March 2025
A Golden Opportunity for B2B Video Production: Looking Back on How the Video Industry Evolved Alongside Technological Advancements
Rapidly Evolving Technologies in the Video Production Field
Sato: What were your aspirations when you joined this industry, Ms. Yamamoto?
Yamamoto: I wasn't always set on being in video production. I liked drawing and being creative, so I had a vague idea of wanting to work in a field where I could make things.
I started out as a student part-timer and worked under Mr. Takahashi, who taught me about video production from scratch. Back then, I had never even used a Mac before and had zero experience in video editing. The closest I had come was using a bit of Photoshop and Illustrator. So, I thought, "There's nothing to it but to put my trust in Mr. Takahashi." So I did, and kept working hard, and before I knew it, I had joined the company (laughs).
Sato: The work of a director is to be involved in all aspects of the production, which can be said for website production directors as well; but unlike with websites, video directors also need to go outdoors to shoot, which requires physical stamina. I imagine that's pretty tough too.
Yamamoto: I expected creative work to involve a lot of intense labor, and I was prepared for that, so it didn't come as too much of a surprise (laughs). I also had the big advantage of starting out as a part-timer, which gave me plenty of time to become familiar with the work before deciding to join the company.
Toyama: Mr. Takahashi, I assume the video industry has changed a lot since you first joined it. Could you talk about that in a way that's easy to understand, even for someone like me from outside the industry?
Takahashi: The industry has changed a lot since I first joined the company 40 years ago. The conversion from analog to digital was the first major reform. This was back when VHS*1 cassettes were most commonly used to record videos at home. Editing videos in those analog days was extremely tedious, and there was also the issue of video quality deteriorating if you copied the tape too many times.
Then digitalization came and made the work far more efficient. Digital data, which doesn't deteriorate, made the editing process smoother and expanded what we could do with effects. Being able to add computer graphics (CG) to videos was also another big change that happened around that time.
The industry's evolution didn't stop there, though. Today, we can easily manage and share data on the cloud, and tasks that used to take hours or days can now be done in a matter of seconds. I remember it used to take several days just to look up information or send a video to someone.
Also, the change to non-linear editing was really revolutionary to us, allowing anyone to easily perform advanced editing techniques. The editing that you see YouTubers doing so easily today? Back in the day, you would have needed an editing room with specialized equipment costing tens of millions of yen to do that.
In recent years, we've also seen an advancement in automation using artificial intelligence (AI). Technologies like automatic camera tracking and AI image generation are becoming essential tools that support creators. While their roles at the moment are still auxiliary, I feel that a time will come when AI will replace creators and be able to create content from scratch.
*1 VHS and Betamax: VHS was a home video recording format using video tape recorders, developed by Victor Company of Japan, Limited (now JVCKENWOOD Corporation) in 1976. There was intense competition with Sony's Betamax format, released in 1975, to become the de facto standard, but VHS ultimately became the mainstream video tape recording medium. However, Betacam cassettes, which were derived from the Betamax format, became the broadcasting standard and remained so for more than 20 years, contributing to the industry for a long time.
Toyama: Video distribution platforms have changed a lot as well.
Takahashi: Back when I first joined the video industry, aside from watching movies in theaters, the only way you could watch videos was on terrestrial TV at home. From there, videotapes began to be used, which led to video rentals; satellite TV introduced BS (Broadcasting Satellites) and CS (Communications Satellites) broadcasting; and now, Internet streaming has become the norm. As new platforms are developed in this way, we have to constantly think about creating videos in ways that best fit each of them. That's another one of our challenges.
Toyama: Do different platforms need different styles of videos?
Yamamoto: Yes, each platform naturally has different needs. For example, ABEMA wants to be a platform that provides 24/7 coverage of all events. So it constantly releases information, like streaming live broadcasts of all shogi games and all soccer matches. Social media platforms, on the other hand, need to convey information as quickly and concisely as possible. It's also very different from traditional video formats in that the screen is usually vertically displayed and there are interactions with the viewers, such as a lively comment feed.
