"About five years ago, I was having dinner with music writer Ryohei Matsunaga and the late Fuji TV producer Shoichi Kuroki. At the time, Matsunaga mentioned New Hakuba, and when I searched it, photos of a large hall-style cabaret came up. I was quite surprised. After that, I found out that New Hakuba was included in Sakamoto's 2022 tour dates.
Having directed the video for Yura Yura Teikoku's Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in 2009, I knew that Sakamoto himself wasn't particularly interested in recording live footage. But I absolutely wanted to film New Hakuba's live performance, and although it may be a bit of an exaggeration to call it a divine calling, I contacted Sakamoto. At first he was reluctant, but I suggested shooting it on 16mm film and he agreed.
At the time, I was working on the TV drama "Elpis - Hope or Disaster" with the filmmaker Toyotaro Shigemori, and when I discussed the New Hakuba project with him, he told me that Kodak was encouraging and supporting filming on 16mm film. Since it was a self-financed production, it was a godsend. I gathered six cameras, a cameraman, and an assistant who could change the film, and we were able to get started."
The 16mm film used this time had a shooting time of about 11 minutes per roll. The timing of film changes was calculated and the operation of the six cameras was slightly staggered as the filming progressed. However, there were some thrilling moments, such as when four cameras stopped working at the same time.
"The set was like a battlefield, I'll never be able to shoot like that again (laughs). The set list for the concert itself was fantastic, starting off softly with songs like 'That Was Illegal' and 'The Birth of a Super Cult' and gradually building up excitement.
The three band members have remained the same since Sakamoto-san began performing solo concerts in Japan in 2018. They're not virtuoso, but in fact they perform with an incredibly high level of difficulty. When I saw Yura Yura Teikoku's live performance in the latter half of the band, I thought, "Maybe we'll never see a band better than this," but I think the current Sakamoto Shintaro Band has a different approach, creating the ultimate groove and stability. Adding the magic of New Hakuba to that performance made it even better than I could have imagined. I'm sure Sakamoto-san was pleased."
Director Daikon, who had a huge hit with the Netflix drama series "Jijinsha-tachi" in 2012, said with a blush that he thought the live broadcast of Sakamoto's concert as his next project would be "a pretty cool lineup, even for me."
"I made this with the desire to preserve the splendor of Sakamoto-san's live performance as a cultural heritage for music fans 100 years from now, so I want as many people as possible to see it. When I'm often asked about my 'best work,' I get embarrassed and try to avoid answering. In my heart, I've always mentioned the Yura Yura Teikoku live performance in 2009. But I'm proud to say that 'Sakamoto Shintaro LIVE 2022' is my best work."
