Making videos of the Monosus Sports Day for four years - Equipment, expression and its evolution -

Hello, this is designer Kawarazaki. It's been a while since the last update to the "Eizouken" section.

Every November, Monosus holds a sports day to celebrate the company's founding anniversary. It's been four years since I started working on the video production for this event.

Every year, production work overlaps with the busy end-of-year period, and after completion I always end up feeling burned out and breathing a sigh of relief, thinking, "I guess this is the last one for this year..." However, there are people who enjoy the footage, including the sports day committee, and I think that motivates me to keep going.

Up until now, I have been producing videos in various fields at my own pace, but I have not had many opportunities to repeatedly produce the same event as this sports day video, so I think this was a good model case for me.

In this article, I would like to leave a memo of what equipment I use and what I think about when producing these videos every year.

Four guidelines that have been followed in the production every year

When I make videos, I have a set of common rules that I follow every year, and I keep the following in mind when I create them.

1. It must be something that participants can look at and enjoy later.
2. To be a tool that conveys the atmosphere and activities of Monosus even to people outside the company.
3. Try new equipment and visual expressions, and change it up every year to keep it interesting.
4. To create a video that will make members who were unable to participate think, "I want to participate next year."

Based on these, we have decided on a concept for each year and produced the event accordingly. Regarding the third one in particular, I think it's something we can do because it's an internal event, and it also gives us a chance to try out new equipment without fear of failure.
Next, we will show you the actual footage of the sports day that we created.

18th Anniversary (2022): Sports Day footage packed with everything that could be done at the time

It all started four years ago when I was approached by the Sports Day Committee at the time. The initial theme was just a rough request to make a documentary video, but since I was going to do it, I didn't want it to end up being just a record. I aimed for a video that would be enjoyable not only for the participants, but also for third parties to watch.

As this was my first time filming a sports day, I made full use of all the equipment I had on hand. My main camera was my beloved Sony α7sIII. When it was released, it dramatically improved the video performance of consumer mirrorless cameras, and together with its sister model, the FX3, it became a game changer in the industry. I used two lenses: a standard zoom (28-70mm) and a telephoto zoom (70-200mm). I mostly shot with the standard zoom, but used the telephoto lens in various places to capture the expressions of the members' enjoyment.

Furthermore, by using a drone as a projectile, we were able to add dynamic variation to the angle of view, and by using an aerial shot of the field in the opening scene, we were able to create a sense of the beginning of the sports day.

When filming and editing, I was conscious of capturing the unique sense of presence that comes with sports, as well as the members having as much fun as possible. Before I knew it, editing the footage while looking back at the participants' excitement had become one of the joys of making this video.

So, we poured everything we could into the 18th anniversary sports day video. Looking back now, I think this was the time we spent the most time and equipment on it, and we were able to capture the atmosphere of the Monosas Sports Day with a sensibility that could only be achieved at that time.
I remember that the sports day committee members at the time were surprised (in a good way) when they first saw it, as they had not imagined such footage.

19th Anniversary (2023): Pursue a smart equipment configuration, leveraging the experience of the previous year

Since we were able to pack in a lot of what we could do at the time in the footage for the previous sports day, this year we focused on how to streamline the equipment without compromising the quality of the previous year. This is because my base is in Okinawa and the sports day venue is in Chiba. Furthermore, I had other commitments in Tokyo at the time, so I needed to travel light.

My main equipment consisted of only an α7sIII and a single 28-70mm standard zoom lens. I purposely omitted a drone or telephoto lens, reducing the hassle of changing lenses and focusing on mobility. I was able to cover the variations in the angle of view with my own footwork. From my experience the previous year, I had a good grasp of which position to be in to capture good scenes, so I was able to capture every good moment of the obstacle course, musical chairs, and other competitions.

We also tried to express the atmosphere of the previous year in a different way, incorporating slow motion into the opening. Despite the significant reduction in equipment, the finished video was 1.5 times longer than last year, and we believe that we have managed to condense even more memorable scenes into the video.

20th Anniversary (2024): Taking on the challenge of POV (first-person perspective) photography while participating in a competition

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the company's founding, and I wanted to make a big change in the impression the footage gave. As a sports lover, I also felt that it was about time to take part in the competitions, as I had not been able to do so until now due to my role as cameraman.

Therefore, we introduced an action camera (DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro) as our main equipment. By attaching it to our chest, we were able to take POV (first-person view) shots while participating in the competition hands-free.

The idea for this came from an old Nike commercial that showed a POV video of a soccer player's rise to stardom, and it struck me that this technique would go well with sports. Also, more recently, we've seen more and more POV videos shot with iPhones, such as in commercials for Pocari Sweat and Calorie Mate, and advances in equipment have made this technique an easier option to use.

However, I did have one concern: I couldn't check the footage until I finished shooting. Since I was wearing it not only on my chest but also on the other participants, I was worried about whether the footage would be usable without a preview. However, when I actually looked at the footage, I was relieved to see that it was more dynamic and good-looking than I had imagined. I was also worried about camera shake, but recent action cameras have excellent image stabilization functions, so I was able to shoot clear footage even during intense movements.

During the final relay scene, the camera's fixing screws loosened while the runners were running, causing the camera to change direction, meaning we were unable to film until the end. However, I believe we were able to create a highly immersive video that will make anyone who watches the entire video feel as if they were actually there.

21st Anniversary (2025): Dynamic footage using a 360-degree camera

For our most recent 21st anniversary, we once again updated our main equipment and attempted to create a video using a 360-degree camera. This camera is equipped with two fisheye lenses and can record in all directions simultaneously, and although we had been interested in it for some time, we had never had the opportunity to put it to the test.

It all started when I had the opportunity to try out the latest 360-degree camera around summer last year and was amazed at how dramatically the image quality had improved to a level comparable to that of an action camera. I also felt a strong sense of potential in the camerawork that this equipment offers, something that cannot be achieved with a regular camera, and this was the deciding factor in my decision to adopt it as my main equipment.

For actual filming, the camera was attached to the end of an extra-long selfie stick and held high, achieving a dynamic aerial perspective like a drone. Furthermore, for circular events like ball toss, the camera was placed in the center, attempting to capture a "360-degree view" that would be impossible with regular equipment.

Another major feature of the 360-degree camera is that you can freely decide the angle and field of view during post-production editing. This is a great advantage as it reduces the chance of missing a shot when shooting sports day events, which require a one-shot shoot.

Furthermore, in addition to the action camera "Osmo Action 5 Pro" used last year, they also tried to vary the materials by installing the ultra-compact camera "Osmo Nano" in a place that would not interfere with the competition. As a result, they were able to shoot this time using only the 360-degree camera and action camera, without using the single-lens mirrorless camera they had used in the past.

The data format specific to 360-degree cameras presented a lot of challenges during the editing process, but the effort was worth it, and I think we were able to produce the dynamic footage we had envisioned.

lastly

I think that recording the sports day, an event that is hard to experience at a normal company, on film every year has been a great experience for me. As a producer, I would be happy if the participants of the sports day can enjoy watching the footage and remember the good times.

In recent years, Monosus has expanded the scope of its work beyond web production to include fields such as food. I hope to have more opportunities to produce videos in the future, not just for sports days, but for various internal projects.