Very few Americans can say they’ve worked directly on Japanese Godzilla films. So few, in fact, that you can count them on one finger. Yoko Higuchi, co-founder of Resistance Pictures, was one of those lucky individuals, having the opportunity to become a Production Assistant (PA) on set of Toho’s 2016 revival of the King of the Monsters, titled Shin Godzilla. An aspiring independent filmmaker from New York, Yoko traveled to Japan after an intense virtual interview process, and got to do what many fans only dream of doing. One of our own, Nick Crispino, got to sit down with him face-to-face, and hear the full inside story of what it was like working on a modern Godzilla film, and the lessons it gave Yoko in his own aspirations as a film director. We are proud to debut this as our first recorded in-person interview, as well as a transcribed text version, available below.
Interviewer – Nick Crispino (Bold)
Interviewee – Yoko Higuchi (Italics)
Nick Crispino: Hello, Kaiju United! My name is Nick Crispino, and I am here with Yoko Higuchi! He is a New York-based independent filmmaker, cinema enthusiast, and the reason I asked him to come here today: he was a Production Assistant on Shin Godzilla (2016). Yoko, how are you doing today?
Yoko Higuchi: I’m doing great! Thanks for having me!
Nick Crispino: Let’s just jump right in at the very beginning. How did you get this job [Shin Godzilla]?
That is a story I have been asked about many, many times. It’s sort of an impossible kind of story if you think about it. Personally, I don’t think it’s quite that impressive, but I’m always told it’s incredible that I got to do it. I think my first exposure to what would become Shin Godzilla, was the announcement of “Godzilla 2016”, the working title at the time, being in production. I thought to myself, oh, that’s pretty cool! They’re making a brand-new Japanese Godzilla movie, that’s awesome. I didn’t think about joining the production at that stage.
However, it was further announced that the new film’s directors would be Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi and being a huge evangelion fan and admirer of both directors’ bodies of work, it was a true dream come true moment for me as a fan. As a filmmaker, I thought, I absolutely had to see them work. I had to see them in their vicinity, in their element, to see how these directors, well, directed. I drafted an English email to Toho Studios, the production house of Godzilla for those that don’t know. I unfortunately cannot read or write Japanese, so I had my mom translate it a Japanese draft, and we sent both, by mail, and digitally, as mentioned.
Two prong attack!
Exactly. If one doesn’t work, maybe the other will! When I wrote that letter, I thought, I’m just going to do it, and take the leap. It probably won’t happen, it’s just a shot in the dark. I will just shoot my shot, and not weigh my expectations on it even being a thing. In fact, two months passed after I did this, and honestly, I had completely forgotten about the letter completely. But, at some point, I get an email….in Japanese….and the email address had “Toho” on it.
I cannot read Japanese, as I mentioned, but the headline did say “Gojira” ゴジラ, so was like, woah, okay this is something.
Was “Gojira” in English or Japanese?
Full Japanese. The email was too. I had to rush home and be like “Mom! What does this say?”. She read over it for me, and a look of pure shock came over her face. I was like, come on, tell me what it says! So, she told me, they wanted to do a Skype interview with me about the prospect of being a production assistant. At first, I was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing! But then, the thought came in, where I went, oh… I have to do a job interview in a language that is not my first, and that I am (at the time) still actively learning. So basically, pure joy and excitement, and then fear set in quickly. I did the interview, and I spoke with the line producer and some of the other guys at the office. Interestingly, behind them, there was a huge wall of storyboards and artwork, all the pre-production stuff for the movie. I was already losing my mind! They said okay, we’ll contact you in a few days, and exited the interview. That was at around 8pm, so like, 9am in Japan.
People typically check their phones or social media before going to bed, and I vividly recall checking mine like it was any other evening. I refreshed my email, and there were TWO emails from Toho, both in Japanese. I had mom come read it over again, and this time, there was shock on her face again, but times ten. I inquired like the first email, and this time, she just did not respond for at least ten seconds or so. She went completely silent, and then uttered three words.
