As Tokyo 2020 approaches, a year later than scheduled, official UK television broadcaster the BBC rolled out a rich and detailed trailer promoting its multi-platform coverage of the Games which takes viewers on an adventurous journey through a contemporary Japanese urban experience.
From neon signs and a Gashapon parlour, through an arcade, a sports fan’s bedroom and a J-Pop music video the film is full of contemporary Tokyo references. Indeed, in the trailer it appears that Tokyo has been totally taken over by the Olympics with signage, arcades, rooms and films all packed with references to Olympic sports, athletes and even BBC presenters.
The ad premiered on 29 June during England’s last 16 UEFA Euro 2020 game against Germany. The film runs across the broadcaster’s multiple platforms (including TV, streaming, radio, online and app) and will feature around all BBC’s Olympics programming alongside a titles version which brings viewers from a futuristic cityscape to the BBC’s brand new virtual reality studio (which features a spectacular Tokyo cityscape backdrop).
The team at in-house BBC Creative worked with Japanese artist and designer Fantasista Utamaro to blend together the animation and artwork and animation in a joint initiative which also included Factory Fifteen (a directorial collective made up of Kibwe Tavares, Jonathan Gales and Paul Nichols), plus a soundtrack by anime composer Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Avalon and Hyakkin) and input from Nexus Studios and The Mill.
The team collectively weaved in more than 50 different ‘easter egg’ moments into the 60-second trailer to offer viewers new details to discover each time it is watched.
“Every frame fully immerses our audiences in a Tokyo where the Olympics has already taken over,” commented BBC Creative Director Tim Jones. “An Olympics hosted in Tokyo was a real gift – a city rich in pop culture, hosting the world’s most eclectic sporting event. It gave us the opportunity to push our campaign both conceptually and in its execution. And we couldn’t be prouder to be (finally) sharing it.”
Factory Fifteen added: “Collaborating with the BBC to reimagine Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games has been a dream project. We love bringing places to life with a heightened sense of reality and fantasy, often using the environment as a character. It was amazing to re-interpret evocative Japanese scenes with the world’s biggest sports and athletes woven into the city through authentic design and storytelling.”
While Composer Kenji Kawai said: “It was a great honour to write the music for the BBCs coverage of the Olympic Games. I wanted to bring the excitement of Tokyo to the music using both traditional Japanese instruments and Minyo singings and modern ones like the virtual JPop singer Hatsune Miku. I hope everyone enjoys the music and feels the excitement of the Olympics in Tokyo!”
The campaign was created in-house by BBC Creative where the team included ECD Helen Rhodes, Head Of Planning Mike Lean, Head Of Production James Wood, Creative Directors James Cross and Tim Jones, Creatives Rachel Miles, Michael Yik and Xing Tsim, with Producer Sarah Bradbury, Junior Production Manager Jess Fenton, Audio Kate Dinsdale, Pictures Sam Ratcliffe, Project Manager Matt Totterdell, Planner Sam Pavey, Head Of Portfolio Marketing James Parry, Marketing Manager Liv Slack, Marketing Executive Kate Plowright and Media Planners Marc Jones and Sam Hartford.
The composer was Kenji Kawai, with sound handled by Mark Hills of Factory and production from Nexus Studios with Factory Fifteen Directors Kibwe Tavares, Jonathan Gales and Paul Nicholls, plus Creative Director Fantasista Utamaro, Executive Producers Mike Bell, Judy Hill, Senior Producer Isobel Conroy, Shoot Producer Alan Traquair, Shoot PM Janine Carter, DP (London) Tony Miller, Production Designer (London) Sean Hogan, DP (Tokyo) Christopher Nicholls and Tokyo Line Producer Gaku Narita of Indochina Productions, while VFX was handled by The Mill.
Comment:
Anime, arcade games and J-Pop, what’s not to love?
This epic, atmospheric and vibrant spot is a magical reimagining of the host city.
With Covid-controlled in-stadium attendances limited to what looks like an Olympic all-time low and no overseas fans allowed, the British broadcaster looks to have pulled out all the stops to give domestic viewers a fulsome taste of the host nation.
BBC Creative has produced many memorable campaigns for major sporting events in recent years and this approach contrasts with the broadcaster’s animated UEFA Euro 2020 ‘Our Wait Is Over‘ promotion and also makes an interesting contrast with French official broadcaster TV Chinese artwork-inspired, sumo-themed ‘Taiko Tokyo’ tribute to the Land Of The Rising Sun.
The BBC’s coverage of the 2020 Olympic Games starts on 23 July across TV, radio and online.
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