We approach each job sincerely and create things properly.
That's how I live
~ Interview: Yuka Oikawa (Video Director) ~

This episode of Meguru Measashi brings you the story of video director Yuka Oikawa in two parts. In the first part , we asked her about her daily life, which could be said to be the foundation of her career, from her childhood memories in Iwate to stories from her days as a director at NHK.
In the second part, Yuka Hatanaka, who has worked alongside Oikawa and learned a lot from him, spoke to him about his thoughts on video production as a freelancer and his outlook for the future.
(Interviewer: Kensaku Saguchi)

A production style that is both "fast" and "deep" and has been cultivated during the transition from analog to digital

Hatanaka : Previously, Yuka-san told us about the production site in the analog era, didn't she? I was really impressed by how much the way of making videos has changed between the 90s and now. For example, there was an episode where the characters of the subtitle manuscript were rewritten.

Oikawa: Nowadays, you can just type in subtitles on a computer and they will be displayed as is. But in the analog era, we ordered subtitles from a production company called NHK Art.
The caption for each sentence is printed out as a paper print, which is then passed through a machine to be displayed on the screen. Depending on the show, there may be hundreds or even thousands of prints. The order numbers are written on the back, but it often becomes confusing (laughs).
Moreover, if you notice that the subtitle text is missing the "wo" character during editing, it's a big deal. You can't fix it yourself, so you have to ask NHK Arts again. When you're fighting against a deadline and you ask "It must be done by this time!", you get a cold "Huh?". It was really a burden to have to ask someone to make corrections.
Also, NHK Art is not open 24 hours a day, so I have often thought, "I wish it was open 24 hours a day, because editing would always be going on."

Hatanaka : It must have been really tough in the analog era.

Oikawa: Of course, there are advantages to analog, and if you don't get everything in order right from the meeting stage, you'll waste tape. So, there was a strong sense that we were making something by maintaining teamwork while each person in their respective roles, such as the cameraman and the editor, made their own points.

For example, if a cameraman thinks that something is wrong on set, he will get angry at the director and say, "The image I shot here will be ruined," and the editor will draw the line and say, "I don't want to do that if it means I'm the one who edited it." With the advent of digital and the ease of processing, I think things have become a little more lax.

Hatanaka: Nowadays, we hardly ever think about how much tape costs.

Oikawa: Back then, film wasn't used, so it wasn't as strict as it was in the film era, but I think the skill of each person was still the key. Directors competed with each other for technicians, such as excellent cameramen who ensured quality. I think there was a stronger awareness that the production was made by gathering professional skills. The 14 years of the TV era was a period of transformation from analog to digital, and the needs of viewers gradually changed. In the case of the program I was doing, in the second half, we made it like a TV version of "Pia," by piling up small segments such as 15 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 25 minutes into a 60-minute program, and sprinkling in a lot of information to make it interesting to watch.
The need is digital speed, but the work is mostly analog. Meanwhile, the workplace is also being asked to move faster.
For example, I would cover two stories a day, and since analog editing was still in its heyday, I would stay in the editing room when I got home. I would get a taxi at 3 or 4 o'clock and then go home. I would have the taxi wait for me, and then I would just take a bath and go back to the station. With that kind of daily routine, I felt like my cells were getting older and older in the latter half of my time at NHK.

Hatanaka: After you do the interviews and edit, when is the deadline?

Oikawa-san, it's that day.

Hatanaka : Are you serious?

Oikawa-san, the segments under one minute are at that speed. The longer segments can't be made without a certain amount of careful research, so we do them in parallel. So, even though each person does an average of three segments a day, it's hell when they have several segments...
We worked desperately, thinking, "If we don't do it, there will be a gap in the broadcast."

That's why , even now, the work pace is fast.

Oikawa: That's true. Maybe it's something that's ingrained in me? However, I don't want to do each job with instantaneous force, so I try to do it as quickly as possible, but also as deeply as possible. I try to do it "fast and deeply."
Personally, I love documentaries, so I'd like to try following a person like a goldfish's droppings and understanding them over time, but I think I probably wouldn't be able to do it because I'm too ingrained in the past.

From analog to digital. Now that both the production site and the viewing environment have changed, what should you add to the first 5 to 10 seconds to attract viewers?

Hatanaka: I think that the time needed to create one work has decreased due to digitalization. How do you spend that extra time?

I wonder if Oikawa-san is using this time to watch something. I think that a director can't respond unless he has a lot of ideas, so I try to watch as many things as possible so that I don't run out of material.
It could be movies, art, dance, games, anything. When it comes up as a topic of conversation on-site, it's about preparing to increase the number of people who can say, "I get it, I get it."
However, when I think, "I don't want to think about it anymore. My brain can't take it," I stop thinking about it and go play with my cat.

