March 2025
A Golden Opportunity for B2B Video Production: Looking Back on How the Video Industry Evolved Alongside Technological Advancements
Videos have become an everyday part of our lives through the spread of camera-equipped mobile phones and smartphones, and the popularization of video platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Businesses, too, are increasingly using videos to introduce their services, provide company information, hire new talent, and use as main visuals on their websites. At Arc Communications, we also receive video production requests from various clients.
Web & Cross Media Division Executive Manager Sato previously worked as a director and producer of TV programs and videos at the TV Asahi Group. For this interview, we sat down with Mr. Takahashi--one of his co-workers from that time who now works at Tokyo Sound Production Inc. (TSP), a member of the TV Asahi Group and Arc Communications' valuable production partner--and his protégé, Ms. Yamamoto. We talked about a variety of topics relating to video production.
From left to right: Mariko Ohsato, Suzuka Yamamoto, Toshiharu Takahashi, Yoshihiro Sato and Ryo Toyama
- Profile
- Toshiharu Takahashi: Producer/Director Content Business Dept., Tokyo Sound Production, Inc.
- Suzuka Yamamoto Content Business Dept., Tokyo Sound Production, Inc.
- Mariko Ohsato: CEO & President, Arc Communications Inc.
- Yoshihiro Sato: Director & Web & Cross Media Executive Manager, Arc Communications Inc.
- Ryo Toyama: Sales, Web & Cross Media, Arc Communications Inc.
TSP Can Handle All Aspects of Video Production
Ohsato: Could you tell us about TSP to begin?
Takahashi: TSP is a TV Asahi Group company. TV stations can't actually make entire TV programs all on their own. Programs are made by outsourcing the many tasks involved in production--such as producing and directing the video production, managing production progress, shooting, and editing footage and audio--to affiliated or outside companies. TV Asahi Group companies all specialize in different fields, and TSP is a company that handles all facets of video production work, particularly in the making of TV programs.
Toyama: I didn't know TSP's official name was Tokyo Sound Production. I was surprised to learn that.
Takahashi: We get that from a lot from people outside the video industry: it's because we always refer to it as just "TSP" too (laughs). TSP was originally established as a company specializing in audio effects for videos in 1963. Later, it expanded its operations to cover all aspects of video production.
Over 70% of our audio effects work, which we still specialize in, comes from TV Asahi. Simply put, it's the process of adding background music (BGM) or sound effects to videos in the editing stage or during live broadcasts. Out of the 400 employees in our company, around 70 work in audio effects.
Ohsato: What kind of work does your department do?
Takahashi: We direct and produce videos. In addition to working for TV Asahi, we also create TV programs for other stations, like documentaries for NHK. We've also been receiving a lot of work from ABEMA. Live broadcasts are popular these days, such as for professional wrestling, martial arts, sumo and shogi. Yamamoto and I are also involved in many projects outside TV programs, like creating promotional videos for companies and large amusement parks.
Sato: Mr. Takahashi was my senior back when I worked in video production, which brought us this opportunity to create videos together. I used to work as an assistant director, director and producer, but you were a video editor at the time and not a director. Some people called you the "TV Asahi's Ace Editor" (laughs). When we were first introduced by a senior director, I remember him saying, "This is the person to go to when you don't have any materials to work with." Since I was still new, I didn't have many opportunities to work with you, but I clearly remember being awed by how quickly you could make videos, even back in those analog days when the task was much different from how it is now. You became a director after I left, right?
Takahashi: Yes. I always wanted to be a director and producer, so I switched jobs when there was a good opportunity. With the spread of digitalization, the director's role was expanded and editing skills became highly valued, so the experience I gained as an editor is very helpful in my work now. Yamamoto, who I've been working with for a long time, only joined after those changes happened, so I assume it must have been tough needing to learn so much at first.
Ohsato: Please tell us more about TSP's strengths.
Yamamoto: I believe our strength as a video production company is having various departments, which allows us to respond to any kind of situation when creating video content. We naturally have departments for music and audio effects, as well as one dedicated to shooting. We also have personnel called Digital Imaging Technicians who decide on the video's color scheme. We even have editing rooms specifically for high-definition and high-resolution videos. TSP's strength is that our capability extends beyond basic video production to creating high-quality videos.
Takahashi: There aren't many production companies with expertise in all areas, ranging from technology and direction to production. We have advanced equipment and facilities, including 20 editing rooms and 9 dubbing studios (called MA, "Multi Audio" rooms in Japan) for adding music or narration to videos. So, I think TSP could be called a comprehensive video production company, or in other words, a one-stop service that can handle all aspects of video making.
Yamamoto: Mr. Takahashi and I have one other strength: we can work flexibly with multiple different video editing software. Most modern video editing is done in a non-linear form, where data plays a central role. The most commonly used software is Adobe Premiere Pro. But other than that, there are also software like Adobe After Effects and DaVinci Resolve by Blackmagic Design, and many video directors can't use them. At TSP, being able to use Premiere Pro is a must, and in addition to that, we can also use After Effects and DaVinci Resolve. Each software has its own unique characteristics, so we can choose which one to use to best suit what we're working on. This allows us to flexibly respond to diverse orders, and that is another one of TSP's strengths.
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