When the Japanese studios turned him down, maverick filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura did the unthinkable: he went out and made movies El Mariachi style with his own pocket money. The Osaka native finally exploded on the scene with the Sam Raimi-esque Versus and hasnt looked back. When I spoke with Kitamura (whos fluent in English), he was promoting the biggest-budget film he or Gojira had ever done, Final Wars. During the course of our conversation, we discussed his work directing MGS: The Twin Snakes polygons, the Metal Gear Solidfilm adaptations and his relationship with series creator Hideo Kojima.
Q) Could you talk about your relationship with Hideo Kojima?
A). Kojima is like my twin. He saw Versus, and ever since then, weve become close friends. And I was a big fan of his. I understand what he wants exactly, and he understands what I want to do. We have the same taste in making things. He offered me Twin Snakes. At that time, I was shooting Azumi. And if you ask me, how can I say no? And if he wants me to remake Metal Gear Solid? How can I say no? That was the ten out of ten, the masterpiece. And, I couldnt refuse the challenge. He loved what I did.
We meet once a week. We email every day or talk on the phone. He himself wants to make films one day. And Im very interested in making another game. So, maybe well make a movie together, well make a game together or we will do something in the near future together.
Q) Would you be interested in directing a Metal Gear Solid adaptation?
A) Thats one of the possibilities, but MGS is a very big title, and its not only for me to judge. Thats one of the possibilities.
Q). What are the differences between making a game and a movie?
A). On Twin Snakes, I was the director for the polygon demo sequence. And I had to use the motion capture. And, when we do the motion capture, we do it with the actors. So, its the sameactors, dialogue and the acting thing. The one big difference is that we do the camerawork afterwards while we are editing, not on the set. I just tell actors what to do and capture the data. And after that, I work with the computer guys, telling them what kind of camerawork, where to start the music. So, there wasnt that much difference. It wasnt difficult at all. I just did it exactly the way I did making a movie. It could be CGI or a real actor, but its how to make it look cool or look faster.
Q). You brought a lot of people from Metal Gear to work on Final Wars.
A). Thats another freedom the producer gave me. He trusted me 100 percent. So, I just could do whatever I wanted. I said, we should renew the monsters and renew the ship. I told the producer, If you are going to renew the ship, the guy to do that is the guy that does the art for Metal Gear, Yoji Shinkawa. Hes very famous here as a figure designer.
Another thing is Kyle Cooper. I was a big fan of his, and hes been doing Metal Gear Solid. And Kojima showed him Dead or Alive, and Kyle just loved it. So, I told the producers we should bring him in for the opening title sequence. Hes costs alot for a Japanese, but for Kyle, it was like volunteer work. And Kyle said hed do it. I told him that I wanted him to make fifty years of Godzilla fighting in two minutes. And he did.
