こんにちは！ROBOT55（ロボット・ゴー・ゴー）です！
「志は高いが予算は低い」方々にスマホを使ってDIYでウェブ動画を制作する為に少しでもお手伝い出来ればと不定期に行なっているのがこの「上手な動画撮影のコツ」シリーズ。
今日はよくありがちな「やってはいけない事」を２点。 Continue Reading…
Online Video Marketing isn’t the future of business advertising, it is now! Today! Online Video Marketing is critical to your success right now! If you haven’t taken a seat on the bus on the video marketing train in the year 2015, then you are a tad bit late to the game; but not too late to get in the action.
What are we waiting for? I hope we are not waiting for our competition to do beat us to the punch! Because, if we keep waiting, trust that they will….. Yikes!
If you are running any kind of business, service, product sales, organization or event, then there’s an undeniable mountain of research data and evidence showing that online video marketing needs to be a major consideration in your advertising budget in this day of Smart Phones and tablet devices.
Some people will say, “But we are a small organization and can’t afford video.” But, you can afford video in this day and age! Costs are crashing. Robot55 can make you a professional quality marketing video for less than the price of making 500 professionally designed flyers.
No kidding.
Coca Cola online video
And, think about this; take a big company like Coca Cola. They spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually on Research and Development and advertising budget, they figured out that a video was critical. They even have one on their top page. Think about that: Gee, Coca-Cola spent millions and came to this decision (actually, they’ve been doing it for a few years now). Your organization doesn’t need to spend a penny to do the same: You can capitalize on the research money they spent by coming to the same conclusions they did. How? Just copy what they do.
Toyota Motors webpage has lots of videos on it for end-users. http://toyota.jp/alphard/
Need more convincing?
Market surveys show that over 100 million people per day watch videos online. In a recent survey of shoppers at a major retailer, 90% of all shoppers aid a video was helpful in making further investigation into a shopping and buying decision. The retailer reports that products with videos greatly outsell products without videos.
Recently 75% of company executives told Forbes magazine that they watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week.
The breakdown is as follows:
*50% of all corporate executives say they watch business-related videos on YouTube
*65% of all corporate executives say they visit the marketer’s website after viewing a video
* According to ComScore the average user spends 16 minutes and 40 seconds watching online video ads every month.
The bottom line here? If you’re not using video for your marketing, then you are missing out on a huge market opportunity and chance to engage with your audience. It’s not just the massive number of people who watch online videos that’s is critically important – it’s the reasons why they watch it; and if a user views your video it’s because they were searching for you or one of your competitors!
When your company, service, product or organization has an online video, not only can you engage with people who do standard Google searches, with video; you can also access hundreds of millions of Youtube viewers (and in Japan, Nico Nico Douga users) as well as Linked in and Facebook users (Facebook now has an “Auotplay” function for video. I wrote about that here: New Facebook Video Function Great For Businesses! And It’s Free! (www.robot55.jp/blog/new-facebook-video-function-great-for-small-businesses-and-its-free/).
When you place a video for your business online, data shows that you have a higher chance of reaching business executives and people who make decisions specifically concerning your business. Everyone knows that a person to person sales pitch is the best way to land the sale, but, when people are scattered all over the country, that’s virtually impossible to do without going bankrupt.
The next best thing to a face to face meeting is video marketing.
Here’s some more jaw dropping data:
According to the Online Publishers Association, 80% of all people shopping were able to recall which company had video on their webpage that they visited in the last month.
*46% of those people took some action after viewing the ad! 26% of them looked for more information; 22% visited the website; 15% visited the company page in the video ad and a whopping 12% purchased the specific product featured in the ad!
With numbers like these, how could anyone not see that a video – in this day and age of short attention spans and advertising clutter – is the best advertising for the buck? And this data shows that with targeted advertising the most desired results are online video.
There is one more thing that is critical that the data shows. When there is an online video on a site, the average viewer will stay on that site an 2 minutes longer than they will on sites that do not have a video.
