Creative agency in all creative era (intern’s note)
（Air shower before entering the room.)
※English version of the last post
Hello, my name is K and I’m an intern at TYA (HK) Limited. The other day, I had the opportunity to visit the location where a commercial was shot. Not only was it a valuable experience, but it also made me realize how difficult the actual creative process of an advertisement is. I had been interested in the visual aspects of advertising, such as technology and video editing, but now I feel that I should focus more on the creative aspects, such as conveying a message and making sure that everyone involved is satisfied with the final product.
This experience changed my impression completely. Before, I wondered what would happen to the work of advertising agencies because now anyone can easily produce creative work (even the client can do it on their own). I would like to share three of my insights with you.
From a perspective of creative agency
（A monitor to see what the camera is shooing.）
On the location, there was the client for the commercial, the production company who sets up the camera and lighting and is in charge of the production side of things, the actors and their offices, and TYA who designs the entire ad, including the story and copy. They were all discussing the creative process to make the creative even better.
The first thing that surprised me was that so many perspectives are involved in a single video. In a live-action video, there are an infinite number of perspectives to improve quality, such as the brightness, the focus of cameras, the visuals and acting of the actors, the balance with subtitles, the appeal of the product, and the screen layout. When working with production companies who are professionals in the field of production, which perspective the advertising agency side would focus on when working on a commercial?
The advertising agency considers the strategy of the advertisement. They conduct benchmark research on the product, such as consumers’ impressions of the product, what they find appealing, and what they are looking for, and design the story of the commercial through consultation again and again with the client. TYA, which designs the entire commercial, including who is actors and what kind of actions they take, has a different point of view than the production company that underpins the quality of the video.
To answer my question, my current view is that TYA, as an creative agency, is responsible for “getting the message across. It is TYA that accepts requests from clients and holds discussions with them, and that takes care of research and analysis of products. TYA is responsible for the crucial process of sublimating this research and analysis into a message that is conveyed to consumers.
Of course, the way that TYA is involved in commercial production is to consult with production staff if there is anything we find necessary to change. However, as an entity that is involved in the production of commercials together with the client from start to finish, I felt that the focus should be on whether the creative is able to be “conveyed”.
In order to keep watch over everything
(A staff adjusting the light.）
It was only after I visited the location that I learned about the position of project manager at TYA. It is a position that oversees everything from product research, conceptualization, consultation with clients, and schedule creation including shooting and editing. It is not easy to organize a job that involves a lot of people from a lot of companies.
One of the most impressive things that the project manager said was that she always does image training. The filming site in particular is full of sudden changes in the weather, technical problems, and other things that require a flexible response. However, the need to complete a commercial with a improved perfection within the allotted time remains unchanged.
I believe that it is the imagination of the project manager that holds the balance between the ever-changing situation on the ground and meeting the never-changing expectations of the client. I strongly hope to be able to imagine problems in advance and develop countermeasures through my own experiences and lessons learned from others.
Professional and amateur
(A staff who operates a light on a crane. )
Fortunately, I have the experience of producing PR videos for others at my university. Even though the others gave me an outline of each scene and a specific order of how they wanted it to be organized, I was conscious of not only following the order but also thinking about what they wanted to convey and putting feelings into the video.
The video production that I experienced in university was more of a production aspect, and not the same as this commercial shoot. However, there were many things I could learn from the professionals through this visit.
The most useful lesson is to focus on one aspect of the product and concentrate your resources on that. There are many reasons for a product to be purchased, but to effectively express them, you need to focus on one of them and construct a story only for it. In addition, while discussing with the client, we create an advertisement that not only pleases the client, but actually contributes to sales.
Looking back, I tended to focus on a lot of aspects of the group because I was so passionate about supporting them. This often made it difficult for me to create a video that is easy to convey.
I found professionalism; as a special position between the consumer who views the advertisement and the client, the advertising agency provides the client with the appealing points and the message that conveys, and provides the consumer with an easy-to-understand advertisement.
