Dear Sir/Madam, Are you creating content!? (Part 2)

 

Making a Film Using Commercial Methodology

Takasaki: When making films on a low budget, you often end up with amateurish acting, but the cast in this film is all so natural and amazing.

Nagaku: I believe the root cause of "unnatural" acting lies in the timing of sound. Therefore, I feel the director bears greater responsibility than the actors. We created video storyboards and insisted on maintaining the pacing I read the lines at, ensuring the sound design remained intact throughout production. Like the video storyboards, we adopted TV commercial production methods. Conventional filmmaking might not employ such an approach.

Takasaki: Do you use the same methodology for a two-hour feature film?

Nagaku: Yes. Winning the award made me happiest because it gave me the assurance that I could shoot my next project using this storytelling and design approach. So, I'll take on the challenge.

Takasaki: When creating it, did you consciously consider the screen size and the smartphone size?

Nagaku: I was conscious of both. Things like maintaining a pace that holds up on smartphones and considering the viewing distance from the screen.

Takasaki: I recently noticed my own work uses fewer wide shots compared to before. Especially in projects with younger directors. Since smartphone dimensions have naturally become part of my visual environment, that shift might be influencing me without me realizing it.

Onoe: I've heard from YouTubers that distance is crucial on smartphones, so they use a lot of close-ups. In movies, that creates intense pressure, so it's rarely done. Plus, it's easier to track where users drop off, how they rate it, and their reactions. I'm interested in how this perspective might change filmmaking. If we start making movies informed by insights from smartphones, we might see a whole new world.

The Era Where Advertising Agencies Invest in Content

Nagaku: Mr. Takasaki, you served as a judge for the "Short Short Film Festival," right?

Takasaki: I was involved in a new category called "Branded Shorts." Judging the films alongside directors was incredibly stimulating. It made me think deeply about how crucial originality is.

Another memorable moment was director Nobuhiko Obayashi's powerful speech at the ceremony. He mentioned having a final message from director Akira Kurosawa. His talk about what the next generation should achieve using the wonderful tool of film gave me goosebumps.

Nagaku: I was also deeply moved when I saw the footage.

Takasaki: Our work is ultimately advertising, meant to sell things, but I also believe it's part of the world. If someone is looking down, we can shine a light on something important that's fading from view. That's what I think our work is. So, I don't really feel a difference in genre in that regard.

I don't have something as clearly articulated as Nagahisa-kun's "Resignation," but I do have that core feeling. Unless you create things using that backbone of your own, it might not become genuine expression.

Nagaku: What struck me overseas this time was how advertising agencies gather people with high-level skills as content creators. I realized that investing in content creation could establish a second revenue stream distinct from advertising.

Takasaki: So the video business still feels untapped?

Nagaku: Advertising agency talent has undergone rigorous training in endlessly devising ways to captivate people. So, compared to film industry folks creating based on intuition, they could consciously aim for viewer empathy, couldn't they?

Takasaki: Talented people in any field are always trying to create momentum. That skill might be similar to constructing a scenario.

Nagaku: It comes down to what you want to put out into the world. In my case, I want to present ideas, so sometimes I wonder if it's not really advertising at all.

Takasaki: The 2017 Cannes Lions felt quite ideological, or rather, full of works posing questions. Don't you think a stance like yours, Nagahisa-kun, will be in demand going forward?

Nagaku: But with advertising, the underlying purpose is always "So, please think highly of this product." That feeling creates a slight dissonance for me.

Onoe: Sorry, I got lost in thought again. Yamamoto Takashi from Kotoba wrote in his book that "advertising fundamentally stems from goodwill," which I found interesting. For example, if you trace it back to the founder's vision, even bottled water might have originated from a pure desire to quench people's thirst with delicious water. If you follow it that far, wouldn't the discomfort you feel, Nagahisa-san, disappear? Or so I'd say.

Takasaki: It looks like I'm trying to persuade unmotivated colleagues (laughs).

Nagaku: Yes, I want to try moving people's hearts and turning that into business. Both Takasaki-san and Onoe-kun are challenging existing frameworks, so I hope we can develop new businesses together. Thank you for today.