of radiation contamination and the increasing numbers of displaced refugees that have been evacuated from around the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

In the meantime, I bring to you a moment of hope in Margaret's story.

And like I said:

I never know what I am going to film next.

On the big screen

2011-04-02T20:50:00.004+09:00

As I wrote in my post from a couple of days ago, my film "Jake, not finished yet" had its first public screening in the UK this week.

Although I wasn't able to attend as I am documenting the current situation here in Japan, we turned the event into a fundraiser for an earthquake relief fund.

I haven't heard the final tally on the amount raised, but I am so grateful to all involved for their contributions.

Here is a photo (courtesy of Claudio Ahlers) that was taken during the post-screening discussion. I joined from Tokyo via Skype at the stimulating time of 3.am.!

A dilemma: my voice vs. the audience

2011-03-31T18:45:00.003+09:00

Two weeks ago when I started making the short documentaries and video diaries following the earthquake and tsunami, I was less worried about who the audience was for my work and was simply doing what felt right.

With the great honor of having my videos forwarded, linked and promoted on other websites (and by extension to have the people viewing my work go beyond just my family and friends) I have begun to feel this strange need to try to be unbiased and to not present any personal views.

But, alas, I am a filmmaker and not a journalist.

Why, then, have I had such a struggle with how to edit the material for my newest short documentary, "Mission: Ishinomaki"? To put this struggle into context, I would like to share with you part of the e-mail I sent along with this latest video to a colleague.

I am aware that it may teeter on the edge of activism, but I assure you that I have tried to be as measured and as unbiased as possible. I am, however, not a journalist and so my feelings regarding the situation do, I believe, seep through.

I understand fully that if I am viewed as an activist then I will lose half my audience as they won't be able to trust me or my point-of-view.

I did not set out to and hope I did not make a promotional video for any specific charity. And to that point, I really struggled with the title card at the end. Should I put the charity information there? How should it be worded? In the end, I simply wrote "for more information" and didn't use the words "to make a donation" as I felt if people wanted to donate, they could come to that conclusion on their own.

Sorry for all of the explanation. I realize that if the video needs this much contextualization, that you may not be able to publish it, and I understand that. As you can see, I am still struggling with the issue of "audience".

Now that I have uploaded the video, I wonder even more: Did I make the right decision? What will the viewers think?

Pay Me Not to Come!

2011-03-30T23:04:00.002+09:00

My 2nd feature documentary, "Jake, not finished yet" will be shown for the first time in the UK tonight at Watershed cinema in Bristol. This is significant for our team, because the film is a UK/ Japanese production and it was shot almost entirely in North Wales.

I have, of course, decided to stay here in Japan to continue my work on filming the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. But everything happens for a reason, and I have decided to turn our first UK screening into an event I am calling:

PAY ME NOT TO COME!

All of the box office proceeds from tonight's screening will be donated to Play For Japan, a charity which is collecting money for the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund. Our executive producer has also blagged free drinks for everyone after the screening, so he will be passing the hat to collect everyone's loose change as well.

The post-screening discussion will be about the Ethics of Documentary Filmmaking and will be led by Dr. Charlotte Crofts from the University of the West of England. I will be joining the discussion via Skype from my edit studio in Tokyo. Oh, did I mention it will be 3 a.m. here?!

It probably goes without saying, but I have canceled my entire trip to Europe, so I will not be attending the screening in Berlin on April 3th nor the screenings in Munich from April 3-6.

I have had many people asking if they can do something to help out, so in addition to the charities above, here is a short list of other charities doing great work in the disaster-stricken Tohoku region.

Japanese Red Cross Society
Save the Children
The Millard Brothers (three brothers who are missionaries in Japan)

Even though Japan is no longer on the front pages of the newspapers around the world, thank you for keeping all of the people affected by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor in the front of your minds.

Processing

2011-03-29T21:53:00.002+09:00

I have been editing the footage from my trip to Ishinomaki City for a few days now. As I was working on the first short documentary that I posted on Sunday, I realized how much emotion that I hadn't allowed in while I was actually filming.

Now as I am about to finish editing the second piece about my time there and even as I am planning my next trip, I am still feeling that in many ways I am seeing the devastation for the first time.

The devastation is not the wrecked buildings or the crushed cars. It is the kind that is in people's eyes.

It was when I was seeing the images on the screen that I realized I no longer had the protection of my camera between me and what I was seeing, and I began to feel even heavier inside than when I was actually there.

All the events that have happened over the last few weeks have caused me to think about life in such a different way. It goes beyond thinking about this specific tragedy and has really caused me to examine my whole life.