You. Got. In.
I didn’t react. I couldn’t smile or move.
Just completely catatonic?
Yeah, exactly. I was just completely stunned, like, this is a dream, right? Hit my face, I must be dreaming right now! Wake up! This is not happening!
And then the second email was like a map of how to get to Toho Studios and get a guest pass and stuff. It really was a miraculous moment; it was supposed to be just a shot in the dark. I truly didn’t think it was actually going to happen. But, somehow, it worked!
So, you get the job. You go to Japan. What was it like? Did they just throw you right in? Was there any kind of prep time? Like, here’s what you’re going to do. Some kind of training phase?
It was a mix of both! Filming had not started yet when I walked into the production office. I left New York in late July, and my “pre-meet”, pretty much my trial day before my first official workday. The first true day of work was slated to be August 1. So, like four other coworkers on this production and I had to read the script in the office. At that time, it said “Shin Godzilla” on it, so the title was confirmed. It was my personal copy of the script, I got to keep it; it’s mine. I sit down, and I go to read it…. And I’m like oh. I cannot read this.
What I’m fortunate to say, is, the Japanese crew were so understanding and gracious about that. I cannot thank them for being so accommodating. So, they just made me watch some Shinji Higuchi movies that I had not seen yet. I sat in the office and watched Japan Sinks, which I hadn’t seen at the time, and then I went to the theater to see his live-action Attack on Titan movie that was debuting on the big screen. It was much more so me getting acquainted with the office, the people…
And getting familiar with Higuchi-San’s work.
Right on. For that first month of August, we went on a bunch of location scouts. It was very low-key at the time; it wasn’t very busy. Mostly 8-hour days at the office; things wouldn’t ramp up until actual production phase began.
What were your primary duties? What “unit” were you in? I’ve heard you on different podcasts talk about your story. You mentioned that there were three different filming units — titled A, B, and C. If I’m not mistaken, you were on unit B?
Yes, but I was originally on Unit A towards the beginning of production. Unit B had not begun production of the Tokusatsu effects quite yet. So, I was in A for about, I’d say, two-ish weeks. At some point during that time, the Godzilla animatronic arrives at Toho Studios, and after that day, the Toho Staff said, hey, this kid came all the way from New York to work on this Godzilla film, so let’s get him as close to Godzilla as possible. So, they moved me over to the Toku production unit [B], and some of the others got assigned to Unit A. I was one of the few [Production Assistants] on B, I think it was me and one other PA working alongside me.
To answer your question about what tasks I did — to put it simply, everything. As a production assistant, on A I had to make sure the offices were clean and organized, I had to set up the snack bars and make sure there was hot coffee brewing and tea in the fridge. Once I got to production on the “B” unit, a whole different assortment of tasks were placed on me. I had to clean up the debris from explosions, and funny enough, mop up Godzilla’s blood from the floor. It was interesting! It was a very hectic and taxing experience physically, but emotionally, I was having the time of my life. It was fun, but at the end of the day, when I got back to my aunt’s house (where I was staying), I’d just collapse and crash, and then wake up at 5 in the morning the next day and be like, hey, I’m back! Time to do it all over again!
You mentioned explosions and Godzilla’s blood. Can you elaborate on that?
Sure! A lot of the explosions that go off on Godzilla were shot on this chroma key ball. It’s basically this blue ball with different explosives and angles. They have two cameras fixed on these two locations that would ultimately be represented with Godzilla’s CG model, and they would just trigger explosions all over this ball. When there’s a literal explosion happening in the room, there’s a lot of debris that goes everywhere. So, I had to sweep that up, or, in extreme cases, if it caught on fire, I’d just dab it with a we towel.