Takahashi: Editing is also done differently. In the 80s, my senior drilled into me that words shown in videos, like captions, couldn't be read unless they were shown for at least seven seconds, and that they were useless if they weren't read. That rule remains intact for TV programs, but nowadays, for platforms like TikTok, they say 0.5 seconds is enough for one cut. Captions, too, only need to be shown for one or two seconds. The important thing is to derive ways to make an impact and hold the viewer's attention.
Where before, videos used to be something the family made time to watch together in the living room; now, they're something you watch alone on a handheld device while you lay down or do something else. This shift is changing the way we creators make videos.
Yamamoto: As social media grew and started allowing anyone to make and share videos, corporate clients at first requested we make videos that purposefully look amateurish, which threw us for a loop a bit. We still get some requests like that, but we also make videos that firmly demonstrate professional quality. Viewer needs are diverse and may not always match the nature of the video provider, so it's challenging to meet those needs, but the experience is very interesting and rewarding.
A Golden Opportunity Returns for Corporate Videos with the Evolution of Apps and Improved Communications Infrastructure
Sato: How was it working with us on creating videos as the main visual for a corporate website?
Yamamoto: It was a lot of fun. I personally enjoy corporate productions and feel passionate about them because I've always been involved in such projects since joining TSP. This was my first time creating a main visual for a website, and I found it interesting that unlike TV, streaming and social media content, the video feels like it's the main focus, but actually it's not.
Takahashi: It's fun and rewarding to create videos intended to be featured on a company's website, to introduce or promote its business. We haven't received a lot of work like this yet, so it was a good experience. Demand for creating corporate website videos seems to be on the rise. If you search on YouTube, you'll find many videos by various companies, so we hope to create more opportunities to be involved in the production of such videos in the future.
Sato: Is creating a video for a website different from other types of video production?
Takahashi: It's very different from creating conventional final cuts*2. For example, the video is 15 to 20 seconds of soundless footage, played on repeat, feels like the main focus but isn't, and needs to blend in with other elements outside the video. There is a lot more to think about than meets the eye, which I feel is unique and presents an interesting challenge that is different from what we're used to doing.
*2 Final cuts: A term used in video production, music, games or theater. In video production, it refers to data in its complete state after all tasks, such as video editing, audio work, color correction and captions have been finalized, and it is ready to be broadcast or streamed.
Sato: Looking back, as someone who's been in both the video and website industries, I can say that around the time I was working in video production--a time when videos were widely viewed in households--companies were eager to create various kinds of videos. There were many opportunities to create not only company overview and documentation videos but also product manual videos. Later, in the early years of the Internet, videos didn't have a large part to play for various reasons, but that changed when the communications infrastructure was improved, platforms like YouTube were developed and handy personal devices grew popular. The significance of videos changed, and I think companies are again growing interested in utilizing them. Video production was where my career began, and I'm in an ideal environment now, so to be able to work with my seniors and juniors like this makes me very happy.
The Value of One-Stop Services Lies in Having Good Judgment
Ohsato: Mr. Takahashi, you said earlier that "TSP is a one-stop service that can handle all aspects of video production." We at Arc Communications also use the term "one-stop" a lot. I think about this often and believe that the value of one-stop services lies in having good judgment. Our company has a Translation & Localization Division, but all of our translators are actually outsourced personnel. It's up to our project managers and Web directors to decide which translator would be best for each job, and I believe their judgment enhances the added value of the translations. In the Web & Cross Media Division, I believe value lies in determining how to approach and leverage videos in ways that align with our client's corporate branding.
Sato: We analyze our clients' management plans, integrated reports and other documents to extract the essence of the company from their branding and business phase. We then convey this to Mr. Takahashi and his team, who determine how best to integrate that into their videos. That is the collaborative partnership dynamic that we've been building.
Takahashi: Yes. We're not used to making propositions to general companies or analyzing their corporate branding, so we trust you with that task. We can then take what you find and determine what sort of video to turn it into. We are confident in our ability to handle everything from the script to the methods of expression, so going forward, we hope to continue collaborating with you in this way.
Ohsato: Thank you very much for this very interesting conversation today. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.
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Arc Communications
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