Commemorating Harry Pota, interview with the unknown Japanese story behind Warner and the deep part

Continuing with the first one, "Attack at the Japanese headquarters in Warner famous for Harry Potter, Charging Room and Precious Boots", this article of the second has been supporting the release of the "Harry Potter" series in Japan for many years I interviewed advertising producers and stakeholders and asked them variously.

Mr. Adachi, Mr. Otani, Mr. Ogura in order from the right


GIGAZINE (hereinafter abbreviated as G):
So, first of all thank you for your self-introduction.

Adachi Toshika (hereinafter abbreviated as Adachi):
I specialize in the promotion of foreign films. We will decide how to sell each work and the overall direction. Head office is located in the California State Burbank in the United States, considering the needs in the Japanese market, we mainly negotiate with the head office and actors and supervisors through headquarters. The content is publicity and promotion.

G:
What is the difference between publicity and promotion?

Adachi:
Publicity is the basic part of movie promotion that you introduce without paying the expenses. Promotion in my place is a company tie-up.

G:
I see. Then, what kind of job will basically Mr. Otani's job be?

Mr. Otani in the middle


Satoru Otani (hereinafter abbreviated as Otani):
I am in charge of the part of free publicity. I mainly meet with television stations, journal reporters, sports paper reporters, and such people, thinking about the planning of each medium and doing exposures.

Adachi:
Among film advertisements, if so-called advertisement is a part of using money, it is publicity called so-called free publicity, that is, trying hard at everyone and lowering your head.

G:
I see. At last what is Mr. Shimo's job done?

Mr. Shimane branch on the left


Shimo Akira (hereinafter, abbreviated as lower branch):
It is a place other than publicity. As a window of the work, I will be in charge of various movie titles, and I will give advice on parts of the creative, such as directions and concepts of the works and copies. Other than crossing the Warner Bros. movie, there is a writers home video, television, and a writership that commercializes CP. Since I want to cooperate with various departments and advance, I think that it is a bridge to that. Adachi had said that, there is this media other than spending money on the media. It is money you use, not paying for so-called media. Making posters, events to play, money to make trailers and so on. I also manage the money going overseas coverage.

G:
I see. As for the next question, what kind of opportunities did you get to work this way? Please tell me how you have reached this path for those who want to be in charge of promotion, if possible, in this industry.

Adachi:
I went to work in a local company after studying abroad to the USA. In the United States I eventually worked for a Japanese company in San Francisco and was in charge of marketing, but after returning to the company I entered a company that creates animation, purchases movies and distributes advertisements, and has a window of overseas sales of animation works I was doing. And when I was planning to change jobs to a company with a slightly larger scale in the international, I saw the recruitment of Warner movies, so I applied for recruitment and entered the interview in 1995.

G:
What is the case of Mr. Otani?

Otani:
I entered the advertisement company part-time and I was supporting the publicity of the Warner Bros. movie work.

G:
Since I was a student?

Otani:
It was not since I was a student, since I became a member of society. It is around the early twenties. I worked part-time at a company called Leo Enterprise, and it was three to four years later that I was an employee. At Leo · enterprise, we advertised the works of various distribution companies. After that, I worked in the advertising division in 20th Century Fox movies, Disney movies, and changed jobs to Warner Bros. Movie Propaganda Division 8 years ago.

G:
It came round about somehow (laugh)

The entrance to the Warner Center, from here it is prohibited to enter the other side, exactly sanctuary


G:
What is the case with Mr. Shimonose?

Bottom branch:
There was a movie company named Nihon Herald Film, and I joined there with a new graduate. After that, quit Herald, worked a little differently, returned to the movie industry, joined Toho san's production promotion as a contract employee, and entered the Japanese film production site. After that, I moved to the movie club of Pony Canyon and then the advertising department of Warner Bros. I have been in the same industry forever.

G:
As for the next question, recently the gossiping of the television station pushed the Japanese movie, which is not so interesting, greatly pushed, the atmosphere that the foreign painting has been driven to the corner for a long time is getting stronger year by year, in the case of Harry Potter Have you ever been influenced by something publicity from the film situation in Japan?