I am not interested in the gory and grotesque, the sensational or the exploitative. It is not about the earthquake, the tsunami, the radiation. It is about the people who have had nearly everything taken away. What remains is not merely their 'will to survive'. What survives is their 'will to live'.

In the films I am making, I am searching for something. By the end of it all, I don't know that I will have the answer, but I believe I will at least know the question.

Back home in Tokyo

2011-03-27T01:51:00.000+09:00

I have come back to Tokyo after a trip up north to the tsunami-devastated city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecure.

In this city of 160,000 people, more than 2,000 people died and almost 3,000 people are still missing after the events of March 11.

It is extremely difficult to describe my experiences there in words, so I hope you will allow my first short documentary about my time there to speak for me.

On the road

2011-03-22T23:45:00.003+09:00

The volunteer effort for the victims of the tsunami has not really begun in earnest. Of course, the first responders are there in full force, but great numbers of untrained people have not yet been taken up on their offers to help.

Before this can happen, the areas have to be secured, the need assessed, and a structure put in place by large organizations like the Japanese Red Cross. What they don't need is a bunch of unprepared amateurs going up on their own, getting hurt and further burdening the system.

I have met one small group of these first-responders. It is led by three brothers who have gotten permission to drive supplies up to the tsunami-hit regions on roads that are currently closed except to emergency vehicles. They are bringing much needed supplies that have been donated from the surrounding American army bases, local churches and schools.

They have given me permission to travel up North with them tomorrow and document their effort. This will be my first time out of Tokyo since the earthquake, and so it is the first time for me to see these devastated areas apart from the TV news.

I look forward to sharing with you their story when I am back in a couple of days.

A bedtime story

2011-03-21T00:29:00.003+09:00

I am just getting ready for bed, and this e-mail just came through from a friend.

"Friday's quake was 'The Big One' in terms of magnitude - it was just in the wrong place to be Tokyo's big one.

Which just leaves us with the question of when all that stored energy adjacent to Tokyo will actually be released. This week, this month, next year or in another decade ? When will the ground under Tokyo finally just 'let go' - no longer able to hold back the inevitable eastward creep of China and Russia (geologically speaking).

Look forward to having a drink with you sometime in April. "

I love the juxtaposition of the instillation of mortal fear with the reassuring optimism of there possibly being an April in Tokyo's future.

Nothing like an e-mail like this to ensure another good night's sleep among these aftershocks, right.

Situation improving... for Tokyo

2011-03-20T23:47:00.004+09:00

Amid aftershocks, continuing threats of power outrages and other minor inconveniences, things for us in Tokyo are improving. Even the nuclear power plant situation seems to be looking up.

I feel really tired today. My whole body aches. I mentioned it to a friend, and he said he has heard other people talking about that same feeling. I think we are all just tense all the time and our muscles ache as a result. Never knowing when the next aftershock will be, we are thinking about it all the time.

Will it be when I'm in the bath? Will it be when I am on the subway? Will it trigger the big one?

It kind of makes it hard to just relax. I used to enjoy having a leisurely time in the toilet, newspaper in hand. Now I am thinking, "It simply won't do to have the ceiling come crashing down with my pants around my ankles". So I just get my business done as quickly as possible.

But thinking about all the victims of the tsunami, it's hard to complain about anything. We are so fortunate.

Some of you have expressed wanting to do something for the victims of the tsunami, so I am also looking into ways that you can be a part of the effort to help.

I will leave you with another short video. After having seen my piece on panic buying in Tokyo some of you have written asking about our current food situation, so I went to the same grocery store in my neighborhood tonight to check it out.

A time for celebration?

2011-03-19T00:00:00.002+09:00

It is Saturday, and so I was back to work again this morning.

Of the five weddings our company was responsible for today, three were cancelled and two went ahead.

My office called me late last night. They said that they wanted to do something to acknowledge the events of this last week during the weddings we were holding.

Three weddings had been cancelled, but two couples were choosing to go ahead. One can’t know all of the things that go into a decision like that, and I can’t imagine that it is an easy decision to come to.

I have been struggling all week knowing that I was going back to work on the weekend, knowing that I was going to have to try to help make this day the happiest day of the these peoples’ lives.

Is it callous to go ahead with a wedding at a time like this? Is this a time for celebration? Is it ok for us to not only be happy, but to display our happiness in such a public and extravagant way?

I have trouble watching the footage on TV of this disaster because I find a lot of it to be perverse and sensational. Yesterday afternoon, I was listening to a radio report from one of the tsunami-hit areas, and the reporter described the victims who were sheltered in a gymnasium.

Among them was a school teacher who had lost everything. His home was gone. His family was dead. Many of his students had died. The man asked the reporter where he had come from, and the reporter said that he had come from America.

