Master K Classes
For a Master Class in Kinbaku
"Together Alone"-
A new film with Kinbaku!
It is with the greatest pleasure that we announce the release of yet another very creative film which used Kinbaku as part of its clever and amusing storyline.
Many more pictures, from the film and behind the scenes, plus descriptions, can be found at The Beauty of Kinbaku website:
Unlike many films involving Kinbaku, the use of rope art in this film is quite unique. In “Together Alone” the shots of the beautiful bound actress are used as nearly subliminal flash cuts to demonstrate the male character’s desires and clichéd perceptions of his date, while at the same time emphasizing her sensuality and beauty. A tall order!
We became involved in the project when the script was sent to my creative partner zElement at Spring Tiger Ryu by the Director Jolene Kim. She had located our organization on the Internet and, seeing how many film projects we have done, wrote to inquire about our participation. The quality of her script made us instantly enthusiastic.
Without giving too much away the plot involves a first date in a bar between a handsome young man and a petite and beautiful Asian woman. We hear the dialogue of the characters but at the same time read their inner-most thoughts in subtitles. The results are both hilarious and touching and say a surprising amount about the different ways men and women perceive each other. For an 11 minute short it’s an ambitious film!
This short (eleven minute) film, which has already begun to do prestigious festivals and will be released shortly, is a very clever take on the traditional rom-con (romantic comedy),.. but with a twist.
The film is “Together Alone” by the very talented Jolene Kim and marks the second time in recent months that we have participated in the production of a film by a woman Director who has chosen to use Kinbaku as part of their film’s narrative.
3. It also had to be sensual, stylish and colorful.
2. The Kinbaku had to be very noticeable and vibrant enough for the audience to “read“ despite it being used in subliminal flash cuts.
1. The Kinbaku must allow the actress/writer/Director to be able to act while tied!
The problems were–
This was made a bit more challenging because the film had to be shot over the course of only two evenings when the very attractive bar location being used was closed. In other words, all the shooting had to be done in two action-packed all-nighters.
Which is not to say that the film, despite its short length, didn’t pose serious challenges.
This last condition was met by using colored asanawa (Kinbaku rope) in a close, calculated, fashion conscious way with the costumes of the leading lady. This meant blue rope with a red kimono, red rope with a lovely black evening dress and regular rope for the puppet-like partial suspension. zElement’s design skills were vital in coordinating all of this.
As always, the shooting was intense and the work had to be done as quickly as possible. Fortunately, I was ably assisted by zElement and also one of my main students Remy K. Thane as well as the talented photographer James Smith, all of whom volunteered their services for this interesting project.
It was an honor and a pleasure to be involved and, as always, this type of close creative collaboration with talented people is a high point of the many activities of the Spring Tiger Ryu.