Adachi:
It is true that there is momentum in Japanese movies. However, with regard to Harry Potter, even movies alone have been running for more than 10 years, and there are a lot of stationary fans. Besides that, there are people who become new fans every year, so in that sense I think that brandiness and quality are different from normal movies. Since there is a place that the actor and the contents are upgrading every work, I think that the influence in the work-like part is not particularly particular.

G:
To be advertising, I also have to accept things like brutal.

Adachi:
There is not it.

Otani:
There is nothing at all. I have not thought much.

Bottom branch:
Well, if it is influence, is it interviewing mediumly? In the case of Japanese movies, actors are actively interviewed.

Adachi:
In terms of the number of exposures it certainly may be so.

Bottom branch:
The degree to which the media side also requests the interview of the cast is getting high. For example, it seems that Harry Potter and Harry Potter are far from being able to go to Ross and make an interview for five minutes was a bit faded. Even if you visit Japan, you are not interviewing in the hotel room, but interviews and appearances at the studio will be given priority. There is such atmosphere.

Adachi:
Certainly the overall flow may be changing. Long ago Hollywood actors came when it was a great thing ... ... when there were so many it was every week or every two weeks really top class people came every month, so that By the way, the media have come to request more super class. Of course it is not limited to Hollywood, I think that it can be seen as a whole. So, as the lower branch says, in the case of Japanese movies, the cooperation system of the actor has been organized much more carefully, so it is hard to say that again in such a place.

Otani:
In the case of a movie produced and invested by television stations, it is difficult to introduce foreign movie work by all means. If such a work and publication date overlap, it will become tough as well.

Adachi:
When it overlaps with the Japanese movie which TV station investment is in at the same time, it is often difficult to get priority because there are many cases in which priority is given.

G:
There is such a thing, too.

Credentials and diplomas on the wall


G:
As for the next question, for example, if fans have sent opinions and petitions, what kind of things do they actually handle?

Adachi:
Is it roughly a phone call or a return postcard that I am receiving ... it is a letter. I have never received a petition.

Otani:
There is not much, do something for us. Occasionally Harry Potter's screening is near, "There is a visit to Japan?" There are.

Adachi:
"I'd like you to come to Japan" by all means. What I know at that time is that I write back and forth as returning postcards and sending back.

G:
You surely reply.

Adachi:
After all I am a fan. Since we often do not have any information at that point in time, we wrote and sent such things as "Please check my homepage" and "I will give it as soon as I know it" There is. Is it almost time for a phone? The rest is a fan letter.

G:
Is there handling even if things like fan letters come?

Adachi:
In general, fan letters will be received before and after visiting Japan, so if you are visiting Japan you will be given properly, and if you return you will be sent together to be handed over through our headquarters .

G:
The area is handled deeply. It was surprising as I think there are strange things inside.

Adachi:
Everyone Japanese people are still polite or there are many people who are tightly tight, so there is nothing strange. However, what you put in your mouth .... For example, I am sorry for what I eat, but there are things I can dispose of.

G:
If you send something like that, you mean that something like a fan letter is more appreciated.

Adachi:
In the case of Harry Potter, there seems to be many people who write directly and send it.

G:
I see.

The door feels like Warner anyhow


G:
I will move on to the next question. In the case of Harry Potter there are quite a few fans, even on the net "Potter maniaThere was a fan site like "There was also a case where the trailer with Japanese subtitles was opened earlier than anywhere, but what is that background?

Bottom branch:
It is the fastest time for us to make subtitles and debut, so there is nothing to hand over to Potter Mania first. Perhaps, is it downloading the original English version without subtitles ...... maybe you are getting it somehow and uploading it with your own subtitles. It is unlikely that we hand over materials from our headquarters directly to Potter Mania, or from our sample.