For Godzilla’s blood, it was kind of just all over the floor. It was a group effort to just come together and mop it all up after shooting. That’s something that surprised me a lot about this production – it wasn’t just the PAs doing the cleaning and organizing, it was everyone. In a Hollywood shoot, it’s different. Everyone has their specific job, and that person only does that job. With Japanese films, everyone kind of did everything. Everyone multitasks. And even if you’re the special effects director, you’re also doing some other things as well. That was kind of a culture shock to me, I always associated filmmaking with the Hollywood model of things. For example, you’re the scriptie, you hold the script and ensure continuity is maintained. You’re the PA, you have to help everyone else around you. In a Japanese production, it was a lot more collaborative, and felt more like a family unit. We all got really close to each other and bonded through the work.
Did that take some pressure off you? I assume when you were on your way to Japan, you were like, oh my god, I’m about to work on a Godzilla movie. You’d get nervous, I’d imagine. When you discovered that it was “everyone’s here, we’re a team”, did that help you out?
Oh yes, much so. Not only emotionally, but physically as well. Again, I was so blessed to work with what may be the greatest crew in the world. Everyone’s so nice, they’re all so skilled. We were having a great time. No matter how serious and stressful it got, we were all still jovial and positive. A lot of the other guys that worked on this production had prior experience working on other tokusatsu fare, and you can tell, this is something that they truly love to do. I felt that passion throughout. Of course, there were moments where things went wrong, some shots just didn’t work, but despite that, it ended up being a very healthy work experience. So, yes, I would say that environment was crucial to our overall happiness on set.
Have you retained any relationships with the individuals you worked with?
I have! In fact, when I go to Japan, I always meet up with some of the guys I got close to during the making of the movie. It’s always nice to catch up and see how they’re doing, and I share how I’m doing as a filmmaker in New York, because it’s such a considerable distance away. I don’t get to see them very much, but it’s always nice catching up where we left off. Of course, I’ve met Shinji Higuchi a few times after the production. He’s even come back to my hotel room to hang out with me— it was me, Higuchi-San, the assistant director, and the Tokusatsu cinematographer. We were all in my hotel, they brought beers, and we were just having a great time! It was very, very fun!
On and off-set, what’s Shinji Higuchi like?
Words cannot describe how much I love this man.
It sounds like he went from being your higher up to like, your buddy.
Yes, very much so. Him and Anno are of course, the architects of this movie. There’s so much the two of them have put into this together on the film. On paper, they’re the big director duo. You may go into this a little intimidated by their presence. I know I was at first, I was always very calm and quiet around him. But he’s just this very happy, jokey person. He presents himself as this, almost, like, buffoon. But then the cameras start rolling, and he’s just laser focused. He attracts you by his levity. But you see him work, and you can truly see what a visionary he is. That’s something I really admired about him, he wants to be interpersonal and make sure everyone’s happy and having a good time, but when he needs to focus and get stuff done, he really is in director mode. He knows how to get what he wants.
So, he’s a guy that loves to have fun, but can get serious when he needs to be.
Exactly, exactly. It’s funny because he is the direct opposite of Anno.
I was about to ask that! Anyone that knows a thing or two about Anno knows that he’s kind of a shy person, doesn’t like to be around people a lot. On one hand, you have the shy introvert, and then the friendly extrovert. Then, their worlds collide, and they create this incredible production.
They are an almost perfect Yin and Yang for each other. I can see why they’ve become such close friends throughout the years. Seeing them together was rare for me, as they were mostly in A unit, and I was in B, it’s truly a delight to see. Their banter off each other is a delight, Higuchi is more jokey, Anno isn’t quite stoic, but perhaps closed off. Seeing them interact together as one directing force is incredible. My few personal interactions with Anno were very memorable. He is exactly who I thought he would be, but potentially even better. It’s such an amusing thing to see. Evangelion is one of the reasons I wanted to become a filmmaker, it was hugely inspirational to me. Working underneath him was like seeing Goliath above you, this massive figure that has changed and shaped your entire life is right there. Of course, shy, quiet, introverted are words that may describe him, but he’s not as shy as you think. He’s not as cold or distant as some people kind of portray him to be. He’s very soft-spoken, human, and very, very kind.
