In the event of joining Ciclope Asia, we interviewed a number of people on why they came to Ciclope Asia, what they thought about the event, and their views on Japanese advertising/Ad Industry overall.

 NOTE: Individual identities are undisclosed. 

 
Q1. Why did you come to CICLOPE ASIA?

・I’m working as a colorist based in Shanghai. I’ve worked there for few years now. I came because I wanted to know the type of craft technology that’s available, as well as the visual trend in Asian advertisement industry. (Colorist from Europe / Global post-production company / Shanghai)

 ・I came to Ciclope Asia because I thought I could learn something new, new ideas, etc. I used to work in a production company in New York but I was interested in working in Japan. I work in Tokyo now, but I wanted to learn more about advertisement in Tokyo and Asia overall. (Works in production as English & Japanese bilingual from the US / Global creative production company / Tokyo)

 ・I usually work in LA but I wanted to broaden my network here in Asia, in hopes to garner work here. That is why I came to Ciclope Asia. I heard there were going to be many global production companies from across Asia, so I came here to network and see the trends in Asian commercials. I do think Ciclope is originally from overseas so I’m sure the juries consider overseas craft to make decisions as well. (Producer from Japan / Creative production company / LA)

 ・I’ve worked in a production company, an agency as well as a freelancer. For people like us, networking in places like Ciclope Asia is indispensable. I can gather new information about what is going on in other companies, interesting craft trends, and so on. What’s so special about Ciclope Asia is that it’s one of the few events in Japan that has such an international gathering.  (Bilingual Sales Rep from Japan / Production Unit / Tokyo)

 

Q2. What did you think about Ciclope Asia?

・At one of the talk sessions, Dentsu talked about changing the society positively through sports, aiming towards Tokyo Olympics. I thought the idea was great and insightful. They talked about the philosophy of advertisement, and how they can change the world, as well as how advertisement exists for the society. I found myself being able to take pride in the work I do in this industry. (Bilingual working in Production from the US / Global creative production company / Tokyo)

 ・Although I wasn’t able to participate in the seminars, it was an important opportunity for me to meet other international filmmakers. There were many familiar faces, people who I’ve worked with on both domestic and overseas projects. Networking events like Ciclope Asia is very useful for freelancers like myself. (Bilingual Actor & Filmmaker from Japan / Freelancer)

 ・I had the impression that people from various fields related to music, visual effects, and production came. Like last year, there were participants from countries such as India and Australia this year, but I believe there were a lot more people from China this year. I thought having Ciclope here is great. Ad festivals that praise strategies and campaign ideas are common, but most ad festivals may feel a little distant for production companies who don’t necessarily create strategies or ideas. Ciclope, on the other hand, is an ad festival that evaluates craft that production companies are familiar with. There are no other ad festivals that evaluate craft first and foremost. I think that’s my main draw to Ciclope. (Director from Japan / Production Company / Japan)

 ・The quality of the exhibited works was high. I came to Ciclope Asia last year, but it feels like there are more participants this year. Just like this, I hope it gets more and more exciting year by year. (Producer from Japan / Post production company / Japan)

 ・Having a party after the award ceremony is great. Many Japanese people are not used to going to a party as much, but since Ciclope Asia is a globally sponsored ad festival, they encourage participants to make connections at these parties and that’s great. Besides, there are no other ad festivals that evaluates craft like Ciclope, so I feel like the participants that tend to join Ciclope Asia have common interests, subsequently creating a sense of unity among the participants. (VFX Editor from Japan / Post Production Company / Tokyo)

 

Q3. What do you think about advertisement in Japan and Asia?

・ I’m a colorist based in Asia, and I think there are many commercials in Asia that have recently been made with a budget similar to western commercials, especially Europe. However, in Asia, there is a tendency towards clients and agencies having absolute control over production and decision-making. I understand why clients and agencies want to micro manage everything, but unfortunately as a colorist, this restricts our ability to fully demonstrate our skills, expertise, and talent.

In Europe and the United States, colorists are seen as artists, so they tend to respect the professional opinions from those fields. They hire me because they are in search of my skills, expertise and talent.

In my opinion, due to these fundamental differences in the way people think, western commercials have an edge at coming up with commercials that look different and win awards. There are many talented craftsmen in Asia, but I think they are unable to demonstrate their talent in craft. That being said, there is a huge potential for Asia to become a mega hub for great crafts. That's why I'm here today. I’m looking forward to the future! (Colorist from Europe / Global post-production company / Shanghai)

 ・It seemed like most of featured works used a lot of visual effects. It may be a common trend across the globe, not just in Asia. In Japan however, craft in visual effects is still a little inferior compared to global standards, while their craft in animation is first class. 

Also I thought there were a lot of high budget commercials featured today. (Producer from Japan / Post Production Company / Japan)

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What do you guys think? 

We believe Ciclope Asia will get bigger, and better as it already is. Perhaps we’ll see you next year!