Production Services - Production Support - Film Fixers in Japan
Film, Video & Photo
Production Services
in Japan
Production support and services for your film, your photographic production in Japan. We provide producers, production support staff, fixes, and crew for overseas productions coming to Japan to shoot.
Alphabet Productions is a bilingual production services and support company based in Tokyo. We offer film and video production support and services in Japan for international projects. we offer line production, fixing, crew, locations, permits, casting, equipment, transportation, accommodation and all logistics. We all communicate in English and provide Japanese to English translation services to assist with communication.
Our producers, fixers, and production crew have experience working in almost every prefecture throughout Japan, from Tokyo to the furthest tips of Japan. We've worked in Kyoto, Hokkaido, Okinawa, and everywhere else, for clients like Netflix, BBC Storyworks, UFC, Microsoft, Hilton and Manchester City FC.
Two-person crews to
fifty-person productions.
All scales. All locations in Japan.
What we provide
Production Support Services
Line Production & Management
Full in-country production management for large-scale FIlm, Video & Photographic shoots. Budgeting, scheduling, crew, logistics, and daily shoot management.
Location Scouting & Permits
Research, scouting, and all permits and permission across Japan. We can access and gain permission all types of locations that can make your shoot a success.
Bilingual Crew Supply
English-speaking DOPs, gaffers, grips, sound, art directors, PAs, and drivers experienced with international production teams.
Casting: Actors, Models & VO
Full casting support through Japan's leading agencies — professional actors, athletes, models, voiceover artists, real people, and extras.
Cinema Equipment Rental
Arri Alexa Mini, Sony FX6, DJI Ronin 4D 8K, cinema and vintage lenses, Profoto strobe, full lighting and support gear.
Fixing, Logistics & Research
End-to-end ground support for documentary and smaller productions. Everything managed in English.
Transport & Accommodation
Airport transfers, production vehicles, accommodation booking, catering, and crew logistics managed across all of Japan.
Translation & Interpreting
Bilingual research, subject sourcing, interview coordination, and full on-set translation — results presented in English.
Productions we have supported in Japan
Fanny (2025), feature film. For Téléfiction, Montréal. Two shoot days across Tokyo at the Sumida Aquarium, Senso-ji, Togoshi Ginza and Shibuya Parco. Location scouting and permits, Japanese casting, visa support for the Canadian cast and crew, a bilingual crew and all logistics.
UFC. Four shoots since 2023 in Tokyo, Chiba and Okinawa, including “Where Are They Now?” with Genki Sudo for UFC Originals and the UFC 328 Countdown with Tatsuro Taira in Naha. Each one produced locally with a bilingual crew.
Microsoft customer-story films. For Wild Gravity, Seattle. Three days at Hokkoku Bank’s head office in Kanazawa and an interview shoot at Microsoft Japan in Tokyo.
Hilton. For Precious, London. Photo and video shoots at four hotels in Osaka and Kyoto in 2025, with casting, styling, a licensed drone operator, translators, equipment and transport.
Landscape capture around Mt Fuji. For Illuminated Media International, Los Angeles. Two weeks in Yamanashi: location scouting, film-commission liaison and permits, customs clearance / carnet for the equipment as importer of record, and vans, accommodation and catering for visiting photo, VFX and sound teams.
Decathlon. For The Square Production, France. A three-day photo and video campaign in Tokyo: locations and permits, model casting, vans, catering and equipment for a nine-person French team.
ServiceNow. Production support for ServiceNow’s in-house team in Tokyo: crew, fixing, locations, permits and transport.
Manchester City FC and Etihad Airways. Filming at five Tokyo locations with three first-team players Phil Foden, Nathan Aké and Jack Grealish.
Line Production & Production Management in Japan
For large-scale commercial Film, Video & Photographic productions, whether they are documentaries, commercials, or feature films, our line producers and production managers take full ownership of all in country logistics. We manage budgeting, scheduling, crew booking, location contracting, permit applications, catering, transport, and daily shoot management — running every element in both English and Japanese.
Our production managers understand the specific demands of international commercial production: tight agency schedules, multi-location logistics, vendor negotiations, and the challenges of operating in Japan with a crew that expects international standards. We work with you from the first conact through to wrapping the entire project and beyond.
For productions bringing their own director or DOP, we build the full supporting structure around your key creative personnel — providing every role and service your production requires, managed from our end in English.
If you would like us to supply the director or DOP as well, see our film and video production page.
