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There're some Mamoru Oshii book lists on the Internet, but they don't have detailed explanations about the contents. My Mamoru Oshii book collection is far from complete, but I'd like to write some short summaries for each of those books.
I apologize in advance for grammatical errors and misinformation.
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title: 「イノセンス」 methods 押井守演出ノート
(methods from LAYOUTS of "INNOCENCE")
release: 02/26/2005
publisher: Kadokawa Shoten
[contents]
composition of kanji
interview with Toshihiko Nishikubo
mechanics
interview with Hiroyuki Okiura
compsition of windows
vertical composition
composition of dolls
composition of human beings
composition of dogs
interview with Tetsuya Nishio
action
composition of tables
composition of absence
interview with Kazuchiika Kise
composition of guns
interview with Shuichi Hirata
composition of virtual images
making of INNOCENCE
[review]
This is a layout collection of INNOCENCE. As you can see in the title, it's the same type of book as Methods Patlabor 2. Oshii explains each of the layouts drawn by animators.
However, the meaning of layouts is pretty different between P2 and INNOCENCE. In the early phase of production, Oshii wanted to make full-3D layouts in INNOCENCE. He wanted to build all the 3D environments in the pre-vis process. He found out that it's impossible due to the budget problem. (Btw, Innocence's budget is estimated to 2 billion yen/ 20 million USD. If it's impossible with that budget, it’s impossible in Japan.) So, Oshii had to rely on 2D layouts again. Yet, many layouts include 3D wireframes or polygon models. They did 3D pre-vis for the alley in the introduction, the convenience store, Kim's mansion, Locus Solus's plant, etc.
Plus, the post-process and the CGI part heavily influenced the work-flow of INNOCENCE. On the other hand, P2's CGI was used in the limited areas of 2D layouts. In Methods P2, I can easily imagine the connection between the layouts and the film. It became a bit difficult in Methods Innocence.
In that kind of sense, this book needs other explanations like the making video in the DVD collectors edition. If you're not a big fan of INNOCENCE nor 3D CGI experiments in anime, I don't recommend this book to you.
Yet, Oshii's logical explanation about shot composition is interesting as always.
I randomly picked some interesting comments:
*the shot where Aramaki stares at a painting in his office
"This is a 'scenery behind a frame'. In other words, it symbolizes the other world. Generally speaking, 'showing something as a painting in anime' is just a self-contradicting behavior. Anime creators usually avoid that problem by changing the reality level of the painting. However, I didn't use that method this time. The reason is... well, you should think by yourself. By the way, you can see some ball-like things around the tree. They're not rocks, but *****. Go check it on the screen or monitor."
*the shot where Hadaly opens her chest hatches
"It was inspired by Bellmer's 'Rose Open at Night'. If you're interested in it, go check it out. Even if it ruins your life, don't blame it on me. The backsides of hatches are colored in red because I wanted to make a contrast between pale skin and red backside. Plus, the red color makes it look like an internal organ. Skin opens like a flower, and internal organs explode. It's a very impactful visual. Another point is the contrast between the body and the emotionless face."
*the shot where Batou and Togusa leave Haraway's office
"Haraway smokes a cigarette again. While she is looking at nothing particular, Togusa looks at her. Batou just climbs the stairs. This is a variation of the basic triangle composition. Like their eyes never meet, they never understand each other. The point is to shoot all those three people in the same frame. The dialogue is just a minor detail. Dialogue has nothing to do with the situation. I tried depicting the scenes without drama in INNOCENCE. This shot exemplifies that kind of philosophy"
