CREATORS UNITE 10 PART 4

CREATORS UNITE 10 COVER

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CREATORS UNITE 10 MAGAZINES & BOOKS AD

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CREATORS UNITE 10 ISSUE 10 GLOBAL AD

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CREATORS UNITE 10 EDITOR’S LETTER We are delighted to present CREATORS UNITE #10: THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE, featuring exclusive interviews with Kelli Maroney, Lloyd Kaufman, Luigi Cozzi, and Kurando Mitsutake.

Kelli Maroney, the highly respected actress that many of us have admired for decades, is without a doubt, an exceptional woman who is loved by all. We invite you to join us in getting to know her.

Lloyd Kaufman, the creator of TROMA ENTERTAINMENT is the ultimate reference for filmmakers and independent creators. Lloyd’s influence cannot be ignored as the TROMA culture have permeated spirits in a profound and lasting way. We had the privilege of interviewing Lloyd, both in English and French (which he speaks without an accent). Check out our Masters at Work to learn more about Lloyd!

Luigi Cozzi, known for his films Starcrash, Hercules, and Contamination, is one of those iconic artists, who continues to create essential work against all odds. We met him in Rome at the PROFONDO ROSSO store, which he co-founded with Dario Argento. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into his world.

We also had the pleasure of interviewing Kurando Mitsutake, whose fascinating work restores a sense of prestige to cinematic art. Mitsutake's approach, both in substance and form, is a captivating blend of violence and aesthetics. His work is truly outstanding and transcendent.

To mark the release of our 10th magazine (and 28th publication), we bring you this special "best of" issue, dedicated to four exceptional artists, featuring exclusive interviews with each of them. We hope you enjoy reading CREATORS UNITE #10 as much as we enjoyed creating it.

THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE is available in digital and print formats (limited edition prints). You can find the e-book version on Issuu and hard cover books on Peecho.

A soft-cover magazine in four parts (each dedicated to a specific star) is also available on Issuu and Peecho.

DC Deever THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE

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CREATORS UNITE 10 TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE Special Best Of Including Essential ITWS of Kelli Maroney, Lloyd Kaufman, Luigi Cozzi & Kurando Mitsutake PART 4: KURANDO MITSUTAKE • •

Editor’s Letter - P5 Table of Contents - P7

Masters at Work 4 - Kurando Mitsutake - P8 • WEBTALK P8: Starter by Emilie Flory. Interview with Kurando Mitsutake

by Christopher Zisi • SHOWROOM P39: Reviews by Sooz Webb • TECH SECRETS P51: Shooting Practice, Gunfight, Gun Psychology, Q & A, Arsenal by Christopher Bourez & Emilie Flory Bonus Feature - P97 • MYTHMAKER: GEORGE A. ROMERO by Jason Figgis A short video essay for Creators Unite Magazine looking at George A. Romero's seminal classic horror film from 1968 - Night of the Living Dead. Written, presented and directed by Jason Figgis •

Special Thanks / Masthead - P94

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK

It is no secret that the Cinematographic Art has lost its splendor: it no longer causes the same enthusiasm since filmmakers, the real ones, those who have a vision and know how to practice their art, have been kept away from the new production and distribution systems that have now become monstrous, due to their uniformity and short-termism. These systems render inoperative the great producers, the connoisseurs and enthusiasts who move heaven and Earth to bring out real artists and masterpieces. The audiences are still enjoying themselves with disposable “art” that the system throws them to anesthetize them, but a powerful resistance is now developing. “Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around.” said Stephen King...

The seventh art is no longer an art, or very little if anything: it is still an art among the independent filmmakers and artists who are ignored by State agencies and right-thinking authorities. The underground, independent system… This is where art is hiding and regenerates itself, thanks to a few hotheads who resist against all odds. Kurando Mitsutake is one of those filmmakers, one of these exceptionally talented creators.

Passionate, humble and incredibly human and warm, he knows perfectly well his work in addition to having great technique.

His films carry within themselves the great human themes that also dwell in us all.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK Kurando Mitsutake is not a star that everyone knows, but he's a superstar for movie fans who praise him to the skies (they all have at least one of his films in their film library). Watching a movie of Kurando Mitsutake is a shock similar to those you could receive in viewing a Romero or a Hooper movie. Mitsutake is a great among the greats. We had the chance to speak with him in order to deliver you here two exclusive interviews, a few analyses of his films and an incredible photo exhibition of his work, prepared in close collaboration with him. You will find it after an amazing Q&A about the art of firing which he treated us with! We hope you enjoy.

