My son has done pretty well at children’s piano competitions in Japan. He has even won a few awards! We are very proud of him. He still has a long way to go to achieve his dream, but there are a few dreams that he has already achieved; mostly by hard practice and dedication on the piano with his mom and teachers but there is also a few that he made with dad! I mean to say, what child doesn’t dream of having a professional quality video on Youtube to show and share for the rest of their lives?
I have made several videos over the years for my son as he has gotten older and it was through the production of these videos as well as the creation on the Robot55 concept, we have been able to come up with a way to make a video just like the one below for ¥70,000 ~ ¥80,000 complete (Ask about our cash discount special!) Normally, at most video production companies, things like this would run well past ¥150,000 or more. We can do it for 1/2 that price.
How do we create a family heriloom? And NO! I’m not talking about a video made by dad; I am talking about a professionally shot and edited video that is as good as anything you’ll see on regular TV! (Dad, we love you, and your videos are fun, but we are talking about the value of professional work!) In this particular case, the family rented a grand piano for practice for two hours before a big competition (¥5000 an hour to play a Steinway at Shidome – If you need more info, email us!) We arrived to video tape one under 4 minute song. Two cameras; one good performance by the child and a few others for extra shots. A quick edit and…. Wallah! A professional quality video that will make your child feel like a professional and it will be a family heirloom that will be treasured for years to come.
And, we had the final edit completed within 24 hours!
They are only children for a short time. Capture the moment.
Write to us at Robot55 and let’s talk about making one of yours and your child’s dreams come true!
NOTE TO PARENTS: After going through competitions and being a professional in TV and radio for over three decades, I can personally attest to the value of a real on-camera practice session…. And, no, I don’t mean dad with the family video cam; the kids won’t feel nervous in front of dad like they would in front of professional video cameramen, lighting and sound people; this sort of practice (and then the subsequent viewing of the finished video by the parents and child) is invaluable for furthering the child’s skill and professionalism.
After all, aren’t they all dreaming of becoming professionals?
Last week we went to Shinjuku to shoot a wonderfully decorated bar named Albatross. Albatross is basically a shot bar and is one of the most interesting drinking places I have ever seen. It is in Omoide Yokocho just 2 minutes walk from Shinjuku station and it has a wild interior!
Ken shot the video and did a superb job of editing. This place is tiny, Ken uses his video production skills and creativity to make it look like a huge museum. The place does kind of look like a museum, but it is quite cozy inside. Check it out!
Using the same model for Albatross, yesterday, we went all the way out to Fuchu and shoot a video for a restaurant/ bar named Chain. Chain is a nice, spacious establishment with great drinks and delicious food. Chain specializes in meat dishes such a braised steak, chicken and pork as well as a wide array of side dishes. I will post that video as soon as it is ready too!
We had a good time at the video shoot and I drank too much. I think I must owe Ken some money for drinks!
Every Sunday morning, I wake up at around 4 am and then head to InterFM. InterFM is one of Tokyo’s Top 5 FM radio stations broadcasting to over 35 million homes in the greater Tokyo Metropolitan area. It also broadcasts to 8 million people in the Nagoya area and, nationwide on Radiko (Internet radio).
Our narrators have all worked regularly at InterFM or Love FM
Everyday, we hear professional narrators on the radio and TV… It is easy to pick out a seasoned professional from an amateur… You never hear amateurs on TV or radio (unless they are being interviewed). But you do hear lots of amateurs on Youtube videos.
Robot55 prides itself on having a stable of true professional announcers who have worked (and are working) regularly at many of Japan’s top TV and radio stations… And guess what? In English or Japanese, we have the best of both worlds. And our starting price for hiring a seasoned pro, is only ¥25,000. How can we do this? Well, because we are industry insiders and know lots of great professionals who are looking for work…. We also use high technology so that they can record professionally in the convenience of our own home.
We don’t need to search for freelancers or other amateurs, we know lots of seasoned professionals; we only hire people we have worked with and can trust to do a great job! Check out our narrators here: http://robot55.jp/
You can hire a professional and add that special touch to any and all of your videos for work and promotion. We even do Digital Signage and all areas of production. Send us an email and we’ll get started for you!
Last year, when I had a close call with death (please refer to: Near Death at the Hospital, Last Month! – Back in Humor, This Month!) I realized that I needed to start doing the things in my life that I have been dreaming about. So, I decided that I had to get my talented friends together and make a short feature film. I think there is a chance for us to build a Rock & Roll Cult movement that is famous around the world between now and the 2020 Olympics.
I want to be in the center of that movement. The movement involves Japanese culture, past and present, rock and roll music and animation.
