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Translation of Nomura's article on the Shin-Ra website

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Date: 31 Jan 2005
Posted by: Draexin
2005/1/28 Recent status report - Nomura

It's kinda overdue but Happy New Year! Nomura here =).This time
around, I have with me the co-director Nozue-san, to quickly whip this
up.So here's some honesty to start us off. I've in fact once wrote a
New Year's message. Remember that character update thingy? Yeah, that.
(ACF:A Before Crisis character update which Nomura talks about
some more later on in the article.) We've encountered some troubleshooting and now we can't launch them! =( We had to do some recalculations and all. Anyway, with so much work to be done one after another at the end of last year right up to the start of the this one, we ended up being very late with our greetings. So sorry about that. ^^; CC's long rally didn't end until 4 this morning, too.

January until March is a busy time for us all every year.Is this true
for you other employees out there as well? Or is it just us here at
SE?

No, wait. That's not what I want to say.

The actual reason I'm here in a again is mainly to relay my apologies to all you fans out there who still hold AC in such high regard. Referring to the last annoucement where it was mentioned that winter won't see a release, I'm truly sorry for having let everyone down last year. Rest assured that the postponement isn't due to us wanting to draw this out or any other lame reasons like that. What we hope to achieve is to make this something that'll worth everybody's while. By everybody, I mean all you fans out there in the world. To make this happen, all the staff are currently hard at work on this.

As for the date of release, cost (and such), and what to include as
expansion are still being decided upon, and there being no further plans
for a preview, whether or not this should be shown on the big screen for the benefit of the moviegoers amongst you guys, is also being considered. As much as I'm raring to tell everyone what's going on, I can't. Not until final decisions have been made. This is also to prevent further disappointing fans. Due to that, I'll have to trouble all of you to please hold out a while more.

Presently, we've started putting in music, and layout work is at its final stages. We've got more scenes rendered, and the scenes that have thus far been shown to the public have also been revised. Why it's actually more of a full-length CG film rather than a movie, it's really starting to show. I myself am very much looking forward to the completions of this as well.

Also, there's another thing I'd like to inform you all. Well, more like I've got a bomb to drop...

It seems like it juuuuust might exceed 90 mins now...

...crap. And I haven't told the producers yet. -.-; How am I gonna open mouth to do this...? No, I'll tell them. I'll tell em all today. Since it's not something that's gonna exceed the current arrangements and budget, they'll find it in their hearts to forgive me, I'm sure. With that said, it's swiftly becoming something that's in the scale of a full-length feature film.

Well, with AC steadily moving towards completion, here's some news
about the other title which I'm spearheading as director, Kingdom Hearts II. It's progressing nicely and things are getting very interesting, indeed. So please look forward to this as well, OK?

Also, about all the other related titles, they're all progressing nicely as well so everyone can rest easy. Oh right, for BC, the aforementioned remaining 2 new playable characters have just been completed so you can expect them to show up really soon.

Another thing, two more playable characters that have never been
announced will also be made available soon! You'll be able to make orders for them soon so until then, stay tuned for further announcements from us, k?

Well before that, we've still gotta put in all the characters that're
remaining into DC first. And the lastly penned CC too, seems to be turning into the kinda game that's gonna bring about some new sensation to the crowd. The story itself's the link which will encompass the whole of the compilation. With this renewed depth to FFVII, the actual continuation that's AC will have a heavy responsibility indeed.

Whatever it is, we'll work hard towards getting this whole thing
moving this year! After all, it's in this year that AC will finally see a release.

Hmmm...should I just consider this all summed up? Oh well, it's been
awhile since I last wrote, might as well write a little more, then.

What to talk about?

Oh, I know! How about some promotion gossiping? (Publicity Division,
here's where I'm a bit shocked)

(TL note: this last part, how's pretty much rambling. I don't follow very well myself what he's getting at so i just did the whole thing literally...)

