Just noticed something in the movie.

On my copy it is 1:40:08 from the beginning and 4:05 from the end. It occurs during the last song on the concert when the keyboard player, during his solo, looks over at Juri and the camera switches to her and she smiles back.

You have a good shot of the sax mouthpiece and reed. What caught my eye was that the tip of the read is cut straight across rather than having a slightly curved tip.

I've never seen a reed like that so I'm thinking they did that they did it so she couldn't accidently make a sound while trying to make it look like she was playing.

I can't tell if it lines up with the tip of the mouthpice or is cut below the mouthpice tip (if my theory is correct, it is below the tip). Also, looking at it, the reed tip looks kinda rough from cutting instead of a really clean edge. So that also supports my theory.

If the reed is cut enough below the tip, you can blow air, but the reed won't vibrate, thus no sound. That would allow her to "fake it" while still pushing air and that would probably look more realistic in the facial muscles used compared to not pushing air.

I had previously thought that they probably actually played while a recording of their own also played (to keep them together for later dubbing themselves). Now I'm thinking maybe they didn't make a sound on that filming, but still dubbed themselves.

BTW, when James Stewart played the lead in "The Glen Miller Story", he kept trying to play and wasn't any good! So the put a plug in the mouthpiece so he couldn't make a sound!

^ Interesting observation... Not being a musician of any sort, I never would've known.

bmwracer wrote:

^ Interesting observation... Not being a musician of any sort, I never would've known.

Wish the mouthpiece was clearer against the background so I could be sure about whether the reed is cut well below the tip. I tried turning the brightness up full, but still couldn't see the outline of the mouthpiece clearly. At least not on my copy. Maybe someone with a blue-ray version or other better mine could tell.

dabigkahuna wrote:

Maybe someone with a blue-ray version or other better mine could tell.

Apparently the Blu-Ray isn't that much of an improvement over the DVD: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews44/swing_girls_blu-ray.htm

bmwracer wrote:

Apparently the Blu-Ray isn't that much of an improvement over the DVD: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews44/swing_girls_blu-ray.htm

Oh, that's a great picture - especially when I went to the link and blew it up. The reed there is clearly curved at the tip like I'd expect while the one I referred to (which comes later, during the keyboard solo), it sure looks sharply cut off. If nothing else, this would seem to confirm that they weren't using some kind of reed I never heard of!

It could be that sometimes they did play along with their own dubbing but other times did not, like on her solo. In any case, at some point during filming, she changed the reed (or cut the same one).

I'm amazed you found that picture. I mean, what are the odds that one showing the reed so clearly would be found!

Oh, one other thing, when I looked at the largest version the link offered, I think I could see the tip of the mouthpiece itself - just a little, near the side of the mouthpiece. Really just a slight light reflection, but It seemed enough to tell it was curving right where the reed reaches it, as it should be.

If I ever get a blue-ray version, I'll check out the scene I referred to earlier.

dabigkahuna wrote:

I'm amazed you found that picture. I mean, what are the odds that one showing the reed so clearly would be found!

Just dumb luck, really: When you mentioned Blu-Ray, I remembered that DVD Beaver reviewed the movie a while back.

When you think of how seldom the reed shows, it sure is lucky to even find a shot like that. Eventually I may go through the movie just to see if there are any other shots, but I doubt they do.

Okay, went ahead and checked the whole movie. Just two shots show the cut-off reed and are essentially the same place. The one I mentioned, during the keyboard solo and just moments after that shot, was he finishes his solo, he mouths something to her and as soon as it switches back to her, you see it again.

Not sure what he is saying, but it looks like "ride" - which would make sense since in Jazz (and English!) they call such solos as "taking a ride" or a "ride solo". They use English in other places in the movie, even though you would think they would normally use Japanese. Like whenever they refer to the band, it is "Swing Girls and a Boy". They do the same in the First and Last Concert.

Maybe there is no appropriate Japanese word to substitute.

^ Wow, you're really going through this movie with a fine tooth comb... Is this some kind of Master's Degree thesis?

bmwracer wrote:

^ Wow, you're really going through this movie with a fine tooth comb... Is this some kind of Master's Degree thesis?

Nah, just really curious about all the things they did. The reed thing was something I just stumbled on accidentally and curiousity did the rest. Didn't really take long. I know where they show them playing so I could fast forward through most of it so it was easier than I thought it might be.

It is the stuff in the making of vid and first and last concert that I really want to know about. Hope my help hasn't given up!

dabigkahuna wrote:

It is the stuff in the making of vid and first and last concert that I really want to know about. Hope my help hasn't given up!

+1.

Do you know anything about the legalities of putting up an .SRT file for subtitles?

I wouldn't think there would be any laws against it as long as it was just that file and not combined with the movie itself.