Emilie Flory

Exclusive Interview with Kurando Mitsutake

by Christopher Zisi

thE wEb talk Photos Courtesy: © Kurando Mitsutake, © MAXAM, Inc., © Torin, Jumpei Tainaka, and © FukuzoProductions Christopher Zisi: Spaghetti westerns… 70s exploitation films… Kung Fu epics… you and I have the same tastes, I’m so sorry we have never met.

Have you always been fans of these genres?

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK Many of your revenge themed plots seem taken right out of Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns, but you don’t merely make a western… you combine all of the above genres for a bloody good time… is this just straight from the mind of Kurando Mitsutake… or is there a careful and deliberate choreographing of several genres?

Kurando Mitsutake: Thank you Chris. Yes, I’m an avid genre film fan. I’m a product of the 80’s rental video shop culture. The 80’s were the era when the B-movie big bang happened. I watched all kinds of cult movies growing up, so definitely Spaghetti westerns, 70’s exploitation films and Kung Fu epics are in my DNA. Sergio Corbucchi, Sam Pekinpah and Bruce Lee are some of my filmmaking idols. My other big influence comes from Japanese Manga comic books. Legendary Manga artists like Go Nagai, Mikiya Mochizuki and Osamu Tezuka are in my blood too. So, I think the stories I like to tell – such as my previous work, Samurai Avenger, Gun Woman and Karate Kill– are sort of hybrid mixtures of cult genre movies and cult Manga comic books. I guess that would be the summary of my narrative.

Christopher Zisi: Asami is an amazing actress, and her performances are often rigorous and extreme. I’ve seen her in Iron Girl, some Lust of the Dead films, and of course Gun Woman and Karate Kill. Did she find you or did you find her? How do you sell Asami on Gun Woman? When you read her the role, was she aghast or did she crack a slight smile? I trust she will be in your future films too.

Kurando Mitsutake: Asami is a force of nature. She is a natural born performer.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK I was introduced to her by a stunt coordinator friend of mine. We were at a wrap party of a movie this guy was the fight choreographer for. Since I admired her performances on Noboru Iguchi san and Yoshihiro Nishimura san’s work, I was very happy to meet her.

Then, we were invited to a fan convention in Germany together. When you are stuck in an airplane for 13 hours or so, you become fast friends. It was actually on the return flight to Narita back from Düsseldorf, I pitched the idea of Gun Woman to her. The moment I finished telling her the story, she said “I need to play that character. I’m the only one who can play her.” Asami was in love with Gun Woman from the day zero.

Unfortunately, earlier this year, Asami has announced she will be retiring from acting. But I secretly hope to entice her back to performing if I ever get a go to do Gun Woman 2.

Christopher Zisi: When going after a monster, it helps to become a bigger monster. I love that theme. Your protagonists in these revenge films, whether it be the blind swordsman, or the mastermind in Gun Woman, are all haunted and determined. We are on their side in their quests for revenge, but boy do they make us gasp. Your protagonists often become bigger monsters, and that is just fine with us… does that tell us something about who we are? Are your films a mirror in which we have an opportunity to take a look at ourselves and who we really are and apt to become?

Kurando Mitsutake: Thank you. I believe, revenge should only be performed by a person who’s willing to go to hell for that act. So, when you gain such a conviction for your act, you have to become some kind of a monster.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK I think what I’m trying to symbolize with this narrative motif is the fragility of the border between good and bad. I mean, look at Trump America. So, divided. Someone’s good is someone’s bad.

I like the saying “everyone is fighting a battle you don’t know about.”

Everybody has his or her background stories. So, some assholes might have really good reasons why they are that way.

Christopher Zisi: Your bad guys are also extreme. The 18-year-old boy who blows away his classmates and teachers for no reason, or the rich son of a Japanese industrialist who is into murder and necrophilia. Or Flesher… he doesn’t just rape and kill the Blind Wolf’s beautiful wife… he starts eating her. Are these monsters mere extremes that play well in exploitation films or spaghetti westerns… or are they fair metaphors for what we (as Americans… but probably not limited to us) have come to tolerate as acceptable in our society?

Kurando Mitsutake: My bad guys are super bad for me to make sure that absolutely all of my audience members hate them. To put them on the same team to lure for our protagonists. Since we have such a rich history of exploitation films – from Dirty Harry’s Scorpio to I saw The Devil’s’ Jang Kyung-Chul – in short, we’ve pretty much seen every kind of bad guy. So, you have to go the extra mile to make your bad guy really bad to make them memorable.