The man then said, “Thank you for coming.”

This man had lost every possession. He had lost his family, his students. The tsunami had taken away almost everything. What remained was something the tsunami could not take away: his gratitude.

Hearing the man speak this one word, “thank you”, I sobbed.

I was asked to lead the people attending the weddings today in a time of reflection about the week’s events and somehow tie it to the fact that we were celebrating a wedding today. I thought of the man who had thanked the reporter for coming and felt inspired by him, and yet each time I tried to form my thoughts into words, all that came out was sobs.

I was supposed to be helping these people attending the weddings to work through their feelings about attending a celebration during a time like this, and what if I couldn’t do it without sobbing? I called my dad, because I knew that he would be able to help me.

In my message today, I asked what would be left if everything we had would be suddenly washed away.

Gratitude. Hope. Love.

I said we should be Grateful for this day to be together. That this young couple represents the Hope that Japan will recover and rebuild and become whole again. That the gift of Love that this couple shares should be celebrated.

And that it should be celebrated not in spite of but exactly because it is a time like this.

Despite radiation fears, we can still smile

2011-03-18T00:58:00.000+09:00

Many people have asked me: How, at a time like this, can you stay in Japan?

We have two choices: to become paralyzed by a fear of what may be, or to go on living and finding pleasure in Life.

It isn’t “every person for themselves” here.

Despite the current uncertainty, watch as these three women share their smiles, their laughter, their wisdom.

They have not forgotten how to be happy.

But do not mistake this for stoicism, for putting on a brave face.

Their Joy for Life will not be taken away.

The reason I can stay: It is a time like this.

Radiation Levels in Tokyo Warrant Fear?

2011-03-17T06:46:00.000+09:00

I suppose that it is human to panic in a situation that one doesn’t fully understand and can’t control.

Is it all hype, this talk about radiation from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima being detected in Tokyo?

Can we trust what the government is telling us, that there is “no immediate threat”?

Why is the evacuation zone recommended by the American Embassy THREE TIMES that of the evacuation zone the Japanese government is recommending for its own citizens?

I attended a private press conference at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan to find out. Speakers included one of the engineers who worked on the design of the safety systems at the very plant that is so dangerously out of control and an expert on the effects of radiation on the human body.

I was floored at what they had to say.

Luxury in a Time of Austerity

2011-03-16T18:02:00.004+09:00

In addition to the countless aftershocks, we had a fairly big earthquake last night. What’s the difference? Well, the earthquake we had last night was on a different fault line so it wasn’t an aftershock of the earthquake we had last Friday. Great, just what we needed.

I do want to clarify something very important. Compared to the people in Sendai that have been so affected by the tsunami, we, in Tokyo, have absolutely nothing to complain about.

With the nuclear reactor misbehaving, though, things are getting slightly worrisome here.

I have been thinking about some of the LUXURIES I have learned to live without. We have been asked to conserve energy because of the short power supply, so I only use one small light at night. I haven’t had my heating on since this whole crisis began. I make do with whatever I find in the stores to eat. We can live perfectly comfortably even without these things; how wasteful we have been!

And like I said, compared with the people up north, we are so fortunate!

But when I went to the LUXURY goods district of Ginza in Tokyo today, I was shocked at some of the blatant ways some corporations are wasting energy at a time we have all been asked to conserve. I got on my soapbox and just had to name and shame the bad guys. Here is the result:

What is on the mind of Tokyo's expats?

2011-03-15T20:36:00.004+09:00

Another sleepless night due to pretty bit aftershocks found me awake at five and watching the constant news coverage of the unfolding events at the nuclear power plant.

I am trying to do my part: I have had the heating off in the house day and night. I use no lights during the day and only use one at night. I am not buying excessive supplies. What else can I do?

All of my appointments and work for this week have been canceled. But rather than waste the day worrying in front of the TV, I decided to go out again and film. This time I went to Hiroo, an area with a large expatriate community. I had heard what some Japanese people in my neighbourhood were thinking yesterday:

Let’s stick together and share our supplies.

What is on the minds of Tokyo’s foreign guests? Have a look here:

Japan Earthquake Update March 14, 2011

2011-03-15T09:16:00.006+09:00

In Tokyo, we have some minor inconveniences such as interrupted train service and frequent aftershocks, but it nothing like what the people in the north of the country are experiencing.

I simply couldn’t stay inside today and just watch the news coverage, so I took my brother-in-law’s advice: I took my camera outside to see what was happening in my neighbourhood. The result is a ten-minute video about “panic buying” that you can see by pushing the link above.

