Tokusatsu

Tokusatsu (??) (sometimes just called "Toku") is the Japanese term for special effects and often used to classify Japanese live-action sci-fi/fantasy/horror movie/TV productions.

Suitmation technology

Suitmation (スーツメーション) is the term used in Japan to describe the process in tokusatsu movies & TV used to portray a monster using suit acting. It is not known exactly where the term originated from; Some people in Japan (possibly staff members at Toho) coined the term to differentiate the suit work from Ray Harryhausen's celebrated Dynamation (stop-motion) technique. The term was at least used to promote the Godzilla suit from The Return of Godzilla.

Related Topics:
Suitmation - Toho - Ray Harryhausen - Stop-motion - The Return of Godzilla

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The suit material

Usually, the monster suits from the classic Godzilla films were made of liquid latex, coated with all sorts of appliances (especially flame-retardant). The suit has to be thick so that the actor doesn't get burned much. The teeth were originally made from wood, but later, from resin. The actor usually sees through small holes in the suit's neck. The head is fitted with mechanisms that move the eyes & mouth (with the battery located somewhere in the costume), and is radio-controlled. Wires operated by overhead crewmen move the tail.

Related Topics:
Latex - Wood - Resin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In any case, the suits were very, very gruelling, especially in the old days when studios were very hot. Three minutes was all the average stuntman could stand. There were some advantages, though, when the studios became air-conditioned, and when, starting with ', an oxygen hose was attached to Godzilla's tail, leading up to the neck so that the actor could breathe. But Tsutomu Kitagawa, who played Godzilla in that film, warned that "playing Godzilla is not for people who are claustrophobic."

Related Topics:
Air-conditioned - Tsutomu Kitagawa - Claustrophobic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the case of superheroes, Ultraman usually wore a form-fitting latex costume similar to a wet suit. The helmet was made originally from latex, and later, fiberglass. A set of batteries in the suit made the eyes and Colortimer light up. Toei superheroes had various sorts of costume materials, from leather to vinyl to cloth. Starting with Science Task Force Dynaman, the heroes of the Sentai Series wore spandex. The helmets were made of fiberglass, and had clips on the side to lock the helmets into place.

Related Topics:
Fiberglass - Leather - Vinyl - Cloth - Science Task Force Dynaman - Sentai Series - Spandex

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other special effects

Japanese special effects techniques are nor restricted to placing people inside suits Even the first Godzilla film from 1954 used a wide ranging number of advanced techniques in this area. Besides the Suitmation Godzilla, Eiji Tsuburaya's crew also used various puppet-like props, one was like a hand-puppet, another was basically an early example of an animatronic puppet (from the scene where Godzilla first appeared over a mountain in Oto Island), which shot a smoky spray from its mouth to create the illusion of Godzilla's white-hot radioactive breath. One shot of Godzilla's tail even used a stop-motion process similar to Ray Harryhausen's Dynamation technique (It's said that Tsuburaya wanted to use stop-motion for Godzilla, but Toho couldn't allow it, because it was too expensive and too time-consuming; Most Japanese studios had only allowed notoriously tight budgets/production schedules).

Related Topics:
Godzilla - Eiji Tsuburaya - Animatronic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later films use various techniques to bring Godzilla and the other monsters to life. In the 60s, aside from said close-shot puppets, they used mechanical miniatures in distance shots of Godzilla. Since the 80s, they used robotic animatronic Godzilla props to give him a more realistic, lifelike appearance (as is the case with the 20-foot "Cybot Godzilla" in The Return of Godzilla and the "Close-Up Godzilla" in Godzilla Vs. Biollante). They even actually lit up Godzilla's dorsal fins made of fibre reinforced plastic, and in more recent films, they used CG to create that effect.

Related Topics:
The Return of Godzilla - Godzilla Vs. Biollante - Fibre reinforced plastic - CG

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The same principle applied to superhero shows; Some robotic-looking superheroes (like Kikaider and Gavan) used electronic props for close shots.

Related Topics:
Kikaider - Gavan

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

CGI in Tokusatsu

Of course, to compromise with Hollywood standards, CGI definitely played a major role as well. The Heisei Gamera Series has used it masterfully. And recent Godzilla films upped the ante with effects techniques. In some scenes, Godzilla swam underwater like a whale or a shark. CG no doubt played a major role in superhero shows also. From Ultraman flying smoothly in the sky, to Kamen Rider henshin-ing into animated armor, to the Sentai robots dramatically combining in one shot without the use of props like in older shows. Much like the old days, computer effects are also used for optical effects such as ray beams, missiles, falling debris and explosions.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - CGI - Heisei - Gamera - Henshin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other tokusatsu films to use CGI include Kurosufaia and Casshern (based on Tatsuo Yoshida's 1973 superhero anime series).

Related Topics:
Kurosufaia - Casshern - Tatsuo Yoshida - Superhero - Anime

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

City sets

There was a generalized misconception by audiences in the United States that the minituarised city sets are made of cardboard, but this is not true.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Even in the classic Godzilla movies, the miniature sets were actually made from a thinly cut plaster and wood. The newer films do this as well (only some of the buildings are actually collapsible). Buildings that were not made to be destroyed are made from wood and plastic. Some miniature models were even made out of paraffin (this goes for the many tanks and electrical towers that Godzilla melted with his radioactive breath). In movies such as Battle in Outer Space (1959) and The Last War (1960), the miniature sets were made of edible material, the same ingredients as those used to make wafers.

Related Topics:
Battle in Outer Space - The Last War - Wafer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The buildings in the classic Godzilla film series were constructed on a 1/25 scale.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~