Christopher Zisi: In Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf, a few minutes into the story the opening credits roll with the help of three bikini and go-go boot clad ladies. Brilliant! If someone ever films my autobiography, that’s how I want my story to begin. This wasn’t just for gratuitous thrills.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK How did you decide to introduce your film that way… was everyone on board (actresses who were the dancers, your assistants, etc.)?

Kurando Mitsutake: To tell you the truth, what I wanted to do with the opening title sequence with Samurai Avenger, was a James Bond-ish credit sequence. Dancing girls with a cool theme song. But we did it in an ultra-low budget way. The Japanese girl in the silver bikini, Chikako Omura, was the choreographer and all the dancers had a blast shooting the scene. The blue bikini girl, Jenny Mullaney, became one of my regular cast members. She’s in Gun Woman and Karate Kill also.

Christopher Zisi: I have featured 1011 films on my blog since 2013, Gun Woman is one of a handful of films that gets several hits a day. Are you aware of the popularity of Gun Woman and if so, what do you attribute it to?

Kurando Mitsutake: I feel that my second feature Samurai Avenger introduced me to the international genre film scene with the festivals and distributions. Then, my third feature Gun Woman secured my place in the scene. It is distributed in over 15 countries and for the US, a genre giant SHOUT FACTORY distributed it so it has created some buzz and following. I really appreciate this because Gun Woman definitely was my passion project.

Christopher Zisi: East meets West… or so it appears in many of your films.

On the surface, East seems to be the good guy and West seems to be the perverted antagonist? I’m guessing there is more to it than that… can you talk about this?

Kurando Mitsutake: For all my features except the first one, the financing came from Japan.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK Essentially, they are Japanese films that were shot in the States.

Therefore, the good guys are from the East.

In the near future, I would love to work with American producers and American money, and make a movie with an American protagonist who goes to Japan and faces off with some bad Japanese guys.

Christopher Zisi: Perusing the credits of your films, you seem to have a loyal following of actors, actresses, and crew. I’m guessing there is a bit of a family dynamic here, as well. Is there a synergy among all of you or is Kurando the mastermind with an obedient and submissive following?

Kurando Mitsutake: No one in the film Industry is obedient and submissive, so no I do not have such a following. But I like working with familiar faces quite a bit.

For low budget filmmaking, time is the most valuable thing. And if you work with the cast and crew you’ve worked with before you can save a lot of time because we already know each other from the previous one you did together. I think this is the reason you see many family dynamicesque teams working together a lot.

Christopher Zisi: I’m guessing your next film won’t be featured on the HALLMARK CHANNEL, is there anything you can tell us about it? Will Asami be in it… and if not… ‘why the Hell not?’

Kurando Mitsutake: For the last several years, I’ve been trapped in development hell. I have several projects waiting for green lights. Though I can’t talk too much about them right now, I might do more action stuff or I might have a chance to do my first full-on horror project. Let’s see which one gets the go first. And we will see how Asami’s retirement goes.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK She might really retire or some project might bring her back on screen.

Christopher Zisi: I ask this in a selfish sense, so I hope you have a good answer because I am going to want to use it after my novel comes out in 2019. There is a wonderful and understood relationship between erotica and horror… but how do you justify a relationship between erotica and gore (or to be more specific… blood-soaked beauties in much peril)?

Kurando Mitsutake: I think on this case, gore and horror are the same concept. And I completely agree with you that erotica and horror work together and so does erotica and gore. Like Francisco Goya’s gory horrific paintings, they have certain elements of eroticism. I believe in any sort of immoralities, there will always be an element of eroticism. Bad things are sexy, you know? Good luck with the new book! I can’t wait to read it.

Christopher Zisi: I remember watching John Wayne plunging into forbidden Indian territory in search of Natalie Wood in The Searchers. I remember that really twisted look on Natalie Wood’s face when she is finally caught up to by John Wayne. Though The Searchers is technically a happy ending, the Natalie Wood character has changed. She will not be rejoining mid-western polite society, going to book club meetings or scrapbooking parties. The rescued woman has changed… she’s different.

She is now, at least part wild.

Mayumi (Mana Sakura) at the end of Karate Kill presumably has also changed. The body is hers, but that innocence and sweetness we see from her early in the film is gone. Does Mayumi emerge from this film?