Japan Earthquake Update March 13, 2011

2011-03-15T08:59:00.006+09:00

It has been two days since the earthquake hit Japan. In some ways everything has changed; while in others, for those of us in Tokyo at least, seemingly nothing has.

On Friday, when the earthquake hit, I was at my friend Masumi’s boutique. I was talking on my cell phone at the front of the store near the plate glass window, while Masumi, in her 70’s, was standing near-by. Unlike in some other earthquakes where there can be a sudden jolt and loud bang at first, this one rumbled slowly. It felt like a tide coming in and became stronger. At first, I had I thought it would be like one of the countless earthquakes I have experienced before.

“Ian, this is it. Hang up the phone and take care.” Tada said.

“You, too”. I looked at Masumi who was frozen and couldn’t move. The shaking became more violent and I looked outside at the swaying telephone poles. We had two choices: go back further into the shop and take cover or try to run outside to the parking lot across the street before the glass potentially started to shower down around us.

The concrete building, more than 40 years old, was shaking so violently that I wasn’t sure it would stay standing. I grabbed Masumi and half-carried her outside. Other people had already started gathering in the parking lot. Masumi, petrified as the ground moved us as if we were in a boat on choppy water, had tucked herself under my arm and had her face buried in my chest. I looked up to see what could fall on us.

The rolling lasted for so long, much longer than I had ever experienced in this earthquake-prone country. Was it two minutes? It was so violent and at its peak, Masumi and I looked up and saw her three-story building swaying. What was she thinking at that moment? Her nephew was on the top floor. Her brother… was he on the second floor or had he gone out? In my mind I could see the building crumbling, I could see the street opening up and swallowing the cars and people.

But it didn’t. The earthquake ended and the building was still standing. The twenty people or so that had gathered in the parking lot looked around at each other and silently bowed to one another. There had been no panic, no screaming. And we all still thought that what we had experienced had been centered in Tokyo.

I tried to call Tada back. Nothing. I tried again. Nothing. Everyone around me was on their cell phones and nobody could get a line though.

We went back into the shop (from which we fled again how many times during subsequent aftershocks?) to find the lights and electricity on. There appeared to be relatively little damage on the first floor. We went into disaster mode. Are there are any gas leaks? Are there any burst pipes? First floor: OK. Second floor: cracks up the walls, falling plaster. Third floor: a complete mess.

The third floor is where Masumi’s family lives. The water had been flung out of the toilets and was everywhere. The refrigerator doors had swung open and the contents strewn on the floor. The plates and glasses had fallen from the cabinets and were shattered. Each room held a new, horrible scene. Masumi’s mother’s collection of dolls had been in large glass cases which had been thrown to the floor and smashed. Framed photos, previously on the walls, were now all on the floor and broken. Things had been toppled to such a degree it was hard to tell: was that a treasured memory of Masumi’s or a pile of garbage about to be taken out.

We found her nephew to be ok, but barefoot among the broken glass. We all put on shoes, something that even in this emergency felt wrong to do in a Japanese house with its delicate tatami flooring. We trampled over their prized belongings in our “outside shoes” to check for gas leaks. As it should have, the emergency shut-off valve had been triggered. Nobody hurt, no fire hazard.

Although we couldn’t get phone lines out, we quickly discovered that texts were getting through. Tada was ok. So was his mother. Between running back out to the parking lot during the large aftershocks, and enduring the countless smaller ones inside, we began to clean up the glass and debris.

Starting with the entrance ways and hallways to ensure a safe escape if needed, we worked our way through the front bedrooms and kitchen. The living room, with its glass cases of curios smashed into the tatami flooring was the last room. While we worked we turned on the TV to see if any news reports had started to come in.

We could not believe what we were seeing! Towns had been washed away by a tsunami. Fires. Devastation. I looked from the broken dolls on the floor to the images on the TV. We realized the earthquake hadn’t been centered in Tokyo after all. We were unhurt and cleaning up broken dolls. In the north, entire towns had been washed away. It was getting to be night. We had electricity and heat and water. In the north, they had nothing.

This is not to say that Tokyo had been unaffected: the trains had all stopped and people could not get to their families, to their children’s schools. There were some deaths and injuries, but it was nothing like what we were seeing on TV.

Then a manager from the wedding/ events company that I work for on the weekends called (I later learned that calls from some landlines were going through with a greater success rate than from cell phones as the mobile network was simply overloaded). After checking that I was ok, they informed me that I was to report to work in the morning as usual(!) as we had dozens of weddings scheduled- seven of which I was personally responsible for. I let them know that I was an hour away from home by train and reminded them that the trains weren’t moving. They said that they would call me back.

