Kazufumi Fujii
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Kazufumi Fujii (藤井 和文 Fujii Kazufumi) is a Japanese special effects artist. He worked in some capacity on every single Gamera film of the Showa era.
Selected filmography
- Gamera (1965) - Compositor
- Gamera vs. Barugon (1966) - Special effects cinematographer
- Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967) - Special effects cinematographer
- Gamera vs. Viras (1968) - Special effects
- The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (1968) - Special effects cinematographer
- Gamera vs. Guiron (1969) - Special effects cinematographer
- Gamera vs. Jiger (1970) - Special effects compositor
- Gamera vs. Zigra (1971) - Special cinematographer
- Gamera Super Monster (1980) - Special effects cinematographer [with Yonesaburo Tsukiji, Yuzo Kaneko]
Inconsistencies
The above list reflects how Fujii is credited in the Japanese versions of the films on which he worked. These noticeably vary from film to film, and in some cases make Fujii's actual role in the production unclear.
In Gamera, he is credited as a compositor (合成) alongside the rest of the staff, as the Gamera films did not yet delineate a separate special effects unit in their credits. His name is absent from both English-language versions of the film.
Gamera vs. Barugon's credits contain a separate section for "Special Photography" (特殊撮影), under which Fujii is credited as cinematographer (撮影). AITV's Americanization of the film, War of the Monsters, credits both he and special effects director Noriaki Yuasa for "special effects." Sandy Frank's release of the film instead omits Yuasa entirely, crediting only Fujii for its special effects. Gamera vs. Gyaos credits Fujii the exact same as Barugon, under a Special Photography section. AITV's Return of the Giant Monsters credits him for "special effects photography" while Sandy Frank's Gamera vs. Gaos credits him solely for "special effects."
Arguably the most peculiar Japanese credit occurs in the following film, Gamera vs. Viras, where he is listed for "special effects" (特撮 tokusatsu) alongside the drama staff. There are multiple possible interpretations of this, including a director of special effects. However, since the term tokusatsu is a truncation of tokushu satsuei ("special photography"), it is possible this was meant as shorthand for 'special effects cinematographer.' In Gamera vs. Guiron and The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch, he is credited as "special technology cinematograph[er]" (特技撮影), also alongside the drama staff. In Gamera vs. Jiger, he is credited as a special effects compositor (特撮合成) under "Special Photography Staff" (特殊撮影スタッフ).
Fujii goes back to being credited alongside the drama staff in Gamera vs. Zigra, under the title of "special cinematograph[er]" (特殊撮影). Sandy Frank's release of the film credits him simply for "special effects" under the erroneous name Kazuo Fujii.
Finally, in Gamera Super Monster, he is credited as a cinematographer under a section titled "Special Effects Film[ing]" (特撮フィルム) alongside fellow Gamera series veterans Yonesaburo Tsukiji and Yuzo Kaneko.
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