Where does she go? I’m guessing her dream of becoming an actress is done… but perhaps assassin… saboteur… character in one of my novels?

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK Kurando Mitsutake: I actually have an idea for Karate Kill 2. In the sequel, Mayumi is in a psychiatric hospital. She was freed from Vendenski’s brainwashing but she’s still in a very fragile state. Then, unfortunately, she gets kidnapped again. By the people who want to control Kenji. A Texas jury found Kenji guilty with the use of excessive force in the Capital Messiah case. So, he’s sent to a maximum-security prison in the middle of nowhere in Texas. In the same prison, there is this big time Mexican drug lord who’s been captured.

The people who kidnapped Mayumi want Kenji to break out of the prison with the drug lord and bring him safely to the extraction point in the US Mexican border. It’s The Defiant Ones meets Enter The Dragon. Let’s see what kind of adventure Mayumi will face in this action-packed sequel. As you said, she should have gone through some life changes so she will not be a quiet captive. I would also be very excited if you make Mayumi appear in your novel!

Christopher Zisi: Kenji (Hayate) in Karate Kill is superb. Bruce Lee would be proud, no doubt. His Karate could steal the show of any action-epic.

Now however, his Texas experience has given him firearms expertise. Is Hayate’s Kenji in your future?

Kurando Mitsutake: I love Hayate! Not only would I love to make the sequel to Karate Kill with him, I would very much like to continue to collaborate with this very talented guy. Before I got to know him, I thought of him as a martial artist who can act. But after I worked very closely with him, I now think of him as a great actor who happens to be a martial art master.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK Christopher Zisi: Sadistic cults, snuff films, the soiling of purity… Karate Kill is a great big exclamation point of revenge and eventual vengeance.

Mayumi, and Kenji for that matter, lose so much in this film… Have two new monsters been created? Has there been any discussion of setting them loose in a future production?

Kurando Mitsutake: I think I already answered this question prematurely with your earlier question. Yes, I really hope I can get to explore more in the Karate Kill universe.

Christopher Zisi: Choreographing dance in big budget musicals is an art I cannot even comprehend. I love watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in those old musicals on TCM. Please don’t tell anyone. Am I way off base here, or was making Karate Kill a labor much like creating a Fred Astaire film containing magnificent dance pieces?

Kurando Mitsutake: Choreography and safety were two very important components to the production of Karate Kill, the same for any action centered production. I assume the same goes for the Astaire dance movies. So, in that sense our movies have something in common.

Christopher Zisi: Your villains are extreme to the max! Vendenski in Karate Kill seemed to pull in elements of Charles Manson and David Koresh. He’s also very smart… which is the really scary part. The creep seems to always be a step or two ahead of our beautiful Mayumi, the heroic Kenji, and alas the Asami Gun Woman character. Did you create him before the good guys in Karate Kill? Am I right about some of the monsters who may have inspired him, or is he more of a hybrid of villains from old spaghetti westerns and exploitation films?

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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK Kurando Mitsutake: When I started to work on the Karate Kill script, I knew I wanted the villain of the movie to be involved with some type of Internet crime. The Internet brought us some good but, in my view, it also killed so many great things – physical CDs / DVDs / books / toy stores, physical media, and human decency to keep our stupid thoughts to ourselves. Then, I added the cult leader element to the villain and came up with Vendenski and Capital Messiah. The cult and its leader in Karate Kill weren’t really inspired by some real guys like Manson and Koresh but I paid homage to the Night Slasher character in Stallone’s Cobra . If you look closely, you’ll see Vendenski and Night Slasher use the same knife. It’s my love letter to Cobra and the late George P. Cosmatos.

Interview by Christopher Zisi

About Christopher Zisi @cjzisi Christopher Zisi is an American horror writer from Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 2013, he created the blog "Zisi Emporium for B Movies" which showcases his thoughts and witticisms of horror, exploitation, and science fiction films. To date, over 1900 films have been reviewed on this blog. Mr. Zisi has published several books including six in The Xtrem Collection by Creators Unite. Those books are The Himalayan Devil Woman, The Ghosts Of Brisbane, Abilene-The Bondage Of Suyin Wong, Patricia M-The Perils Of A Sultry Stewardess, The Vixen Of Vladivostok and The Lunatic of the North. Before writing about horror full time, Christopher Zisi was a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

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GUN WOMAN & KARATE KILL Reviews by Sooz Webb

GUN WOMAN

Gun Woman (2014)1h 26min.

Writers: Kurando Mitsutake, Chiaki Yanagimoto.