Sure the numbers above come from surveys. But how about the real world? I’ll have more on that soon, but here is one that is shocking in its implications: The number is 403%. An Australian real estate group reports that real estate listings with videos receive 403% more inquiries than those without videos. In other words, real estate ads with videos generate quadruple the leads of those without videos.
What are we waiting for my friends?
Get started on making your video for your business, service, product or organization. There is a bunch of free advice on how to make yours for free on this site. Just search for: Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-2/)
Or, if you want a little more professionalism in your video than you have confidence in making yourself, please contact us and let’s get started on discussion on making the video for your business that makes everyone who sees it say, “This looks really good! I’m interested.”
Need free advice on making your own business video or just want to discuss with us? Email the humans who work at Robot55, Mike or Ken: contact@robot55.jp
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NOTE: Data and marketing statistics and numbers from: 18 Big Video Marketing Statistics and What They Mean for Your Business (www.videobrewery.com/blog/18-video-marketing-statistics)
If your business doesn’t have a Facebook page, then you need to make one today. Why? It’s free for one. And a Facebook page for your business is a great way to promote your business, service, product or organization.
Did I already mention that it is free?
Nothing can beat free in my book when it comes to promotion!
All you need to do is to take 2 ~ 5 minutes a day to update your Facebook page and to connect with your customers and potential customers. That’s not too much, is it? Especially if you are a small business; just spend a few minutes everyday to promote your business instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on buying promotion?
It’s your business, service, product or organization; your call. As for me, I’ll take free anyday. By the way, I gathered nearly 6,250 “Likes” on my program Facebook page in a year. If you make the effort, you’ll be rewarded. (Please come “Like” that Facebook Page. It’s for my radio show! https://www.facebook.com/WhattheFunday76.1?ref=hl)
It’s that simple.
There’s more! Facebook now has a brand new function that allows your video to play automatically if someone visits your page. The visitor doesn’t need to click anything! The video just starts playing if you embed the video directly into your Facebook page instead of just adding a link to a Youtube video.
I think this function is confusing to people if you have a bunch of videos on your Facebook page. But, say, if you only have one, it’s perfect! I highly recommend it!
We made a video production for a young couple who run a yakitori named “Flat” near my house. It was great fun making their promotion video, and Flat is the best Yakitori restaurant around!
In the case of Flat, there is only one video on their page – the one we made – so it is extremely eye-catching and effective. Here’s a screen capture of their top page on FB… (Go see the actual page on FB here: https://www.facebook.com/yakitori.flat)
And, if you just scroll down a touch, you’ll see the video embedded in their FB page. It’s like a TV commercial at the top of their page! AND if you click the “Keep on Top” Tab, the video will stay at the top of the page forever! Just what you want!
To see the actual video, and not just a screen capture, go to the “Flat Yakitori” Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/yakitori.flat
This video at the top of their Facebook page makes the page, “Come Alive!” It brings in more customers as people can see inside the restaurant and know what kind of people the owners and workers are. It is nearly perfect!
On a side note, I was watching the video earlier today and then I thought, “Someday, maybe 10 or 15 or 20 years from now, they’ll look back on this video and have fond memories of a great business and how the video WE MADE helped them to do a good business and make money; as well as wonderful memories.
Make your own Facebook page and make your own video to promote your shop, restaurant, organization, service or product.
If you need help making the Facebook company page or if you need help or just advice on making a great video by yourself or you’d like to discuss the best quality and price in Tokyo, feel free to contact me, Mike (or in Japanese write to Ken) at Robot55. We are at your service!
Email: contact@robot55.jp
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*Oh, and please come “Like” our Robot55 Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/robot55video?ref=hl
*And, please give “Flat Yakitori” a “Like” too!!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/yakitori.flat
(Image at top is the first – totally ripped off design – of the robot for Robot55.)
