Koichi Kawakita

Koichi Kawakita

Birth : 1952-12-05, Tokyo, Japan

Death : 2014-12-05

History

Koichi Kawakita was a Japanese director, cinematographer, and optical photographer best known for his work on most of the Heisei era Godzilla films and the first two Rebirth of Mothra films. He also occasionally appeared in cameos in some of Toho's tokusastu productions.

Profile

Koichi Kawakita

Movies

The Dawn of Kaiju Eiga
Himself - Filmmaker
Japan, 1954. A legend emerges from the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, devastated by atomic bombs in 1945. The creature's name is Godzilla. The film that tells its story is the first of kaiju eiga, the giant monster movies.
Making of Godzilla vs. Biollante
Himself
A lengthy discussion on the film's story, the villain, themes, getting the picture off the ground, the script, the shoot, visual effects, and much more. The piece includes making-of footage from the shoot as well as filmmaker interviews.
The God of Clay
Visual Effects
A 2011 tokusatsu kaiju short film produced by Dream Planet Japan and Marbling Fine Arts. Initially directed by Nobuaki Sugimoto, it was completed by Koichi Kawakita. It is based on the 1993 children's book of the same name by Masamoto Nasu. This was Koichi Kawakita's final film before his death in 2014.
The God of Clay
Editor
A 2011 tokusatsu kaiju short film produced by Dream Planet Japan and Marbling Fine Arts. Initially directed by Nobuaki Sugimoto, it was completed by Koichi Kawakita. It is based on the 1993 children's book of the same name by Masamoto Nasu. This was Koichi Kawakita's final film before his death in 2014.
The God of Clay
Director
A 2011 tokusatsu kaiju short film produced by Dream Planet Japan and Marbling Fine Arts. Initially directed by Nobuaki Sugimoto, it was completed by Koichi Kawakita. It is based on the 1993 children's book of the same name by Masamoto Nasu. This was Koichi Kawakita's final film before his death in 2014.
Making of Godzilla vs. Mothra
Himself
A look into the production of the nineteenth Godzilla film. Includes filmmaker and actor interviews with behind the scenes footage of the film's visual effects. Includes an interview with Akira Ifukube and a brief discussion of the late Ishiro Honda.
Super Star Fleet Sazer-X the Movie: Fight! Star Warriors
Visual Effects Director
The Sazer-X team find a mysterious boy who claims to have amnesia, meanwhile, an ancient evil has awakened and begins consuming the people of earth. Bosquito, an extremely powerful evil being from ancient times has absorbed the power of the Justirisers and is using it to fuel its own minions. Sazer-X, the Justirisers, and the Gransazers must work together to defeat this villain and save the planet.
Rebirth of Mothra II
Visual Effects Director
Mothra's twin nymphs and children from the city find a lost city, as well as a giant monster that is attracted to environmental calamities.
Rebirth of Mothra
Visual Effects Director
A new Mothra takes to the air and battles against Desghidorah to save all of humanity.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Visual Effects Director
A burning Godzilla, on the verge of meltdown, emerges to lay siege to Hong Kong. At the same time horrifying new organisms are discovered in Japan. These crustacean-like beings are seemingly born of the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that killed the original Godzilla.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Special Effects
A burning Godzilla, on the verge of meltdown, emerges to lay siege to Hong Kong. At the same time horrifying new organisms are discovered in Japan. These crustacean-like beings are seemingly born of the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that killed the original Godzilla.
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
Visual Effects Director
A mysterious extraterrestrial being resembling Godzilla rapidly approaches Earth. The monster, dubbed SpaceGodzilla, lands to challenge the King of the Monsters.
Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon
Special Effects
After killing his brother, Prince Yamato is banished from his father's kingdom until he can bring his dangerous powers under control. On his journey, he meets and joins with the magical priestess Oto, and together they go to fight against an evil god that has been ravaging the Earth in the form of an enormous hydra. Will Yamato ever return home to reclaim his rightful place on the throne?
Monster Planet of Godzilla
Director
A former 3D theme park attraction at Sanrio Puroland. A spaceship called Earth is dispatched to investigate the disappearance of its counterpart on a monster-filled planet beyond our Solar System. Once there, it quickly spots the downed craft, and is promptly attacked by Mothra and Rodan. It spots Godzilla and opens fire on him, giving the Planet enough time to escape.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
Visual Effects Editor
The U.N.G.C.C. (United Nations Godzilla Countermeasure Center) recovers the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah and construct Mechagodzilla as a countermeasure against Godzilla. Meanwhile, a giant egg is discovered along with a new monster called Rodan. The egg is soon found to be none other than an infant Godzillasaurus.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
Special Effects
The U.N.G.C.C. (United Nations Godzilla Countermeasure Center) recovers the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah and construct Mechagodzilla as a countermeasure against Godzilla. Meanwhile, a giant egg is discovered along with a new monster called Rodan. The egg is soon found to be none other than an infant Godzillasaurus.
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Special Effects
The Futurians, time-travelers from the 23rd century, arrive in Japan to warn them of the nation's destruction under Godzilla. They offer to help erase Godzilla from history by preventing his creation. With Godzilla seemingly gone, a new monster emerges as the Futurians' true intentions are revealed.
Godzilla vs. Biollante
Special Effects
A screen test using stop motion to animate Godzilla being attacked by Biollante's vines included as an extra on home media releases.
Godzilla vs. Biollante
Visual Effects Director
After the previous Godzilla attack, a miniature arms race ensues to collect his cells. Concerned over Godzilla's possible return, the Japanese government uses the cells to create a new bio-weapon, ANEB (Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria). They seeks the aid of geneticist Genshiro Shiragami, who's experiments result in a new mutation.
Godzilla vs. Biollante
Special Effects
After the previous Godzilla attack, a miniature arms race ensues to collect his cells. Concerned over Godzilla's possible return, the Japanese government uses the cells to create a new bio-weapon, ANEB (Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria). They seeks the aid of geneticist Genshiro Shiragami, who's experiments result in a new mutation.
Toho Unused Special Effects Complete Collection
Director
A collection of deleted scenes and bloopers from the library of Toho Studios films, including several films from the famous Godzilla franchise.
Zero
Special Effects
Two young men are recruited into the Japanese air force just before outbreak of WW2 by the test pilot of Japans new super fighter - the Zero. The movie is told in reverse from the point of one of the young men who don't qualify for the pilot training and instead joins the ground crew. It chronicles the entire history of the famous fighter from the first prototype test flights all through the war.
Tokyo Earthquake Magnitude 8.1
Special Effects
A made for TV movie that would be loosely remade as Magnitude 7.9 or DEATHQUAKE
The War in Space
Special Effects
The year is 1988, and in the midst of recovering from a near-miss with a large comet, Earth finds that there are much worse matters at hand: the sudden arrival of a strange army of aliens and their fleet of unstoppable warships.
The Mighty Peking Man
Special Effects
Word of a monster ape ten stories tall living in the Himalayas reaches fortune hunters in Hong Kong. They travel to India to capture it, but wild animals and quicksand dissuade all but Johnny, an adventurer with a broken heart. He finds the monster and discovers it's been raising a scantily-clad woman, Samantha, since she survived a plane crash years before that killed her parents. In the idyllic jungle, Johnny and Samantha fall in love. Then Johnny asks her to convince "Utam" to go to Hong Kong. Lu Tien, an unscrupulous promoter, takes over: Utam is in chains for freak show exhibitions. When Lu Tien assaults Samantha, Utam's protective instincts take over: havoc in Hong Kong.