Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 328 New PVC Material
"Damn, it's already popular before it even airs!"

The report brought by Toei really shocked Gu Ming.

I thought the most popular one would be the Flame Dragon Man or the Earth Tiger Man he painstakingly designed.

The result turned out to be an unexpected person.

"No, why is it Mayumi? Because the actor is Takagi Mio?"

Gu Ming hesitated to speak.

It seems that parents have the same viewing needs, they always like good sisters!

Let’s put the investigation report aside for now. What is now placed in front of Gu Ming is another problem.

In terms of image design, it is of course impossible to use the original image. After all, the times are different and the designs cannot be exactly the same.

In this regard, Gu Ming and Toei spent a huge amount of money to entrust Shotaro Ishimori to design the images for the five Armor Heroes, and Shotaro Ishimori did not disappoint.

The image of the Flame Dragon Warrior incorporates the features of the general's armor, while the Wind Eagle Armor highlights a half-moon helmet-like design, similar to Date Masamune.

The Earth Tiger Armor incorporates a 'Tang Leather Armor' design.

Overall, there is absolutely no problem with the design, and Gu Ming trusts Shotaro Ishimori's aesthetic.

But the problem lies on the other side.

“I can’t do it.”

Without even looking up, Narita Toru dismissed Gu Ming: "I can't do it, and no one in Japan can do it."

"Don't be so absolute!" Gu Ming chuckled and stepped forward: "Please try again!"

"Aming, don't think that I won't teach you a lesson just because you became a shadow warrior! I was the one who brought you into this business!" Narita Toru picked up a paper cutter and gestured with it, which really made people afraid to approach him.

He gestured a few times on the blackboard nearby: "Look at these designs you brought. I won't talk about the design of the image, the key is that if it is made like this, it will be difficult for the actor in the suit to move!"

Gu Ming scratched his head, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

But isn’t Leopardon doing well in his activities?

Leopardon is the robot in Toei Spider-Man, and of course it is also a suit.

Narita Toru was too lazy to explain to a design layman like Gu Ming.

"No, I can't make this kind of holster."

Gu Ming asked tentatively: "In fact, the design of the leather case can also be simplified."

"That's even worse! I can't do that!"

Seeing that Cheng Tianheng was so persistent, Gu Ming had no choice but to give up the attempt.

For the time being, he would leave part of the Warcraft design to Narita Heng, and Gu Ming planned to take the design drawings and look for other people to try.

Narita Toru's requirements are too high. Although Gu Ming sometimes admires his persistence, he cannot do so when it is his turn to prepare the work.

We have to bring out the real thing quickly!
After all the trouble, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Within half a month, Toei also found someone and produced the first version of the leather case.

However, since it is a prototype, only the Flame Dragon Armor is available.

This time, Gu Ming did not take out Nijia Ben Tatsumi, but Nakayashiki Tetsuya.

Gu Ming agreed to go to America to participate in the behind-the-scenes guidance of Star Wars, so he planned to take Niemoto Tatsumi away and use him for other purposes.

At this moment, everyone gathered around the Flame Dragon suit to observe it, and they found it quite stunning.

There is no doubt about Shotaro Ishimori's aesthetic taste.

This design style, which incorporates Japanese Warring States armor, is quite outstanding.

Several people worked together to put the clothes on Nakayashiki Tetsuya. Once he started moving, the image became even more colorful. The effect was amazing.

Compared with previous leather case designs, the design language is particularly strong and the metal texture is also remarkable.

Gu Ming nodded secretly on the side.

He introduced the design of wearing lycra under suits, which saved the actors in leather suits from having to apply talcum powder. Now it is much easier to change suits and there is no need to get naked in front of everyone.

"Nakayashiki-kun, come and try."

"it is good……"

Nakayashiki Tetsuya agreed sullenly, then suddenly turned over and fell to the ground smoothly.

He danced and stared at the ground for a long time before he got up with difficulty.

Gu Ming frowned slightly and asked Nakayashiki Tetsuya to tell him how he felt.

"No." Nakayashiki Tetsuya smiled bitterly: "It's very heavy! It's very difficult to move." In order to ensure the texture, a layer of armor was added to the outside of the leather suit. Although it has a full sense of design, it is extremely difficult to move. As expected, what Narita Toru said came true.

In fact, he can do it, but it is useless because today's actors cannot wear it like this.

Gu Ming held his forehead and suddenly felt a headache.

This is not an easy thing to deal with!
Since he is an armor warrior, of course he must have a sense of armor.

Small problems are easy to solve, but this big problem requires careful and cautious approach.

Later, the plastic feel of Armor Hero was so strong that Gu Ming couldn't bear to watch it.

"Although Kamen Rider in the 1980s had begun to experiment with muscle materials, the results weren't very good, and they eventually abandoned the padding design, so I should..."

Gu Ming scratched his head, but he really didn't have any good ideas for the time being.

"Let's think about it again. Maybe we can find a way to reduce the weight of the leather suit. I'll also ask someone to simplify it and see if we can make the costume look simpler!"

After Gu Ming finished speaking, he bowed first.

If the suit isn’t made well, then the filming can’t start!
……

……

Speaking of fillers.

In the past, to be precise in the 1960s and 1970s, the filler in special effects works was plaster. Later, with the improvement of rubber technology, a soft material similar to clay was added to the inside of the leather case.

But the weight is still terrifying.

For example, the monster suits in Ultraman can weigh more than 200 kilograms at their heaviest, and the suit actors need to carry almost twice their own weight to move.

So sometimes it’s not that they’re bad at fighting, but it’s just that it’s hard to wear such heavy clothes and still fight.

now.

1980 October.

California, USA.

Industrial Light & Magic Studios.

George Lucas spends most of his time at Industrial Light & Magic, and he needs to supervise it personally.

In a studio filled with a large number of pipes, there is a small green monster.

Master Yoda.

This is the fifth film in the Star Wars series, the second film in the Star Wars series, and the first film in which Master Yoda appears.

——However, in terms of the chronological order, this is not the first work in which he appeared.

This is mainly because the timeline order of Star Wars is different from the shooting order.

At this moment, Industrial Light & Magic is making Master Yoda, the green-skinned monster that people love and hate.

To this end, George Lucas thought of many ways, such as puppets, rag dolls, materials supported by skeletons, or clay sculptures combined with movie special effects, etc.

However, with today's special effects, it is still impossible to achieve the effect he envisioned.

The closest to success was the use of a new material called polyethylene.

Polyethylene was discovered as early as 1922, but it was not put into production until 1977, when it was mass-produced in American laboratories and gradually put into use.

Of course, polyethylene later had another name.

——Foam board.

Although he made a good-looking Master Yoda out of foam, George Lucas soon realized that the material alone was not enough, and American actors could not perform while wearing such a thing.

The foam board has extremely strong thermal insulation properties. After only wearing it for a few minutes, the actor denounced George Lucas's evil heart and was ready to mobilize the union to get George Lucas out.

In the 1980s, when Su Lian was still alive, the union’s demands were like imperial edicts.

Unions are so scary! The author doesn't dare to write about them in depth!

In desperation, George Lucas had to abandon the foam material and instead used a puppet method, combined with movie special effects, to create the design effect of Master Yoda.

There is no way. Labor is too expensive in the United States. People are very delicate and cannot be easily hired.

George Lucas, who had been busy all day, received a transoceanic telegram.

"Oh? It's from Tokyo? Is Shadow Warrior planning to send it to an exhibition? It can only be the Cannes Film Festival at this time."

Although he was invited to be on set, George Lucas was unavailable.

George Lucas thought about it and decided to call Japan to discuss it.

(End of this chapter)