As it grew later, more and more train lines announced that they would not resume service that day. Some people joined streams of orderly, polite commuters who calmly made the journey home. On TV it showed thousands and thousands of people who had decided to walk home- some for three, four or more hours across this sprawling metropolis. Others had decided or were required to stay put in their offices.

I decided to stay the night where I was. Without gas, we had no way to shower or cook, but compared with the people near the epicenter we could not complain. We went to the supermarket to buy something to eat. It was so orderly! There was no panic! People were buying simply what they needed for that day. There was no hoarding, no pushing, nothing even impolite.

Exhausted and finally allowing ourselves to relax enough to feel the stress, we picked at our food in the warmth of the TV even as we watched images of the displaced in shelters who had no food. No water. No heat.

Close to midnight my office called again. They had required the full time employees who had been working that day to stay in the office to work through the night and organize the 300 part-time employees who were obligated to be at work in the morning. They apparently had tried to send a car to get me, but it had had to turn around after sitting for hours in the massive traffic jam of nervous people who were either trying to get out of Tokyo or get back in. As I hung up the phone, I was still having trouble believing that I needed to report to work in just a few short hours. Were they not seeing the same news that we were? Were people actually going to carry through with their plans to hold a wedding in the midst of all that was going on in their country, not to mention to risk congregating in buildings that may or may not be still structurally sound after enduring such a powerful earthquake? With all the train lines now stopped and the airports closed, with all the dead, with all the unknowns, I couldn’t even believe that the issue was being discussed.

In Japanese, there is a saying: company first, family second. It is simply a reality here. Does it sound cold and heartless? I have thought a lot about that over the last couple of days.

When I got to work the next day I learned that when the earthquake had hit, hundreds of customers were attending a banquet at the facility. After everyone was evacuated to the parking lot, the building was inspected to make sure it was safe for everyone to go back in. As it would take a long time for the inspection of such a massive complex to be completed, the employees were sent back in to get chairs for each and everyone guest standing in the parking lot. Within minutes, they were distributing bottles of water and had passed out table clothes for people to wrap up in to keep warm. The owner of the complex simply would not have his guests uncomfortable in addition to the inconvenience. With the trains stopped and without a way to get home, 200 guests were stuck without a place to go. The owner invited them to spend the night. They were fed dinner and breakfast the next morning. Mats were rolled out in the largest dinning room to try to make a place for them to lay down. Among the guests: a few babies, some elderly persons and a pregnant woman. The employees remained there working all night to take care of the customers. Who would have done that if the employees had all gone home to their own families?

Back at Masumi’s, we all decided to try to get some sleep. Large aftershocks were happening at the rate of two an hour and were so unsettling. With the images of the devastation we had seen on TV still in my head, I decided to sleep with the light on. I hadn’t allowed myself the luxury of changing into the pajamas that were Masumi’s father’s that she had laid out for me. I wanted to remain in my jeans and sweater- even if they were soiled- in case we had to run out again to the parking lot suddenly.

It was almost one in the morning, and I laid down and turned off the news. As I tried to rest my mind, I couldn’t believe my ears! Was that the sound of Karaoke coming from the bar across the street?! Could people actually be in the mood to go out for a night of drinking and singing at a time like this? The party went on until the morning. Needless to say, between aftershocks and endless bad renditions of old favourites like “My way”, I slept little and wondered much about what the world was coming to.

I heard Masumi in the kitchen at five. She hadn’t been able to sleep either. I asked her what she thought about people singing Karaoke at a time like this.

She said, “The trains are stopped and the people can’t get home. If the bars and restaurants close, these people will be out in the cold. Even if the owners can do nothing else, they must stay open.” I again realized things aren’t always as they appear.

My office called again and asked me to try to take a taxi into town. I hugged Masumi and thanked her for her hospitality. She handed me a few hundred dollars in cash just in case I got into trouble along the way as the ATMs weren’t working. I went outside to try to find a taxi.

It was eerie. Even at 5:30 in the morning, there were lots of people out. Many haggard-looking men in suits and dress shoes had been walking all night and were still not home. I found my way to the main street and eventually hailed a cab.

During the hour drive, I was thinking about what I would find when I got to my apartment. Would it still be there? Could there have been a gas leak? I opened the door to my apartment and a piece of shattered pottery fell out into the hall. I just left my shoes on and went in.

I swept up the shards and broken pieces of things that I had cherished so much at one time and yet now, as mere things, meant nothing when compared to what really matters. With no gas for a hot shower, I boiled some water in the electric pot and found an unbroken bowl that I used to take a sponge bath. The news images of the devastation flashing in the background, I put on a suit. And then I walked to work.

