ホモ・サピエンスの皆様こんにちは！ロボット・ゴー・ゴーです♬
2020年に東京で再びオリンピックが開催されるということでロボット界も大騒ぎなんですが、今日はここで今から半世紀以上前に東京で行われた最初のオリンピックのアメリカ・ユニバーサル・ニュースの貴重なアーカイブ・ニュース映像をご紹介したいと思います。
In Japan, a Noren is the cloth sheet that hangs at the front of any establishment that shows that they are open for business. A customer must usually lift the Noren to enter any shop.
If a “Noren is too low,” then it is said that it becomes difficult for new customers to enter because they cannot see the inside of the shop. So, a Noren that is “Too Low” is bad for business. People want to be able to see inside your shop to see the look and atmosphere and staff. If they cannot, many people will hesitate to enter.
But, when you stop to think about it, if a customer is already at your shop’s entrance to where they can just lift up the Noren to look in, then you already have them at your shop’s front door and that’s half the battle of just getting them inside and becoming a customer.
But how about people who are far away or standing at the station waiting for friends and looking for a suitable place to dine or shop? Well, that’s where a video on Youtube and then embedded into your webpage or Facebook page or other Social Media can help you to get new customers and to help them to find you and enter your shop! With Youtube video, people can see inside your shop, meet you and see what kind of a place you are running, and then they can feel comfortable entering for the very first time.
You know what the old saying is? “Familiarity breeds content.” If people know what the inside of your place looks like and who you and the staff are, it makes it MUCH easier for them to enter.
There’s an interesting bar and eating establishment near Fuchu station named Chain. The restaurant specializes in a friendly and warm atmosphere and various dishes featuring quality beef and other cuts of choice meat braised or pan fried. I tried several of the dishes and they were quite delicious.
Chain is run by a husband and wife team of Masamichi and Takeo Suzuki.
Chain doesn’t have their own webpage, but they decided to make a video for Youtube and place it on their Facebook page as well as on other social media sites. So we took the Robot55 team out to Chain and made the video for them and their customers as well as potential new customers.
Here is the video. I think with this, you can see what sort of place Chain is and the kind of people running it as well as get an idea about the food and drink menu.
With a video like this on your website or Facebook page or blog, new and first time customers can get a glimpse of what’s inside.
It makes it every easy for folks to lift the Noren at your shop and come on in. And that is good for your business!
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Izakaya? Chain
１８３－００４５ 東京都府中市美好町３－２－２－２０１号
3-2-2-201 Miyoshi-Cho, Fuchu City, Tokyo.
Hours: Mon – Sun:5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Tele: 042－207－2941
Map: http://yahoo.jp/fkvWZ9
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are coming. I was searching for information on the subject when I stumbled upon some old video of newsreel footage that show the scenes and I thought you might like to go with me on a blast to the past.
These two are Universal News newsreels (Yes, Universal used to do the news also!) Probably a common denominator between these videos of 1964 and the 2020 Olympics will be that the USA is probably one of the top two medal winners. I expect that China, and not the Soviet Union, will be the ones to beat in 2020.
This first one is entitled, “The Olympics – U.S. Widens Tokyo Lead from Oct. 19, 1964. Here’s the description: “(1) brief shot of Harold Wilson of Britain (2) Tokyo Olympics as Hirohito watches; Sharon Studer wins 3rd medal in butterfly swim race; platform diving won by Leslie Bush; track events include 100 meter spring won by Hayes – slow motion of finish; women’s 100 meter (partial newsreel).”
By the way, did you know that Japan came in third in medals in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics? Wow! What’s happened since then? It’s anybody’s guess, but Japan has been an also-ran in the Olympics in the last few decades.
Here’s a medal chart:
Wikipedia has all the details:
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan from October 10 to 24, 1964. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan’s invasion of China, before ultimately being canceled because of World War II. The 1964 Summer Games were the first Olympics held in Asia, and the first time South Africa was barred from taking part due to its apartheid system in sports. (South Africa was, however, allowed to compete at the 1964 Summer Paralympics, also held in Tokyo, where it made its Paralympic Games debut.)