Director: Kurando Mitsutake.

Stars: Asami, Kairi Narita, Noriaki Kamata, Matthew Floyd Miller…

Revenge is a dish best served cold. Or, in the case of director Kurando Mitsutake’s work, revenge is a dish best served with as many of your enemies’ internal organs splattered as violently as you can arrange it.

Couple that with a level of gratuitos flesh on show, guaranteed to push the boundaries of bad taste to the limit, and you’re only halfway close to what our double feature of Gun Woman and Karate Kill have to offer.

Seeking retribution for his wife's brutal murder, a talented doctor known simply as ‘The Mastermind’ purchases a prostitute, with the intent of shaping her into the ultimate killing machine. And as you can imagine, her education isn’t all puppy dogs and rainbows.

Subjected to beatings and bullying, as well as various methods of combat and weapons training, the young woman becomes an instrument of death, reborn as ‘The Gun Woman’. Her target is the perpetrator of what most in polite society would call pretty heinous acts.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 SHOWROOM The pinnacle of this being his magnum opus: an exclusive erotic club, where patrons get to have their end away with those that have departed this mortal coil. Yep, necrophilia. Apparently, romance IS dead. As her name isn’t on the list, our freshly-honed assassin gains entry to the inner sanctum under the guise of death, with a weapon concealed about her person that’s whereabouts would make your eyes water. Without giving too much away, let’s just say she goes in completely starkers, so it’s not exactly safely stashed away in her pocket!

As ‘Gun Woman’ (Mayumi) returns to the land of the living, mayhem and slaughter ensue with a brutal and blood-soaked showdown providing a sweet payoff for those that are watching, for more than just the slaughter. Bonkers, bizarre, bloody and at times brilliant, Gun Woman is a heady mix of balls-to-the-wall action, bombastic bravado, and pure gonzo attitude.

Asami shines as the would (and will) be femme fatale. Resilient and remorseful in equal measure, she secures her reign as J exploitation gore queen, with an understated yet emotive performance. The actress’s capacity to elicit sympathy despite her character’s almost entirely mute status is truly captivating, whilst her ability to kick ass and chew bubblegum is a sight to behold. As she embarks on her gore-laden rampage, as nakey as the day she was born, viscera and body parts pirouette across the screen, flying hither and yon, in an eccentric danse macabre. Practical effects convey the violence with stark realism, but are so over-the-top exaggerated that the sequence is too engaging not to watch!

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CREATORS UNITE 10 SHOWROOM We end up as delirious as our heroine, though thankfully for us it’s not due to blood loss!

Kairi Narita portrays the tortured medic hellbent on a twisted version of enacting justice. Although we feel sorrow toward the character, for the cruel way his wife was taken from him, the doc’s methods of forging his own one-woman killing machine leave a lot to be desired. Personally, I would like to have seen him bite the bullet at the hands of the one he created, but that’s just because I like my ladies a bit more ‘vengancy’ than the script obviously allowed. The 80s inspired soundtrack provides a synth-tastic groove, whilst lending a neo-noir crime-thriller type resonance to proceedings, and the end track is an awesome earworm that keeps playing in your head, long after the movie has finished.

KARATE KILL

Karate Kill (2016) 1h 29min.

Writer: Kurando Mitsutake.

Director: Kurando Mitsutake.

Stars: Hayate Matsuzaki, Asami, Kirk Geiger, Mana Sakura…

Karate Kill carries on the theme of slaughter and payback, only this time

it’s on a lone wolfs terms.

Learning that his younger sister Mayumi has gone missing Kenji, a chap who in the words of Donna Summer works hard for the money quits his multiple jobs and heads to the US of A to try and locate her. He (literally) hits up a few places before discovering his sibling has been kidnapped, by the morally bankrupt cult known as Capital Messiah.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 SHOWROOM Their stock-in-trade is to force abductees to star in snuff films, which are then viewed online by whoever is willing to pay the highest price.

Well, big brother isn’t prepared to stand idly by, whilst his sis gets sliced and diced for a sicko’s pleasure on the dark web. So, armed with his mastery of kung Fu he cuts a bloody path, intent on kicking people in the face until he can locate his sister.

Thankfully he doesn’t have to go it completely alone, as he finds an ally on the same quest in the form of former soldier Keiko. She herself fell victim to the sect’s nefarious internet exploitation, losing her hand in the process. But what she lacks in limbs she more than makes up for in hooks, sharpshooting, and badass attitude!

