April 30, 2010
Hiroshima Reconstruction Project
Time: 10AM
Location: SCA 112; School of Cinematic Arts, George Lucas Wing
No reservations or RSVPs are necessary.
Sixty-five years have passed since nuclear weapons were used on human beings. With the deep conviction that humankind never experience a nuclear war again, the Hiroshima Reconstruction Project is committed to spreading the non-nuclear message through a powerful story-telling technique that uses digital image technology. Our theme is the enormity of loss caused by the Atomic Bomb. Our intention is to convey the truth to international society.
Countless efforts have been made in the past to convey the enormity of loss brought about by the atomic bomb. But there was a story that no one could tell effectively. It is the story of the tragic loss of a warm community, vibrant with a culture rich in tradition and aesthetics, never to be revived again.
The Hiroshima Reconstruction Project is now undertaking this challenge. Based on U.S. intelligence aerial photos taken of the city just prior to its fate, the team is bringing the once bustling town, “back to life” – through the use computer graphic imagery to reconstruct it piece-by-piece, brick-by-brick.
Our project leader is Mr. Toshihiko (Masaaki) Tanabe, who was eight years old at the time of the bombing. His childhood home stood next to the A-Bomb Dome. At seventy-two years old now, he has enough energy and drive to undertake this colossal undertaking, yet has an accurate memory of his beloved hometown.
The project has turned into a Japan/U.S. collaboration. On the U.S. side, led by SCA Professor Eric Hanson (visual effects creator of "Day After Tomorrow,” “Cast Away” and “Fifth Element”), students from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California have contributed their skills to the modeling, texturing, lighting and shading of the A-Bomb Dome. In Japan, students from Tokyo University, Waseda and other institutions are offering their specialized expertise as well. A Japanese-American producer from Tokyo Broadcasting System has made this bilateral collaboration possible.
Interwoven with photos and interviews with former residents, these beautifully rendered digital images have be incorporated into a half-hour documentary for screening at the United Nations at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May 2010.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
Contact: Richard Weinberg
Email Address: weinberg@cinema.usc.edu
https://scacommunity.usc.edu/events/eventDetail.cfm?cid=111725
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