“I need to check whether I can love this person or not, whether or not I can work together with them.”
For Kojima an audition is also a way to evaluate a long-term collaboration: he holds auditions but usually meets the person and then decides, and from there it becomes a four to five year commitment. The reason is as much the team as him: even when filming ends, the artists working on Shioli’s model will be committed to Shioli all day, every day, 365 days a year, adjusting each hair strand. You cannot commit to that kind of work if you do not like the person, so Kojima holds auditions to check whether he can come to love the person and whether he can work with them.
“I hold auditions too, but I usually meet the person and decide on them. And from there, it's about a four to five year commitment. […] the artists who are working on Shioli's model will be committed to Shioli all day, every day for 365 days. They'll adjust each hair strand. You can't commit to this kind of work if you don't like the person, so that's why I hold auditions.”