Recent remote video production requests in Japan

We’ve noticed an uptick in direct filming requests from production companies and agencies based outside of Japan in the last few months during this pandemic so in this post we will run through some of them.

These are just a selection of shoot requests directly from this site, specifically from outside of Japan - video production here in Japan is generally picking up again so we also have shoots from Japan-based clients. Interestingly, a number of the shoots are outside of Tokyo, from Kansai up to Tohoku.

Example one
What? Film at a tech facility in the Kansai area
For? A New York based production agency
> The production agency intended to send their own crew over for the shoot but Covid-19 meant that couldn’t happen so we stepped up and filmed the tech facility and recorded an interview. We were in constant contact over WhatsApp during the shoot with the Director based in New York, showing videos and photos the locations we were filming, and even playing back some of the critical shots for him over WhatsApp. We could have set up a live stream of the camera feed to him but that would have required more time and expense to set up and would have inconvenienced the location, but this adhoc style of WhatsApp worked surprisingly well. The Director even managed to ask the interview questions over WhatsApp directly to the the talent.

Example two
What? Film the interior and exterior of a commercial building in Tokyo
For? A Hong Kong based production agency
> This was just a day-long shoot of the exterior and interior of a Tokyo building. We have a bilingual crew so were able to bridge the language barrier between the production agency (English) and the building staff on location (Japanese) to ensure the that the requested shots were obtained.

Example three
What? Film interviews at an academic institution in Tokyo
For? A Los Angeles based production agency
> Covid-19 meant that the academics that the international conference overseas was cancelled so instead of that we film a couple of interviews at the university so that they could be used for the conference when it was held online. Our two camera package with a lighting setup that is flexible to handle large and small spaces, as well as our boom and lapel mic onto a professional recorder meant that the interviews looked and sounded great. Our equipment list here.

Example four
What? Film interviews around Tokyo
For? A European based documentary film maker
> Pre-Covid-19 the plan was for the Director to be here in person in Tokyo but that couldn’t happen so we were able to film the interviews at various locations around Tokyo, reassuring the Director that we had the angles they wanted for the cameras by sending photos and video of the interview set up. Our bilingual crew were able to handle the interview in Japanese (the requested questions but also followup questions to dig further into interesting answers) and liaise with the English speaking Director.

Example five
What? Film a manufacturing facility in northern Japan for internal and external use
For? A North American producer
> Pre-Covid-19 the customers of this international manufacturing company would visit the factory directly and see the manufacturing process and facilities themselves, while staff based in other parts of Japan and other countries would also visit directly. With the travel restrictions in place this is no longer possible so we were contacted to film. As well as drone shots of the exterior and interior showing the overall scale of the facilities, we also followed a detailed scene list to film specific parts of the manufacturing process as well as the staff working.

Example six
What? Film presentations to be used for an international conference online.
For? The Japan office of an international client
> The scheduled overseas conference for this international company was shifted to an online event but they wanted the executives’ presentation to be more than just a staff member with an iPhone. Liaising with the New York-based video producer for the company, we were able to source a studio in Tokyo with a modern style that allowed us to film the executives’ presentation with a high production feel. Our bilingual staff ensured that we got the takes we needed for the Japanese presentations and then edited the multi-cameras and presentation data into event broadcast-ready presentations.

Example seven
What? Edit online course materials into a digest video to appeal to donors
For? A United Nations organization
> This UN organization held a 3 month long course based completely online because of Covid-19, and they wanted to tell not only future participants what the course was above, but also to convince the donors to contribute funds again in the future by showing the positive impact that it had on the participants’s lives and work. They came to use with the data they had saved over the course (webinar recordings, photos, messages from the participants) and we were able to construct a narrative story around this that drove the video and made a compelling message.