Talent Feature – “Add Emotions to a Story” by Yuki Ogura

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by Yuki OguraJune 26^th, 2016

As part of our aim to strengthen the connection between us and our readers, we decided to give our talented audience out there a stage to express themselves and share their success stories in our new weekly TALENT FEATURE. We hope that with time, these guest posts will become a source of inspiration to our colleagues wherever they are. If you are interested in participating, Please upload your video to our VIDEOLOG and follow the rest of the submission process by reading the information here. (Intro by Johnnie Behiri)

https://vimeo.com/141463883

Yuki Ogura is a Japanese freelance filmmaker who specializes in a one-man band shooting style. Taking advantage of current technology, specifically cheap and great quality cameras, he makes films as his own personal expression the way an artist paints pictures. Yuki is always working on projects believing that even a one-minute short film can change the way people see the world. He is sure to make a masterpiece someday and become an international filmmaker.

Name: Yuki Ogura.

Age: 30 years old.

Currently based in:  Tokyo, Japan.

Language Spoken: Japanese/English.

Occupation: Freelance filmmaker. I direct, shoot and edit.

How did you get started in our industry? I studied filmmaking in LA and fortunately met some good clients right after I came back to Tokyo.
I started filmmaking 9 years ago when I was a college student. There was a pretty girl and I asked her to be my girlfriend, but she rejected. After that, I decided to pursue what I really wanted to do.

Current assignments: Music related videos, such as a music video and interviews with musicians.

What types of productions do you mostly shoot? Very small productions. I mostly shoot in one-man-band style.

What is your dream assignment / job in our industry and what are you really passionate about? Small projects in which I can express something very personal. I like to work on smaller projects, because I can enjoy the craft without unnecessary distractions, unlike in bigger projects. I can have an intimate relationship with subjects more often this way. Aside from commercial assignments, I make music videos for Japanese children’s songs as my own personal project. I’d be really happy if those videos caught the attention of the audience and bring new clients. By the way, I’m planning to move to Holland next year.

In the work that you are presenting to us, now that it is done, what would you have done differently? Shooting is quite a tough activity. I don’t only need practical shooting skills, but also basic human abilities such as communication skills, persistence, resilience, a strong heart, etc. If possible, I want to re-do all of my previous projects with my current self that I hope is stronger than in the past. Every time I come back from shooting, I’m filled with disappointment from what I got, which is the beginning of editing.

What current camera, lenses and sound equipment do you use? I own a Canon EOS 6D, Panasonic GH4, sigma 18-35 f1.8, sigma 24-105 f4 IS, Canon 50mm macro, Rode Video Mic Pro, and Tascam DR-05. I don’t want to spend a lot of energy just handling heavy equipment. Nowadays, cheap cameras capture amazing quality video, and I don’t think there is a significant difference between a $10,000 professional camera and $1,000 DSLR as long as we see it online.

The only cinema camera I ever loved is the Canon EOS C100. Everything in the camera was simple. I thought the Sony FS5 would be like that, but it initially had many issues and is still expensive…

What is your favourite lighting equipment, and why did you choose that kit over other solutions? The Sun. It’s always there and occasionally goes beyond our expectation. And any light kit as long as it’s easy to bring.

Do you use drones / gimbals in your productions? If so, what is the biggest reason why you’ve deployed them? I don’t use gimbals. I just use a stabilizer: a Glidecam HD 2000. It doesn’t need electricity to work, which is awesome. I don’t like drones because these days everyone knows about them. I was unbelievably shocked when I watched a drone aerial shot for the first time, but it was simply because I didn’t know how the shot was captured. Now I just think “Okay, here comes a dynamic drone shot. Let’s skip it and go to the next video”.

What editing systems do you use? Final Cut Pro X

How much of your work do you shoot in Log and what is your preferred way of colour correcting? I was often shooting in Log if the camera had it, but recently I’ve started using normal picture profiles again. Colour-graded Log looks terrible sometimes. I’m using the Colour Finale plug-in that certainly expands FCPX’s ability. Currently, I’m pursuing how to make a sexy dark look with colour grading.

How frequently do you travel, and do you have any tips when it comes to packing your gear? The “less-is-more” rule is gold. I want to be just a human being even if I have to rely on technology to make a film, so I pack as little equipment as possible. My criteria is I have to be able to enjoy a normal date with my girlfriend while carrying the equipment around.

If you want to learn more about Yuki’s creative’s work, head over to his homepage.

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