The original interview can be found here. This is the Facebook post written by the suiboku-ga (ink painting) supervisor for "Sen wa, Boku wo Egaku", Kobayashi Tohun about Kiyohara Kaya. I haven't translate for awhile now, so please pardon with the mistranslation.
Disclaimer: I'm still a novice translator, hence my translation is not 100% accurate.
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Movie “Sen wa, Boku wo Egaku” Part 3
[Kiyohara Kaya-san’s Charm]
Whenever I see a single line drawn in the promotional video, I think of Kiyohara Kaya-san’s harsh filming. A single curve drawn without thought. You may have noticed that all the elements of ink shading, blurring and smudging, brush twists, slow and fast strokes are included in this work. Well, the efforts of the main character, Yokohama Ryusei-san, were very hard. However since his role is a beginner and progresses throughout the movie, he is in a position where the quality of his drawings can be forgiven to some extent.
On the other hand, Kiyohara-san’s role is the granddaughter of a professional family, a pure-blood who is now a leading figure in the world of suiboku-ga. If you are in your early 20s and you are in her position, you have probably been playing with a brush and ink for as long as you can remember. It was difficult to find an ink painter in her 30s who could dub her hands, so we tried everything we could think of. In the end, we had no choice but to ask Kiyohara-san. She was also a very hard worker and took time out of her busy schedule to practice and her rose flower painting skills improved to such an extent that she even surpassed mine.
To draw a line that has all the expression of an ink painting in a single stroke. Shading, blotting and blurring, the twist and speed of the brush. This line must be drawn through in the production. In the midst of such tension, the director further suggested changing the camera angle. The camera was suddenly rearranged to shoot from the front left. The photographer did not realize that for a right-handed artist, the line twisting from the bottom right to the top left would be many times more difficult to draw.
We also tried a few samples, but they didn’t fit in the picture angle very well. And Kiyohara-san is still a beginner in suiboku-ga. In the tense situation, it was impossible to put all the expressions of suiboku-ga into a single line of a reverse brush stroke in the frame of the camera, so we kept receiving NGs. At that time Kiyohara-san who was always positive, turned her head down and murmured in a small voice, “If sensei can’t get it right, there’s no way I can do it.”
It is only one line, but that is why it is the most difficult and deceptive stroke. It is like putting a novice skier on an Olympic jump ramp and forcing him to perform at his best. It was so tough that there were no words of encouragement, and we had to take a break for a while.
When filming resumed, I could no longer make eye contact with Kiyohara-san. I just slumped down and mumbled, "It's terrible, isn't it?”
“It’s okay.” The voice that reached me at that moment was dignified, clear and strong.
And the next moment, that line was born again. It was a line that was full of shades of black, blurring and smudging, the return of the brush, and the speed of the strokes all at once. At that moment, I witnessed the soulful stroke of the actress Kiyohara Kaya.
There is an episode like this. After filming a large sliding door painting of a temple, Kiyohara-san finished her speech and left. I wished I could take a picture with him in front of the sliding door painting, but I failed to say so. After a while, I murmured to the assistant director, "I wish I could take a picture in front of this painting as a memorial.”
"Let's ask her to do it," the assistant director replied and started running.
After a while, Kiyohara-san came running from outside the gate of the temple on the far side. She was smiling at me in spite of her fatigue from filming all day. It was an event that touched me with Kiyohara-san’s warm, lovely, and gentle inner self.
This time, an ink painting animation will be played next to the names of the performers in the ending roll.
For Kiyohara-san, I chose the iris flower. This flower is lovely and beautiful, but also has the strength to take on the challenge of victory.
Please enjoy the ending roll in this movie.
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