Budget management and production accounting
Full scheduling and call sheet management
Local crew booking across all departments
Location contracting and permit coordination
Vendor sourcing and negotiation in Japanese
Catering, transport, and accommodation logistics
On-set bilingual production management
Wrap and clearance management
Contact us now — info@alphabetproductions.co.jp +819067444286
English-Speaking Bilingual Film Crew in Japan
We supply experienced, English-speaking camera crew, film crew, creative crew and full support team across all departments for film, video, and photographic productions of every scale in Japan. Our crew are experienced working with international teams and understand the workflow expectations of overseas productions.
All on-set communication is managed in English. Japanese-language elements — talent direction, location negotiations, authority communication — are handled simultaneously by our bilingual producers and crew, so nothing gets lost on set.
Director of Photography
Highly experienced, English-speaking
Gaffer & Grip
Full lighting and grip team
Production Crew
Producers, managers, assistants
Photographers
Internationally experienced
Hair & Makeup & Stylists
Commercial & editorial standard
Location management
Experienced, fastidious, dedicated
Art Department
Sourced to brief
Camera assistants
Knowledgeable experienced
Sound recordist
Location and interview sound, English-speaking
On-set interpreter
English and Japanese, for interviews and direction
Drone operator
In-house, with specialists for restricted flights
Location Scouting & Permits Across Japan
Urban & City LocationsTokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya
Streets, rooftops, interiors, landmarks, restricted urban environments. Studios and cyclorama stages available.
Nature: Hokkaido, Okinawa, Nagano, Niseko, Kyushu
Wilderness, coastline, mountain landscapes, rice fields, forests — from north to south.
Traditional & Cultural
Temples, shrines, traditional architecture, and culturally sensitive locations managed with appropriate permissions.
Permit Management
All applications handled in Japanese for public locations, drone permits, and restricted access locations.
Japan offers an extraordinary range of production locations — from the dense urban energy of Tokyo and Osaka to pristine coastlines, ancient temples, mountain landscapes, and rural farmland unlike anywhere else. Our location scouts know all of it.
We conduct research, present options in English with detailed location reports and images, manage all site visits, and handle every permit application — including complex permissions in restricted government locations, train stations, shrines, and sites that require established Japanese-language relationships to access.
All location findings are presented in English with shoot-day logistics plans, access information, and permit documentation ready for production.
Casting Services & Talent in Japan
We provide full casting support for film, video, and photographic productions — across all talent categories, sourced through Japan's leading talent agencies and our own established network. Our casting producers manage the entire process in English, from brief translation through to talent confirmation, contracts, and on-set coordination.
Remote casting via video call is available for international clients who cannot travel to Japan for auditions. We present options in English with video auditions and manage all agency communication in Japanese.
→Professional actors — leading and supporting roles
→Commercial and editorial models for advertising shoots
→Athletes and sports talent
→Real people and authentic talent
→Extras and background artists
→Japan-based international talent
→Remote casting via video — full agency management
→Talent contracts and release forms in English
Film Fixers in Japan &
Production Logistics
For documentary productions and production companies shooting in Japan who need trusted on-the-ground support, our Japan fixer and production logistics service covers everything that makes shoots possible: interview coordination and subject sourcing, location access, research, transport, accommodation, and day-of production management — all confirmed in advance, all communicated in English.
Our team brings the cultural knowledge and local relationships that serious film and video production in Japan requires — from accessing communities and individuals, to navigating the protocols around filming in specific environments. As experienced Japan film fixers, we conduct all research and communication in Japanese and present everything to our clients in English.
Making your own documentary with us? See documentary production in Japan.
Interview Sourcing & Coordination
Subject identification, outreach in Japanese, scheduling, and pre-interview briefings in English.
Research & Translation
Japanese-language research, document translation, findings presented in clear English with context.
On-Set Interpretation
Real-time bilingual interpretation during interviews, location access negotiations, authority communication.
Logistics & Ground Support
Airport arrivals, accommodation, transport, and daily production logistics managed start to finish.
Remote Production Support
Live video feeds via Zoom or Teams with real-time English translation so remote clients can direct in real time.
Equipment & Gear Rental in Japan
Our production support includes access to the latest and best film and photographic equipment rentals. We offer top-tier gear like the Arri Alexa 35, Mini LF, Sony Venice, Sony Burano, Sony FX6, Sony FX9, RED cameras, and premium Cinema and Vintage lens sets (Arri, Cooke, Zeiss).
