IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR AS WE KNOW IT! And I Feel Fine!

Teruyoshi Nakano comments on the design of Shin Godzilla. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, December 11, I was pleased to attend another special event with Teruyoshi Nakano and other guests. Nakano-san was the Godzilla SFX director at Toho between 1971 and 1984, and he SFX-directed such other films as Submersion of Japan (1973) and Princess from the Moon (1987). 

Takashi Naganuma studies Shin Godzilla. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was Takashi Naganuma, who worked on Toho SFX from the 1970s until the '90s. It's always great to see Naganuma-san, and I was happy for the opportunity to thank him again for inviting me to his launch party last month. 

Optical effects maestro Sadao Iizuka is all smiles at the event. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another special guest was Sadao Iizuka, the man who animated Godzilla's ray, King Ghidorah's gravity beams, and Ultraman's Specium Ray. His SFX career dates back to Godzilla (1954), making any appearance of his extra special. 

The event began with a screening of Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, which I'm told was the first time Nakano-san had ever seen it. I skipped the screening, have just seen the film last week, and I wasn't exactly in the mood to watch it all over again. I arrived right after the movie wrapped, so I timed my arrival pretty well.

The Q&A session was quite interesting. One tidbit is that, according to Nakano-san, suit builder Teizo Toshimitsu based the texture of Godzilla's skin on umeboshi (pickled plums) seeds.

Still, it wasn't all just serious talk, as the photo above proves. Believe it or not, this pose was actually, Nakano-san's suggestion. He has a great sense of humor, and this photo is just one example. Suffice it to say, I had a blast!