Hatanaka : Now that viewers are watching on their smartphones and tablets rather than on TV, has the grammar of video production changed?

Mr. Oikawa: I think there are more opportunities to watch without sound or while doing other things. If it was on TV, I think people would have been able to concentrate to a certain extent, but with the spread of the Internet, I feel like people are losing their patience.
It's the same as surfing the internet, if you look at it for 5 or 10 seconds and don't get interested, you move on to the next thing. So how do you connect the cuts so that the viewer doesn't get bored, how do you get the viewer interested even when they can't hear the sound, and how do you get the viewer to make the sound? Although the production method changes depending on the project, I think a methodology is necessary. It's still in the trial and error stage.

Hatanaka : I'm really curious about this when directing a video. Of course, it depends on what you're making and who you're aiming for, but what should you put in the first 5 or 10 seconds? In the case of the interview you're doing with Yuka right now, how do you decide, "I think this should be at the beginning?"

The videos that I'm making with Oikawa-san and Yuka-san (Hatanaka-san) are probably going to be watched by people who are already interested in the content of the service we want to convey. In that case, I don't think they'll start watching with the sound muted.
In that case, I think the best way to grab people's attention would be to include some video or information that will serve as a hook for the service.
"Why is this service good?" "It's because of this." Create a video that conveys that at the beginning. If the company using the service is a famous one in the industry, use a video that conveys that fact. Conversely, if the company being introduced is a small one, show them how they are using the service in an interesting way. That's the approach we take.

Hatanaka: I see.

Oikawa : For me, the videos I make with Yuka are like a puzzle. I shoot the materials I think are best for an order, edit them, and feel a sense of satisfaction when the pieces all fit together. It's like, "Look, it's here!" That's why I enjoy doing it.

Interpersonal tuning techniques developed through "intuition and experience" that allow you to become the best listener depending on the person you are interviewing

Hatanaka: What impressed me the most about filming was that when we were interviewing people, all sorts of different Yuukas would appear.

Oikawa-san, various me?

It's like Hatanaka Yuuka A, Yuuka B, and Yuuka C appear.
I meet with clients several times before a shoot for a meeting, but I often meet Yuka for the first time. But it's really amazing how she fits in perfectly with me and conducts the interview smoothly. How do you tune in to the atmosphere of the person you're interviewing?

Oikawa: I can't really explain it, but I think it's "intuition + experience". I also observe the small details of the person I'm interviewing. How they greet, how they hand out their business card, how they drink... I try to observe them for a short time after we first meet. Then, don't you get an idea of what kind of person they might be?

Hatanaka : Hmm. I still have a long way to go before I can reach that level. When I warmed up the atmosphere in my own way and handed over the baton to her, saying "Thank you for your cooperation," Yuuka was already tuned in to match her partner...

I'm glad that's the case, Oikawa-san .
After all, interviews are about concentrating on the subject and then editing the footage. I want to capture the core of the person on location.
It's definitely better if the person is in a good mood in front of the camera, and if there's going to be footage of them, I want them to look good. If the other person feels like "I can talk," and something extra comes out, then I think that makes me feel like "I did it!"

HatanakaThat feeling is important in any job that involves interacting with people.

Oikawa: Once the atmosphere on set warms up, the other person will be able to bring out more appeal than what they thought was possible.
When that happens, first of all we who make it will be happy, and the people who watch it will be happy too. And if the footage is good, the people who appear in it will be happy too. I think it's best to spare no effort to make sure everyone is happy.
But maybe there are parts of me that I do it unconsciously when it comes to observing. Even when I'm not shooting, I'm thinking, "Why is this person moving like this?" I think I just like watching.

What I wanted as a freelance video director and my career plans so far and in the future

I would also like to hear your thoughts about working style. Has anything changed since you became a freelancer? I think working away from an organization is a big decision in life...

Oikawa: You wanted freedom more than anything, right? But now that you're free, you sometimes feel like staying free is the most restrictive thing. That's because economically, you're forced to earn a certain amount of money constantly to survive. That may be even more pronounced than when you were working for a company.
Still, I left NHK because I had been working hard for a dozen years, working in a fixed frame of work, and I had become able to rely on my instincts. However, every day had become like a routine, and I began to feel bored. So I decided to reset myself.

Hatanaka reset?

Oikawa: That's right. It started with me thinking, "Do I really like making videos? I wonder?" If I want to continue making videos and make a living from it, I thought I should really understand whether I like it or not.
So I decided to leave the company for a while. Fortunately, when I became a freelancer, I realized that making videos was fun after all, and although I wouldn't say it was my calling, I felt like there was probably more I could do.
Also, people ask me, "Why don't you start a company?" But honestly, it's a bit of a hassle. I'm not skilled enough to make things while running a company, so I want to devote my time to making things. Each and every job is like an audition.