I just figure if I ever do get a translation and put in enough time to create a file others could benefit from, I'd share it.

dabigkahuna wrote:

Do you know anything about the legalities of putting up an .SRT file for subtitles? I wouldn't think there would be any laws against it as long as it was just that file and not combined with the movie itself. I just figure if I ever do get a translation and put in enough time to create a file others could benefit from, I'd share it.

I don't see why it would be a problem, since you're not infringing on any copyrights...

bmwracer wrote:

I don't see why it would be a problem, since you're not infringing on any copyrights...

That's what I think. Heck, I remember a case were someone took the song "Pretty Woman" (I think) and completely changed the words on their own album - made it rather nasty as I recall - and a judge declared it was okay! Now, I disagree with that, but it is a lot more than what I'd hope to do. It isn't like they are selling such files themselves and I'd be taking something away.

Weird Al can get away with what he does coz his stuff falls under the definition of 'Parody'

With regards to subtitles.. as i understand it.. some view fanmade subtitles, even translated ones, as derivative works(or outright copies) of the original script.. and posting subtitles online counts as distribution.. and to do either, one should get permission from the creators or whoever holds the rights.

http://extratorrent.com/article/2220/subtitles+might+be+illegal.html
http://www.onehourtranslation.com/translation/press-releases/arrr-what-we-can-learn-pirates

seems like it's still too new a thing for the courts to know how to deal with properly. i did come across an article from 2007 about some fansubbers in Poland getting 2 years in jail for their work

from how i think i've seen fansub/scanlation groups handle things.. they do their work, and if someone serves up a cease & desist.. project ends, onto the next one

tl;dr - your call man! you share it.. i'll grab it!

edit: maybe if the subtitles were re-written Kung Pow style.. then you're probably in the clear. all-in-all.. copyright law and intellectual property make me so damn frustrated.. hearing about all the crap that arises because of it.. hate it.

Ah, that was the word I was trying to think of yesterday - parody! Thanks.

Wish I knew how to get ahold of the director - love to ask him some questions. And the people from the Yamaha School of Music for how they taught, etc.

Funny how I could make a completely inaccurate .srt file as parody and not be an issue, but an accurate one might be!

Well, if I ever get it done, I'll be glad to share, even if it is just directly to individuals rather than putting it up at some site.

Just got a partial translation of the "making of" video just before the end of my Christmas Day! Looks like the first 27 minutes so plenty to go. Still, lots of good stuff already, mostly confirming what I thought - an certainly contradicting the nay-sayers I've seen responding to some youtube videos.

To get a working .srt file is going to take approximately forever!

Feel free to ask about any specific things said - give me an exacty time stamp though (hopefully we would have the same vid versions so the times match up!). Just make sure it is within the first 27 minutes.

Meanwhile, here some stuff to get started on:

"The girls were among 1000 applicants to audition for this movie. Although the main theme of this movie is music, none of the girls had any experience in jazz. Some of them have never touched an instrument. The story in this movie paralleled with the girls�f real life learning to play instruments."

And this part is big - confirming what we thought (from the director):

�gI had initially decided to have the girls and a boy play the real instruments in the movie without being dubbed by professional musicians. The reason is that the story is not about the girls becoming professional musicians. Rather it�fs the story about those who have never held musical instruments gradually found the joy of music and express the feeling. This joy will be transmitted to the audience later in the climax of the movie, the girls�f big band concert. If we used the professional musicians�f dubbing, it wouldn�ft express the girls�f genuine emotions."

So now we know for sure that, if there was dubbing (and likely there was), they must have dubbed themselves. Glad to lock that down for sure.

"There are 17 band members in this story. The lesson began while other cast members were not yet determined."

I assumed this means they had the 17, but not other cast characters when lessons began. However, reading further it says some band members who were "selected later" were behind so I guess it doesn't include all 17 players at this point.

"The remaining time is 3 months until the filming of the movie. Unable to even play the melody, the girls faced the biggest challenge. "

After saying "60 days until filming", it says the "training camp began". I guess they had a month of lessons starting 90 days before filming and at 60 they had a camp - group thing.

The piano player had never played piano before and came in halfway through the camp. The drummer was the last one and never played drums before (and never acted before).

"The training camp was relocated to Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture where the filming would take place. Now �gSwing Girls�h has its full members. There was less than 1 month until the start of shooting of the film."

Ah, more confirmation - they did dub themselves. Director talking to trumpet player at rehearsal for final scene:

�gI want you to pretend to be confident at performance even if you aren�ft. We would use your own sound to dub your part. OK? This is a movie and not a concert.�h

It took four days to film the final scene.

They came back for the winter scenes - apparently where they are receiving flowers was the end of filming and was 10 months after they first started lessons.

Then there are the credits, ending this portion. Seems to answer or confirm all the big issues, but we have lots more to find out about so maybe we'll learn some interesting details.

^ Awesome.