Yoooooooi....Stato!

The heading of this article is pronounced "yo-ee" then "stato", in which the "a" sound is pronounced the same way as you would in the word "what." It's significant because this is what I heard a countless number of times on the commercial shoot that I was recently able to take part in. This phrase came from the director and would signal the start of a shot. This meant that everyone had to be quiet while the shot was taken. The reason why this phrase stuck with me was not the frequency of hearing it but the way in which it was stated. Imagine the "yooooi" as a near warcry in delivery as well as volume. Followed by "stato" as if he was uttering it to a lovable sleeping babe. It was not just quiet; he said it with love. This excellent phrase was just the awesome things I'd experience on the shoot.
The commercial itself was for a women's energy drink and, in typical Japanese fashion, contained schoolgirls and men dressed in giggle-inducing alien costumes. The main plot of the commercial was that the main girl comes into school and finds that her classmates are so tired that they turn into monsters with very little physical practicality in their biological structures. She then drinks the drink and wages an epic battle with all the monsters that are now filling her school. Here is an example of one such terror. Many times this creature, and others, had to be lugged in and out of the classroom that we were shooting in. I think that seeing his arms waving limply while, like a sack of beans, he was hauled in and out of small doorways, took away from his look of alien ferocity. It was awesome to be able to be a part of such an inherently Japanese commercial, and by "be a part of" I mean oggle the aliens while trying not to get in the way of the crew. I managed to do this quite successfully and had an awesome time watching the shoot unfold.
All the film productions I've ever been a part of have pretty much been me and one other person filming with a handheld camera. This was not the case at the shoot. The organization of every shot was what fascinated me the most. Everyone had a list of the shots that needed to be taken, and as soon as the director would announce which was next, everyone would get to their particular jobs. This meant that the director could ponder over the next shot while the lighting people got to work and the camera crew set up tracks and positions. One part that I thought was particularly cool was that there was a girl in the crew whose sole job was to stand in the place where the female star of the commercial eventually would while they set up the shot. This allowed for the lead to not get too tired from all the standing and let the shot be set up with perfect accuracy. Oh and here's me with another terrible being.
The reason why I was actually able to go on this particular shoot was because my co-workers were cast as extras in the commercial. Their role was that of "tired school-girls that turn into monsters." A pretty standard role I'd say. So they did their job and I got to watch the magic unfold. Here is a picture of all of us with the other two monsters. In the end this proved to be a very interesting and unique experience. I also have another shoot coming up that will be shot all over Tokyo, so that will be an amazing time. I'd say all in all, being able to take part in this internship has been an awesome opportunity.