Adachi:
No, once, only one work has been postponed by past works, as directed by the production company "Harry Potter's fan site is the biggest in Japan, the first place to trust the first place to material Please give me out. " Was that the time when the seventh work PART 1 was postponed?

Bottom branch:
It is time when PART 1 grew.

Otani:
……2009?

Adachi:
"Harry Potter and the Mysterious Prince" is not it.

Otani:
About two years ago. That time certainly.

Adachi:
That time. That memory is there.

G:
So many fansites from all over the world were showing images.

Adachi:
I think. But that is a truly special case, as it is said by the lower branches before and after that as well, it is the form that it is issuing elsewhere.

G:
What kind of circumstances does the judgment of sending out a movie of a material to a big site of the fan site "Since it postponed" which got out a little with the previous talk?

Adachi:
That is a production company. The production company and our studio side talked and I think that it is the place of "like this way to the fans who are most waiting for movie release first".

G:
That was how it happened.

Perhaps the full-size figure of the domestic servant fairy dobby


It seems that it was at the entrance of the movie theater, the degree of completion is abnormally high


G:
Harry Potter Although the environment on the net has also undergone a drastic change compared to the beginning, how are you looking at the previous reputation of the movie on the net and the evaluation after the screening? Also, is there a mechanism that we introduced newly for promotion?

Otani:
Regarding net promotion, it is becoming a big existence in advertisement. I think that there are many information on the Internet and mobile on the hands of the general public, so from now on I think that it is becoming a medium that can not be ignored, including social media.

G:
Does that mean social media is getting close to you?

Otani:
I agree. But, I do not know how far social media will grow from now on, so I can not say anything, but I think that there are cases like that if it grows.

Adachi:
However, basically advertisement is a thing that we are trying to trace, so always care about what you are saying at the moment, not to change the direction of advertisement each time, rather than to change the direction of advertisement each time , This is the form that will come out. For example, we will throw the materials and monitor how they are grasping it. Of course, if you see movie fans taking a work from a different point of view and being reacted to an interesting neta, "Oh, that kind of point of view was also there," so attention to that part Sometimes. Even with this pre-reputation, it is not influenced by it, so we constantly pass messages so that we do not shake advertisements and free pubs as much as we want for messages targeted. Our promotional activities have such basic stance.

G:
In the case of Harry Potter this time, how do you decide the stance of "going like this" around here?

Adachi:
For each work, I looked back on the last time and decided to talk about "I want to take in next layer, next target like this". I look back on those past strategies and analyze the results and decide every piece "I will do this this time" every work. Following the previous work, Otani and Ogura are in charge of the work of the latest work PART 2, so let them talk from them.

G:
For example, what kind of stance has decided the next direction? Could you tell me something like a process?

Bottom branch:
Beginning with the process of in-house work in charge of creative and creative work, "Starting with how you can raise box office performance if you advertise this work", in the case of Harry Potter, about 15% to 20% As the grades are falling, from there somehow V-shaped recovery from there "Well, what kind of layers are getting away" or "who saw 1 and who saw 2 is about how old you are now" And. For example, fantasy movies, magical movies do not have firm data as to whether people around the age of 20 are willing to come but, while making forecasts, of course, they also got information from Japanese agents "This age is Based on the information that "I will be watching, I will not see it," I decided to discuss it.

For example, if you are focusing most on the target and doing the final target here, if you are doing it here, segmenting while considering whether it is efficient, positioning the movie so that it approaches the target or target, so-called "This movie is such a movie" as a concept. When asked what kind of thing "Harry Potter and the treasure of death PART 2", when it is asked what kind of positioning it is possible to answer quickly, afterwards arranging the points of selling of contents unique to this work well, the staff of Harry Potter There are around 20 people other than the members who are here, so I decided to unify my intentions to align footsteps, for example on a one line to say like this or if I use a picture I would like to use this picture Or, if you are going to create concepts in such a way. It is a feeling that everyone communicates and heads in the same direction.

G:
It is professional indeed when listening to a story.