Is this a Hatanaka audition?

Oikawa
I think that if I make even one poor piece, there's no chance of success. I always take each job seriously and make it properly. I don't just make things half-heartedly, but I also think about how to insist on what I think is the best methodology for each situation, case by case, and on each site. I think that's important when working as a freelancer.

Hatanaka
What kind of image do you have for the future?

Oikawa-san, life plan? Maybe you don't think that far ahead...
This job requires a lot of physical strength, but I want to keep doing it as long as I can. I don't mean until I die, but I want to keep making things. It may not be a film, but I want to make something. I want to leave something behind. Yes, I think I prefer to "communicate" rather than leave something behind.

When you say "Hatanaka convey," do you mean a documentary or something?

Oikawa: That might be fate. You can't take a picture unless you fall in love with the subject. One day, he might suddenly say, "I want to take a picture of Yuka!" and start stocking up on it. In fact, I've been in contact with the dance company Nibroll since my days at NHK, and I've been taking pictures of them little by little.
Dance just disappears in an instant on stage, so I think it's great to be able to convey that through video.

Hatanaka: Just out of curiosity, did you also do dance, Yuuka?

Oikawa-san didn't do it.

Hatanaka
The same is true for Nibroll. How did you make those connections?

Oikawa
When I was a director at NHK, I was in charge of the art section of the program. It was a section where I could bring out anything and anyone with my own discerning eye.
I was always putting out stuff that I thought, "No one knows this, right?" Of course, the producer would often get angry with me (laughs).

However, as is the case with Nibroll, people who have been doing it for 10 or 15 years reach a certain status in the world, and people who work with a specific concept go on to achieve great success.
So I guess my judgment was not wrong. When I think about it, I guess I've always liked to leave things behind that I don't need, but would be nice to have. I wonder what's with this temperament. I guess I'm not a creator.

What do you mean when you say that Hatanaka is not a creator?

If Oikawa's work is a lunch box, then for me it's the rice, and through filming, I gather ingredients together with Yuka to make a makunouchi bento.
There is chicken, there is pickles, each ingredient has to be good, and if the cooking method is good, it will be even more delicious. There are a lot of delicious side dishes, so the rest is how to put them together well. I imagine it as being tasteless and odorless and being by your side.

Oikawa taking the photo (Photo provided by art cocoon)

Personally, my policy is not to express anything. I don't have any intention of expressing anything myself. I want to be humble and leave something that is there. Of course, when I'm on location, I say things like, "I want to shoot it like this," or "This is better."

Hatanaka: How do you spend your days off?

I wonder, Oikawa-san ... I don't travel that much. I wonder what I'm interested in... I guess it's work. Work is like a hobby to me. I'm always thinking about it.
I sometimes have dreams like, "Oh, I forgot to ask!" Is this bad? But it's fun to keep thinking about it. The other day, I was thinking about how to edit the footage I shot to make it better. It's not like I'm making something new from scratch, so I have to come up with some kind of ingenuity. What's the best way to ingenuity? It's hard to think about it, but it's interesting.
A bento lunch of passion. Yes. That's how I live my life.
So, if you ask me if there's anything I want to shoot before I die, I'd say special effects.

Is this Hatanaka special effects?

Oikawa: I like the process of everyone getting together and saying, "I can do this," or "I'm good at this." I like the chemical reaction that occurs when thoughts come together. So I like doing things in an analog way, rather than digital. I like the process of moving my hands to make it look like this. I'm fine with CG or whatever.
There are things that can be tuned by machines and things that can only be tuned by humans. I'm more attached to the latter. Maybe that's why I like dance. It's the same with being attracted to art. I like to see human amazingness, like something distorted or someone's legs rising up incredibly high. So when I get older, I'd like to try making analog special effects, which are the most time-consuming to shoot.

A letter to Mr. Oikawa

I am working with Yuuka on a video production project for the company where I am based.
It's only been about six months since we first decided to make a video together, but perhaps the time we've spent together has been so intense that, looking back, I can't help but be surprised that only six months have passed.
For someone with no prior experience in video, the on-site experience and interactions with Yuka have been a truly rewarding experience, with so much I want to learn.

Attending external courses is also a good way to learn, but being able to absorb information by seeing and hearing real voices and movements at the workplace and experiencing it firsthand is only possible with people like Yuka who support me at work.
I would like to continue to steal all of Yuuka's skills without leaving anything behind (laughs).

During this interview, I realized that Yuka's current work style is the result of the weight of the history she has accumulated, and I once again thought to myself how happy I would be to continue working closely with someone like her for a long time to come.

Thank you for your continued support!

Yuka Hatanaka