The process of redefining the meaning of home is a powerful one for anyone who has endured the aftermath of personal trauma. The lasting painful impact that the disaster of losing a home has on families and their extended communities is explored in the new animated historical documentary, Address Unknown: Fukushima Now.
Arif Khan wrote, directed and produced the XR experience. Address Unknown: Fukushima Now, which is a Taiwanese-Japanese-American production, was co-produced by Taipei-based Serendipity Films.
The immersive project was shot using virtual reality (VR) technology by cinematographer Ruben Frosali. The 25-minute short features Tomiko Muto, Yuji Onuma and Shinichi Sato.
Address Unknown: Fukushima Now takes audiences to the heart of the titular Japanese city to meet the survivors currently living in the shadow of the nuclear accident that occurred there in 2011. Using volumetric capture and photogrammetry technology, the movie transports viewers into an experience that explores what’s considered to be the worst nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster.
The documentary highlights the lasting impact the Fukushima nuclear accident has had on the surrounding communities and the environment. The story reveals how the community has endured in the aftermath of trauma and recalls memories of homes they can no longer return to. Through local voices, the XR experience examines the meaning of home.
The film had its North American Premiere at this year’s SXSW. The project screened at the Fairmont Hotel as part of the XR Experience Spotlight section during the Austin-based festival.
To help promote Address Unknown: Fukushima Now‘s North American Premiere at SXSW, Khan generously took the time during the festival to talk about scribing, helming and producing the short. The filmmaker discussed the project during an exclusive interview after we viewed the experience in the Fairmont Hotel’s Congressional Ballroom.
Q: You wrote and directed the new XR experience documentary, Address Unknown: Fukushima Now. What was your inspiration in making the film?
Arif Khan: I was interested in telling a story about home and memories. I initially took a bus trip up to Sendai when I was in Japan, just for pleasure. I saw so many of the abandoned homes, schools and shops in the Fukushima region.
So I started to think about where all of the people, as well as the culture, from the area had gone. Just for my own knowledge, I wanted to understand what happened to the region after the nuclear accident happened in 2011. I wanted to know what happened to all of the people who lived in this vibrant community.
My curiosity about it started to rise right before the pandemic. Once the pandemic started, I was of course locked in doors with everyone else. So I started to spend a lot of time researching about the area. During that process, it started to become really apparent to me that there was a really important story about home and memories there.
So using the technology of VR, volumetric capture and photogrammetry, it seemed like an interesting intersection of technology to scan and document these places. I also decided to showcase them through a personal lens of voice-overs from the locals. So that was the inspiration in wanting to make the project.
I was then lucky enough to get a scholarship to make the project over the course of a year. So as the pandemic wrapped up, I was able to go to Japan and spend about a year there. I did some field research and spoke to locals in order to understand the world, story and people there.
We ultimately identified five to eight people who had incredibly poignant stories that we could map to locations that we could scan. That helped bring the project into focus, and turned it into what you see today in the projec.
Q: Once you began developing the project, what was the research process like into the backgrounds of the people who were affected by the nuclear accident?
Arif Khan: That’s a good question. It definitely felt like a different world to me. I think part of the challenge of moving into a project like this was to try to understand the local perspective and to connect with the locals.
So the first step was to be introduced to a couple local photographers and journalists, who were incredibly helpful in bridging the gap with the local people. They introduced us to many of the people you see in the documentary, and helped us gain access to those types of stories. It was through those meetings that we were able to introduce ourselves.
In order to build a trust with the locals, it wasn’t enough just to go to Fukushima just once, or only make one phone call. It took many trips and a lot of time and effort to build a sense of trust with them, and for them to open up their homes and hearts to us. They wanted to at least trust that we were going to do it in the right way. Luckily, since I was able to be there for a year, I could slowly build that trust.
Q: Once you completed your research, how did you decide what the narrative would be for Address Unknown?
Arif Khan: Well, we interviewed a lot of the locals, and they had incredibly rich stories to tell. We had interviews that lasted upwards of two, three hours, so there was a lot of material to unpack.
But the creative challenge was to figure out how we could condense all of that material into a 25-minute short. So we took all of the transcripts and whittled all the material into a two-page script. We captured the essence, tone and feeling of all of those narratives in the script.
We then shared the script with the locals, and they gave us notes and feedback. They let us know if we should add or remove some details. They were very important collaborators in the process of rewriting the script.
Once they felt it was reflective of what they wanted to say, we then used it as the voice-over recording. The recordings ultimately defined what those memories were and how they felt in the project.
Q: In terms of then directing the short, how did you bring it to life during the shoot as the helmer?
Arif Khan: I think the biggest challenge is that it’s in VR. It’s so multi-disciplinary that you’re working with so many sound designers, engineers and photogrammetry artists. We also worked with local producers and translators.
So part of the process was piecing the entire project together through everyone’s skill sets. In order to do so, I reached out to people I admire and have worked with before. I worked with the project’s sound designer (Andrew Vernon) before on previous project.
I also worked with our photogrammetry artist expert in-depth. I hadn’t worked with him before, but he’s a local, so we worked closely together while I was in Japan. I reached out to him after hearing about him from a mutual connection. He had never made a VR documentary before, but he was an expert in using photogrammetry. So it was an easy choice to use his skill set on a documentary like this one.
So it really stated to come together as we put the pieces together. As the project started to get that momentum, a lot of people started to hear about it, and wanted to work on it with us.
Q: In terms of creating the visuals for Address Unknown, how did you create the overall aesthetic for the project?
Arif Khan: Uniquely enough, this project is actually largely driven b the music. I think the music shapes the tone of the memories.
Our composer was really instrumental in putting the project together, even when just we had an early, rough version. We would send each of the early cuts to him, and he would start to do the musical composing over those clips.
So we had the music very early on in post-production so that we could time the beats to the music. We could then make them feel as though they were a part of the overall experience. So that was a key element of not thinking of the sound design as an afterthought, but instead as an integral part of the entire experience.
Q: In addition to directing the movie, you also served as a producer. How did you approach producing the documentary, in addition to helming it?
Arif Khan: Producing is such a different skill set than directing. Luckily, most of my producing was in the research stage.
Then I think working with local producers was the most important aspect of filmmaking. When you’re working with local producers, they can really help you, as they understand the region, as well as the context and the sensitivity around it. That was such a key component to this project. Once we started filming in the Fukushima region, we really had to rely on the local producers to bring the story to life.
Q: Address Unknown: Fukushima Now had its North American Premiere at SXSW. What does it mean to you that the XR experience played at the festival?
Arif Khan: It was great. We had our World Premiere at Venice last year, which was an incredible way to get the project out there.
But what I think is unique about SXSW is that it’s really a great opportunity for creators to be right next to their project, taking audiences through it. They’re able to get the audiences’ first-hand reactions as soon as they watch it. That level of intimacy, and getting that immediate feedback, is so special.
Sometimes when you’re working on a project you have tunnel-vision. When you’re by yourself, you don’t know if the project is working, as you’re not getting feedback.
But at SXSW, you have tons of people going through the experience for the first time. Then having their immediate reaction and feedback has been really inspiring and exciting. It makes the project come full-circle in a really special way, which I’m thankful for.
If you like the interview, share your thoughts below!