It was amazing to see the two directing styles collide. Not like, clash, in a conflict sort of way, but more of blossoming together in a beautiful way.
Let’s bring it back to being on set. Was there a day that was more memorable than the rest?
Probably the day I got to see Godzilla [the animatronic] with my own eyes. That day was glorious. I was in the office… I don’t remember what I was doing, but one of my coworkers approached me and said, hey, Godzilla is here! I was like, what? Godzilla is here. What does that mean? Do you mean like, Haruo Nakajima is here? What are you talking about? And, he was like, no, no, the animatronic is here.
I was a bit taken back by that, as I had thought it would be a man in a suit, or CG, since that’s how we’ve always known Godzilla. You get the Gareth Edwards CGI Godzilla, or you get the classic tokusatsu suit Godzilla. There was never really a fully functioning animatronic. I was shocked by this. It was used for a few shots, but it was present the entire production. I had no prior viewing of what this Godzilla looked like, so my look of surprise was tenfold when I walked in the office and saw this red, zombified, rotten, disfigured dinosaur body. This sounds like an exaggeration, but I say this every time I tell the story. I couldn’t walk forward; it just struck me. I just had a sense of fear go down my spine! After a moment I was able to get close to him and get a look at him, but it was shocking to see Godzilla look like that. It was such a terrifying design. I vividly remember days where I would be alone with that animatronic after everyone at the office had left.
You had alone time with Godzilla!
I didn’t ask for it, I didn’t plan! But I got my alone time with him. Everyone had left for the day, and there was this one spotlight left on Godzilla in the studio, standing in front of the blue screen. I cried like a little boy.
Were you half expecting him to come alive and be like, “Yoko, you can do anything you put your mind to”? Like, one of those cheesy moments in movies.
Honestly, a little….
I thought it was Toy Story logic. Everyone’s gone, and I’m Andy, maybe he will come to life, and say “Welcome to a Godzilla set! You made it!”. At some point, I couldn’t stop crying. It was this lifelong emotional catharsis for me. There was this moment when I was looking at him, and all these memories, like the time I watched my very first Godzilla film, started flooding back into my head, and I looked down, and there was this little puddle of my tears underneath me. It was such an emotional moment — I was alone with him and took a few pictures with him.
That was the perfect day. But there were tons of days that were super memorable! I have tons of stories that come to mind—like giving Anno his lunch, seeing Hideaki Anno with the Mad Max: Fury Road V8 wheel over his head… for some reason he had that in his office.
Please elaborate on that last fact.
Okay, so, I was in the office, and he walked in with the V8 steering wheel. He just showed it off to everyone, like, hey, look at this! They all loved Mad Max: Fury Road. We were working on the film when it came to theaters in Japan, and it was immensely popular with the crew. The cinematographer was obsessed. He saw it like every week in the theater, he can quote every line, even if the film is in English, and he knows every action tidbit of the film. Anno brought the steering wheel to set again, and we screened [Mad Max] Fury Road during one of our breaks. The cinematographer was steering the wheel to the action unfolding the entire time we were watching the movie. It was incredible, and a weird sort-of moment seeing these filmmakers geek out about another filmmaker’s work, and that was very fun to see.
That’s too much fun.
When did you leave Japan for the states?
I left Tokyo on December 1, 2015. It was three weeks after production ended, and I had some down time. I went back in late June of next year before the movie came out.
Okay, so you got to see buzz about the film in both countries. Was there a difference in anticipation, or more rather, do the Japanese geek out about Godzilla like the Americans do? When I think about the Godzilla fandom in the west, I think about all these online groups, message boards from back in the day. There are countless Instagram fan pages. Do they geek out like that in Japan?