The uploaded PV this time were the ones screened at the Jump Festa held at the end of last year but, but after the PVs and CMs for KH, even I, as a director, who was present during most editing sessions, sometimes even directly getting involved myself, am bothered that stuff for me to rave about is sorely lacking.

Also, the first title's PV and CMs that came after FFX were done by
an external director.

Incidentally, he also helped out even in the title loop demo and staff roll for the original version of KH and the staff roll for AC (Venice edition)

As per usual, after some discussion, we got a new edit all completed and ready. In this edit, there's some fun as well as secrets hidden inside ^_~

Well, guess I'll just leave you guys with those cryptic words then.
When will the next time be? What will the next announcement be?

While I leave you guys with the feeling that things will be moving real fast pretty soon, here's hoping that someone will be take over writing duties for me...

It's alrite with you guys if it's not me writing next time, right?
You'd like to hear from other people, too, won't you?

Well then, laters!

2005/5/9　Progress Report by Nomura

Sorry for the long wait, s'me, Nomura. This weekend I'll be at the E3 in LA. Til then I've got mountain-loads of designs due. After this, all I have left take care of is the voice recording for [KINGDOM HEARTS II], two other titles, and the promotional video edit for E3. In LA, there'd be some external affairs we have to take care of but we'll also be getting ready to record the voices for the overseas edition. Plus, voice casting for both titles aren't over yet so the schedule's still pretty much unconfirmed.

My schedule from June on will be jam-packed with work on the domestic front so I hope to finish everything up on this end before I return. Anyway, that aside, here's the announcement as promised:

Quote:
[FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN]
Release date has been decided as 9/14 (Thur)!!
Regular release version's probable price is 4,800yen (tax included), *Limited version's price will be announced later.
*The issue of Weekly Jump that goes on sale 5/16 will publish the latest screenshots.
Official release of further details are still pending so look forward to that.
(Until then, please refrain from enquiring our offices)

Whew, another 4 months to go! And I solemnly promise: no more delays. Graphics are about 95% fully rendered, so what's left is just the sound.

"WHAT?! We gotta wait FOUR $#@%#& MONTHS MORE?" is what I'm sure you guys are shouting in your heads right about now, but here's the monthly breakdown on how we'll be working from here on out. With May being a busy month, we'll be putting in the finishing touches to the graphics, and concurrently we'll be doing up the sound as well. This way, we can finish all once.

Come June, we'll be going at full-speed in syncing sound with graphics. This is when we put in all the sound effects. As July rolls in, because we'll be putting together all the raw materials, there will be more fine tuning as well as putting the staff roll together and lastly, the final stages of editing.

August will be the month of production, rendering of opening sequence as well as the official start of promotion. This looks to be really it, guys. Needless to say, all of us staff are working hard towards the last of the final stages. So to all of you fans who have been with us through thick and thin all this while; if you could just wait out these few months with us, really, it's all we can ever ask for.

Well, this might be a bit abrupt but let us move back to the subject of E3, shall we? After the E3, we'll finally be allowed to reveal more info and then some, so this place will probably be littered with lots of revealable spoilers here, there and everywhere. Also, about the cinema-release, as there are many outside factors involved, we're still not at the stage where we can announce anything definite as of yet. Anything that is deemed 'safe' at this stage to be revealed will be done so by Ohfuji, I would think. Even if what he has to say isn't very much, he'll do it with as much zest as he could muster, cos well, he's just that kinda guy.

By the way, the TV broke down yesterday so I couldn't watch anything with it...
Then I thought to watch via my cell phone but since it doesn't have video connection, I couldn't check the graphics...
Well, then what to do...?


~.~


2005/5/9　Progress Report - Ohfuji

Hey there, everybody! I'm the AC press attach頏hfuji!

