Interview with signboard artist Shoji Hachijo, his commitment to making movie signboards, and the signboards he created for the movie ``The Expendables: New Blood.''
Today, most of the opportunities to see the hand-painted movie signs that once adorned movie theaters, such as ``Roman Holiday,'' ``Gone with the Wind,'' and ``Seven Samurai,'' have all but disappeared. However, signboard artist
This time, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Hachijo as he made hand-painted signboards to promote the movie ' The Expendables: New Blood ' which will be released on January 5, 2024, so I would like to talk about his work details and works. We talked about a variety of things, including his commitment to...
Movie “The Expendables: New Blood” | Currently showing as a big hit
https://expendables-movie.jp/
'The Expendables New Blood' trailer | Released on Friday, January 5, 2024 - YouTube
Mr. Hachijo runs a hand-painted movie sign production workshop called `` Hachijo Kobo '' in Nishinari Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture. The exterior of Hachijo Kobo looks like this.
GIGAZINE (hereinafter referred to as G):
Thank you for your continued support today.
Shoji Hachijo (hereinafter referred to as Hachijo):
thank you.
G:
Mr. Hachijo, how many years has it been since you started making movie signboards?
Signboard artist Shoji Hachijo (hereinafter referred to as Hachijo):
In 1980, the movie billboard production company my father worked for at the time closed down, so my father started working independently, and we've been making them together ever since.
G:
Were you involved in painting or other work before you started making signboards?
Hachijo:
When I started, I liked painting, but I was just an ordinary office worker. It came from a completely different place.
G:
amazing……. Do you study painting by yourself?
Hachijo:
I was self-taught, or rather, at first I drew a few signs myself, showed them to my father, and received advice like ``Isn't it better to do it this way?'' and I started to memorize it.
G:
It's like 'stealing with your eyes'.
Hachijo:
I agree. When it comes to drawing, there is no manual that says things like, ``Paint the cheeks a little more red'' or ``Draw the eyes like this.''
G:
How do you start drawing movie signboards like this? background, text, etc...
Hachijo:
First, paste the paper on the board. Then I drew it. In my case, I often paint the background first and then write the text. Write the letters and finally draw the face. I spend a lot of time on my face.
G:
How much time does each piece require?
Hachijo:
It takes about 2 days.
G:
Is it 2 days? !
Hachijo:
Including the small signs, we deliver eight signs to the movie theater every week, so each sign has to be drawn in about two days. And I'm replacing the posted sign again.
G:
When you replace it, do you just put more and more paper on top?
Hachijo:
I agree. However, it gradually becomes physically heavier.
G:
So, do you regularly peel off the paper on your signboards?
Hachijo:
that's right.
G:
It's such a waste...
Hachijo:
So these signs usually disappear within a week.
G:
So, is this signboard here with the idea of ``let's just save some of the good stuff''?
Hachijo:
I agree. I keep things that I feel a little attached to or that I think I want to keep.
G:
I think you often draw faces, but what kind of faces are easy to draw?
Hachijo:
I think it's easier to draw foreigners with deep carved faces.
G:
So, is Sylvester Stallone, who appears in 'The Expendables: New Blood,' also the type that is easy to draw?
Hachijo:
After all, people get older to a certain extent and get a lot of wrinkles, so it's easier to draw people like that because they have their own characteristics.
G:
Were there any particular points you focused on when drawing the signboard for 'The Expendables New Blood'?
Hachijo:
Since it's a movie like this, I didn't want it to look weak. I drew it with a masculine, powerful touch that makes the most of my touch.
G:
Do you like the fact that the Statham and Stallone signs are placed here?
Hachijo:
Well, it's my favorite (lol)
G:
So when you're asked to do something, you feel like, 'Here you are!' (lol)
Hachijo:
It's only been about two years since I started keeping things like this. Until then, I'd just put paper on top of everything and made new ones.
G:
I see…….