Cue a training/romance montage, and one of the zaniest locations for a fight scene ever, and Kenji is finally ready, to try and take down the cyberspace psychos once and for all.

Whilst Gun Woman tackles the topic of vengeance and retaliation with a grim and gritty flavor, Karate Kill takes the same themes, spins them on their head and forces them to look in a funhouse mirror.

Yes, the subject matter, ever-increasing body count and escaping entrails make for some somber viewing, but the whole thing is handled with a knowingly wry smile and a cheeky wink. An intentionally dark vein pumps comedy throughout the movie, to the point where situations are so exaggerated, they at times become amusing. We love to laugh at things that shock us, and the director is only too eager to indulge our sick sense of humor. The serious side of business is taken care of by the action sequences, which are full on and frequent.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 SHOWROOM Hayate stars as the martial arts maestro, his skill in technique impressive to behold. A man of few words, his expertise in hand-to-hand combat has a lyricality to it, that transcends verbosity. The violence is fast-paced and frenetic, culminating in a spectacular showdown, defying gravity and logic, making it engaging and truly mind-boggling to behold!

Fans of the Grindhouse genre or the cinematic offerings of Takashi Miike will undoubtedly lose their minds over Mitsutake’s work. Occasionally bordering on body-horror, the two films transcend the confines of ‘mere action thriller’ to become a grand spectacle of sex, blood, and violence.

The harshness of gritty realism is offset by gallows humor so deliciously diabolical that it’s impossible not to be as charmed by the movies, as much as you are grossed out by them.

Sooz Webb

About Sooz Webb @SoozWebb A contributor to Creators Unite, Sooz Webb chats her love for all things loud and scary in podcast Heavy Metal Horror Cast. The show looks at horror from a female perspective, and seeks to promote new music, featuring tracks from heavy rocking or horror themed bands… Follow her and get in touch with her by clicking on the icons below.

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by Christopher Bourez & Emilie Flory

Photos Courtesy: GUN WOMAN © MAXAM, Inc.

Shooting Practice | Gunfight | Gun Psychology | Q & A | Arsenal

Shooting Practice Central to the resolution of Gun Woman scenario is the tactical training of Mayumi (Asami -J-sploitation queen) by Mastermind (Kairi Narita).

Many films leave the realism of a gunfight to our WAR IMAGINATION: in old war movies, for example, a protagonist could shoot one bullet on the battlefield and a group of 5 soldiers could fall.

Some other films have taken the opposite direction with (lots) more WAR PROFESSIONALISM: renowned shooting champion Taran Butler has trained many actors, such as Keanu Reeves for highly realistic John Wick, French film Special Forces (2011) employs, as both actor and advisor, a former French military and drill instructor member of the Navy special forces.

To which category does Gun Woman belong?

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John Wick Tactical Training: Keanu Reeves at Taran Tactical.

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It is very important to have the reflex to always leave the finger out of the trigger, when not pointing the gun towards a target. That’s for security reason, to avoid inadvertent shooting.

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“It’s called an automatic pistol. It uses the pressure of the gas when fired…

It has two kinds of safety locks. “S” is the safety position. The trigger is locked. When it’s down, it decocks, but you’re still able to fire with the double action.”

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CREATORS UNITE 10 TECH SECRETS The explanation of safety locks on an automatic pistol is correct. The double action means it is still possible to cock the gun by pressing the trigger: in this case, the trigger will be heavy. After one shoot, the gun will be cocked and the trigger will be light and sensitive.

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A realistic result on target for a beginner, with impacts, left and down.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 TECH SECRETS When the impact is down, it is mainly due to the flinch or the anticipation of the fire start. A trained professional will try to be surprised by the start, or use a gun with a better trigger.

When the impact is left, the problem comes from the finger, that is either not well positioned on the trigger, or too little, or not pushing the trigger uniformly.

Impacts are grouped, showing the beginner is reproducing the results, it is the good time to make the corrections in her shooting technique.

These results are very common for beginners when the sights and alignments are well understood. At 5 meters, we could expect every impact inside the black circle.

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Gun Woman gives good advice about surviving a gunfight:

“A bullet will miss you in most cases. Only highly trained ones can hit their targets. So, don’t fear the gun pointed at you. [...] Make a precise decision even at gunpoint”.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 TECH SECRETS Verdict: 50-50. Some positions are following the shooting practice and rules, while some others should be avoided. On top of that, variations in positions of the fingers, hands, and manipulations, show that more practice is still required to become a professional. A lot more about precision training could be taught

by Mastermind.