Adachi:
From there it is a long process, as it has to take further approval from the upper level, and even the head office and film maker. There are times when 100% of the ideas we thought do not pass. There may be times when it is said that "Japan may think so, but do something like this," as there are times when the lower branch says, everyone is united "Our concept concept and target are Why is it in the Japanese market, can you sell? "Firmly, then take it to the top.

G:
Make a discussion, decide, give it up and go off if you go.

Adachi:
It will be such a process.

Yomiuri Movie · Theater Advertisement Awards Film Division Trophy for winning the Jury Special Award for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"


"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" won the Japan Academy Award in 2002, and also won the Japan Academy Prize "Harry Potter and the Secret Room" in 2003


G:
Initially when the first work was released, it should be a start from a situation where there is no previous work, unlike now it says, "I do not know if this movie is hits or not, perhaps he will hit" I think that it was a situation, but what was it like at that time?

Adachi:
It is not "I will win" but the part "I hit absolutely, but how long do you hit?" Was unknown. At that time, it was said that the number multiplied by the number of copies the original sells will be the mobilization number. At that time, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was 2.7 million copies, more than 16 million people came because it was said that about 5.4 million people will come even though it is twice that, so It was a big social phenomenon beyond what I thought. I did not anticipate spreading so far, but everyone thought about it again that the box office achievement of more than 10 billion is that I do not know from a place beyond a hundred. Once it gets on fire, how far it spreads is a place where people who have been doing for many years do not know from 10 billion, but when it is the first work of "Harry Potter" There was conviction that there should not be ".

It was not conceited, but on the contrary it was tremendous pressure, we did not disappoint the fans of the work, so we had to make a way to get them to come properly, so we had to work carefully one by one I went.

G:
What is pressure?

Adachi:
Since fans still have a feeling for their original work, there are also people who say that they "are different from books" of course, and those who think movie casting is "Why are they these people?" There may also be, and thinking taking the part of imagination, I think that it is not likely to be beyond the imagination drawn in his head when reading a book. When someone visualizes it and it shows the message at the very beginning of what it is, at that time they will send out the message that we will start out at the very beginning, "We are waiting for you I wanted to see such a thing Harry Potter said, thanks "Thank you" You must make a copy that seems like that.

G:
It certainly seems that pressure is going to hang when listening to the story.

Adachi:
Pressure is reviving just by speaking (lol)

G:
Initially, all seven copies of "Harry Potter" movie version had been scheduled, but at the end of the last it divided into rainy part 1 and part 2, and it became all eight copies. What kind of circumstances was this?

Adachi:
It was not decided from the beginning. We have to secure the schedule of the actor and since it is a work involving hundreds of people, it is somewhat earlier that the studio, our head office and our producer, consulted and decided . However, it is impossible for me to try to keep that long content of each series for a couple of hours. Regarding the last, as it seems there was a place to draw as faithfully as possible to the book, as much as possible it will be more than four and a half hours ... ... it will be close to five hours. I think that it was divided into Part 1 and Part 2 in such a way.

G:
Up until now I came in the form of one copy each time, but this time it was divided into two parts, Part 1 and Part 2, and there was something that was easier to do, contrary to what it was difficult to do as advertisement?

Bottom branch:
If it is divided into two, there is anxiety that it may be thought by the customer that PART 2 is not known unless you look at PART 1, that customers will not feel refreshed because it will end on the way only with PART 1. However, we have expressed from the advertisement of PART 1 that it is one work by two pieces. PART 2 is a real final story of the series, so it is easy to understand, but PART 1 was difficult to position.

Excellence Advertisement Award of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"


Foreign Movie Fan Award of "Harry Potter and the Secret Room"


G:
As the way to end Part 2 goes with that story, it will be "end", and there will not be "next" already, but did you have any emotional things?

Bottom branch:
Yes, I am deeply impressed.

Adachi:
The cast was also with me, the director changed on the way, but the second half is the same director, so the feeling that we came together is terrible. There were also a lot of people coming to Japan, and I think that all the staff who have done the work for a long time all feel familiar.