Out of the seven weddings I was in charge of that day, four had been cancelled. Of the 25 weddings in total that were scheduled for that day at the events complex, 12 went ahead as scheduled. It was an unbelievable day, filled with big aftershocks, tears for family members who were still unaccounted for and many people still in shock about what had happened. One of my co-workers spent our lunch break sitting on my lap crying. A dancer at Disney Land, she was at work when the earthquake hit and saw people stuck in rides. Believing they were going to die at the time, she was grateful there were no deaths at the theme park, but was traumatized by the peoples’ screaming.

I still haven’t worked through all of my feelings about what is happening either.

After work, my friend Martin came over for dinner. He had found some eggs at the grocery store near his house. In my neighborhood I hadn’t been able to find any milk, bread, rice, water or eggs. I did manage to get some oranges and a few other things and, of course, I had things in the house as well. It was nice to just have someone over, and we watched the news as we ate. We wondered how people would react if the earthquake had happened in America. Everyone here is just so calm and orderly! We watched footage of a volunteer passing out food at a shelter. There was only enough rice for each person to have one riceball. Although they were on a big, open tray, each person took just one riceball and sat back down quietly.

The first time I even heard the Japanese word for “looting” was during the news coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and I have since forgotten it.

Martin and I had both gotten in touch with our families who were very much relieved after having seen the news. We were both feeling a little… is the word homesick?... and we were playing a round of SkipBo to try to distract ourselves for just a little while from what was happening. The doorbell rang, and we opened the door to find a delivery man from Japan Post with a package for me from my sister, Amanda. In the midst of all that is happening and at 8:00 on a Saturday night, a care package from home made its way to me! Inside, homemade pumpkin bread and chocolate chip cookies… heaven! And a small prayer shawl Amanda had knitted for me. How could she have known the significance of that package and its perfectly timed arrival when she had sent it a week ago. One of the Mysteries of life.

Another sleepless night and then I went to work again today. More weddings and events, more strange and thought-provoking happenings, more news of devastation up north.

I have spent my free time both yesterday and today gathering supplies. I found some peanuts at one store. Although there is no bottled water anywhere, I did find a case of sports drinks. And I found a box of little candles that are meant for use on a Buddhist altar. I have just come back form the supermarket where the possibility of what could still come became so real- there is almost nothing on the shelves. Even still, on the way home I passed restaurants filled to capacity with people eating and drinking. This gap is so strange.

Because of the problems with the nuclear power plants, they are calling for rolling blackouts beginning tomorrow, so it could be a while before I can write again. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers so much, but rest assured that here in Tokyo, I am ok. Please keep the people in the most affected areas in your thoughts and prayers.

"the ballad" goes to croatia

2007-02-25T21:09:00.000+09:00

the ballad of vicki and jake can be seen in competition this week at Zagreb:Dox. The screenings will take place:

Wednesday, February 28 at 17:00
(Student Center Theatre)

Thursday, March 1 at 17:00
(MM Center)

Visit the festival site here.

remember me?

2007-02-25T21:04:00.000+09:00

It has been a while since my last update; the last time I wrote was before my trip to Montreal in November to attend the North American premier of our film. We had successful screenings both in Canada and at our Scandinavian premier in Copenhagen (also in November). We were in competition in both festivals, and although we didn’t receive any awards this time, we didn’t come home empty handed: the contacts we made and the experiences we had both are benefiting this film and will prove to be invaluable to our future projects as well. I also had a wonderful time with my family who came up from Maryland to be with me at the festival.

I have found it difficult to update my blog and even just to keep up with correspondences since coming back from Montreal. I think I found that I needed some space to be able to figure out what my next step was, not only with the film but indeed with my life, too. I often talk about the trials and tribulations of the film, but not so much the ones in my personal life. When I look back on what I have written about “the ballad of vicki and jake” I can see that it really parallels what is going on in my life. But it is somehow easier to talk about things in relation to the film rather than directly talk about my life

Since returning from Switzerland last year with the award for our film, I haven’t submitted to any other festivals without invitation; that is, I am ready to focus on our next film and have only sent “the ballad” to a few festivals who have heard about us and requested our submission. This still doesn’t guarantee a screening, but of course it means that the chances of being screened are higher.

I am happy to announce that we have been selected for the international competition category in the Zagreb:Dox International Film Festival in Zagreb, Croatia which takes place next week. I leave for Croatia in the morning; I just couldn’t bear the thought of our baby being unaccompanied in a foreign country. It will be a short trip (just four days), but I am looking forward to the festival and also to having a chance to see a bit of the country as well.

Wish us luck!

in the news

2006-11-13T15:20:00.000+09:00

I leave for Canada and the RIDM festival tomorrow.