Gunfight The experience of letting the untrained blond girl shoot at Mayumi is very dangerous but has a strong power of retention for one who survives.

Moreover, as explained, most targets are in movement: “Even a trained individual can hardly hit a moving target”.

And shooting at a moving target requires to anticipate the movement. The anticipation depends on distance as well as the speed of the target. It requires specific training, that cannot be acquired on static targets.

Pointing the index at the target should be sufficient to shoot at this distance.

Is Mayumi survival in this experience realistic? Yes, definitely. The pistol is shaking a lot, there is no intent to kill, the blond girl has not activated her instinct in a classical defense. The pistol is mostly targeting too high, and there is a tendency to reproduce the same error in a shooting drill. Her body is soft, while her body muscles should be tightened.

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Gun Psychology There exists a one-gun model for every psychology. Of course, some models are more renowned than others and have become best sellers in the military and police around the world. But the look and feel of a gun varies from one person to another, each choice being very personal, depending on the type (pistol vs revolver), the weight, the strength, precision and range of the trigger, the stock shape, the size, the preference for metal pieces rather than plastic ones, the history, … and for a few last people, inspiration can be driven by actors and movies : the ego, dream, projection of the onlooker… The ammunition type is usually less important since models are available with different barrels.

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Kurando Mitsutake Special Q & A 1-The Ruger Mk II with its suppressor is fully galvanized, which makes it visually attractive. This pistol is perfect for the hitman job at the start of the movie (indoor fight): very low distance, very low noise. But it is hazardous for a long-range fight like at the end of the movie: 22LR ammunition is not precise anymore after 50 meters and will have small impact power. Sometimes it cannot go through a car windshield. The limited polyvalence of the Ruger Mk II makes it an unexpected choice to go for a tactical fight with heavily armed enemies. What’s Mastermind strategy for using the Ruger Mk II in this situation?

Kurando Mitsutake: I wanted to give Mastermind’s character an interesting looking gun so that the audience will make a visual connection between Mastermind and the Assassin.

The gun the Assassin character uses in the beginning of the movie is in fact the gun from Mastermind. The Assassin avenges Mastermind’s death by using his gun. So the choice for the Ruger Mk II was an aesthetic one rather than a realistic one.

2-The choice of HK USP compact is explained by its precision, its usage in the military, its size, and its robustness. But some other guns share these characteristics, in particular, Glock…

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CREATORS UNITE 10 TECH SECRETS One of the main advantages of Glock over HK is the weight of the gun; also, there are some super-compact Glock (Glock 43 and Glock 26 for example). Since the gun has to be inserted into Mayumi’s body, why does Mastermind choose HK USP compact in preference to Glock?

Kurando Mitsutake: Great point. Again, it’s about aesthetics.

Unfortunately, Glocks just don’t do it for me because I personally hate guns without a hammer. If I were a professional law enforcer or military personal who needs to carry a firearm on a daily basis, I might fall in love with Glocks but I’m just a filmmaker with somewhat of a gun fetish. So visual preference usually comes first before the realistic reasoning in my gun choices. Also, I do have quite a fan base in Germany and I wanted Gun Woman’s Mayumi to use a German gun.

3-The number of ammunition you can load in a magazine depends a lot on the model and the configuration. How does Hamazaki’s Son (Noriaki R.Kamata) know the number of bullets loaded in Mayumi’s Gun? Kurando Mitsutake: Yes. Very good question. In fact, the USP Compact we used on Gun Woman was purchased in California so it came with a “California magazine” which only holds 10 rounds due to stricter gun laws here. I thought if I get into explaining the difference between magazine models, I will lose the majority of the audience’s interest so I decided to cover it with a general blanket statement about the magazine capacity and move on with the plot point.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 TECH SECRETS 4-By disassembling the gun and hiding its parts into Mayumi’s body, Mastermind knows the security guards of the “Room” won’t see Mayumi is carrying a gun… Separating the magazine from the frame doesn’t spare place to put it into a body. Why separating them?

Kurando Mitsutake: True. The decision to separate the magazine from the gun and put it in Mayumi’s vagina was more a symbolic reason than a logical reason. It was to create the sense of her giving birth to a gun from her body. Hence the loaded magazine came from her vagina on top of a firearm surgically inserted into her body.

5-You are preparing your feature 5 which will apparently have many gun fights; can you tell us more about the way you prepare those scenes?

