Ultraman Is Back! / Every Imported Ultraman Series Has the Blood and Sweat of Director Shinji in It (Just Kidding)

As for the battles on the ground, Shinji naturally adopted a more conventional filming method, having several actors put on suits and engage in hand-to-hand combat on a battle stage.

To emphasize the intensity of the battle, Shinji specially created a platform that could be freely inverted and quickly tilted in eight directions, allowing for easy adjustment of the shooting angle when filming close-up shots.

This also served as a thorough test of the balance abilities of the various Heroic Spirit.

"Master really likes to do all these fancy things. I just can't understand why you have to do somersaults to retreat during battle. Doesn't that just make retreating more difficult?"

Watching the Ultraman Heroic Spirit Actor repeatedly backflip to dodge the light bullets fired by the monsters, Artoria, who was watching from the set, couldn't help but complain.

"Of course, it's because it looks great when filmed this way, especially on the big screen, the effect will be outstanding."

Shinji gave Artoria a thumbs-up and shouted.

Artoria covered her ears and complained, "Master, I can hear you. Do you have to yell at me?"

"Sorry, I've just gotten used to it lately."

Shinji picked at his ear and answered sheepishly.

Shinji filmed all the battle scenes in Super 8 using IMAX cameras.

However, after using IMAX camera, Shinji realized what "distance makes the heart grow fonder" truly meant.

The IMAX camera has too many operational limitations, which explains why in the past, most movies preferred to release pseudo-IMAX formats to make money instead of actually shooting with IMAX camera.

Putting everything else aside, the noise from the IMAX camera alone was a major headache for Shinji.

Although Shinji knew from his past life that IMAX camera would be very noisy; and although Shinji even turned on the IMAX camera beforehand to experience its noise during filming this movie.

But it wasn't until he was actually working on set that Shinji truly experienced what the "noise" of IMAX camera was all about.

If it's just a matter of leaving the camera on, making people feel like they're standing next to three air conditioner outdoor units, it's noisy, but not unbearable.

However, when Shinji had to direct the crew in this environment, people's tolerance for the noise decreased exponentially.

The original three outdoor air conditioning units instantly transformed into five outdoor units, six mining rigs, and four FGO haha teams the moment Shinji spoke.

Even with a loudspeaker, Shinji had to shout at the top of his lungs to counteract the noise from the IMAX camera.

After filming several scenes, Shinji's voice became several decibels louder.

Of course, the challenges that IMAX poses for filming aren't limited to just the volume.

During filming, the bulky cameras caused considerable trouble for the film crew's photography team.

Setting up these massive machines on the filming cranes alone is exhausting enough, let alone carrying them while shooting handheld camera movements.

Don't let the fact that the person carrying the camera is Red A fool you; as Heroic Spirit, he's not afraid of the weight of IMAX camera at all.

However, the IMAX camera's massive size and delicate build still caused considerable trouble for Red A.

If any bumps or scrapes occur, filming will be paused for hours.

Unfortunately, these bulky machines are much more delicate than ordinary cameras, and once they malfunction, they can only be repaired by a professional team.

Shinji already regretted his plan to shoot the drama scenes first and then the action scenes, which meant that if the IMAX camera malfunctioned, the entire production had to stop until it was repaired.

"This thing is too troublesome; it'll break at the slightest touch."

After all this trouble, even Shinji, a loyal IMAX fan, couldn't help but complain.

"Um... Master."

Medea had been observing the filming for several days, raised her hand.

"Why don't you let me try some Reinforcement Magecraft? That should make it more durable."

"..."

"What's wrong, Master?"

Seeing that Shinji was stuck, Medea asked him with some fear.

Why didn't you say so sooner?!

Chapter 135 Ultraman is back!

With Medea's help, IMAX camera were finally no longer as delicate as before.

While it can't perform extreme shooting techniques like a regular camera, at least it won't stop working due to minor bumps or knocks.

The IMAX camera incident made Shinji exclaim that he was an idiot [beep--!], he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of using Reinforcement Magecraft to enhance the camera.

It wasn't that Shinji hadn't thought of this at all; it's just that IMAX camera are extremely delicate, and if they weren't properly reinforced, the entire camera could be rendered unusable.

Even Medea didn't dare to reinforce the delicate parts inside the camera; she only slightly strengthened the outer shell and some supporting structural parts to make the camera look more sturdy.

Although filming with IMAX camera caused Shinji considerable trouble, Second Master still praised IMAX highly in a later interview.

