Case Study
Discover
Preserving Personal Heritage Through Minimalist Filmmaking
This academic project created during my studies at LUCA School of Arts features an 18-minute interview with my Japanese grandmother conducted in a Tokyo Shinto shrine. Using a minimalist approach—a single fixed camera, 4:3 aspect ratio, and ambient Tokyo sounds—we created an intimate portrait that serves as both family archive and cultural document, exploring themes of memory, resilience, and gratitude across generations .
Client
Internal
Industry
Health & Fitness
Year
2024
Services
Mobile App Design, UX Strategy, Branding
Section
Technical Restraint for Emotional Impact
The deliberate constraints of the format—one camera, one angle, no additional footage—created a focused viewing experience that emphasises the content of the conversation rather than stylistic flourishes. This approach required precise attention to audio quality and composition, as these elements would carry the entire emotional weight of the piece without editorialising through editing.
Cultural Context as Narrative Element
By filming in a Shinto shrine, we embedded the conversation within a cultural and spiritual context that enriched the themes of tradition, memory, and gratitude that emerged throughout our discussion. The ambient sounds of Tokyo and the shrine environment created an authentic sense of place that elevated the personal narrative to a broader cultural commentary.
In Concluding
When authentic minimalism pays off
This project demonstrates our commitment to authentic storytelling that respects cultural context and personal narrative—precisely the approach we bring to commercial projects for clients seeking to communicate across the Japanese-European cultural divide. It showcases our ability to find profound meaning in seemingly simple formats and our sensitivity to cultural nuances that might escape less experienced media producers. Though created in an academic context, this work exemplifies the philosophical depth we bring to all our projects, commercial or otherwise.