Hachijo:
That's why I'm already full with this number. So, if I like a sign I've made in the future, I'll decorate it anew in this workshop, choose one of the existing pieces, paste it with paper, and make a new one... That's how I do it.
G:
It doesn't seem like the original board will be increased.
Hachijo:
It's a big item, so you can't put a lot of it there. It also takes up space.
G:
Do you feel like comparing new works and replacing them with old ones?
Hachijo:
oh yeah. I was like, 'Which is better, this one or this one?'
G:
Oh no. It would be a shame, or rather, it would be a shame to lose it.
G:
Is there anything different about creating this work from your usual signboard creation?
Hachijo:
We focused on 'hand-painted signboards.' I wanted it to have an impact without looking like a photo.
G:
Do you feel like you finished drawing this signboard in about two days?
Hachijo:
Rather than focusing solely on completing the work, I also work on other tasks as well.
G:
Movie theaters never have holidays... Does Hachijo-san ever take a break?
Hachijo:
I haven't taken a break for a long time. I went to the movie theater on Tuesday to install the sign, then replaced it a week later, and then painted the sign in the meantime, repeating the process.
G:
Does it matter if it's Saturday or Sunday?
Hachijo:
I agree.
G:
I don't think you can choose a movie signboard just because you want to draw it, but are there some that are easy to draw and others that are difficult to draw?
Hachijo:
I agree. Still, if someone asks me to draw this piece, I have no choice but to say, ``Okay.'' (lol) The material they give me looks like it was taken in a dark place, and I can't see where the person's eyes are. It takes a lot of effort to produce. Sometimes I receive material that looks slightly different from the person's face that I often see, and that's a problem.
G:
I think actors who appear in Japanese movies don't have clear facial features. Is it really difficult to draw?
Hachijo:
I agree. It's difficult to make films that are shot in the dark and where you can't see where the eyes are.
G:
I see…….
Hachijo:
When I receive material for a movie, I sometimes receive material that looks like a person impersonating someone. It's difficult at times like that.
G:
Are there any differences in gender that make it easier or harder to draw?
Hachijo:
This doesn't happen very often. For women, we try to make the color of their lipstick stand out clearly.
G:
Most of the movie theaters with hand-painted signs are now closed, but do you ever want to increase the number of people in the same industry?
Hachijo:
There is no such thing. The best thing is to continue as is.
G:
Isn't it because when the number of people in the same industry increases, it becomes difficult to compete for fewer jobs?
Hachijo:
There is some competition, but there is no demand. I don't think it will increase anymore.
G:
I heard that some people come to see you saying, ``I want to try it myself.''
Hachijo:
That's true, but from my own experience, being a signboard painter is a job I can't really recommend. It's not a profitable industry.
G:
It's a very difficult industry.
Hachijo:
Still, I don't want people to think that this industry is on the decline. It's certainly an unusual job, but I keep getting asked to do it.
G:
I see……. Among these works by Mr. Hachijo, which one is your favorite?
Hachijo:
This is a billboard with Jason Statham on it. I started leaving my work from this signboard. I thought, ``Maybe I'll leave it there for a while.''
G:
That's right! What steps do you take when painting a signboard? .
Hachijo:
When coloring, I add more and more colors on top of the sketch to finish it off. While looking at the photo, I repeatedly darken and lighten the colors to gradually complete the model. The light source is also made brighter by layering white, so the colors are not pale from the beginning.
G:
That's right.
Hachijo:
Due to the nature of the paint used, the color will be a little lighter once it dries. So I create my work with that in mind.
G:
The color you see when you paint is different from the final color. Is that corrected in your mind when you create your work?
Hachijo:
It's not that cool though (lol) Based on my experience so far, I've created and painted colors such as brown, skin tone, and red. Sometimes I use purple or navy blue for my face color.
G:
Do you use purple on your face?
Hachijo:
I also paint my eyebrows with purple or navy blue.
G:
It certainly doesn't look black when the light hits it.
Hachijo:
When you look at it up close, it's a completely different color, but when you look at it from a distance, it looks just right.