May I brag? I’ve had so many people tell me that they love the Robot character we use for Robot55. Thanks. I made him myself…
Uh, no… That’s not true. Ayumi, our president made him. Besides being a sort-of genius engineer and designer, she’s a mad scientist!
Since I can remember, Japan has always had a lot of robots (be they real, giant or otherwise) as well as monsters and ghosts. When I was a kid growing up in Minnesota, we always thought it was strange. I remember asking my mom (who was Japanese) why the Japanese had so many weird monsters and robots everywhere. It’s bizarre when you stop to think about it; Japan had lots of robots, etc. since way back when. Now, in 2015, Japan has robot restaurants and all sorts of funky aluminum creatures… And, as for monsters, I guess Fukushima Dai-Ichi could fit that bill.
How little did we realize when we were little kids, that this 60’s Japanese Kitsch was extremely cool…. How little did we realize that those toy cars made out of aluminum beer cans that came from Japan in the sixties would be worth thousands of dollars to collectors today. How could we realize, as little kids, how dumb we were? The robots, monsters and toy cars from Japan were waaaaaay cool. Us dumb dorky kids were the ones who weren’t cool.
I looked up some cool videos of the seminal Japanese robot character: Giant Robot. That cartoon was known as “Johnny Sokko and His Giant Robot” in the USA. I turned on this Youtube video link and watched. “Ah!” I thought, “I remember this TV show! His finger is a rocket!”
A minute later, my wife peered out of the dining room, when she heard the theme song of Giant Robo and exclaimed, “I loved this TV show! When it ended, I cried and cried!” (She started to cry right there too! She’s so sweet)
Watching my wife relive a moment of her childhood brought tears to my eyes! She reminded me of my mother; and, her emotions remind me, once again, just how romanticist and delicate the Japanese can be.
I love Japan and the Japanese people!
Here’s a trailer for Giant Robot…
… Maybe this is just one more clue into why the Japanese have a fascination with robots and giant radioactive creatures from space and the bottom of the ocean….
NOTES: Giant Robo first appeared in Weekly Shonan Sunday in 1967. The Giant Robo manga (comics) first appeared in a weekly comic book called Weekly Shōnen Sunday on May 1967. Written by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Giant Robo tells the story of Daisaku Kusama, the titular Robo and an evil secret society known only as “Big Fire.” In October of the same year, a live-action adaptation premiered on TV Asahi.
In searching for a type of music for a video production we are currently making, I turned to get inspiration from a 1960’s Japanese television detective series entitled “Key Hunter.” Key Hunter was a smash hit on Japanese TV between 1968 to 1973. I got lucky because I found a version with English subtitles!
Key Hunter (キイハンター) was a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) network from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes, and it was one of the most popular action dramas in Japan at the time. The story involved “Key Hunter”, a special clandestine unit of the International Police, which endeavored to solve various crimes. “Key Hunter” was a unique TV show, which started out as a grand scale spy thriller never before seen in Japan. The episodes were individually themed on global crimes and political strife. The initial hardboiled theme later evolved to include intellectual elements involving action, and occasionally with comical elements as well. Tetsuro Tamba starred in the 1967 film “You Only Live Twic”e as Japanese Secret Service agent Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond. This role greatly influenced his image in “Key Hunter”.
I really like the images and production in Key Hunter. I laughed out loud at the video at the very beginning where the guy is in bed kissing the girl and suddenly pulls out a gun and points it at someone; I love that style of Hollywood “Camp.”
This program is an inspiration to me because I really like how, in spite of a low budget (like all Japanese shows of the sixties) – and excepting the car crashing over the side of the mountain and exploding into flames – the director and production crew use good ideas and creativity to make a compelling story and an interesting image to watch. This is brilliant work!
The music is also fabulous.
I am especially interested in the sixties in Japan because that was when the first Tokyo Olympics was held and we have the 2020 Tokyo Olympics coming up. The sixties throughout the eighties in Japan were a Golden Time. I look to those days to bring art and inspiration to all our video productions in Tokyo.
