Hayao Miyazaki & The Art of Silence — How to Direct Powerful Scenes Where Nothing Happens

Подробнее о видео

Hayao Miyazaki’s Moments of Silence — An exploration of how auteur Hayao Miyazaki has perfected the use of “emptiness” in films like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro.

Best Hayao Miyazaki Movies ►►
StudioBinder Blog ►►

─────────────────────

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro to the films of Hayao Miyazaki
00:51 - Miyazaki describes 'Ma'
02:40 - Chapter 1: Underlining Themes
04:25 - Chapter 2: Immersive Experience
06:02 - Chapter 3: Pacing
07:47 - Final Thoughts/Takeaways

─────────────────────

HAYAO MIYAZAKI’S MOMENTS OF SILENCE

Beyond his boundless imagination and abilities as a storyteller, one thing Hayao Miyazaki does better than anyone is silence. He’s more than just unafraid to let quietness creep into his films. He embraces those moments and often makes them the most compelling. In this Hayao Miyazaki analysis, we’ll look at these moments of silence in detail, including the Spirited Away train scene, the My Neighbor Totoro bus stop scene, and a midday picnic scene in Howl’s Moving Castle.

HAYAO MIYAZAKI INTERVIEW — ‘MA’

Around the time Spirited Away was released, Roger Ebert sat down with Miyazaki for an interview. After Ebert pointed out Miyazaki’s tendency to include scenes that seemed to exist outside of the plot, focusing more on presenting the character and the natural world around them. Miyazaki admitted that these were intentional decisions based on a concept called ‘ma’ or emptiness. When Miyazaki clapped his hands a couple of times, he explained that the “time between claps” is ‘ma.’ And that storytellers would benefit from utilizing those empty spaces to help tell richer, more immersive stories that capture characters' emotions and empathy instead of a constant drive to resolve the plot.

UNDERLINING THEME IN HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE

One of the benefits of ‘ma’ we see in Howl’s Moving Castle is the juxtaposition of two very different scenes. The first is an idyllic picnic on the shores of Star Lake as Sophie and Merkl enjoy a tranquil and peaceful afternoon. This is followed immediately by Howl soaring over the destruction of a city by airborne bombers. Man’s relationship with war is a major theme in Hayao Miyazaki films, and using these two scenes back to back is a much stronger thematic statement.

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE IN MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO

Another way Miyazaki uses ‘ma’ is to create a more immersive experience for the audience. It can be difficult for any film, especially animation, to transport the audience out of their normal lives and into the film. But in the My Neighbor Totoro bus stop scene, Miyazaki gives us the time and the silence to feel like we have joined Satsuki and Mei as they wait for their father on a drizzly night. The lack of music and the soft patter of rain lulls us into the scene in a way that most films don’t allow us the time to do.

NON-TRADITIONAL PACING IN SPIRITED AWAY

The Spirited Away train scene is perhaps the most famous scene in the movie (and perhaps in the whole of Hayao Miyazaki films overall). Coming in the middle of the third act, when the plot should be hurtling towards the climax, we find ourselves riding a quiet train with Chihiro for minutes as she contemplates everything that has happened to her and what may happen to her friend and parents if she is unable to help them. A film with traditional Hollywood pacing would not take such a break at this moment, which is what makes it so unexpected and resonant.

Hayao Miyazaki is not the first or last director to build a pause into their films, but he just might be the best.


#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking

─────────────────────

♬ SONGS USED:

"Nighttime Coming" - Joe Hisaishi
"One Summer's Day" - Joe Hisaishi
"Evening At The Ironworks" - Joe Hisaishi
"The Merry-go-round of Life (Opening)" - Joe Hisaishi
"Bygone Days" - Joe Hisaishi
"A Journey (A Dream of Flight)" - Joe Hisaishi
"Love of War" - Joe Hisaishi
"To the Lake of Stars" - Joe Hisaishi
"On a Clear Day" - Joe Hisaishi
"Totoro" - Joe Hisaishi
"Addio!" - Joe Hisaishi
"The Sixth Station" - Joe Hisaishi
"A Town with an Ocean View" - Joe Hisaishi
"The Huge Tree in the Tsuka Forest" - Joe Hisaishi
"The Path Of The Wind (Instrumental)" - Joe Hisaishi

Music by Artlist ►
Music by Artgrid ►
Music by Soundstripe ►
Music by MusicBed ►

─────────────────────

SUBSCRIBE to StudioBinder’s YouTube channel! ►►

Looking for a production management solution for your film? Try StudioBinder for FREE today:

— Join us on Social Media! —

Instagram ►►
Facebook ►►
Twitter ►►