Satoshi Kon - Editing Space & Time

Summary

In 'Every Frame a Painting,' Tony discusses the influential Japanese filmmaker Satoshi Kon, known for his consistent, reality-blurring work. Focusing on Kon's exceptional editing techniques, Tony highlights his use of match cuts, ellipses, and unique transitions, showcasing how Kon pushed animation boundaries and depicted the subjective experience of space, time, and reality.

Takeaways

• 🎬 Satoshi Kon is a highly influential Japanese filmmaker known for his work in both film and television.
• 🌐 Kon's work is characterized by a consistent theme of modern people living multiple lives, blurring the lines between private, public, waking, and dreaming states.
• 🔍 The script focuses on Kon's exceptional editing techniques, which are often inspired by and distinct from traditional live-action editing.
• 🔄 Kon frequently used matching scene transitions, a technique that connects different scenes visually through similar imagery.
• 🌌 His inspiration for this technique came from the movie adaptation of 'Slaughterhouse-Five' directed by George Roy Hill.
• 🎞️ Kon's editing style also includes rewinding film, crossing lines into new scenes, zooming out from TVs, and using black frames for jump cuts.
• 💭 The opening of 'Paprika' exemplifies Kon's dense use of match cuts, connecting multiple dream sequences in just four minutes.
• 🔁 Kon's editing often involves ellipses, jumping past parts of scenes to create a sense of surprise and continuity.
• 👀 He also used unique ways to handle character deaths and scene transitions, such as starting scenes in close-up and gradually revealing the setting.
• 🌟 Kon's editing style allows for a subjective experience of space and time, influenced by both individual and collective perceptions.
• 🌈 His work pushed the boundaries of animation, achieving a unique 'elastic editing' that is not typically seen in live-action films.

Q & A

Who is the main subject of the video script?

The main subject of the video script is Satoshi Kon, a renowned Japanese filmmaker.

What is the focus of the video script in discussing Satoshi Kon's work?

The focus of the video script is on Satoshi Kon's excellent editing techniques and how he blurred the lines between reality and fantasy in his films.

What are some notable influences on Satoshi Kon's work?

Satoshi Kon's work is influenced by the movie version of 'Slaughterhouse-Five' directed by George Roy Hill, as well as works by Philip K Dick and Terry Gilliam.

What is the significance of match cuts in Kon's films?

Match cuts in Kon's films are used to connect different worlds and scenes, creating a seamless transition that enhances the storytelling.

How does Kon's editing style differ from traditional filmmaking?

Kon's editing style is unique in that he often uses rapid cuts, ellipses, and unconventional transitions to create a subjective experience of space and time.

What is the significance of the opening four minutes of 'Paprika'?

The opening four minutes of 'Paprika' are significant because they contain five dream sequences, each connected by a match cut, showcasing Kon's dense and intricate editing.

What is the role of ellipses in Kon's editing?

Ellipses in Kon's editing allow him to jump past parts of a scene, creating a sense of surprise and keeping the audience engaged by not showing every detail.

How does Kon handle character deaths in his films?

Kon handles character deaths in a subtle and impactful way, often using visual cues like the stopping of windmills to imply death without explicitly showing it.

What is the significance of Kon's use of close-ups and establishing shots?

Kon uses close-ups and establishing shots to immerse the viewer in the character's world, often revealing the setting as the scene progresses, which adds depth to the storytelling.

What is the studio that supported Kon's unique editing style?

The studio Madhouse supported Kon's unique editing style, contributing to some of their finest work in his films.

What is the final film mentioned in the script and what does it represent?

The final film mentioned in the script is a one-minute short titled 'Ohayou', which serves as a perfect summation of Kon's work, capturing how we feel when we get up in the morning.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 The Artistry of Satoshi Kon's Editing

This paragraph introduces the renowned Japanese filmmaker Satoshi Kon, highlighting his influence on prominent directors like Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan. The focus is on Kon's exceptional editing techniques, particularly his use of matching scene transitions. Drawing inspiration from George Roy Hill's 'Slaughterhouse-Five', Kon's work blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, private and public lives, and waking and dreaming states. His films are noted for their consistency and exploration of how modern people navigate multiple lives. The paragraph also mentions his innovative use of various editing techniques such as rewinding, zooming, and using objects to create visual continuity across scenes.

05:01

🎬 The Unique Editing Style of Satoshi Kon

This paragraph delves deeper into Kon's editing style, emphasizing his preference for fast-paced editing and the use of ellipses to create a sense of surprise and continuity in his storytelling. Kon's approach to editing is contrasted with live-action filmmaking, where he could convey more information in fewer frames due to the nature of animation. His style is described as an attempt to depict the collective and individual experiences of space, time, reality, and fantasy. The paragraph also discusses the support Kon received from the studio Madhouse, which contributed to the high quality of his films. The summary concludes with a tribute to Kon's final film, a one-minute short that encapsulates his work, and a farewell to the late filmmaker.