Often times, when companies make promotion videos for their products or services, video production companies use library music or stock footage. This has a few problems as there can often be a rights issue and sometimes, even with a contract, the creator has an issue with use of their music or images. Trust me. I’ve seen it happen many times.
You don’t have that problem with a video production done at Robot55; and you never will. Why? We always create our own original music and images for use in all our videos so you never have to worry about getting a letter from a lawyer representing Getty Images or some company that represents an artist’s musical rights telling you to pay several thousand dollars.
And I’ve seen that happen, more than once to other companies, so we don’t do that at all. Everything we use; images, music, sound effects, narrations are original and done specifically for you. There’s never a worry about rights or a time limit on a production we make for you.
With a video production made by Robot55, you won’t have anyone like the folks in Key Hunter chasing you down for use of music or images; we create quality and we are always 100% original. Everything we create for you, becomes yours. It’s yours forever.
Let me repeat that: 100% yours to use. Forever.
Contact us and let’s get started making your company, service or product video: contact@robot55.jp
With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics coming up, the eyes of the entire world will be on Tokyo and Japan. Along with that, of course, there will be a massive influx of foreigners coming to Japan’s shores and they will be bringing with them their friends and families and that gives us in Japan an incredible business opportunity.
There is, and always will be, another opportunity for smart business people to share their businesses, products, services and ideas with folks outside of Japan through online shopping or auction sites like E-Bay. Did you know that E-Bay annual sales in 2014 were $17.9 billion dollars? And now there is a boom in Japanese online retailers taking advantage of this exploding market.
Last week, we met an extremely smart and charming woman who is the president of an online store called “Very Best Cameras Japan.” Very Best Cameras Japan sells new and used cameras equipment on E-Bay…. And their business is growing by leaps and bounds. The president was proud of her work and of the company, so she wants to expand and increase her sales so she asked us to help her make a video. We did! Here it is:
This video is effective because it is short and to the point. It gives Very Best Cameras Japan a “human face” and allows us, the potential customer, to see the people we are dealing with when making an important purchase. I think she did a fine job and she comes off as, kind, extremely polite, honest and sincere. As a customer, I have no problem with dealing with her for my business.
When thinking about making a video like this, remember the data I shared with you yesterday in “90% of All People Say a Video Helps To Decide a Purchase!”
Important numbers and words:
1) “90%.”
90% is the percentage of online shoppers at a major retailer’s website who said they find online video helpful in making shopping and buying decisions. Retailers who provide online video to show off their products report that the products with a video sell a lot more than products with no video.
2) “10 seconds.”
That’s how long you have to grab the attention of viewers in a video marketing clip. According to research by Visible Measures, 20% of your viewers will click away from a video in 10 seconds or fewer. And it doesn’t get a lot better than that. You’ll lose about 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, 45% of them by 1 minute and almost 60% by 2 minutes. And those numbers remain the same no matter how long the video is. (Read more: www.robot55.jp/blog/90-of-all-people-say-a-video-helps-to-decide-a-purchase/)
At Robot55, we specialize in this sort of English language video for businesses in Japan. All of our staff are seasoned professionals and our narrators have thousands of FM radio shows, How to Video narrations, game narrations, animation narrations and even real TV commercials under our belt. We are proud that we have a stable of true professionals who have lived and worked in TV and radio in Japan.
Not only that, but we help the business owner to write their script in a professional manner… And we are doing that part at no charge!
The business owner merely needs to jot down what they want to say, and we will make it up to be a short and effective business promotion video, in English or Japanese… Of course, we also do subtitles in other languages. I will post the Japanese subtitled version of the above video in another post coming soon.
No one can beat our discount price for this level of quality.
Contact us and let’s get started on making a video for Youtube, Facebook or your homepage that will increase your business and sales.
Email: contact@robot55.jp
Very Best Cameras Japan URL: http://stores.ebay.com/Very-Best-Cameras-Japan
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NOTES: Here is the script for the video above. Use this as a model for your own script!
