11 (Final) Hokago Someday, Hopefully...

Kei Oyama

Hello everyone. The weather has gotten really cold, and the winter is fully upon us. Time flies and we have reached the last installment in this series of articles.

Do you remember what I wrote in the very first article of the series? For those of you who have forgotten or have not seen it, to begin with, here is a quote from the original article.

Back then I wrote:

"In the last installment of this series, I hope to be able to tell you about the completed film Hokago, along with scenes from its making and awards it will hopefully win. So I'm going to give it all I've got! Yeah!"

As of today, not only can I not show you any awards for the film, but I am not even close to finishing it. To be honest, I do not have the foggiest idea when I will be able to complete it. I collected money for this project through crowdfunding, but the outcome is so uncertain that I am almost beginning to consider the idea of announcing its termination and returning the money to all supporters.

As you can see, I cannot show you any awards, but I will keep my promise to disclose scenes from the film's making.



Hokago (After School) is created using a painting software product called ArtRage. For the pilot version made in 2008 I used a software package called Painter, but then I came across ArtRage. Amazed by its high level of analogue reproducibility, I decided to use it for the entire film. And since I mentioned the 2008 pilot version, let me show it to you here.



I feel kind of bad for showing you just this short piece, so let me show you one cut that is not included in the trailer.



This is a scene in the library. Boys are looking up obscene words in an English-Japanese dictionary, showing them to the girls and relishing in their reaction - something junior high schoolboys often do. I wonder if junior high schoolgirls, too, look up obscene words in dictionaries.

I do not know when Hokago will be completed, but I really wish to create an opportunity for all of you to see it as soon as possible, and hope that you will enjoy it.

Also, going forward, the creative and distribution departments at CALF will continue to take up new and exciting challenges that will expand the expressive potential of the art of animation, so please check up on our work at the official CALF website (http://calf.jp) from time to time or follow us on Twitter.

I hope to meet you again sometime, somewhere! Adios!





Kei Oyama
Animation artist. Born in Tokyo in 1978.
In 2005, Shinsatsushitsu (Consultation Room), his graduation project at Tokyo Zokei University, won the Gold Prize for the Campus Genius Award, as well as Best Picture for BACA-JA. Oyama has been formally invited to international film festivals such as the Directors' Fortnight of the Cannes International Film Festival. In 2008 he made HAND SOAP for Aichi Arts Center which won him many awards including the Grand Prix for the Holland Animation Film Festival and the Special Prize for the International Animation Festival Hiroshima. In the live motion movies Watashi wa neko sutoka (I'm a cat stalker, 2008) and Gegege no nyobo (Gegege's wife, 2010) Oyama was in charge of making the animation clips. He is now a member of CALF which he founded with his partners, making Hokago (After School) while producing, distributing, and selling animation works.

Official website: http://www.keioyama.com/
CALF : http://calf.jp/
CALF STUDIO : http://calf.jp/studio/

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