J-Mate

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Translated by Ex-S Woo

In all videos, the focus is always on the actress. While it's true that she is the selling point of the video, it is the tough job of the director to make sure that image or vision is conveyed across to the viewers. From co-ordinating the cast and staff to just making sure things are right, the role of the director is important in any production. This interview is a J-Mate first. You'll learn about how actresses are selected and what kind of events happen before the filming begins.

Part I: The Selection Process

Interviewer: How many girls come to you in a week?

Turbo: I guess about 4-5 a week. I usually get about 1 girl a day, but there is a large wave of them coming in when it's time for a new semester at school. So it's actually the slow period right now. That and there's another wave at the end of the year. I guess they all want to buy more things (laughs). The number of girls whose main objective is money increases every year.

Interviewer: How do you approach them?

Turbo: Since I have to film 4-5 girls every month, I take a look at their profile sheet and call them up to ask what days are good for them. There's also times when they come to me and ask if it's okay for them to come down.

Interviewer: How does the selection process work?

Turbo: We first have them fill out the special form used in the AV industry. I then leave the manager and girl in the room and leave, and the two start talking to each other. I sometimes hear them say something like "Write down 'I think that's perverted'." (laughs). That takes about 30 minutes, and then we talk as we fill out the rest of the form.

Interviewer: What point do you focus on when you select your girl?

Turbo: The point that I focus on is the question of "Do you think of yourself as being perverted?". About 90% of the girls write down "Yes" or "I think I'm perverted". But the remaining 10% write down "No" or "I'm not sure." That's when they fail (laughs). I then ask the girls who did respond yes again to make sure after the manager leaves the room (laughs). The girls who really like it seem to fill out all the other portions carefully as well. Then there are those girls who are completely the opposite. Some girls have only had sex with one person and had never come by write down "I love sex." (laughs). I still talk through with them if they do come clean though.

Interviewer: So you're looking for girls who are truthful.

Turbo: To tell you the truth I really don't mind not having the forms. I basically use them to make conversation with them anyway. Some girls would ask questions back to me like "How are the other girls like?" or "How do you like it, Muigo-san?" and that'd make the conversation progress, making for an interesting film afterwards, but 6-70% of them just respond to the question I ask them. I then get the feeling that I'm not progressing at all from the form I had them fill out (laughs).

Interviewer: So you see how good they are at communicating.

Turbo: That and there are times when the girls look different in real life than from the photos, since the photos really only give the basic features. For me, how cute they are and their willingness to do their best are important.

Interviewer: Do you feel that your interviews with potential new actresses are different from a major company's interviews?

Turbo: I guess it's completely different, since a major company has a seperate person to do the interviews. I guess you can call them as being a Casting Coordinator. He is the eyes of the company and he decides who to shoot, and then he takes her to have an interview with the director. So there, the person who chooses who to shoot after a quick first impression and who actually does the shooting are two different people.

Interviewer: So there are times when the director has no interest in the girl.

Turbo: Since it's been already decided that she's going to be the person in the film, the question really lies in what the director can bring out of the girl. But there are times when the director can't bring anything out, and times when the two doesn't get along. That's where I think the problem lies. But since in major companies, it's the first person who sees the girl that decides if she's filmable or beautiful, so it's hard to feel fired up about it. I guess that's the part that's completely different.

Part II: The Agonizing Days Before the Interview

Turbo: Finally let me introduce to you a certain interview document. The truth was that this film was originally slated to be made in a different fashion...the project started a couple of weeks before August. We managed to pick up information on a girl who kept on failing interviews no matter which company she went to. That's where we got the bright idea to "Let's make a tape of that girl under the VB label and sell it! We'll then make her into a star of the AV world!" And so the project, now code-named ASAYAN, was born! The girl that was going to be our star was Sae Koyama. She looked even cuter than in the photos, enough to make a debut film a cinch. However it wasn't until September that this plan took action, due to her being on her summer vacation.

Turbo: But that's not all. I mean, a name like Sae Koyama has no impact! So what name would fit a girl like her? Something that'll alude to her hair style and the fact that she has no experience. How about using the surname "Okita", which isn't used at all in the AV world? She'll be "K Okita"! I'm sure she'll probably be the first to have an English letter for her first name. Now as for her clothes...having a European style seemed to fit and so the operation progressed as planned, until the time for the interview finally came about!

Turbo: The day of the operation was Aug. 31, where we met in the VB office at noon. In my mind she was already "K Okita" as I thought about the speech I'd give her, about how "You will be reborn with me as your producer! Yes! You shall become a star!". And thus she'll become one with her new self. I then put on the suit that was prepared to me by Company K and Company S, and prepared the item that'd set the deal (a toaster)...and she was knocked out of the contention by the time we got to the Interview Office! We knew that she passed...but she wouldn't show! We didn't get any message from her manager for 1 hour...2...did we get stood up or what? Grrr...no wonder she fails the interviews, that bitch!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you