Bottom branch:
After all Harry · Potter was a little different from ordinary works and it was almost annually open so "We came again!" We think that way. Materials will come around half a year before publication. Then you always think that "Oh, you came again!" I was told that the pressure was a while ago but after all we also realized that the box office record of this movie is amazing is 10 billion yen and it is said to be "8 billion yen," said "Oh, it was 10 billion! And it said "It dropped a little ... ...". I think that such a movie is not so much.

G:
It is somehow too big (laugh)

Bottom branch:
That's right. There is no such a movie as told that "It's been a while," if it's 8 billion yen as usual. That's why there is tremendous pressure.

G:
If it's a normal movie it's a huge success (laugh)

Bottom branch:
It is a huge success (laugh)

G:
Next, please tell me a backstroke episode that has never been announced so far as casts arrive in Japan.

Adachi:
Since time to come is short, there is almost no time to do something poorly.

Bottom branch:
If you have time, there are many people who sleep for a while to take a rest.

Adachi:
It seems that Rupert Grint who is role of Ron likes Akihabara, does not he like Japanese gadgets and is willing to buy it.

Bottom branch:
I hear that Japan's electric merchandise technology is expensive as it is expensive. It is really two days and three days, so arrive at night and interview the press conference the next day, do the premiere, because the next schedule is like going home early in the morning.

Adachi:
It's really pretty fast. I'm sorry.

G:
Do you mean that it is really decided in increments?

Adachi:
It is minute incremental during coverage.

Bottom branch:
It is really a minute increment. 3 minutes, 5 minutes different, everyone flapping and rearranging the schedule well.

Adachi:
It was hard work (laugh)

G:
As mentioned earlier, saying "I am asleep if there is a little break," it is such a tiring thing.

Bottom branch:
I think smoking, drinking water, drinking tea ... or that kind of feeling.

Otani:
There is a time difference jet.

Adachi:
Especially when I come from Europe it is really terrible. When Tom Felton of role of dragon came, the body clock became the time of Japan for the first time for the first time at the last day. Until then it was dead in the daytime, really sorry. I was sorry for my eyes being unable to sleep with gingin all night.

Bottom branch:
Because I can not go to bed I can not go playing in the city at night alone.

Otani:
It really seemed like jet lag was terrible at Tom Felton. He does his job well, but he was sleeping all the while during the break.

Adachi:
I already knew I was tired.

Adachi:
I slept for 15 minutes, in the daytime. Because I have not slept at all in the middle of the night ... ....

Otani:
At first, when I was in Osaka, I heard that "I do not want to go anywhere?" But it is "I want to go ... but ..." (laugh)

Adachi:
The next day, in the morning, it will not come out any more. Jet lag is painfully bad after all.

G:
Jet lag will happen after all.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" "Golden Gloss Award of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"


Golden Gross Award of "Harry Potter and the Secret Room"


Otani:
Also, Harry's guests are well behaved.

Adachi:
Because everyone is ordinary people, really. However, when Daniel Radcliffe, acting as Harry Potter, first came to Japan ... ... It was time for the second work "Harry Potter and the Secret Room", but at that time the fans were truly amazing Right. Since I had a campaign in Tokyo and Osaka, there was a little free time, so I showed Kyoto, but there were truly paparazzi chasing after me. I took pictures from the other side of the telegraph pole (lol)

Even if it says I'm sorry it was truly private, I heard that the press flew away. Truly "Harry Potter = the most famous boy in the world", and Daniel Radcliffe was that Harry Potter. That was why the most famous boy in the world came. Three thousand girls in Narita also cry when they see Daniel's mother. Everyone was impressed.

It was a yellow voice and I was really surprised. The person himself was most surprised. I did not have such a thing in London and I usually went to school and lived normally, so I came to Japan and was surprised to be told "Ca !!" (laugh)

G:
Such a reaction is surprising also for himself.

Adachi:
I wonder if he was only twelve years old at that time. I think I was happy. Girls saying Care. But I was really surprised by the momentum of that momentum (lol)

G:
I guess it will be like that. However, it is amazing that paparazzi comes out like that.