Tokyo was chosen as the host city during the 55th IOC Session in West Germany, on May 26, 1959. These games were also the first to be telecast internationally without the need for tapes to be flown overseas as they were for the 1960 Olympics four years earlier. The games were telecast to the United States using Syncom 3, the firstgeostationary communication satellite, and from there to Europe using Relay 1. These were also the first Olympic Games to have color telecasts (partially). Certain events like the sumo wrestling and judo matches, sports huge in Japan, were tried out using Toshiba’s new color transmission system; but just for the domestic market, not for any international coverage. History surrounding the 1964 Olympics was chronicled in the 1965 documentary film Tokyo Olympiad, directed by Kon Ichikawa.
The second video is about the dawning of the Bullet Train. Check it!
I think there is one more thing though that might be common about the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; There’s going to be lots of foreigners from around the world coming to Tokyo so Japanese businesses need to up their game and promote their businesses to these wealthy foreigners while they can!
Web video and local productions in various languages will be key to growing your business.
If you need anything concerning video production in Tokyo and video production in the English language, please ask us at Robot55.
お店やネットビジネスをされている方々にとってビデオを制作してYouTubeやFacebook、TwitterといったSNSを使って拡散するのは非常に効果的です。初めて行く場所や２軒目を探す時に食事する場所やカフェ、バーをネットで探した経験のある方も多くいらっしゃると思いますが、沢山良さそうで似たようなお店がリストアップされてしまったら、そこにビデオがあるかないかで初めて扉を開く勇気がもらえるかどうか、全然違いますよね。 Continue Reading…
Making a video to place on Youtube and Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and other cool Social Media is a great way to get the word out about your business. Lots of people are now searching for videos on Youtube when they look for a restaurant or coffee shop or other businesses that are in the local area.
Here is a video for a local hairstyling shop. In just 30 Seconds, you know the staff and the interior and atmosphere of this small, friendly hair styling salon:
Think about it: You are at the train station waiting for your friends to go, say, drink some beer and eat Yakitori. But you don’t know any good places around. The usual way is to search Tabelog or Gurunavi, and that’s OK, but static photos don’t show you what kind of place or the atmosphere as well as we want. The new way people are doing the search is on Youtube. Why? Because a Youtube video can show customers your place and the food or products/services and the atmosphere much better than any still photos can.
Here is the screen capture of a web page for a fabulous bar in Shinjuku named Albatross:
This is your typical web page today. It serves a purpose, but it doesn’t make people “want” to visit.
We went to Albatross the other day and shot the video for them that they need. Here is is. Compare this video with the webpage above and tell me which makes you want to go check the establishment out!
Watching the above video makes you want to visit Albatross. It looks like a very cool place to stop for a drink while visiting Tokyo. It’s very “Japanese”!
The plan for this video is to embed the video into the Albatross webpage above and to make the page “come alive.” A webpage shouldn’t just be a “digital poster,” it should offer the visitor a total multi-media experience that actually makes them want to visit for themselves. I will post the new page as soon as they embed the video. But I think you get my meaning here; the video makes the place “come alive” and shows you exactly what the interior is like and how warm and fun and what the staff are like; you needn’t be a stranger on your first visit!
Of course, the Albatross video above is made by the professionals at Robot55 and cost ¥80,000. It is classy and effective. If you use the video for, say, 5 years, that comes out to a price of only about ¥43 per day; there isn’t a cheaper, more effective way to increase your business today!
¥43 yen per day? Think about it!
But what about a guy who isn’t sure of spending the money and wants to make a video on their own just to “try it out”? Great! Good idea! We are here also to give you support. There are lots of people who we call “Youtubers” who are making their own videos and doing well at selling their product or service.
Here’s a funny one: Cooking With Dog!
Cooking With Dog is one of the better homemade productions, but, I think you can see it is an amateur production. I think it is good enough for what they want to accomplish. Perhaps if they were a restaurant, they’d want better quality (and not have dogs in the kitchen! Ahem…)
I figure they spent a few days shooting and putting this together. Which might not be good for you, especially if you are trying to run a business. But, all in all, still pretty good for an establishment that hasn’t the money for a proper professionally made video; no matter how cheap it is!. Heck this is of a lot better than nothing! Depending on your goals, any presence on Youtube is better than no presence at all.