It’s sort of a mix of both. In Japan, Godzilla, Ultraman, Gamera, and all these kaiju and tokusatsu heroes are kind of like our Marvel and DC. That is the most mainstream thing in the country. So, for us Godzilla fans in the states, we’re like, for a lack of a better term, more feverish and niche about the franchise. So, that’s why I think there’s more passion for it. We need to sort of gather this small community of individuals that really love Godzilla. On the contrary, everyone in Japan pretty much watches Godzilla, knows about it, so it isn’t as intense. But there are also hardcore Godzilla fans out there in Japan. Most of the time, people have pretty much seen one or two of the movies, and obviously know it’s about a giant dinosaur that comes out of the ocean and destroys Tokyo. Interestingly, speaking with some of the people that didn’t know much about G in the lead up to Shin Godzilla, people were a bit surprised by the nuclear allegory. People have kind of forgotten that Godzilla is sort of an amalgam allegory, and that’s been lost over the years, through the countless sequels there have been.
When people think of Godzilla, they think of him fighting Mothra, Ghidorah, or Rodan. That was sort-of a shock for the Japanese public, at least from what I witnessed, when Shin Godzilla premiered. They were reminded of the deeply rooted nuclear allegory that the creature contains. I think the fandom was intensified in Japan because of Anno and Higuchi. That was sort of the big draw— the guys that made Evangelion are making Godzilla! That became a bigger culture phenomenon after they saw the movie. Definitely a different technique of hype-building. Evangelion was a gigantic draw at the time; they even did a Godzilla Vs. Evangelion merch line in 2016 to make the point even more obvious.
I remember when I was present around the time of theatrical release, the film’s presence was everywhere. There were posters all over the place, billboards, that iconic toho theater with the Godzilla head had a huge Shin banner. It was a big event movie; everyone was talking about it. In fact, it was sold out in theaters everywhere I went. I had to get tickets in advance to go with my family and see it, and every time I did, it was a packed theater, full of people. After the screening, the lobby was just crowded, filled to the brim with people wearing Godzilla t-shirts. I also saw some Americans there who traveled all the way out there to see the film! It was this big event, and that was nice to see, since Toho hadn’t made a Godzilla film since [Godzilla] Final Wars.
Super interesting!
You are obviously an Anno fanatic. How hard was it to keep your composure when working directly under him?
Oh, of course, it was very hard. Seeing your hero right in front of you and keeping cool is a daunting task. In one of our first interactions, I was stupid and wore an Evangelion t-shirt to set that day. You’re so tired from working on set all day, and you just pick up a shirt, put it on, and leave without ever thinking about it. So, I was wearing an Evangelion shirt. It was from the 2.0 film, the scene with the third impact, and unit 1.0 is holding the core. I go to the studio, I work in the office, and it was presumably a quiet day. My coworker came in, and was like, Anno is going to hold a meeting over there across the studio space about previsual stuff. He might share some story stuff, too. Wanna go?
I couldn’t pass up this opportunity and say no to seeing Mr. Anno. So, I’m walking across the studio, I sit down, and I’m like okay, it will probably start in like ten minutes or so. I look down, and I’m like, oh no! I’m wearing an Evangelion shirt in a meeting with Hideaki Anno! I was mortified. I didn’t want him to come into the office, turn, and see this 20-year-old kid in an Evangelion t-shirt. So, the whole time during the previs meeting, I had my arms folded up across my chest to try and cover up the logo. It was a very intimidating, but surreal experience to be working under him.
I remember the first time I gave him his lunch, I kind of went into the bathroom and cried. Obviously, [Stephen] Spielberg is a huge hero of mine, so it was like giving Spielberg his lunch for the day. It was such a surreal moment; I couldn’t believe it was happening. I had to pinch myself, I was in denial!
Here’s another story. So, two years after production wrapped, and the Blu-ray was out, I went back to Japan to meet all the guys and say hello and buy the disc. At the same time, they had this Shin Godzilla Vs Evangelion symphonic concert going on, and I went to that. As I got to my seat, I heard, “Yoko? Is that you?”. I looked over, and there’s Shinji Higuchi, the cinematographer, the AD, and their group. They were like, why are you here? And I went, for this, of course!