"I especially love shooting movies with IMAX camera."

When interviewed by reporters, Shinji's tone was as sincere as if Jugglus Juggler were saying, "Kai, I won't help you anymore."

"IMAX can project a larger and wider image than a regular screen, maximizing the aspect ratio of the film."

"I had already appreciated its extraordinary capabilities when watching educational films shot with IMAX camera in the past."

"Through continuous research and exploration during this filming, I tried to maximize the features of IMAX so that everyone could experience the immersive feeling brought by the IMAX screen."

Currently, it is the only commercial film that extensively uses IMAX cameras, which is one of the selling points of <Super 8> for ordinary viewers, Shinji naturally wants to promote it.

As for the other major selling point of "Super 8," the 3D without glasses, Shinji plans to wait until the first batch of 3D without glasses screens are widely available before promoting it.

After all, it's meaningless to describe the viewing experience of 3D visuals just by talking about it; viewers need to experience it for themselves to truly understand.

Moreover, this interview was arranged by IMAX Company, and deliberately bringing up 3D without glasses would only make IMAX Company think Shinji was picking a fight.

"In terms of both picture and sound quality, IMAX offers an immersive viewing experience."

Shinji continued to promote the advantages of IMAX to reporters.

"The unprecedented clarity brought about by the special image format gives people an immersive sense of realism, and when combined with high-fidelity surround sound, it makes people feel as if they are in the scene."

"Trust me, you won't regret watching the IMAX version of <Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers>."

Finally, Shinji concluded the interview with such a confident tone.

But as soon as the reporter left, the Second Master immediately complained, "Filming myself in IMAX was really too much work. I felt like a chef making exquisite royal cuisine, spending hours stuffing shredded meat into bean sprouts and carefully seasoning it, only to have the customer finish it in one bite."

"Master, aren't dishes made for the guests to eat?"

Artoria asked the question while stuffing potato chips into her mouth.

Seeing his Servant acting as if nothing was wrong, Shinji reached out and scratched Artoria's head vigorously, messing up her neatly styled hair.

"I just think those superficial viewers might overthink things, just like you, you little foodie."

"Master, it's wrong to take your anger out on innocent people."

Artoria was speechless at Shinji's childish behavior. "Besides, by the standards of those who judge art, Master, what you filmed can't even be considered art, right? And you still think the audience is superficial?"

"The violent aesthetics of action films are also a form of art," Shinji said, shaking his finger and spouting nonsense. "Not to mention that in Japan, 'mono no aware' itself is a kind of beauty; using violence to destroy something perfectly good is itself a kind of beauty."

"You're talking nonsense."

Artoria pursed her lips. She might not know what "mono no aware" was, but she knew for sure that her Master was talking nonsense.

Shinji, seeing that Artoria hadn't fallen for his trick, could only shrug regretfully.

If given the chance, Shinji would actually really like to use his camera to capture the uniquely Japan "melancholy beauty".

Of course, Shinji wasn't referring to the grotesque stuff like the Tokyo Olympics, but rather to evocative shots like the "Hana" scene in Tiga.

Unfortunately, while Shinji possesses a good aesthetic sense, his execution in filming is still slightly lacking; even when he tries to imitate someone else's style, he struggles to capture that essence.

Since he couldn't imitate it well, he decided not to. Shinji was well aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and there was no need to struggle with areas he wasn't good at.

Shinji excels at delivering an immersive cinematic experience through meticulous action depictions, grand action sequences, and constantly improving filming techniques.

While Shinji was busy filming, Type-Moon Company did not slack off on promoting <Super 8>.

Even if this film is highly experimental, we need to get as many people as possible to see it in order to obtain enough feedback on the new technology.

[Ultraman is back after 25 years!]

Fans who follow the internet closely quickly discovered several press releases issued by GUYS on Tsuburaya's official website and other popular entertainment websites.

This morning, the monster codenamed "Dinozoru" destroyed the GUYS space station's V7T7 satellite and annihilated all GUYS defense force Fighter Jet before attacking Japan, causing significant damage to cities.

Fortunately, the new Ultraman returned to Earth after 25 years and defeated the monster! The Giant of Light who once helped us has once again become our guardian!

A speech by Shingo Sakomizu, the new captain of GUYS, was also shown later.

[It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the sacrifice of most of the members of Team GUYS. Each and every one of them is a true hero. They did not back down in the face of the monster, but fought bravely. We should commemorate their sacrifice and never forget their contributions.]

