Japanese TV—made in N.Z.

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32861, 9 March 1972, Page 16

Japanese TV—made in N.Z.

(By

KEN COATES)

Locals who happened to go past the little stone Roman Catholic Church at Little River one day this week stared in disbelief. Outside the door, a bride and groom were presented with a posy of wild flowers by a fetching Japanese girl. On the steps stood a benign priest.

The mid-week “wedding” was all part of a TV commercial being filmed in New Zealand by a Japanese film company called Production 21. Millions of Japanese will see New Zealand scenes ih a series of six advertising Sakura film to be shown on Japan’s five commercial channels.

“We came to New Zealand to film the commercials because it is a beautiful country and in the clear air and sunshine we can get beautiful results,” said the producer, Mr Itsura Inami. Just then the sun became obscured as a nearby farmer lit a field of stubble and began burning off. But with typical Asian patience and fortitude the crew of three cameramen,

producer, director, advertising agency representative, still cameraman, make-up woman and girl model, all

stopped work and waited for the sun to shine through again. The cost of making the six commercials in New Zealand is about $25,000, according to Mr Inami. But he says the result will be worth the expense. The crew bought with them cameras and equipment worth $650,000. The films will include 15second, 30-second and 60-sec-ond commercials. They will show a girl with an umbrella in the rain outside a' modern Christchurch home; children in a boat on the river at Mona Vale; the wedding scene at Little River; Mount Cook and high country sheep, Boy Scouts crossing a river; and a girl on a trampoline with Nelson scenery as a backdrop.

The girl in the commercials is 15-year-old Anne Lewis, singer and model from Tokyo. Bilingual—she has an American father and a Japanese mother who came along to New Zealand with her daughter—Anne has that beauty of two races so admired by the Japanese. Anne is known as the “Sakura Colour Girl” in Japan, and is under a year’s contract to the film manufacturing company. She was recently in Hawaii making TV commercials, and will next fly to Guam. Although there will be no direct indication on the advertising films that the loca-

tion is New Zealand, there will be some rub-off for this country. Mr Inami said: “Taxidrivers and everyone will know where the films were made because Japanese people take great interest in beauty and the word will get

around that New Zealand is the locale.” The commercials will be shown over a period of a year.

While in New Zealand, Mr Inami, a keen hunter, will try for some wild pig and perhaps a deer. “For a long time I have wanted to come here,” he said. The couple who acted the part of the bride and groom were Mr and Mrs D. McKenzie, who have been married for about a year. They entered into the spirit of the occasion with enthusiasm as did the parish priest from Akaroa who was asked to take part, Father Jeremiah Murphy.

However, Father Murphy said later, smiling for four hours had been rather taxing.

Mr Inami (left), directing operations during filming at Little River.