There are many small things that can be done to “up your game” when making a video to help increase your business.
Here, on Robot55, we will start this new series on “Making a homemade video” that can help your business; starting today. It will include tons of tips and tricks we’ve learned from over 30 years experience in the video business and we are giving this advice away for absolutely free.
Next week, I will help you out with the most basic problems of these homemade videos: Composition of images and making your sound better.
Hope to see you next week!
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For more free tips on how to better make your business video for free:
Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Pt. 1 (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-pt-1/)
Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 2 (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-2/)
Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 3 – You Need a Map: How to Write a Script! (http://robot55.jp/blog/make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-3-you-need-a-map-how-to-write-a-script/)
Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Pt. 4(（www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-pt-4/)
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” ― Isaac Asimov
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” ― Henry Ford
“I’m unpredictable, I never know where I’m going until I get there, I’m so random, I’m always growing, learning, changing, I’m never the same person twice. But one thing you can be sure of about me; is I will always do exactly what I want to do.” ― C. JoyBell C.
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Yesterday was a great day editing our Japanese Rock N Roll Ghost Story movie. It was fun.
I felt happy because of two important things:
1) We were creating our dream. I mean, it was me, us, we. We were creating our dreams by making the effort. There was nothing stopping us from making what we wanted to create and, therefore becoming who we are destined to be.
2) We were learning. We were all learning a new skill and how to become better at our craftsmanship. We learn by doing; by being; by making the effort. Isn’t this the way to live a fulfilled and happy life?
Today? I woke up happy and feeling good. It’s nice to be nearly sixty-years-old and wake up in the morning feeling good and thinking, “Gee! I learned something totally new yesterday.” No matter how old we get, we must continually keep learning and expanding ourselves and our universe.
There are quotes at the top of this page by the famous, but in my own Hollywwod, the quote might be:
“Life happens to people.”
Folks, keep learning! Live life to the fullest.
Yesterday, we had a day of editing and color correction on the Japanese Rock N Roll Ghost Story movie. It was the first time to have ever used Da Vinci software for color correction. I had never seen the software before. I now know why all the big Hollywood movies use it.
I mentioned before that we had finished the initial stages of video production and the trailer now looks set to be of “Hollywood” quality. I am expecting the trailer to be ready for your viewing within two weeks of this posting.
I look forward to more video editing, shooting, and post production in the next few days. I hope you do too.
We will keep you posted.
Mr. Pan, lead vocalist and guitar of the Neatbeats. Mr. Pan is starring in the film. (Photo by Osamu Arai)
To read more about: A Japanese Rock & Roll Ghost Story – click here: www.robot55.jp/rock-roll-ghost-story/
ROBOT55設立前から僕たちは好きなバンドのPVを格安、場合によっては友達割引（＝無料）で制作してきました。理由は簡単です – 僕らは音楽のおかげで素晴らしい人生を生きてこられたから、そして好きな音楽のために映像を作ることは僕たちにも幸せを与えてくれるからです。
食べていく為にはこのような活動以外の色々な事をやらなくてはいけないのは事実ですが、こうやって自分たちの心や魂にも栄養を与えてあげないといけませんよね。
「仕事の為」と割り切って心ときめかない事ばかり毎日やっていくには人生は短すぎます。「予定帳には載っていない一番確実な予定」である「死」はいつやってくるか分かりませんから。 Continue Reading…
Today’s thoughts…I call this: Sex Pistols, Clash, Gen X, Sheila Rock and Why We Sometimes Make Videos for Free!
Sometimes, my friend Ken and I make promotional music videos for young bands for free – no charge.
Why do we sometimes make rock band videos for free? That’s actually an easy question to answer. Both Ken and I have had a good life provided to us by music. Of course there is much more that we need to accomplish in our short time on this earth, but, until now, music has treated us well. I think we should keep doing work to live and eat (of course) but we also need to do things to nourish our heart, soul and mind.
