Japanese TV crews giving Palouse WWII makeover

There are a dozen Japanese filmmakers in Tania Buck’s front yard, barking out instructions over crackling walkie talkies. Japanese movie crew members dart around preparing a 1940s truck, which sits with the massive early 1900s Buck barn in the background.

Then, in one swift motion, the entire yard stills. Someone yells the Japanese equivalent of “action.”

The star actor climbs from the truck, slams the door, and strides away, a team of cameramen filming his every move.

This was the scene at the Buck’s farmhouse a few miles south of Onecho April 30, for the filming of a 10-hour, five-episode docu-drama depicting the Japanese internment in America during World War II.

An 80-plus film crew, mostly Japanese, from filming agencies in Tokyo, Los Angeles and New York has landed in Eastern Washington for three weeks.

The mini-series will be broadcast exclusively on the Tokyo Broadcasting System for Japanese viewers.

Three farmhouses on the Palouse, downtown Colfax, the University of Idaho and the Davenport Hotel in Spokane were all chosen by High Field Entertainment, Inc. for shooting locations.

The day of the filming, signs of the Japanese were everywhere in Buck’s house. A small row of shoes laid next to her front door as crewmembers walked around the house in their socks.

“There’s a whole bunch of shoes by my doorway because it’s a Japanese tradition to take your shoes off,” she said.

A stack of current Japanese newspapers, crisp and colorful, were near the front door. After crew members finished a scene, they would come inside to use the bathroom, taking off their shoes and rustling through the papers.

A stack of lunch trays with lumps of rice flecked with seaweed and slices of foreign mushrooms sat next to the door, the result of a Seattle catering service.

The American location manager Mark Wygant, from Seattle, said in an earlier interview one of the main stars of the mini-series participated in the filming at the Buck home.

For this particular set of scenes at the Buck place, the main character is driving his 1940s farm truck up past his barn and climbing out to talk with an American farmer. He asks the American farmer if he’ll consider renting his land while the Japanese farmer is held at an interment camp.

This actor, who is famous in Japan, was one of the dozens at the scene April 30. He arrived on a flight from Japan that afternoon.

Buck said he strode in and asked for a shower after his long flight. Then a team of 10 or so makeup artists unpacked a four-foot tall makeup kit and set to work on his face. The end result was a golden, brown skin tone, making his cheekbones and eyes stand out.

Buck said she was surprised when one of the support crew asked for her advice on how to pronounce one of the lines in English.

“I was very surprised that she would consult me,” she said. Buck said she was told they were trying to simplify many of the English lines, making them more easy and realistic for the actors to pronounce.

Outside, someone had thrown a camouflage sheet over the Buck’s satellite dish, disguising the modern technology for their 1940s shot.

Sunday night, the same filming crew will move into downtown Colfax for more shooting at the start of the week.

From Upton Street to Spring Street on Colfax’s Main Street, crews will decorate the facades of businesses in the fashion of the 1940s. Temporary decorations to the building exteriors will be fixed on by the filming crew.

Traffic will be stopped up to five minutes at a time for shooting which will take place every 30 minutes.

Palouse area farmer Gary Kendall has lived in his family’s 1917 farmhouse for 60 plus years. His seven-room house with the wrap-around porch was picked as ideal for several scenes, and he agreed to a contract with the film crew several months ago.

Twice now, the crew of 80 or so members has driven out to his home and settled in for filming.

“Each actor needs his own little private dressing room. That’s two bedrooms, and everyone’s got a computer. Because I’ve got wire-less, pretty soon you’ve got computers sitting everywhere and guys out behind (for reception),” Kendall said.

Kendall said they plan to film eight more scenes at his home.

“The barn is full of props,” he said.