To make things easier to grasp, I think it might be good to tell you, dear reader, the 4 key words (images) that I always want to keep in mind for all the films and projects we make: 1) 1950s Science Fiction, 2) Rock and Roll, 3) Horror/Ghost movies, 4) Tarantino.
I think if I can keep my mind, and my staff’s mind, on these images, then we will succeed in making the kinds of things that will be perfect to put 2015 ~ 2020 Tokyo into the minds of the fans of cult films and music… Because the Olympics and big money cash-ins amongst the politically well connected ARE NOT what we, nor Japanese people are about… At least I hope so.
Our story is about a struggling Rock and Roll musician who finds the tortured spirit of an old blues musician living in his studio. At night, when they are all alone, the two together make music that is unworldly in its brilliance, yet no one can hear it except the struggling rocker and the dead blues musician. It doesn’t have a happy ending… Or does it?
I wanted to make this movie on the level of quality of something like Quentin Tarrantino makes. Yes. Laugh now, if you wish; it is a ridiculous goal for us. Ridiculous or not, that is the heights we aim for.
To be the director of the movie, I asked Enrico Ciccu who has written and directed for some very fine cult movie productions in Italy. He has agreed to direct. Enrico is a difficult person to work with; but that’s the way I like it. Great artists are never easy people to deal with. Enrico wrote the screenplay and had a large hand in the making for this short film which was accepted at the Sapporo Film Festival: “Julie – Johnny Guitar.”
I think “Julie – Johnny Guitar” captures the essence of what we want to accomplish in the Rock & Roll Ghost Story: A Tarantino style full of cinematic allusions and pop culture references.
In any quality film, not only is the director a critical issue, but lighting is also something that makes or breaks the visuals – and therefore the suspension of disbelief – in a film. For the lighting of our movie, I recruited a guy who has been a good friend for nearly twenty years. He was my next door neighbor for ten years and he is now my lighting director. His name is Yuji Wada…
Oh, yeah, I guess I should also mention that Yuji Wada was the lighting director for many Sophie Coppola films, one of my favorites was the Hollywood smash hit, Lost in Translation starring Bill Murray.
The lighting in this scene is the feel of what I want. Yuji is the perfect guy for that. Need proof? Here, below, is a shot from our session on Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. This is EXACTLY what I wanted.
For our cameraman, I asked Ken Nishikawa who is a former BBC staff as well as director at TBS. Ken has worked on TV and film productions for just about every major TV station in Japan. He is a superb cameraman and brilliant artist. He also wrote the screenplay and is directing production for another Robot55 production entitled: Matsuchiyo – Life of a Geisha, which we will be going into serious production this spring. Here is the short trailer for that:
Finally, to put it all together, I needed actors who can actually perform and have a strong Rock and Roll image. Who better than one of Japan’s best rock and roll bands, “The Neatbeats”? Mr. Pan, lead singer of the Neatbeats, will play the part of our struggling musician. He is the hero, and failure, of our movie. He is the guy sitting on the right of the sofa in the photo above. The guy is just overflowing with Rock and Roll. He’s perfect!
Besides Mr. Pan, we also have several other famous Japanese rock stars acting in our movie. I am also in one scene acting as a guy who is drunk and almost dead from boredom. Here is that scene that was shot night before last on Jan. 26, 2015:
Robot55 movie shoot. On stage is the Privates. Table in front is Furukawa Taro and Tomomi Hiraiwa. Table behind (guy sleeping) is me, Mike Rogers (Brilliant acting, right?) Camera (far right) Enrico Ciccu (Director). Photo by Arai Osamu.
The editing for this film starts next week. As we progress, we will post updates. I may be acting dead in this photo, but I am going to die a happy man when this production is finished and it is world-quality and as good as anything Hollywood makes. It is one thing, a first of many, that all of us; Ken Nishikawa, Enrico Ciccu and me, have dreamt about all our lives.
Like the good doctor, said, “Don’t dream it. Be it.”
Photo from the set of “A Japanese Rock & Roll Ghost Story” Left to right: Mike Rogers (sitting in front), Enrico Enrico Wtmm Ciccu (standing), Ken Nishikawa (kneeling in middle), Mr. Pan (sitting on sofa laughing). (photo by Osamu Arai)
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There is also a boom of English language videos and productions coming to Japan and Robot55 aims to be a key player in making viral videos for the foreign market that comes to Japan. Why not? We have people who live and work professionally in this market in TV and video production as well as guys who have made many commercials and smash hit (and cult) TV and radio shows.
I am confident that there is no other company in Japan who can touch us for that market; making viral videos in English for the foreigners coming to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics. There is a cult and cutlure boom coming to Japan in the next 5 years.
