ROLE: CONCEPTION, VIDEO PRODUCTION, CREATIVE DIRECTION
DELIVERABLE: VIDEOS
DATE: APR 2017
Poweredby.tokyo and hospitality imprint BnA hotel came together to create a three-part video series documenting the unique artist enclave of Koenji and how the BnA project contributes significantly to the neighborhood and its culture.

CONCEPT
Story of Koenji creative community
This project is the embodiment of everything poweredby.tokyo is about. Community, creativity, passion, and damn cool places. We partnered with the BnA project by telling their story in a compelling visual manner. Each film told the story of each member of BnA’s team, from the founders, to the individual artists and front desk staff. We were granted privileged access to some of the neighborhood’s best kept local secrets. The three films were screened at an event and a local favourite cafe and gallery and saw a huge turnout from all over Tokyo.

PART 1
Koenji: the artists
Yohei Takahashi and Ryuichi ‘Ogi’ Ogino, the two Koenji artists behind the BnA art rooms, discuss their creative process, the unique mindset that artists possess, and the purpose and philosophy behind each respective room.

PART 2
Koenji: the collective
Bar manager Akira Ishigami and Art Director Kenji Daikoku on the collective and relaxed atmosphere of Koenji and how this dynamic allows it to ride the line between city and country culture.

PART 3
Koenji: the creators
BnA Hotel founders and fellow community tastemakers Taz, Yuta, and Keigo talk about the project’s mission to empower artists and their communities, while taking their vision and objective far into the future.


ART DIRECTION
Raw, Authentic, and Carefree
Since Koenji is a very unique area of Tokyo with a very proud and equally unique populace, it was of the utmost importance for us to communicate the raw artistic authenticity that oozes from the place. We made sure to include as much anecdotal testimony from the residents as possible, with ample slow motion to convey the breezy, carefree, laid back lifestyle of the area and its residents.




Credits
Client: BnA
Our role: Conception, Video production, Creative direction
THE TEAM
Director: Keivan Salehpour
Producers: Sabrina Suljevic & Chace Fedor
Editor: Keivan Salehpour
Music: metrofield, g0 & tomar
Production assistance: SET Japan
MONOPO STAFF ON THIS PROJECT
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