Akira Kurosawa — The Man Who Mixed Ink Into Rain

Legendary stories surround Akira Kurosawa's sets. For the rain- soaked final battle of Seven Samurai, seeing that rain wouldn't register on camera, he mixed ink into it. He reportedly had the unseen contents of drawers filled with period- accurate items.

Asked why, his philosophy was clear: the camera may not see it, but the actors do — and their performance changes, so the picture changes. His famous maxim: "Meticulous as a devil, bold as an angel." Boldness and meticulousness are thought opposites; he demanded both at the highest level — conception angel-bold, execution devil-fine.

The result: the Golden Lion for Rashomon and the reverence of directors worldwide, Spielberg and Lucas among them. One Japanese director's madness for detail became a world standard. So with our manufacturing: conception as bold as a trillion yen; execution meticulous to a single millimeter of a box corner.

God dwells where the camera doesn't reach.

What do you work for?