Looking for the best in new and used camera equipment from Japan?
Welcome to Very Best Cameras Japan. My name is Naomi and I’m the president and owner of Very Best Cameras Japan.
Very Best Cameras Japan sells new and used photographic equipment. Our inventory is wide, versatile and constantly changing.
The Japanese are famous for care of technology and equipment we can assure you of the best quality products at Very Best Cameras Japan.
We always take special care to wrap and pack our items safely and securely and to ship them as promptly as possible.
We personally respond to each and every customer’s questions and inquiries.
Very Best Cameras Japan promises to give you a shopping experience that is easy, reliable, and saves you money!
Oh, and we also speak English.
Very Best Cameras Japan!
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*For more help on writing your script, see Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 3 – You Need a Map: How to Write a Script! (www.robot55.jp/blog/make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-3-you-need-a-map-how-to-write-a-script/)
ご機嫌麗しゅうすごされてますでしょうか？ROBOT55（ロボット・ゴー・ゴー）です！
今日はタイトルにもあるように商業サイトを運営する９割の方々が動画がビジネスの役に立っていると答えている、というちょっとマジメな市場分析のお話！ Continue Reading…
In yesterday’s post, I pointed out data that showed that 90% of people surveyed say that videos online helped them to decide on a purchase at a major retailer. That shows the power of video for increasing your business and making more money. Please refer to: 90% of All People Say a Video Helps To Decide a Purchase! (If that link doesn’t work, try this: www.robot55.jp/blog/90-of-all-people-say-a-video-helps-to-decide-a-purchase/)
But, that survey was done at a major retailer; big companies can afford expensive video productions. But what about the little guys? That’s where Robot55 comes in. And that’s also why we have started this weekly column: Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free!
And this is simple. We are going to help you each week correcting the most basic and common mistakes of homemade videos. So, in just a snap, you can make your business (or family videos) MUCH better by just keeping in mind every week’s simple 3 point lessons. These easy tips will greatly improve your video for business and all your home photos and videos of the kids and family too! So, let’s get started:
1) First off, the most common mistake that I see people doing everyday! When using a smart device or smart phone, make sure that the picture is always framed horizontally. Keep a steady hand. Do NOT leave a lot of “head space” in a picture or video.
The image on the left doesn’t fill up the screen. The top of the head is at the halfway point. This is generally bad unless you are going to put in titles above the head. The image on the right fills the screen. This is correct and, judging side by side, you can see for yourself how much better it looks. Get close to your subjects; fill the screen. Do not leave a lot of head space. For a tip, just watch the news on TV when they close up on the anchor person: they get very close. You need to do that for your videos.
2) Do not “pan” a lot (swing the camera around). It is always best to take shorter close ups (like still photos). If the camera is swinging around, it is difficult for the viewer to grasp the image. You can understand what’s going on because you are there shooting the video and you are the cameraman, but for people watching it, especially on a smart device or PC, it only causes headaches. Here watch this if you can. It’s a example of bad “panning” (swinging the camera around):
Your viewers won’t be able to see what you see and they’ll not be able to grasp the images well. Instead of this poor panning method, I’d strongly recommend three shots of the same thing without the pan. See?
I know you want your viewers to be able to see everything, but on a screen, especially a small one, it just doesn’t work out that way well. You are much better off finding the important points and getting up close to them so the viewer can better enjoy the experience. And, like in #1 above, get close. Fill the screen!
3) Here is another basic mistake that might even be the most common. Never take someones picture when they are standing with a big window behind them or the sun behind them; the sun or light must always be behind you the cameraman. Always have the sunlight or lights behind the camera and behind your back. Never have the light source or sun behind the subject of the picture. Here’s a simple example of two photos taken in the exact same spot. One has the light behind the subject; the other has the light behind the cameraman.