Aw, Nomura-kantoku (T/L: kantoku = director) blabbed the release date. ;___; Being in charge of publicity, I'm the one supposed to deliver all those info to you guys when the time is right so as to avoid complications but now Nomura-kantoku has gone and ruin it all for me. *nervous laughter*

Director (Nomura)
Ohfuji~~, is it ok if I announce the release date on the web?
Ohfuji
Like, when?
Director
Well, like before the magazines do.
Ohfuji
......
U-uh...well you see, Mr. Director, uhm, I don't think that'll be a good idea because uh...
Director
What? Is there a problem?
Ohfuji
Well the release date will officially be released by the magazine-side so why not just let them...?
Director
*starts to get mad* But I wanna let the fans know first! We've got this site that's made especially for the fans, you see...
Ohfuji
Eh...even if you tell me that..I mean what about regulations....??? T___T

And that was pretty much all the discussion we had on the subject.

Further details relating to the release will be announced in the 5/16 issue of Shounen Weekly Jump. Lots will be revealed then so please look forward to that! All of us on the publicity side are already going full swing in our preparations. Yup, we're all charging full speed ahead towards the release!

Well, back to AC.

The quality is of course fabulous but this being a direct continuation of the FFVII storyline, there might be some of you out there who remain pretty apprehensive about the whole thing. Either way, we deeply appreciate the attention you all have paid towards this project and especially those of you who are following the updates on the movie thus far. Then let us not forget the time we scored an invite to screen our unfinished work at the highly prestigious Venice International Film Festival.

And allow me to digress a little, but there were rumors going around on the Internet that we bought our way into screening our work. Things like how it wouldn't be too hard for anybody to screen their stuff in one of the three world's biggest international film festivals if they buy their way in. Well, we DID pay the compulsory entrance fee of 20 Euro (about 3000yen) but that's about as far as our doling out money went *laughs*. What really happened was; we got the invite but initially kept telling them that we can't accept it because the work wasn't even completed. Yet, while fully aware of that, they wouldn't accept 'no' for an answer and kept on requesting for us to show what we can until we can no longer say 'no' and gave in. And really, that's the truth.

On the other hand, there were other film festivals by the dozens that bestowed us invites, to which we unfortunately had to decline due to time constraint, to which they amiably accepted. With present-day CG bigwigs like Pixar and ILM, a full-length animation from Japan such as ours getting attention from these scores of festival committees is truly a great honor, indeed. It's a good chance for us to let the world know that there are people and companies able to churn out beautiful full-length CGs even in Japan.

Well, some of you lucky people out there may have gotten the chance to view the sneak preview at the Tokyo Film Fest last year but because AC is a made-for-DVD-quality film, in order to give it a HD resolution (in other words, super high-quality vision), it is made so that it'll look fabulous even on a big cinema screen. Truly an experience to be watched with a 5.1ch surround sound system, it's a tremendously amazing piece of work. All of us staff hope that the plan to show this on big screen will be realized because that way all of you will be able to experience it to its fullest extent. At present, we are in the midst of discussion with the relevant parties on this so you can by all means start anticipating that. Also, onto yet another matter, with everyone busy preparing for the release, should there be any official decisions made I will make sure to let you all know as they are announced to us.

So let us go all out with this, Mr. Director!

Only, even if we are already more or less prepared, an informal announcement may sometimes invite confusion and complication, and as a result, our hard work may end up destroyed in the undercurrent of it all. If I recall correctly, you have mentioned some things to that effect previously. I think your stand on sneak peeks being fodder that will complicate the whole movie release process was one of them. For us at the publicity department, it's the same. We like to maintain an impartial stance when releasing information so we always prefer to announce things in an official manner so as to keep things running smooth.

Whatever the case may be, a final release date has been decided upon. Content and other such wonderful things are at a definite stage of completion. And before we all know it, we're counting down towards it ourselves.

Just a little bit before we'll all get to see the result of Cloud, Tifa, Vincent and all the others after getting world-class CG treatment. Just a liiiiitle bit more....

Soooo...are you all ready for it?

Square-Enix Ohfuji