This is an Edited Translation from 2001 edition 
of the ALC MAGAZINE

Edited by Yuriko Yamaki


Mr. Yasuaki Nakajima
 
Born 1972, Hokkaido, Japan. After graduating from high 
school, Yas went to Tokyo, working during the day while 
producing and directing claymation film in his apartment 
at night. The film "HAND AND EGG" Color/8mm/15min, which 
was screened at Tokyo’s famous Image Forum Film Festival.


While in Australia in 1994 on a working holiday, he 
filmed his day-to-day hitchhiking adventure throughout 
the country. The following year he traveled to New York 
and London to studying acting, returning to New York again 
in 1996, where continued his studies at the HB-Studio. 
Yas started to produce and direct his first dramatic 
feature film "AFTER THE APOCALYPSE" (Black & White/16mm) 
in 1999. He currently works on post-production of the 
film. 

Yas’s first connection to film occurred in junior 
high school, as he was drawn to Jacky Chang’s attitude 
towards filmmaking. Upon graduating high school, he felt 
that he would not benefit from going to a university, 
and worked several jobs before leaving bucolic Hokkaido 
for the bright light and big city of Tokyo. It was a 
time of economic prosperity in Japan, and he earned 
enough as a high-rise window cleaner to support himself 
while he studied film at weekend watching all night film 
screening at the Bungeiza theatre in ikebukuro, Tokyo. 
In search of experience, he bought a second-hand Super-8mm 
film camera, developing a self-taught filmmaking style.

"I loved making animation, like when you use clay and 
shoot frame by frame. Since you don’t require an actor, 
you can spend as much as you like on our work."



He submitted his work, "HAND AND EGG", to the Image Forum 
Film Festival in Tokyo, where it was allowed to screen 
after running a gauntlet of several judges. This inspired 
Yas to make several other films. However, after 4 years of 
life as a window cleaner by day and filmmaker at night, 
he realized that he was not moving forward.


"I couldn’t find places in Tokyo to show my films. Then 
I wondered about showing my films overseas. When I thought 
of my future, I realized I needed an overseas perspective.


In order to get that, I knew I needed to speak English, 
so I quit my job and went to Australia for a working 
holiday."



Assigning himself a film project while in Australia, 
Yas carried 50 cartridges of 8mm film in his backpack 
and hitchhiked throughout the country for 6 months. 
He documented his life and the landscape. The road movie 
diary, "THE HITCHHIKER WITH A MOVIE CAMERA" 


"I spoke no English, knew nobody, and felt like a ghost 
in the desert--a person who just appeared out of nowhere 
with no past. But I realized I needed to survive wherever 
I was. I needed to find food, place to sleep, have sex 
and make friends. I struggled because I couldn't speak t
he language, but I learned it is possible to connect with 
people in other ways—through their eyes and their body 
language."


But He wanted to progress farther in his English 
abilities, and so pondered a trip to either the UK or 
USA. Finally, inspired by the independent art movement 
in New York he heard of from a friend, Yas picked that 
city.



"You need knowledge of acting to be a director. I had a 
frustrating experience trying to direct an actor friend 
of mine in Tokyo once, as I was not able to coax the 
desired performance from an actor’s perspective."



Yas began to study acting in New York at the Lee 
Strasberg Acting Institute. However, because he was only 
visiting the USA a 90 days travel visa, he had to continue 
his course of study at the London branch. Yas enjoyed 
exploring the differences in the American and British 
styles of acting,  as well watching European films, but 
New York was calling. After studying in London for a year, 
he returned to New York (by way of Japan) as a student of 
the City University of New York in Staten Island.



After one semester of arduous traveling to Staten Island 
from his room in south Bronx, Yas transferred to the 
Manhattan-based acting school, HB-Studio, in Greenwich 
Village. For the next 2 1/2 years Yas acted in several 
Studio, Independent and student films, running gamut from 
extra to principal. He also worked as crew. During this 
time Yas utilized his own difficult experience house 
hunting in New York, while making the short "LOOKING FOR 
A HOUSE" and followed that with the short thriller "RESTOOM" 
which takes place in a New York men’s room.



"We’d find actors through Back Stage. They would work 
without pay if they liked the project. It’s exciting 
to make films in New York because there are so many 
energetic and enthusiastic actors and crew."



These works were screened at the Brooklyn Film Festival, 
a Soho art gallery, and other venues. Upon graduating 
of acting school in 1999, Yas decided "to make a feature 
length film with my ideas and my friends."



Low budget film productions cannot afford the expenses 
of a set. The idea for "AFTER THE APOCALYPSE" came from 
ruins in Brooklyn, which ultimately became the film’s 
locations.



"The film is about five survivors trying to make sense 
of New World after a devastating urban catastrophe 
challenges all their human needs."



In his previous shorts, Yas drew themes and viewpoints 
from his own life, but he did try to keep more objective 
perspective for the making of "AFTER THE APOCALYPSE" 
spending three targeted months in an improvisational 
rehearsal process with his actors. Starting from the 
idea of "expressing communication beyond speech" there 
were no words.



"Foreign directors like myself pay a lot attention to 
an actor’s behavior rather than how they speak their 
English dialogue. Although the behavior may be silent, 
I think it’s a universal language."



After many difficulties in finding a DP and new lead 
actress, the film shot in 10 days of principal 
photography and 2 days of re-shooting. Currently Yas 
has been fielding suggestions from acquaintances with 
screenings of the rough-cut while hunting down financing 
for the sound and print processes.



Yas stresses the importance of the "Indies style" in 
filmmaking. "It is not easy to clearly delineate the 
line between the independents and studios now, but the 
difference is in the spirit. Some people say a film in 
which final-cut rights belong to the director is 
independent. My favorite filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick, was 
an independent until his death."



Now that his practical training is finished and he has 
returned to a student way of life, Yas has been interning 
at a film production company. In order to develop his 
acting skills, he is studying voice, mask, and mime, as 
well as joining a theatre troupe. "To make a good film, 
it’s important to write a good script and have someone 
who will support you in your endeavors. I am learning 
a lot through collaborating with other people since I 
still developing my knowledge and skills."


We asked, "what’s your goal?" as replied, "My dream is 
to be like John Cassavettes. He succeeded as an actor 
and kept on making films the way he wanted. If I could 
do that, it would be great."