Did they invite you to the cool section?
Unfortunately, we had to stick to our reserved seats, so we all separated out for the actual concert. The concert, of course, was incredible. I got to see Shirō Sagisu, the composer for Shin Godzilla and Evangelion at the concert hall.
After the show, they invited me to dinner, and at some point, in the night, they brought up being able to attend the after-party of the concert. I was like, oh boy, now that’s happening. So, we all got into two cars, and went out to this venue. We walk in, and there’s literally everybody. There’s Anno, Higuchi, Sagisu, the whole crew. The voice actors for Rei, the singer for the Cruel Angel’s Thesis theme song, is there. I’m into this complete sense of euphoria.
You must have been like, what did I do to deserve this greatness? You have the cast of Evangelion, the producers, directors, everybody.
Oh yeah, I was like, am I here right now? This is a game show, right? Am I being punked right now?
So, one of the guys there, was the actor from Shin Godzilla, Hiroki Hasegawa. Do you remember the guy that smacks the water bottle on his character’s chest and is like “Calm down.”? So, he and I became close, I got to show him around New York. Previously, at the wrap party for Shin Godzilla, he was like, oh you’re from New York. I’m coming over. Do you want to meet up? And so, I showed him around town, we ate dinner a few times. We grew as friends. He saw me at this current after-party and was like Yoko! Come here!
“Do you want to meet Anno? Do you want to talk to him?”
I’m like, oh god. Don’t do this to me. But he does anyway. He grabs my wrist and drags me over. I can see that he’s with a few other guys, and I try and say that he looks busy, and that we should leave him alone. He tapped Anno’s shoulder and was like, Hi, Anno! This is one of the production assistants! Anno, of course, was thankful for my work on the film. He probably wouldn’t remember every single Production Assistant, so it was a solid, generous answer. In a big spiel, I basically said, thank you for inspiring me; Evangelion was a huge influence and impact on my life.
Do you know what his answer was? “I’m sorry.”
I’m sorry?
Right? And then he said, the industry is very tough. It’s a very difficult place for any artist to work in. Keep working.
At least he was honest.
Exactly. He is the kind person that cannot take compliments for the life of him. And here he is, seeing this kid, that sees him as a hero, and he just will not take the compliment at all. One of the happiest moments of my life was being able to personally thank Anno for inspiring me to become a filmmaker. That was such a dream come true.
Were his words sort of humbling, in a way? Perhaps putting things into perspective for you, like, he’s right, this is a tough industry to get into, and I got this position just because I mailed off a few letters. This was a one in a million chance. Did it change the way you looked at your entire experience working on the film?
100%. I know just how hard it is to break into the film industry, especially Hollywood. To hear those words felt more genuine and human, instead of something like “Keep up the good work!” “Good job! You’ll make it someday!”
Sort of like that false positivity people say and don’t mean.
Precisely. That was the most honest answer that anybody could give. And selfishly, that was the most Anno answer that he could give. It was a good learning lesson, having my hero tell me directly that this was a tough business to enter, and that you’re going to suffer in it. After the years have gone on, I think those words have stuck with me even more so than when he first said it to me. It really rings true.
They were words you needed to hear.
They were also words I wanted to hear because it was Anno. Haha. But you’re right, I really needed to hear it.
You are an independent filmmaker based here in New York. You’re the founder of Resistance Pictures. Since being a Production Assistant on Shin Godzilla, have you implemented anything you learned on set into your own filmmaking?
