The name Studio Ghibli brings with it a certain sense of magic realism and aestheticism that seems almost otherworldly even while giving off a sense of nostalgia.
Director Hayao Miyazaki, obviously, has been integral to not only the success of the movies but also behind the company finding its own footing in the competitive anime industry. However, things weren’t always that easy. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was Studio Ghibli’s legacy.
Behind it were a lot of animators’ sleepless nights, the unimaginable hard work of every employee, and even the violation of labor laws to state a few. As per the former head of the studio’s international division, though, Miyazaki wasn’t at fault.
Steve Alpert claimed that Studio Ghibli’s violation of labor laws was a consequence of desperate times
Studio Ghibli’s rise to fame has been as magical as their movies. However, many don’t know that much like the legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, and the animators working tirelessly to bring the stories to life, there was another person whose contribution to the studio is irrefutable.
That is, Steve Alpert, who served as the head of the company’s international division from 1996 to 2011. His recently released book Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli delved deeper into his time at the company during its crucial formative years.
That is, the time when the company struck a deal with Disney for the distribution rights of the studio’s unreleased movies in America. Although Miyazaki was a big name among animators worldwide even then, the masses weren’t really aware of his genius at the time.
At any rate, Miyazaki takes up a huge portion of Alpert’s book and interestingly, further cements what people already knew about the director. That is, just how particular he is about his work.
Which is why when Alpert further revealed the labor law violations at Studio Ghibli in his book, many people wondered if Hayao Miyazaki’s meticulousness had a hand in that incident.
It turns out, though, that idea couldn’t be further from the truth. Steve Alpert appeared for an interview with Cartoon Brew in light of his book recently, and he delved deeper into the incident in it.
You know, all animators want to do is sit in their cubicle and draw. They’re in heaven. That’s all they want to do — they don’t want to go home. No animation project has ever finished on time. At the end, you’re always coming to this deadline, and the only way you can finish is to grind through. That’s where we hit the labor laws. People were spending the night…
He further noted, though, that the animators weren’t exactly compensated for their overtime accordingly. He stated in the interview, “I think animators were probably on salary. It seems to me they don’t pay overtime”. However, he amended his statement saying he doesn’t “remember so well”.
Regardless, seeing people so dedicated to their work came as somewhat of a shock to Alpert. Mostly because it highlighted just how much heart they put into making each of these movies. In fact, his time at the studio changed the way he viewed those movies completely.
Steve Alpert learned to view Studio Ghibli movies in a new light during his tenure at the company
Steve Alpert noted in the interview that his perception of the Studio Ghibli movies completely changed during his time in the company. While being closely acquainted with the process played a part in it, since he also worked as a translator for the English versions, he was also introduced to the intricacies of animation during his tenure.
According to him, he had to fly back and forth between Japan and Burbank a lot in those initial years since digital communication wasn’t as well developed back then.
During such a trip to the States, he was sitting in an empty room at Technicolor to approve of the color timing of Porco Rosso’s pristine print, as the process vastly differed in the countries.
He noted that in his jet-lagged state he was less than enthusiastic about the job as he had already watched the movie so many times, and now he would have to watch it again on mute.
For context, since the technology wasn’t as advanced back then, the quality of the print degraded with every run. As a result, you couldn’t witness the movie in its true magnificent coloring as the director intended it to be if it wasn’t “fresh off the press”.
I was sitting there, and all these Technicolor guys were pointing out things in the film that I’d never seen…The guys said, ‘Look at how many colors he’s used! Look at all these things he’s bothered to do!’ And I started to see the films in a new way. I realized it’s like watching fireworks.
At any rate, it is evident from his book as much as from the interview just how dynamic his experience was during Studio Ghibli’s building years. Moreover, his contribution to the company getting off its feet to turn into the industry giant it has become is also palpable.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