Conclusion
What I can say through these experiences is that the advertising agency is still necessary, even now that video and still image production is popular among many people, as it is a valuable position between the client and the consumer.
It has been more than a month since I started my internship at TYA. In Hong Kong, where the culture is different from that of Japan, I am grateful for the opportunity to gain experience at a company that is on the side of sending out advertisements, instead of receiving them.
Thank you for your reading this post. Next post will be about the video creation technology.
（A monitor to see what the camera is shooing.）
On the location, there was the client for the commercial, the production company who sets up the camera and lighting and is in charge of the production side of things, the actors and their offices, and TYA who designs the entire ad, including the story and copy. They were all discussing the creative process to make the creative even better.
The first thing that surprised me was that so many perspectives are involved in a single video. In a live-action video, there are an infinite number of perspectives to improve quality, such as the brightness, the focus of cameras, the visuals and acting of the actors, the balance with subtitles, the appeal of the product, and the screen layout. When working with production companies who are professionals in the field of production, which perspective the advertising agency side would focus on when working on a commercial?
The advertising agency considers the strategy of the advertisement. They conduct benchmark research on the product, such as consumers’ impressions of the product, what they find appealing, and what they are looking for, and design the story of the commercial through consultation again and again with the client. TYA, which designs the entire commercial, including who is actors and what kind of actions they take, has a different point of view than the production company that underpins the quality of the video.
To answer my question, my current view is that TYA, as an creative agency, is responsible for “getting the message across. It is TYA that accepts requests from clients and holds discussions with them, and that takes care of research and analysis of products. TYA is responsible for the crucial process of sublimating this research and analysis into a message that is conveyed to consumers.
Of course, the way that TYA is involved in commercial production is to consult with production staff if there is anything we find necessary to change. However, as an entity that is involved in the production of commercials together with the client from start to finish, I felt that the focus should be on whether the creative is able to be “conveyed”.
In order to keep watch over everything
(A staff adjusting the light.）
It was only after I visited the location that I learned about the position of project manager at TYA. It is a position that oversees everything from product research, conceptualization, consultation with clients, and schedule creation including shooting and editing. It is not easy to organize a job that involves a lot of people from a lot of companies.
One of the most impressive things that the project manager said was that she always does image training. The filming site in particular is full of sudden changes in the weather, technical problems, and other things that require a flexible response. However, the need to complete a commercial with a improved perfection within the allotted time remains unchanged.
I believe that it is the imagination of the project manager that holds the balance between the ever-changing situation on the ground and meeting the never-changing expectations of the client. I strongly hope to be able to imagine problems in advance and develop countermeasures through my own experiences and lessons learned from others.
Professional and amateur
(A staff who operates a light on a crane. )
Fortunately, I have the experience of producing PR videos for others at my university. Even though the others gave me an outline of each scene and a specific order of how they wanted it to be organized, I was conscious of not only following the order but also thinking about what they wanted to convey and putting feelings into the video.
The video production that I experienced in university was more of a production aspect, and not the same as this commercial shoot. However, there were many things I could learn from the professionals through this visit.
The most useful lesson is to focus on one aspect of the product and concentrate your resources on that. There are many reasons for a product to be purchased, but to effectively express them, you need to focus on one of them and construct a story only for it. In addition, while discussing with the client, we create an advertisement that not only pleases the client, but actually contributes to sales.
Looking back, I tended to focus on a lot of aspects of the group because I was so passionate about supporting them. This often made it difficult for me to create a video that is easy to convey.
I found professionalism; as a special position between the consumer who views the advertisement and the client, the advertising agency provides the client with the appealing points and the message that conveys, and provides the consumer with an easy-to-understand advertisement.
Conclusion
What I can say through these experiences is that the advertising agency is still necessary, even now that video and still image production is popular among many people, as it is a valuable position between the client and the consumer.
It has been more than a month since I started my internship at TYA. In Hong Kong, where the culture is different from that of Japan, I am grateful for the opportunity to gain experience at a company that is on the side of sending out advertisements, instead of receiving them.
Thank you for your reading this post. Next post will be about the video creation technology. 
