Mamoru Oshii Teaches A New Video Course Focusing On Anime and Film Directing

If you love anime and have a love for creating new things, then Narō has what you’re looking for. A brand new video course made its debut in the on-demand video course service from the acclaimed director, Mamoru Oshii (JIN-ROH- The Wolf Brigade, Ghost In The Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire Hunter, The Fire Hunter, and Angel’s Egg).

According to Anime News Network, it is a 5+ hour course, consisting of 20 videos detailing Oshii’s creative formulas, developmental methods, and tales from his life as a director in the pop culture industry. The course costs $75 (US) and is available with English subtitles.

In theory, at least, an anime director’s job is to make films. But arriving at work, what’s on the proverbial desk to work with? There’s nothing to serve as a base, no background or landscape, no actor to inhabit a character. The tool kit consists entirely of words and whatever images they can conjure up.

That is why I’m so fastidious in how I communicate a film story: an animation director’s destiny is to forever rely on language as the sole basis for filmmaking.

What convinced me of this truth about the vitality of film-telling as a crucial part of directing is that in actuality, there is no other basis for creating film at all. Film-telling is what makes a film possible, and a film finds completion only by being told. And it may be an obvious point, but telling the story of a film requires a listener.

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The tough reality is that animation production staff – particularly the animators – typically hate talking about story. Moreover (and this I find surprising), film audiences also seem to only enjoy talking about film in everyday terms.

In my case, it’s not only that I desire viewers to watch my work, but that I desire viewers who talk about my work. No matter where you are in the world, I have faith that these words about my films will find these people.

Because, as someone once said, the net is vast and infinite…