Film buyer credits English skills
Atsuko Matsumoto Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
A crowd of people lining up in front of a cinema to watch a first-run movie is a usual sight on weekends. But for Azusa Nakamura, the sight is something special, and it sustains her in her career.
"I feel like shaking hands with each person in the line and saying, 'Thank you!'" said Nakamura, who works for GAGA Communications Inc.'s Motion Picture Acquisition Division.
"I work hard every day, just for that moment," she added, referring to seeing people who want to watch movies that have been brought to Japan thanks to her involvement in the purchase of their screening rights.
Since Nakamura started working for the major movie distributor six years ago, she has been involved in the acquisition of international films such as Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story and most recently Babel.
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Speed and competition
To a layperson, working in the movie industry sounds like a cool job because you may be allowed to peep at the scripts of future box-office hits, and can often get close enough to internationally acclaimed screen stars and find out what they are really like.
But there is fierce competition within the industry, and the reality is not all rosy.
Japanese buyers, like Nakamura, who are in charge of acquiring movies from licensors--which own the screening rights--are required to make quick decisions and come up with the best offer among many rivals to secure contracts.
"For most American films, we have to decide [whether to buy the movie for release in Japanese cinemas] based purely on the script, and information on the cast and director," Nakamura said.
Sometimes, licensors give her a script and set the following day as a deadline for GAGA to make a purchase decision. With such a process, speed is the key factor in winning the contract. So how do they do it so quickly?
As soon as they receive key information on a new production, buyers receive the script--usually written in English--via e-mail.
"It takes me about four hours to read one script," said Nakamura, who regards herself as a slow reader.
Normally, each page of a script describes a minutelong scene in a movie, so a 100- to to 130-page script comes out as a two-hour movie.
"My boss used to tell me to read scripts as fast as possible. We're supposed to read them at the same speed as the movie plot develops--about two hours. Otherwise, we don't get a feeling for how the story unfolds on the screen," she said.
Of course, with this process, there's no time to look up words in a dictionary or to check the complicated grammatical structures often found in English--the common language of the international film industry.
In addition to being able to read rapidly and precisely in English, negotiating with licensors via e-mail requires that buyers have a high level of writing ability. Communication skills also are essential.
According to Nakamura, at major movie events throughout the year, such as the Berlin Film Festival, buyers and sellers from around the world get together to exchange information.
By building good relationships and maintaining everyday contact with sellers, buyers get the chance to obtain key information on new productions ahead of competitors, giving them the chance to acquire the next smash hit.
Many believe Nakamura must have lived or studied abroad for many years to have achieved such a high standard of English. But her explanation comes as a surprise.
"I didn't grow up abroad and have never lived or studied outside Japan for a long period. Like many other Japanese, I started learning English at middle school," she said.
Having always been an enthusiastic English learner, she spent two weeks in Baltimore, Md., while a high school student, as well as a month each in Adelaide and Brisbane, Australia, while at university.
Nakamura is now involved in the acquisition of about eight theatrically released movies every year. But was it always easy for her to work in such an international environment?
"When I started working for the firm, I was told I could acquire movies without speaking good English. But once I started, I had to use English every day, and I realized that if I didn't improve, it would take three times as long to do my work. So I decided to brush up my English skills," she said.
Behind the glitzy facade of this seemingly glamorous industry, modest low-key efforts are essential. As a fresh recruit, Nakamura worked until late at night, and didn't have time to attend an English school. Instead, she listened to CDs of business English phrases while commuting by train, and created her own flash cards for new vocabulary and unfamiliar terms, which were often used in her seniors' e-mails and movie contracts.
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Movies as a life changer
Many Japanese who watch English-language movies are encouraged to study English enough to understand dialogue without the help of Japanese subtitles. In this respect Nakamura's passion--which continues to the present day--is no exception.
"I still remember--it was Feb. 1, while I was a first-year middle school student that I encountered the film that got me interested in other countries and the English language. Since then I've strongly desired to speak the language," she recalled, saying the day was a turning point in her life.
That film was The Bodyguard, a smash hit starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner.
As a person working in the film industry teeming with avid movie buffs, she admits she often felt embarrassed declaring this movie to be her favorite. But the film had such a strong impact on her that she felt, for the first time, that movies have the power to change a person's life.
Nakamura hopes that other people will be similarly inspired by movies, just as she was by The Bodyguard.
"I want many people to encounter a film that can change their lives, just as happened to me," said Nakamura, who believes that bringing such movies to Japanese screens is her mission in life.
Her wish may soon come true with Babel--the latest film to arrive in Japan thanks to her efforts.
Having already earned international acclaim, the movie, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, has been drawing the public's attention after Japanese actor Rinko Kikuchi was nominated for an Oscar. However, since receiving the film's script in March 2005, Nakamura has experienced many challenges and difficulties.
Security for the script--which was printed with black ink on bright red paper--was very tight, to stop anyone from photocopying it, giving the impression that this was no ordinary script.
"The story was very complicated, but I could tell it was going to be a great movie," she recalled.
From booking accommodation and sorting out schedules for the Japanese cast at the Cannes Film Festival--at which the movie was premiered--to meeting constant deadlines during the promotion process, Nakamura said, "It was five times more intensive compared to the other movies I've worked on."
But her efforts will be rewarded Saturday with the film's release across the country.
Having worked in the industry, she has met people from many countries and cultures from around the globe. She said English is vital for communicating with and learning from such people.
Without English, she would not be in the position she currently enjoys.
"English isn't a talent, but then it's not something you suddenly find yourself capable of either. But with incentive and effort, anyone can master it. With desire alone, various future pathways are open to you with English," Nakamura said.
Once a middle school student dreaming of working in the film industry, today Nakamura swiftly turns the pages of new scripts, hoping to see more long lines forming in front of cinemas.
(Apr. 27, 2007)