Kurando Mitsutake: Yes, as for my movie number 5, I’m hoping to get a green light on my hard-boiled film noir gun action thriller. At this early stage, I just put what I would love to see into the script. Then, the production begins; I will work closely with a stunt coordinator and a firearm specialist to bring the gun fights to life.

6-Do you think of those scenes long before you shoot them? Do they inspire the way you write your stories?

Kurando Mitsutake: Yes, I do. I usually have the whole movie worked out in my head before the shoot. Meaning, I see the entire movie in my mind before it gets produced. So, if I can just plug an USB cable or something into my brain and download the movie, I don’t even need to film it.

Maybe in the future we can do this but the filming is the most fun part of filmmaking so I shouldn’t wish for that technology.

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CREATORS UNITE 10 TECH SECRETS 7-Do you work with the same instructor?

Kurando Mitsutake: I wish I did but no. The action coordinators and firearm specialists change project to project for now. If and when I can start directing movies constantly, maybe I can assemble my dream team together to work on project after project.

8-How long did Asami’s training last for Gun Woman?

Kurando Mitsutake: About 6 weeks. In Japan before the production in Los Angeles started, she trained with our stunt coordinator for 4 weeks learning the choreography. Then she came to LA and got very comfortable with USP Compact in 2 weeks.

9-How do you choose the firearms? What influences you more: the personality of your characters, the configuration of the situations or the aesthetic?

Kurando Mitsutake: I have to say both. But what I’m willing to sacrifice the most is the reality of the situation. As we discussed the choice for Mastermind’s Ruger Mk II earlier, it wasn’t a realistic choice for many of his gun fights but the gun fitted his character so good, I let the reality suffer. Thank you so much, Christopher and Emilie for the interesting questions! I enjoyed this interview very much!

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CREATORS UNITE 10 MASTHEAD

CREATORS UNITE MAGAZINE Darlene C. Deever Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Roy Bheer Executive Editor Emilie Flory Creative Director Eleanor Fawcett Consultant Editor Lorenza Florida, Biscuit C. Translators

Cover and End Cover Kelli © Harmonie Le Clair. 2023 The Essential Issue © Dale Mike B. 2024 Contributing Artists Greg Palko, Chantal Handley, Franchesco, Jumpei Tainaka, Harmonie Le Clair, Dale Mike B., Penelope Cox, Sayuri, Roda, Ruede Bloch, Jiéxī, Kopy Kat, Mark Berry, Dub Meter & AStyanaX. Contributing Writers Christopher Zisi, Laura MacLeod, Matthew Kirshenblatt, Todd Rigney, David Dubrow, Richard M. Martin, Tony Newton, Maria Cristina Mastrangeli, Tony Gpuk, Christopher Bourez, Sooz Webb & Jason Figgis.

Photos Courtesy Masters at Work 2: Troma Entertainment, ©GirlsandCorpses.com All rights reserved, Mark Berry ©GirlsandCorpses.com All rights reserved Masters at Work 3: Andrea Galeazzi Masters at Work 4: © FukuzoProductions, © Kurando Mitsutake, © MAXAM, Inc., © Torin

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CREATORS UNITE 10 MASTHEAD Special thanks to Robert Rhine, “deaditor” in chief of Girls and Corpses, to Miss Mosh, and Mark Berry, to Cathy MacKay, Hayden McComas, John Ferri and Thom Demicco.

ARTWORKS COVER by Harmonie Le Clair | END COVER by Dale Mike B. Kelli’s cover, Lloyd’s cover, Luigi’s cover and Kurando’s cover by Dale Mike B. Kelli’s Webtalk & Showroom posters by Dale Mike B. and Penelope Cox Supertreat poster by Penelope Cox Kelli’s Presentation poster by Franchesco Lloyd’s Webtalk poster by Dale Mike B. Passion Story poster by Penelope Cox Guilty Pleasure poster by Sayuri Troma’s Polaroid Posters by Ruede Bloch & Kopy Kat Luigi’s Webtalk and Showroom posters by Dale Mike B. Luigi’s movies posters by Dale Mike B. Exhibition Hall poster by Dale Mike B. Kurando’s Webtalk and Showroom posters by Sayuri and Dale Mike B. Karate Kill poster by Roda Gun Woman poster by Dale Mike B. Lion Girl and Maniac Driver posters by Kopy Kat Tech Secrets poster by Sayuri Arsenal poster by Jiéxī George A. Romero’s poster by Roda Bonus Feature & VHS posters by Penelope Cox

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