The solution Nanaya came up with was extremely simple and almost crude.
He planned to film partial models for all shots involving ghost, especially leaving only the head and neck intact.
Then, after filming, Nanaya intended to have someone draw directly onto the film to complete the remaining parts of the ghost girls.
Tedious? Very.
Complicated? Absolutely.
But right now, it was the best solution Nanaya Kiryu could think of.
Drawing special effects onto film wasn't uncommon. In fact, it was one of the earliest special-effects techniques in cinema.
As far back as the black-and-white era, Hollywood relied on this method to create visuals impossible to accomplish with real actors.
Tsuburaya Productions also used the technique throughout the 60s and 70s every beam attack in the Showa Ultraman era was drawn frame-by-frame onto the film.
Of course, in Nanaya's memories, the most exquisite use of this technique came from the 1980s Chinese animated film The Adventures of the Sloppy King.
Its opening theme was created by drawing animation directly onto pre-recorded live-action negatives.
Because the studio lacked funding and digital tools, the artists made the little girl sing the opening song thirteen times in front of a white screen then drew the exact same animation onto thirteen different negatives, one for each episode.
Their work was so impressive that even today's green-screen effects couldn't easily surpass it.
CGI did exist in this era, and tokusatsu shows were already using it but mostly for simple glowing attacks from monsters and heroes.
Nothing close to the ethereal "spiritual body" effect Nanaya wanted.
Even worse: CGI was prohibitively expensive.
And Nanaya Kiryu was broke.
"But painting on film still costs labor, right?"
Ori asked after hearing the idea.
Nanaya shook his head.
"No. If we outsource it to an animation studio, the cost won't be as high as you think."
Japanese animation studios were infamous for underpaying their staff.
Although it wasn't as extreme as China's 2-yuan in-betweens and 30-yuan keyframes, a single key drawing in Japan still cost less than 5,000 yen.
"So if we hand it over to them, we can probably get it done for about 6,000 yen per frame. As long as we keep the spirit-girl shots within reason, we'll be fine."
"That's… way too cheap."
At that moment, every animator in Japan silently sneezed.
Nanaya shrugged.
"Well, you know… anime directors barely make 100,000 yen a month. I have no idea how they survive."
He felt sympathy for animation workers, but he also felt deeply grateful that their misfortune allowed his low-budget dream to survive.
Shonan chimed in, "I once considered working in anime audio, but the pay was too terrible. I feel so bad for those cute female animators. Maybe I should go comfort them~?"
"Hey, cut it out!"
Nanaya threw an empty water bottle at Shonan's head.
"You'll be shooting Adachi's close-ups later!"
"Relax! I'll definitely capture her most perfect angle~"
He flipped his hair toward Satomi Adachi who responded with a cold snort.
"She's just shy, right…?"
Shonan muttered to himself.
No.
She simply thinks you're a creep.
Everyone thought this silently.
Nanaya's idea still depended on the animators' work, but the on-set filming immediately became easier.
Without the white-sheet props limiting them, the ghost-girl actresses could move freely across the tightropes.
The extras also had a simpler job this time: stare blankly at the camera. That was it.
As ghosts, they didn't get to show acting range, or dialogue. just an eerie giggling.
But even appearing face-to-face on camera was a big step up for girls who were normally nameless background extras.
The ones suffering the most were the lead actress, Satomi Adachi, and the actress playing Kirie Fujio.
Kirie Fujio's scenes required her to be suspended mid-air on wires.
Even with full safety measures, the inexperienced girl trembled with fear every take.
Her expressions looked more terrified than the madness Nanaya needed, making her early shots unusable.
Ryogi Shiki's scenes were worse.
In their first battle, Shiki was at a major disadvantage due to Kirie's suggestive ability.
The visual effect of Shiki's body "not listening to her" required:
"Adachi-san, your expression needs to be fiercer!
Move more violently don't be afraid to get dirty! Drag yourself across the floor if you have to!"
Nanaya's instructions visibly annoyed her.
This entire action sequence required her to fight nothing, acting against empty air while imagining herself as both attacker and victim.
With zero green-screen experience, Adachi felt painfully awkward, and it showed.
"How stupid," was her first reaction when Nanaya explained the scene.
"Well… that's the era for you."
Nanaya sighed.
If it were 2010, most actors would be accustomed to green-screen acting.
But here, even green screens barely existed making such acting incredibly difficult.
Still, this was a crucial scene.
No script revision could remove it.
So Nanaya had to personally guide Adachi step by step, showing her exactly what effect he wanted.
After days of stumbling, frustration, and awkward takes, Nanaya finally completed the film's first major action sequence.
"Cut! That's enough."
Adachi delivered a final aggressive motion toward empty space.
Nanaya exhaled in relief and signaled OK to the staff.
"Big brother, great job!"
Illya rushed over with a towel and water something she had learned to do naturally over the past few days.
Nanaya's assistant, Ori, was overwhelmed.
Not only did he handle props and costumes, he also had to visit animation studios and negotiate the special-effects painting for Kara no Kyoukai.
It was too important to leave to anyone else.
This added so much work to Ori that he began delegating prop tasks to Katsura Mako.
Illya, noticing Nanaya wiping his sweat with his hands during breaks, took the initiative to fill the assistant role herself.
Sera did not approve, but could only swallow her irritation.
"Thanks, Illya."
Under Sera's sharp stare, Nanaya hurriedly wiped his sweat and chugged the water bottle in ten seconds flat so Illya wouldn't serve him any longer than necessary.
"So, big brother… which scene are we filming next?"
Illya asked as she reviewed the script.
She froze.
"…Jumping off a building?"