Keywords

💡Satoshi Kon

Satoshi Kon was a renowned Japanese filmmaker known for his unique approach to storytelling and editing. His work has been influential in the world of animation and has inspired many other filmmakers. In the video, Kon's films are discussed in relation to their innovative editing techniques and thematic exploration of reality and fantasy, making him a central figure in the discussion.

💡Editing

Editing in film refers to the process of selecting and combining shots to tell a coherent story. In the context of this video, editing is highlighted as a key element in Kon's films, particularly his use of match cuts and transitions to blur the lines between reality and fantasy. The video emphasizes how Kon's editing choices contribute to the thematic depth of his work.

💡Match Cuts

A match cut is a type of film editing technique where two shots are cut together based on a matching action or object. In the video, match cuts are discussed as a signature technique used by Kon to seamlessly transition between scenes and realities. The script mentions how Kon used match cuts to connect different dream sequences and to create a sense of continuity.

💡Reality and Fantasy

The blurring of reality and fantasy is a central theme in Kon's films. The video script discusses how Kon's editing techniques, such as match cuts and graphic matches, are used to explore the interplay between these two realms. This theme is exemplified in the script through examples like the opening of 'Paprika', where dream sequences are interconnected through match cuts.

💡Dreams

Dreams are a recurring motif in Kon's work, often used to explore the subconscious and the complexities of human experience. The video script mentions how dreams are depicted in Kon's films, particularly in the opening of 'Paprika', where multiple dream sequences are connected through match cuts. Dreams serve as a narrative device to delve into the characters' inner worlds.

💡Graphic Match

A graphic match is a type of match cut that connects two shots based on a visual element that appears in both. In the video, graphic matches are highlighted as a technique used by Kon to create a visual continuity between scenes, often used to transition between different time periods or realities.

💡Elliptic Editing

Elliptic editing is a technique where parts of a scene are omitted, creating a jump in the narrative. The video script discusses how Kon used elliptic editing to surprise the audience and to create a sense of disorientation. This technique is exemplified by scenes where actions are implied but not shown, leaving the audience to fill in the gaps.

💡Character Death

The handling of character death in Kon's films is noted for its subtlety and impact. The video script provides an example where the death of an old man is implied through the stopping of windmills, which then start again when he is revealed to be alive. This approach to character death adds a layer of depth and mystery to the narrative.

💡Establishing Shot

An establishing shot is a type of shot in film that sets the scene by showing the location or context. In the video, Kon's use of establishing shots is discussed, particularly how he often reveals them to be point-of-view shots, immersing the audience in the character's perspective. This technique helps to create a subjective experience of space and time.

💡Madhouse

Madhouse is a Japanese animation studio that collaborated with Kon on several of his films. The video script mentions Madhouse as a key contributor to the high quality of Kon's work, noting that some of their finest work was done on his films. Madhouse's animation style and technical skill were crucial in realizing Kon's vision.

💡Ohayou

Ohayou is a one-minute short film by Kon that serves as a summation of his work, as mentioned in the video script. The film encapsulates the themes of waking and dreaming, and the subjective experience of time and space. It is presented as a fitting tribute to Kon's career and his unique approach to animation.

Highlights

Introduction to Japanese filmmaker Satoshi Kon and his influence on modern cinema.

Kon's work includes four feature films and one TV series, all focusing on the theme of living multiple lives.

Kon's films blur the lines between reality and fantasy, a signature style in his work.

Focus on Kon's excellent editing techniques, especially his use of matching scene transitions.

Kon's inspiration from George Roy Hill's movie version of Slaughterhouse-Five.

Kon's unique approach to scene transitions, including rewinding the film and using black frames to jump cut.

Dense use of match cuts in the opening four minutes of Paprika, connecting five dream sequences.

Comparison of Kon's editing style with Inception, highlighting the fewer match cuts used in the latter.

Kon's use of ellipses in editing, often skipping parts of a scene to create surprise.

Kon's technique of starting scenes in close-up and revealing the setting as the scene progresses.

Kon's innovative handling of character death, using visual cues to imply narrative changes.

Kon's ability to edit in ways not possible in live-action, due to the flexibility of animation.

Kon's belief in the collective and individual experience of space, time, reality, and fantasy.

Kon's collaboration with studio Madhouse, which contributed to the unique style of his films.

Final film recommendation: Ohayou, a one-minute short that encapsulates Kon's work.

Kon's impact on animation, pushing it in ways not seen in live-action with his elastic editing.