I googled our film, the ballad of vicki and jake, to see if anything was posted after our screening on Saturday in Copenhagen. Couldn't find anything in English regarding the CPH:DOX screening, but here's a few postings from Canadian sources.

The Canada.com website, in an article titled Really Real Lineup of Films, offers this quote about us:

First Camera shines a light on new directors, with fresh points of view. Ian Thomas Ash's "The Ballad of Vicki and Jake" looks at the documentary form itself.

While the RIDM festival press release Look Harder. See for Real. has this to say about us:

First Camera presented by Planète is all about discovery— emerging filmmakers, original viewpoints and narrative innovation. It’s an invitation into the unknown where tomorrow’s documentary greats are hard at work. Newcomer Ian Thomas Ash’s "The Ballad of Vicki and Jake" is a pointed investigation of the nature of documentary itself. It begins by capturing every detail in the life of a recovering heroin addict and her pre-teen son, and ends with the viewer wondering just who is manipulating whom.

In Highlights of the City’s Ninth Annual Doc Fest, the Montreal Mirror says:

Thorny questions about the relationship between the documentary filmmaker and their subject are raised by "The Ballad of Vicki and Jake". In this British entry by Ian Thomas Ash, the director sets out to capture the rehabilitation of a young junkie and single mom. The bond between filmmaker and junkie subject soon becomes tortured and their manipulations back and forth entangled.

An article from Hour called Getting Off on the One-off says:

Things get troubling in "The Ballad of Vicki and Jake", when the very green filmmaker, Ian Thomas Ash, spends a large chunk of the film convincing his subject - a cracked-out mom and her son trying to make good - to sign release forms that give him and his producer the rights to their story.

And perhaps the strangest piece linked to our film comes from our very own website's guestbook:

Drug Information for Prescription Drugs. Free information about buying meds online, alumogur, tramadol. Canada Drugs is your online Canada pharmacy for xanax. Order from an Online Pharmacy.

How ironic.

Will try to post while I am away. Wish us luck!

three years ago this week

2006-11-12T18:58:00.000+09:00

We met Vicki three years ago. The weather was cool and the leaves were changing. This photo was taken in Novemeber during one of the first interviews we had with her.

It is so hard to believe all that has happened in the time since this photo was taken.

castle park, 5 november 2003
photo: ken kwek

I have been busy with preparations for the festival in Montreal. I leave on Tuesday and can't wait!

first date without a chaperone

2006-11-11T22:02:00.000+09:00

oneill's pub, 3 November 2003
photo: ken kwek

Our baby, the ballad of vicki and jake, is having its first showing without one of us holding its hand tonight when it has its Scandinavian Premier at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival.

We're thinking of you, baby!

burst my bubbles

2006-11-08T14:05:00.000+09:00

Feeling a bit stressed lately? Yeah, me, too.

You know how good it feels to pop bubble wrap between your fingers? Well, thanks to my friend Bullfighter6.2 who pointed me in the direction of THIS website, now that feeling of release is only a click away.

Almost as good as the real stuff. Pop away, stressballs.

Update:

The voice that you hear when you push "fresh sheet" sounds just like Anthea, our assistant editor, when she hasn't had enough coffee. Scary.

what they're saying about us 2

2006-11-08T08:48:00.000+09:00

The English version of the CPH:DOX site is now up, so now I can finally tell you what they're saying about us in Copenhagen.

'The Ballad of Vicki and Jake' is a film about the omissions, manipulations and compromises involved in making the film...improvised interviews and choleric conflict resolution dominate the film. A meta film about the negotiation of power relations and the human decency demanded in every form of documentary.

If you have a degree in Film Studies, maybe you could explain the above to the rest of us. (Perhaps you, Matt?). In the meantime, I'm just glad they're talking about us.

For the full synopsis from CPH:DOX, go here.

babtists for "ballad"

2006-11-06T14:46:00.000+09:00

I would like to thank all of my friends at the First Baptist Church back in upstate New York* for their lovely send off. Only a week to go until the ballad of vicki and jake premiers in North America and Scandinavia!

*Actually, I would like to thank my new friend, Bullfighter6.2, the vibrating blogger, for making me laugh with his tomfoolery and shenanigans.

posting poster

2006-11-04T22:10:00.000+09:00

This is what the new posters look like that we ordered for the festivals in Copenhagen and Montreal for our film, the ballad of vicki and jake.

rob him!

2006-11-03T08:11:00.000+09:00

Well, actually it's free.

My friend, Rob, who I met back when I was living in Bristol, has since moved to Japan and is making music up in the mountains of Toyama prefecture. OK, his journey has been a bit more complex than that, but let's talk FREE MUSIC!