G:
I don't have the courage to use those colors myself... When you draw, Hachijo-san, do you draw realistically?
Hachijo:
There's no such thing as a manual, so don't be afraid to paint over and over again. At that time, I draw according to the image I have in mind so that it does not look like a photograph.
The letters are also hand-drawn rather than pasted, so when he drew a sign for ``Badman: The Worst Superhero Ever,'' he accidentally changed the English notation to ``BATMAN.'' At this time, a passerby pointed out the mistake when he finished hanging the sign, so he was able to correct it to 'BADMAN' on the spot.
G:
The delivery time is one week... Did you acquire such techniques on your own?
Hachijo:
There are also lessons from my father. When I received advice about the paintings I drew, I was asked, ``Do you have that kind of technique?'' I learned that by layering more and more colors, you can automatically create a rounded shape.
G:
There is something like the teachings of the ``Hachijo-ryu''.
Hachijo:
My father and I have slightly different drawing styles. I respect my father and think he was very good at it. He's already passed away, but if he were still alive, I think he'd compliment me and say, ``You've gotten a little better at drawing.''
'Gone with the Wind' is said to have been created by Hachijo's father.
This is also the work of Mr. Hachijo's father. At the time of its release, it was hung on the outside wall of the Umeda Toei Kaikan (closed in 2002).
G:
I think this signboard is quite small compared to the signs that are usually made. Is there anything difficult about drawing small pieces?
Hachijo:
It's difficult to draw extremely small faces, but I don't think it's difficult at this size.
G:
Purple is used in hats and sunglasses.
Hachijo:
The sunglasses in the original photo were painted solid black, so I thought it wouldn't look good as is, so I painted them purple or some other color.
G:
That's what it means. By the way, this work was compact because it was for newspaper advertisements, but I heard that you also worked on the huge billboard that was put up in front of TOHO Cinemas when you made ``Avengers.''
Hachijo:
That was really difficult...I think there's a 3x6 plywood board. I glued two pieces of that together, one above the other, and then connected them horizontally. Normally, when I paint, I stand up, but when I stand up, I can't go into the studio.
G:
Yes.
Hachijo:
If I drew the top and bottom separately, the balance would be bad when I put them together, and I thought, ``This is weird,'' so I tried to fix it, but then I had to keep making adjustments one after another. I placed the connected items on the ground, looked at them from above, and made adjustments as I was satisfied. In the end, I wasn't able to connect everything here, so I saw it all connected for the first time on site.
G:
Is it a head-to-head battle? How was it when you connected it?
Hachijo:
That's pretty good (lol)
G:
That's good, I'm sorry I didn't know that at the time. I hope I have a chance to see that signboard again someday... Sorry, I got a little excited being surrounded by real things and it took me a long time. Thank you very much for your valuable talk today.
Hachijo:
I'm the one who should be thanking you.
Hachijo:
thank you very much.
According to Hachijo, he first decides on a rough layout and draws the background, text, and people in that order. This is because I finish other parts first so that I can spend as much time as possible on my face. The photo is a reproduction of Hachijo's method of actually sketching the human figure, and in order to keep an eye on the overall balance, he dips charcoal onto the end of a long stick and draws at a distance. thing. In addition, the draft is a one-shot process, and it seems that no corrections will be made at this stage.
The signboard created by Mr. Hachijo to commemorate the release of the movie ``The Expendables: New Blood'' will be on display at Namba Parks Cinema from Monday, December 25, 2023, ahead of the movie's release. It is said that it will be on display during the movie's release period.
/ #Jason Statham and #Sylvester Stallone in hand-drawn illustrations!
— “The Expendables New Blood” Official (@expendables_mov) December 25, 2023
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A hand-painted signboard drawn by an active movie signboard artist will be on display at Namba Parks Cinema in Osaka from today, December 25th (Monday).
Please stop by if you are in the area!
The power of hand-drawn retro feel is amazing ???? pic.twitter.com/UlgCoVscRa
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