Yes. It wasn’t anything in particular, but it was mostly time management. Because of the nature of the stress on Shin Godzilla, we worked speedily, quickly, efficiently, but we also tried to be as safe as possible doing so. It’s not safe to be around explosives, or Godzilla’s blood. In the scene where Godzilla’s second form causes all the floods, that water is practical. It’s not a very safe thing to do if you don’t know what you are doing. So, we had to quickly and efficiently do everything in a manner that was safe and true to what the vision was. That mindset I brought back from Japan to utilize in my productions and crew— we have to be efficient as possible, but at the same time, do the effect or shot we need to do that perfectly represents the vision of the director—usually being me. It was a lot of lessons about time management, managing the crew, managing the actors. I grew a lot from that harsh experience working on Shin Godzilla. It was the most beautiful thing to happen to me, but also the most grueling thing that’s ever happened to me. I want to emphasize to everyone reading this, that this was a great experience in my life, but it was true suffering. We all worked so hard, and if you really want to do film, you must be ready to do the struggle, the hardship, and the compromise across the board. Anno’s words really ring true. It’s tough. It really is tough. You must have nerves of steel, and the most willpower to get through any aspect of the film industry. I tried to implement that as much as possible in my own film work with Resistance Pictures.
Despite all of that, you have some major clout amongst Godzilla fans. You worked on an actual Godzilla film, you saw Godzilla himself, you met the director, producer, and have maintained relationships with these people. So, despite all of that, you are a top tier Godzilla fan in my opinion.
I always think that I don’t deserve this clout. Every time I hear somebody that’s like, oh, I found you on the internet, I just retort that I was just a PA and I’m just a guy like you! I’m a cog in a big machine, I don’t deserve praise yet. But I am truly flattered that so many people have reached out to me to hear my stories and experiences, and it’s been almost ten years since I walked onto that set. I am 28 now and was 20 when I worked on the film, and to hear how much love and gushing responses for not only the movie, but also the production aspects, it’s been very humbling for me. I just want to thank everyone who’s reached out. It’s been such a journey. And I want to thank you for having me too.
You say you’re just a Production Assistant. Were you expecting any of this crazy stuff to unravel when you were accepted to work on this film? Did you think, nah, I’m just going to fly there, be a glorified intern, and fly back?
I didn’t think people would notice, or stuff like this interview would happen. I didn’t think as a Godzilla fan, that this story would be told. I wanted to show up, do the work, and see my name scroll up in the credits. Those were my ambitions mostly. And then people noticed and caught wind and continued to ask about my story. Really, I’m just a PA. They’re like, you did such great work, and I’m like, I’m just me.
I only mopped up Godzilla’s blood!
Look at all these guys! They’re the geniuses here! I just helped them. So, again, I am so grateful that everyone has been so kind and loving to me. But in my head, I question if I deserve this.
It’s impostor syndrome.
Yes, exactly. Thank you. I think the greatest thing with this experience and the story coming out about it is that I was able to give insight on the production of the film to others. Most of the time, you don’t hear stories about productions on films. Like, who’s ever talked about being a PA on the set of a Hollywood film, something like Avengers: Endgame, or Avatar: The Way of Water. You don’t really know how films are made besides what the behind-the-scenes clips tell you. I love the opportunity of giving my own personal experience to show other people like me, who are up and coming filmmakers, what it is really like working on these film sets. I didn’t have this when I was young when I did this at 20. This info didn’t really happen. It was always directors talking about the experiences on set years and years after the fact. It’s more of a creative decision with them. But for me, I saw all the technical aspects of the film, so it gave me the chance to inform people how movies are made and how hard it is. To really share my struggles.
You give people perspective! When I was a kid, I was like, oh, I’m going to make movies and be just like Spielberg! I thought it was so easy, but it’s truly grueling work. I think that’s why you and your story are so essential. It gives some realistic, real-world perspective, like hey, it’s not just dream it and you can do it. It’s like Anno said, I’m sorry, it’s grueling, tough as nails, and painful. People can know what to expect going in.
Kaiju United, this was Yoko Higuchi!
Thank you so much for having me, it’s been a true pleasure!
About Yoko Higuchi
An independent filmmaker living in New York, aspiring to one day be a film director in Hollywood. Founder of Resistance Pictures.
Yoko Higuchi Linktree
Resistance Pictures Socials:
YouTube
Twitter/X
Instagram
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