Chris Mirjahangir: How did [Keizo] Murase come aboard for this project?

Daisuke Sato: Where I work, he is the boss. From my childhood to today, I have always admired Mr. Murase’s creations. While developing this project I asked him if he would be willing to create a monster for this work, and he agreed.

Mirjahangir: What are your sfx influences?

Sato: As a fan of Mr. Murase’s work along with others who produced it, without a doubt Godzilla is big influence. I also really enjoy the stories of Ray Bradbury. There are a couple of Japanese Manga such as “Yokohama Shopping Log” and “Mushishi”.

Mirjahangir: How did you come up with the story for the film?

Sato: A while ago, I was captivated by Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Fog Horn”. So much so that I made a short fan move. One thing led to another and I realized I wanted to make a story about a lonely dinosaur. As the story developed I began to include the experiences of my great-grandfather along with my own. These factors played a large role in influencing the story of “Howl from Beyond the Fog”.

Mirjahangir: What is Murase’s role in this film?

Sato: Mr. Murase will oversee the production the monster suit for the titular kaiju of the film Nebula.

Mirjahangir: How long will the film be?

Sato: The film is planned to run for 45 minutes.

Mirjahangir: What were the influences for the monster design?

Sato: Nebula’s design is loosely based off a Plesiosaur coupled with a monster design that I developed when I was in elementary school. There are very few Kaiju that are designed with long necks, so I wanted to really incorporate that design into Nebula.

Mirjahangir: How will the film be released? DVD? Online?

Sato: Pending the success of the crowdfunding we plan to release both DVD’s and Blu-rays to backers, but we also aim to release publicly on outlets such as Crunchyroll. If possible we would like to get screenings in small movie theaters in both and Japan.

Mirjahangir: How long have you wanted to do this film?

Sato: For about 8 years.

Mirjahangir: What was the inspiration for the Monster Nebula?

Sato: The dinosaur like image of the creatures from “The Fog Horn” and “Godzilla” really affected the visual inspiration, but it’s their tragic aspects rather than fearsomeness that appeals to me. I don’t want to only focus on the threat a monster poses to humanity, but I want to depict the natural demeanor of a monster which would share the same world.

A link to Daisuke Sato's Howl from Beyond the Fog can be found here.

DAISUKE SATO

Daisuke Sato is Japanese modelmaker, filmmaker, news editor and video game journalist. Godzilla, Gamera and Ultraman movies are what Daisuke was involved with in Kaiju suit producing. Currently, Daisuke is working on an independent Kaiju movie “Howl from Beyond the Fog”.

Back to interviews