He has just made his newest 10 tracks (a pop/techno album of music called 'Jigs for Jobots') available for free on his website. His music uses a lot of natural sounds that have been mixed together into a hip soundtrack that would be at home in any music lover's collection.

blog my vlog

2006-11-02T22:59:00.000+09:00

In case you missed my blog entries about my new vlog, you can find parts 1 and 2 here on the RIDM website. Part three will be cross-posted soon.

Thanks, RIDM!

scandinavian premier for "the ballad"

2006-10-31T09:30:00.000+09:00

In addition to our North American premier next month at the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM), our film, the ballad of vicki and jake, will also have its Scandinavian premier at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival in Denmark.

The festival in Copenhagen runs from November 10-19, while the RIDM runs from November 9-19. I had been planning to go to Denmark for the first half of the festival and then travel to Montreal for the second half of that festival; so that I would be able to accomplish this, I requested screening preferences to both festivals. Unfortunately, the Copenhagen schedule wasn't announced until last week, and it is no longer possible for me or anyone from our team to attend either of the screenings in Denmark. I am disappointed I won't be there to accompany our baby to Scandinavia (a place I would love to visit as well), but we are very greatful and honoured to have the opportunity to be shown there.

We will be in competition in the New Vision category. Dates and times below:

SCREENINGS

Cinemateket
		11.11. 19:00
Cinemateket
		14.11. 20:00

Drop me a line if you or anyone you know are living in Copenhagen and are planning to attend the festival. I would love to hear first-hand how our film is received!

I spy something in me eye

2006-10-30T08:27:00.000+09:00

When I spent a few days in the mountains last week, it seems that I brought home more than just some waffles. I woke up last Thursday with a pain in my left eye. The lower eyelid was swollen- so much so that somehow it had caused a wrinkle to appear(!). The wrinkle was almost cause for more concern than whatever was behind this pain.

I have been unable to wear contacts since, and because of work and the weekend have been unable to go to the doctor. Now that the worst seems to be over, I finally have a chance to go to the eye hospital today to find out what is going on.

My guess? It is something to do with the hotspring at our inn. I bet somebody didn't wash every nook and cranny before getting into the public bath. The baths are just the right temperature to turn those healing waters into a bacterial soup that takes down dozens of elderly each year. Gee, when you look at it like that the onsens don't seem so inviting.

update:

Just back from the eye hospital and it was most probably from the hotsprings. I'm all set now and even the wrinkle seems to be on its way out. Good riddance!

my new my suits, update

2006-10-29T09:49:00.000+09:00

My suit just arrived from Hong Kong- yes, at 9 on a Sunday morning (thanks, Japan Post!).

A lot of the clients of my friend's tailer are older men, so I really stressed that I wanted a young-looking modern cut. The tailer said that recently the trousers are being worn lower. But he also said that with my "kick boxing legs" that he should put a couple of darts in. Wearing the trousers low may look good with slim-cut trousers, but combined with the dart...

I don't look like I'm wearing a trendy tailer-made suit from Hong Kong. I look like I'm wearing a hand-me-down from a retired kickboxer from the Mainland. Dammit.

what they're saying about us

2006-10-28T22:06:00.000+09:00

The website for the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal is up and running. Complete with links to our film, the ballad of vicki and jake, to this blog and to my vlog, the site also carries a synopsis for our film.

Festivals always ask for a synopsis when a film is programmed, and the readers of a catalogue could easily assume that whatever is printed has been written by the producer of the given film. However, more often than not the blurb included in the festival catalogue has been adapted, edited or completely created by the festival itself.

No matter how much I agree or disagree with it, I really enjoy finding out how a festival is describing and promoting us by reading what they have written themselves. For example, when we were in competition in the Visions du Reel, the catalogue description of our film included the following:

...it isn't only the social tragedy of the drugs and poverty that emerges... but also what we suspect is a romantic relationship (between Vicki and Ian), spoilt by clumsiness and a lack of understanding.

OK, not exactly how I would have described it, but I see their point. And what is RIDM saying about us?

Some will find The Ballad of Vicki and Jake poignant, and others, simply repulsive.… In this pointed investigation of the nature of documentary itself, The Ballad of Vicki and Jake is both troubling and troubled. How far can a filmmaker go? The answer is left up to the viewer.

"Simply repulsive"? I love it.

For the full synopsis, please visit the RIDM website, click on the list of films, then on "the ballad of vicki and jake".

update:

Thanks to Claire at the RIDM, I have updated all the links to the RIDM on this blog and on my vlog to lead straight to our listing on the festival site.