The reason why I say that we should keep doing these sorts of things in our short time on this planet is because three things that happened to me in 2014:
1) I almost died in September. I wrote about that here in Near Death at the Hospital, Last Month! – Back in Humor, This Month! www.modernmarketingjapan.blogspot.jp/2014/11/where-did-i-go-to-hospital.html
2) I met Sheila Rock the world famous photographer. Sheila took many iconic photos of the SexPistols, the Clash and Generation X (plus a bunch of others that I can’t recall this early in the morning) back in the heyday of London Punk. Sheila told me that, in her youth, she never got paid to take those photos of the Clash, Sex Pistols, etc….She said she did it for fun and because she thought the subjects were “interesting.”
Mike, Sheila Rock (famous photographer) and Kato Madoka at Agnes B event
I told Sheila that my friend (Ken Nishikawa) and I often I make videos for young bands and don’t ask for money. Some notable ones were Shonen Knife, the Neatbeats, Glen Matlock (original bassist for the Sex Pistols), Bobby’s Bar, Moja, and so many more I can’t recall those either! (You can see several of them at the top of this page) I showed her some of them in the short time we had.
She seemed impressed. She’s a nice lady and a wonderful person.
She was very enthusiastic about us making those videos to help those people. I also told her the bit about how music has given us a wonderful life and, if we can, we wanna pay back and help some young people. Young people, who, if we don’t help them, they will never get a chance of ever having a video of their performance made; no matter if they are genius and talented musicians; luck plays a big part in everyone’s life.
If, after I die, if someone says, “I was lucky to meet Mike Rogers” (or Ken, or Ayumi, or?) then I will be one more person happier.
Sheila really complimented and supported us with her words. She said, “When I took those photos way back when, I never realized what sort of legacy I was recording and the legacy I was leaving for myself. It took many years later, when we went back and looked and saw all these photos I had taken…. It is my statement and reason for life….. Tell your friend that I said to ‘keep it up.'”
3) I think we all must keep making something everyday if we can; something new, fresh, fun and also for posterity’s sake….
We all do what we do to live but I think we also should try do what we do for ourselves and our legacy; “Posterity’s Sake” is a good thing. Let’s live to make something that people will remember you by. Even if you never become famous for it, but just because it is good and is makes someone happy.
Do it for yourself and do it for your loved ones.
Mike Rogers (Photo by Sheila Rock)
OK! There’s three things that Johnny Rotten and I have in common: 1) We are in a photo together at the top of this page; 2) We both have been in punk bands; 3) Both of us have had their photo taken by Sheila Rock…. Thanks Sheila! You are Tops!
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There’s an old saying about regrets:
“Your regrets in life aren’t what you did, but what you didn’t do when you had the chance.” – Anonymous
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MORE! Like our Robot55 Mission Statement:
“We make wonderful productions; for a profit if we can, at a loss if we must. But no matter what, we make wonderful productions.”
As for me, every time I go do a shoot or edit with our team and some of the world-class professionals we work with, I learn something. I learn something on how to become a better artist and craftsman and I learn something about myself.
If we all can remember this everyday of our lives, then I think it helps us to become better. I really do.
I also believe in the Law of Attraction and know that if we keep our eye on it, then we will find those who will support us financially and spiritually.
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We’d like to let folks know who we are and what we do at Robot55. (That’s actually pronounced, “Robot Go Go” as “55” in Japanese can be pronounced as “Go Go.”)
Our Mission Statement says:
“We make wonderful video productions, at a profit if we can; at a loss if we must. But, no matter what, we make wonderful video productions.”
If we are not going to make something with all of our selves and our hearts aren’t it in, we don’t want to do it. Let’s live life to the fullest.
If you are an independent band about to come to Tokyo, won’t you contact us? Depending on our schedule and the type of music you do, maybe we can make some art together!
J-摩天楼がそびえ立つ新宿西口のド真ん中で戦後の闇市の姿を21世紀に伝える奇跡のエリア、しょんべん横丁思い出横丁で筆者が17年間も通っていて、東京で一番昔からの常連となっているお気に入りの呑み屋Gallery Bar Albatrossの紹介動画の撮影を先月28日に行ってきました！ Continue Reading…
本日より遂に巷で噂の（？）今年一番熱い短編映画「ロックンロール・ゴースト・ストーリー（仮題）」の編集が開始しました！
かの巨匠、黒澤明も「編集」こそ「作品」に命が吹き込まれる瞬間と言っているくらい大事なプロセスです。 Continue Reading…