[I, Shingo Sakakizumi, the new captain of GUYS, will carry on the legacy of these fallen team members, vowing to protect our Earth to the death and face the new monster activity period. GUYS and I will fight with everything we have.]

Fortunately, this time humanity is not fighting alone; a new hero from the Land of Light will join us in protecting Earth!

Gentlemen, Ultraman is back!

Alongside the speech, a short video was also released, showing the city in constant destruction and the battle Ultraman Mebius and Dinozoru.

Another piece of news was released along with the video.

[After a unified discussion and decision by GUYS headquarters, the newly appeared Ultraman will be named [Ultraman Mebius]. Let's all cheer for our new hero!]

Without a doubt, these are all viral marketing tactics orchestrated by Shinji.

Although Ultraman Mebius is not the main character in Super 8, fans should at least be aware of his existence, otherwise the audience will be completely confused when he appears in the future.

As for viral marketing, it would be a waste not to use this cost-effective and efficient promotional method more often.

Just like this promotion, they wrote a few articles, had the actors record a video, and then edited together footage from Super 8 and Ultraman Mebius, and that was it.

To generate more buzz, Shinji deliberately omitted the scene where Ultraman Mebius uses a building to block a monster's attack, as well as the classic scene of Aihara Ryu cursing in the street.

This creates the impression that the government deliberately deleted this content for the purpose of promoting a new Ultraman image.

Sure enough, in the ensuing discussions about Ultraman Mebius, Shinji, a topic he had deliberately left for the fans, was mentioned countless times.

This will surely become a famous scene in the Ultraman series.

After all, Shinji had already seen the future.

Of course, Shinji's help to Ultraman Mebius went beyond just promotion.

As this is likely to be the first and last Ultraman series he produced, Shinji paid close attention to the show, constantly offering suggestions on its production and urging Tsuburaya Productions to add as many commercial elements as possible, such as action sequences.

Anyway, Tsuburaya Productions isn't short of money right now, so making more action-packed scenes that audiences love will definitely increase their popularity.

Not only that, Shinji also personally taught Tsuburaya Productions how to sell toys in the series in a way that was as natural as possible.

In Shinji's previous life, the new generation of Tsuburaya Productions took many detours on the road to commercialization, and even encountered setbacks for several years in a row.

If there's anything praiseworthy about the new generation of Tsuburaya Productions, it's probably their extremely strong ability to correct mistakes.

Because the transformation time in Ultraman R/B was too long, the transformation time was intentionally reduced starting with Ultraman Taiga; because there were too many Ultraman characters in Ultraman Taiga and they were not well developed, Ultraman Zeta was specially made into Ultraman Z to focus on developing the human host.

However, Tsuburaya's corporate culture of becoming complacent after Issei has not improved. After the huge success of Zeta, Tsuburaya, which considered itself invincible, immediately started making all sorts of messes in Triga.

But that's another story.

While advising Tsuburaya Productions on how to commercialize the franchise, Shinji also got involved in managing the script for Ultraman Mebius.

Not only were many plot issues in the script revised, but also many nonsensical and superfluous episodes were cut, such as the "famous" episode "The Legacy of the Monster Messenger".

To be fair, that episode wasn't particularly bad, but as a sequel to the best episode, it was a disgrace to <The Monster Tamer and the Boy>.

Especially the screenwriters from Tsuburaya Productions—it's utterly baffling what they were doing. They clearly lack the ability to continue a classic story, yet they insisted on riding the wave of popularity, ultimately turning their sequel into this mess.

These screenwriters not only let down the fans' expectations, but also disappointed the senior writer, Shozo Uehara, who resigned as the lead writer to produce this episode.

Indeed, those screenwriters at Tsuburaya Productions who like to make silly faces are the real scoundrels of this company.

Chapter 136 Every Ultraman imported embodies the spirit and dedication of Director Shinji (humorous).

Not only in Japan, but also in other important East Asian markets, Type-Moon and Tsuburaya Productions are promoting Ultraman Mebius.

Without copyright restrictions, Tsuburaya Productions and Type-Moon, through the Jidai Group. network, have been wreaking havoc in East Asian countries.

Not only did they find ways to get TV channels in various countries to broadcast the series featuring the late Akihito and the Heisei Ultraman Trilogy, but they also promoted Ultraman Mebius during prime time in various regions.

Especially in countries and regions where the entire series doesn't need to be broadcast before review, Tsuburaya Productions has almost always managed to release the series simultaneously.