Joined CyberZ/BABEL LABEL from Netflix. Special conversation between Nahomi Sato and Hisato Yamada [Director's Interview Vol.300]

If you rely on the Japanese video industry system, you won't be able to aim for the world.

Q: Mr. Sato just talked about the film and video industry. How do you both currently view the industry's problems, areas for improvement, and hopes?

Yamada: After working with Michito Fujii and BABEL LABEL for about 10 years, I thought, ``If we rely on the Japanese video industry system, we won't be able to aim for the world.'' After talking with Fujii, I decided to ask Susumu Fujita (CyberAgent CEO). I went to talk. That was about two years ago.

From there, a concrete roadmap for the world was set in motion, and President Fujita said, ``In order for BABEL LABEL to create works that meet Korean and international standards, we must spend a commensurate budget on the work and enhance our creativity. It is necessary to create a system that allows the CyberAgent Group to operate around this as a business.If we can do that, money will flow properly to the creators and they will be able to continue producing good works.To support this, we will also provide supplementary human resources. I would like to support the creation of a system that includes this, so please do your best.Please create an environment where good creators can gather.''

As part of this, CyberZ, led by Takahiro Yamauchi, is in charge of us. That's the kind of group that Mr. Sato belongs to at CyberZ.

Regarding the future of Japan's video industry, we are trying to change from a production company to a content studio. In the past, in Japan, production companies had a fixed budget and were asked to come up with ways to work within that budget. However, from now on, I feel that our challenge is to think not only based on the Japanese market, but also on a global basis, and show the potential by saying things like, ``I can create this kind of picture with this kind of budget.''

We have to work hard to make it work as a business while improving our creativity. As part of this, I believe it is necessary to develop webtoons (a web comic that is popular in South Korea, featuring vertical reading and full color) and to create original works.

Q: This is similar to the topic of IP (intellectual property), but you are talking about not only ``receiving'' works but also ``owning'' them, in other words becoming a content holder. How about Mr. Sato?

Sato: I felt it when I was working with Gaga and Netflix, but having a franchise is very powerful. Of course, I'm not talking about creating a franchise with BABEL LABEL, but once you create something that is easy to understand, businesses and opportunities derived from that will expand rapidly. I want to look beyond just saying that this one work was created and that it was good.

Characteristics of global hits and conditions for producers