Adachi:
I am surprised. Because it is hidden behind the electric pole.

G:
How was the security when I came to Japan? Why do you ask that there is a case where you feel distressed and that there was a case that you did not care so much?

Adachi:
On the contrary, at the time of the event, fans will be injured, so emphasis will be placed on customer safety. It is a part that says "There must be something and everyone should not collapse" rather than a talent, because the place where many fans gather is inevitably dangerous. When Emma · Watson came to the rest, it is still a young lady, so there are times when you use some mind with a little talent. However, in the case of "Harry Potter" I think there is nothing tough.

Otani:
Is not it such a thing like the severer caution?

G:
Rather, we have to pay attention to customers.

Adachi:
Not only "Harry Potter" but all the pieces are together, but do not have an accident.

Bottom branch:
Since it is an event that our company operates, it is not easy to be injured, so security is solid in order to pay attention to such things.

G:
As I mentioned earlier, I think that there are various kinds of advertisements on the Internet, but if you can do this with a machine, do you have an idea "I want to do such a skillful publicity?"

Bottom branch:
it's difficult. Even if there is an idea of ​​a new method of publicity, it can not say much now. It is their wealth, they are their own brain, basically think about what you do not do any other movies elsewhere, hard to think about what is not done so far, pick it up for the media Because I am constantly thinking that people in general should be surprised to get it.

G:
I see.

Golden Gloss Special Award in "Harry Potter and the Secret Room"


G:
Can I say something in the case of Harry Potter, do you have any idea for propaganda?

Otani:
Is it tie-up?

Adachi:
If you could do without any tie, I would like to tie up. As Harry Potter can not do anything.

G:
Can not tie up?

Adachi:
We decided global tie-up with Ms. Coca-Cola only once, and in Japan there was something to proceed, but everything else is forbidden. So I think that there has never been any tie-up with the company.

G:
I do not know if it is told.

Adachi:
There are something related to advance ticket sale, but there are not any other things. Also, I would like to expand advertisements with my favorite copies. I would like to do as I want to do various things (laugh)

Otani:
Perhaps it is a form because it is done within a certain degree of tie-ups.

Adachi:
That is why it is also surprisingly correct. The opinions of the people who have been involved in the film maker's work are still important.

Otani:
Yes, it's not just a strange thing to say.

Adachi:
On the contrary, as I tried it, I thought that it was correct as a result.

G:
Is it because the image of the movie is related to that "Harry Potter" should not do tie-up?

Bottom branch:
Yes, it is brand control.

Adachi:
Regarding that detailed regulation, we do not know who, how far, but because there are authors, there are many bounds around that area.

G:
I see. However, it was surprising that "Harry Potter" actually has little tie-up.

Adachi:
It's only once with Coca-Cola. I was only told that I could do tie-up development with them once in the whole world. However, taking the approval of all the details in progressing tie-up was truly difficult, it was not bleeding blood. I worked at 2, 3 every evening (laugh)

G:
Really!

Adachi:
Because there is a schedule of Coca Cola, such as whether the material does not come really, or it is the last minute. Even though I also stayed at 2 o'clock and 3 o'clock every evening, I felt that I managed to do it. From the headquarters there is nothing for tie-up after that. Sorry it is, certainly. Because I thought I wanted to do a tie-up a little more widely. "Harry Potter" was the most popular work offered by business people to do.

G:
The story this time was pretty interesting, thank you!


This is the tie-up of Coca-Cola and Harry Potter, which was held in 2001.We made an exclusive tie-up with an estimated 150 million dollarsThat's why other companies can not tie up.


"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
July 15 (Fri) Marunouchi Piccadilly and other nationwide road show <3D / 2D simultaneous screening>
Official site:http://www.deathly-hallows.jp
Official facebook:http://www.facebook.com/hp7jp
Official twitter:http://twitter.com/#!/hp7_jp/
Warner Bros. Movie Distribution