Transcripts

Hi my name is Tony and this is Every Frame a Painting.

Today I’m going to talk about one of the greats of the last twenty years

the Japanese filmmaker Satoshi Kon.

Even if you don’t know his work you have certainly seen some of his images.

He is an acknowledged influence on both Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan

And he has a fan base that includes just about everyone who loves animation.

In one decade, he made four feature films and one TV series

all of them amazingly consistent, all of them about

how modern people cope with living multiple lives.

Private, public. Offscreen, onscreen. Waking, dreaming.

If you’ve seen his work you’ll recognize this blurring of reality and fantasy.

Today, I’m only going to focus on one thing: his excellent editing.

So as an editor, I’m always looking for new ways to cut

especially from outside the realm of live-action.

Kon was one of the most fascinating. His most noticeable habit

was matching scene transitions.

I've mentioned before that Edgar Wright does this for visual comedy

--Scott! --What?

It's part of a tradition that includes The Simpsons

and Buster Keaton.

Kon was different. His inspiration was the movie version of

Slaughterhouse-Five directed by George Roy Hill.

--I can always tell, you know, when you've been time-tripping

This is more of a sci-fi tradition that includes Philip K Dick

and Terry Gilliam

But even among peers, Kon pushed this idea pretty far.

Slaughterhouse-Five has basically three types of scene transitions:

a general match cut

an exact graphic match

and intercutting two different time periods, which mirror each other.

Kon did all of these things, but he would also

rewind the film, cross the line into a new scene,

zoom out from a TV, use black frames to jump cut,

use objects to wipe frame, and I don't even know what to call this.

To show you how dense this gets, the opening four minutes of Paprika

has five dream sequences and every single one is connected by a match cut.

Number six is not connected by a match cut,

but there is a graphic match within the scene.

Just for comparison, the opening fifteen minutes of Inception

has four interconnected dreams. Number of match cuts: one.

--What is the most resilient parasite?

Cuts like this aren’t uncommon, but they’re definitely not something

most filmmakers build a style out of.

Usually you see them as one-off effects. Two of the most famous examples:

Oh and this one because it's amazing

Kon’s work was about the interaction between dreams, memories,

nightmares, movies, and life.

The matching images were how he linked the different worlds.

Sometimes he would stack transitions back to back,

so you’d be getting used to one scene before you got thrown into the next.

All of this made him really surprising to watch.

You could blink and miss that you’re in a different scene.

Even when he wasn't dealing with dreams, Kon was an unusual editor.

He loved ellipses and would often just jump past part of the scene.

So you’d see a character look at a key.

You expect to see her take it, but that doesn’t happen.

The scene just moves on. Later on, in a different scene:

Or you’d see a man jumping out of a window and fade out.

We’d then cut to a scene we didn’t understand, reveal that this is a dream,

back out, and then show the conclusion of the previous scene.

Even things like murder, he would do the build-up and cut away.

But he would show us the gory result.

I particularly love the way he handled character death.

Here, an old man dies and the windmills of his hut stop.

Then it turns out he’s alive, so they start up again.

When we finish the scene, the windmill shot doesn’t repeat,

but you’ll notice they aren’t moving, implying he is dead.

Kon also had a habit of starting scenes in close-up and you’d figure out

where you were as the scene went on.

Every once in a while, he’d use an establishing shot.

And then reveal that it was actually a point-of-view. So without you noticing,

he brought you into the character’s world.

He was constantly showing one image and then revealing that it wasn’t

what you thought it was.

Your experience of space and time became subjective.

He could also edit in ways that a lot of live-action filmmakers could not.

During an interview, Kon said that he didn’t want to direct live action

because his editing was too fast.

For example:

This shot of the bag is only 6 frames. For a comparable moment in live action

that was 10 frames. Or how about this insert of a note?

10 frames. But in live-action...

49 frames. Kon felt that as an animator, he could draw less information

in the shot, so your eye could read it faster.

You can actually see someone like Wes Anderson doing this in live-action

removing visual information so his inserts “read" faster.

It’s worth noting: you can actually cut much faster than this, but the images

pretty much become subliminal. Some of these shots are 1 frame.

None of this was for cheap effect. Kon felt that we each experience

space, time, reality and fantasy at the same time as individuals

and also collectively as a society. His style was an attempt to depict this

in images and sound. In the course of ten years, he pushed animation in ways

that aren’t really possible in live action.

Not just elastic images, but elastic editing -- a unique way of moving from

image to image, scene to scene. And he was helped in this crusade by

the studio Madhouse, who did some of their finest work on his films.

If you want to see a perfect summation of his work, I present his final film:

a one-minute short about how we feel when we get up in the morning

This is Ohayou

--Ohayou

Farewell, Satoshi Kon.