PRODUCTION SYSTEM

Production system for TVC in Japan.
Standard grouping of Japanese TV commercial

  • CLIENT

  •  
  • AGENCY

  • Production

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      Producer

      1 person / Starting from ¥800,000 (one per project)
      * Staffing
      * Maintain and advance production schedule
      * Project quality control
      * Budgeting
      • Production Manager

        1 person / Starting from ¥600,000 (one per project)
        *Advances production schedule
        *Maintains budget usage
        *Secures profits
      • Production Assistant

        1 person ~ / ¥30,000 per day
        *Supports production manager

        On set, the PM and PA work together to keep production on schedule, look after product advertised, wrangle extras, arrange meals, and slate each take.

    •  

       

      Director

      1 person / Starting from ¥1,000,000 per spot
      Rate varies according to number of spots and variations, and spot length.
      • Assistant Director

        1~2 people / Starting from ¥100,000 per person, per day
        *Provides director with support on set. Hired only by director request.
    •  

       

       

       

      Director of
      Photography

      1 person / Starting from ¥800,000 per spot
      Rate varies according to number of spots and variations, and spot length.
      • 1st Assistant

        1 person~ / Starting from ¥38,000 per day
        General Working Hours 8am - 7pm, additional hours will be considered over time.
        *In addition to measuring exposure, may also operate second camera
      • 2nd Assistant

        1 person~ / Starting from ¥30,000 per day
        General Working Hours 8am - 7pm, additional hours will be considered over time.
        *Maintains camera equipment, camera build, focus pulling, may cover work as DIT
      • 3rd Assistant

        1 person~ / Starting from ¥26,000 per day
        General Working Hours 8am - 7pm, additional hours will be considered over time.
        *Supports 2nd assistant
      • DIT

        1 person~ / Starting from ¥50,000 per day
        General Working Hours 8am - 7pm, additional hours will be considered over time.
      • Dolly / CRANE

        Operation team of 3 ~ 6 people
        General Working Hours 8am - 7pm, additional hours will be considered over time.
    •  

       

      Lighting Director

      1 person / Starting from ¥600,000 per spot
      Rate varies according to number of spots and variations, spot length and shoot length
      *Creates and executes lighting plan according to director and DP vision
      • 1st Assistant

        1 person~ / Starting from ¥33,000 per day
        General Working Hours 8am - 7pm, additional hours will be considered over time.
        *Orders equipment for lighting director, builds equipment on set, executes lighting plan
      • 2nd Assistant

        1 person~ / Starting from ¥28,000 per day
        General Working Hours 8am - 7pm, additional hours will be considered over time.
        *Builds equipment by 1st assistant’ s direction, executes wiring and lighting plan
    •  

       

      Art Director

      1 person / Starting from ¥400,000 per visual image
      Rate varies according to number of images or variations
      •  

        Set Builder

      •  

        Set Decorator

      •  

        Prop Master

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        Other Staff

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      Wardrobe Stylist

      1 person ~ / Starting from ¥400,000 per visual image
      Rate varies according to number of images or wardrobe variations
      •  

        Assistant

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        Assistant

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      Hair & Make up Artist

      1 person ~ / Starting from ¥300,000 per visual image
      One person is usually hired to cover both hair and make-up
      Rate varies according to number of images or make-up variations
      •  

        Assistant

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        Assistant

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      Other Staff

      Additional technical staff may be hired according to the particular needs of the project.
      •  

        Assistant

      •  

         

        Assistant

So, assuming the above staffing, how much does it cost to produce a project in Japan?

Let’ s look at a hypothetical project.

Depending on production methods, there are various ways the budget might be used. In this example, we will look at staff structuring and budget, assuming a standard project with no special shooting methods, basic HD camera equipment, and an average Tokyo-based production crew.

Please note that, due to company policy, Dentsu Group companies may not operate between the hours of 10pm and 5am. Shooting schedules are structured so that all staff can leave set by 10pm. Any shots not completed by 10pm will carry over to the following day, and that cost will be reflected in the budget.

Hypothetical commercial project

Fifteen-second spot.
Ten female dancers dressed in street fashion dance aggressively to up-tempo music.

Budgeting simulation

Budget A: One-day shoot in 500-square meter studio

img_system01.png

Budget B: One-day daytime shoot in public park + one weather day

img_system02.png

Budgeting parameters
* Example A and B both assume an 8am - 10pm work day.
* Assume all crew are from Tokyo, including director

* Assume no special choreography, and no need to hire choreographer

* Use local amateur dancers selected by audition.

* Assume that production only pays performers for shoot days (no exclusivity)

* Assume one ARRI ALEXA + standard lens set + DIT + VTR
* Assume use of one Panther dolly
* HMI-based standard lighting
* Assume dressing of one simple 10m x 5m x 0.5m white stage

* For on-location shoot, assume we bring the stage.

img_system03.png

* Have stylist prepare standard street fashion wardrobe for 10 dancers.
* In the case of a studio shoot, assume one day prep + one day shoot and wrap.
For on-location shoot, assume one shoot day + one weather day, and include generator and security.
* Post-production :
  • ・ Digital developing
  • ・ Color grading: 3 hours
  • ・ Offline editing: 10 hours
  • ・ Online editing (Inferno): 10 hours
  • ・ Mastering: 3 hours
  • **Assume in-house post-production staff
* Not included: narrator, music, sound effects

img_system04.png

img_system05.png