Oh my god! On the photo on the left I look terrible! But, well, we can’t fix my face. The lighting though is a wreck as it is behind the subject and facing the camera. This is no good at all. What to do? We switched standing positions. In the photo on the right the cameraman is now standing with the window behind his back! I look much better (but a tad bit hung over! Yikes!)
Well, folks, that’s it for today’s simple three point lesson. Keep in mind these three simple points and your home and business videos (and your family photos or vacation and those birthday parties, picnics and weddings) will all be much better!
Seriously, I went to university to learn this stuff and that cost lots of money and time wasted not doing homework. But, because dear reader (you) are so cool, here’s information you need for absolutely free.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to write directly to me and ask away!
email: contact@robot55.jp
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For more free tips:
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/)
A video for your business, service, bar or restaurant placed on Youtube, your webpage and Facebook will help increase your business, sales and bring in more customers!
If you’ve been thinking about making a video for your business then smart move! Here’s some eye-opening statistics about web video for your business that you need to know:
Please refer to: 4 Big Numbers About User Engagement with Video Content (If link doesn’t work, copy and paste this: http://www.videobrewery.com/blog/18-video-marketing-statistics) Here are highlights from that article:
Video Content! Important numbers and words:
1) “90%.”
90% is the percentage of online shoppers at a major retailer’s website who said they find online video helpful in making shopping and buying decisions. Retailers who provide online video to show off their products report that the products with a video sell a lot more than products with no video.
2) “10 seconds.”
That’s how long you have to grab the attention of viewers in a video marketing clip. According to research by Visible Measures, 20% of your viewers will click away from a video in 10 seconds or fewer. And it doesn’t get a lot better than that. You’ll lose about 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, 45% of them by 1 minute and almost 60% by 2 minutes. And those numbers remain the same no matter how long the video is.
3) “15 seconds.”
According to research conducted by Jun Group (2011), videos that are 15 seconds or shorter are shared 37 percent more often than those that last between 30 seconds and 1 minute. If you make your video longer, that stat goes down. Those shorties are only shared 18% more often than videos of longer than 1 minute.
So, you see? Video can help your business to, sell more, reach more people, grow and make you more money!
But, perhaps you are not so sure yet and are not willing to spend money on a professionally made video just yet? We totally understand. That why we at Robot55 offer discount professional quality 30 second and 60 second videos for your business at a super reasonable cost. Prices starting from ¥70,000 each!
Won’t you contact us and let’s get started on increasing your business! Email: contact@robot55.jp
Want to see some videos we have made for happy customers in the last few weeks at a reasonable price?
See our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCRBSdzh-E4_bRM_akdRAAQ
When you choose a business partner, it is the same as choosing a marriage partner; you have to choose carefully. And, once you do decide, you must accept that partner as is, good parts and bad, warts and all.
It takes much dedication to make marriage work, whether it is between a man and a woman or between business partners. Dedication requires respect. That means respect for yourself and respect for your partner; as well as respect for what you are doing.
To paraphrase what a friend once told me: “To find and make a partnership (or marriage) is good. Getting a divorce is okay. Having an affair is a mistake, but, polygamy is an absolute ‘No!'”
If you expect that your partner is going to stick with you through thick and thin, then you must realize that they will desire and expect the same from you. This takes complete and total dedication.
In today’s market, with jobs getting tougher and tougher to come by, your company and your partners deserve your total dedication. If you won’t dedicate yourself, there are plenty of others who will gladly take your place. Why should your partner accept a half a loaf of bread from you when someone else will provide a full loaf?
Respect your partner. Respect yourself. There is no substitute for total dedication.
We at Robot55 take our partners very seriously and strive to give them 100% satisfaction and dedication. We will not accept a “90%” satisfaction rate; 100% or bust! We aim to do every project with the goal of making something special and something that we all can be proud of no matter what.
Just like our company 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.”
I think it is this dedication to quality for video productions, whether they are in English, Japanese or other languages is, besides price, what sets us apart from the competition.
Please contact us and let’s discuss making your video production in Tokyo. Email: contact@robot55.jp