Our equipment rental services cover everything from stabilizers, cranes, jibs, and dollies to LED, HMI, and tungsten lighting. With brands like Aputure, Nanlux, Godox and more.
All gear can be delivered across Japan with English-speaking bilingual camera, gaffer, and grip crew.
Drone and aerial filming in Japan
We have a drone operator on our team for most aerial work. Flying in built-up areas, at night or near airports needs permission from the aviation authorities, and many locations need the landowner’s consent as well. For those flights we bring in specialist licensed operators and make the applications in Japanese. Permissions take time, so tell us early. We also fly indoors: for Hilton we flew a drone through the 40th-floor Sky Lobby at Conrad Osaka.
Visas, carnets and customs
We organise visa support for visiting cast and crew, and help with equipment carnets and customs clearance. For the feature film Fanny we handled visa support for the Canadian cast and crew. For a two-week shoot around Mt Fuji we cleared the equipment through customs as importer of record.
Where we work in Japan
We are based in Tokyo and travel with a core team, adding local crew where it helps.
Tokyo and Chiba. Fanny, UFC, Manchester City FC, Decathlon, ServiceNow and Microsoft Japan.
Osaka and Kyoto. Hilton shoots at Waldorf Astoria Osaka, Conrad Osaka, Canopy by Hilton Osaka and Hilton Kyoto.
Kanazawa. Three days at Hokkoku Bank for Microsoft and Wild Gravity.
Mt Fuji and Yamanashi. Two weeks of landscape capture across the lakes and forests.
Okinawa. UFC 328 Countdown in Naha, with a Tokyo core crew and local support.
Hokkaido and Kyushu. Seasons Niseko in winter and summer, and Komatsu at its test site in Oita.
What clients say
“Filming in Japan can feel daunting from abroad, but Alphabet Productions made it feel easy and inspiring.”
Annie Blais, Producer, Téléfiction (Montréal), on the feature film Fanny
“Andrew and his team were incredibly knowledgeable, highly professional, and provided world-class production support at every stage.”
Kristina Hicks and Gavin Harrison, Illuminated Media International (Los Angeles)
“I highly recommend Alphabet Productions to anyone looking for exceptional production services in Japan and beyond.”
Leslie Gomez, Senior Producer, UFC Originals
Filming in Japan: what overseas productions ask us
Can you handle all production logistics for a shoot in Japan?
Yes, we offer end-to-end production management including logistics, scheduling, location coordination, permits, and on-the-ground support throughout Japan.
Can you support just part of a production, like only location scouting or casting?
Absolutely. We can provide as few or as many services as needed—whether it’s just scouting, casting, transport, or gear rental. We’re happy to support in a modular way.
What types of crew can you provide – directors, camera, gaffers, sound, etc.?
We can provide full bilingual crews including DOPs, camera assistants, gaffers, stylists, sound recordists, producers, and more. All crew are experienced with international standards and workflows.
Are you able to source crew and provide services outside of Tokyo?
Yes. While we are based in Tokyo, we’ve worked all over Japan and have trusted networks in Hokkaido, Osaka, Okinawa, Kyushu, and other regions.
What kind of transportation and accommodation logistics can you help with?
We regularly manage transportation from vans to larger vehicles, and we arrange accommodation that suits production needs—from business hotels to resorts.
Can you provide location scouting, management, and permit handling?
Yes. We offer full location services including research, on-the-ground scouting, permitting, coordination, and location management.
Do you assist with casting, wardrobe, styling, and art direction?
Yes. We can provide full creative support—styling, wardrobe, props, casting (both local and international talent), and art direction depending on the scope.
Can we bring our own director or producer and have you manage the rest?
Of course. We frequently work with visiting creatives and can fully support their needs from logistics to crew and coordination.
Do you offer remote shoot monitoring if we can’t travel to Japan?
Yes. We offer live streaming of shoots via Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams, with bilingual translation during interviews or on-set for clear remote collaboration.
What gear is available in Japan?
Most major brands and cinema-grade gear are readily available in Japan. Some substitutions may apply for niche items, so advance booking is recommended for rare equipment.
Can a foreign production film in Japan?
Yes. Most public places, roads, stations, temples and private property need permission from whoever manages them, and the applications are made in Japanese. We apply on your behalf and tell you early what is realistic and what is not.
How far ahead should we plan a shoot in Japan?
A month or more is ideal, because some permits and locations need that long. Simpler shoots can be organised in a week, and we have put shoots together in a few days when needed.
How much do production services in Japan cost?
It depends on shoot days, crew size, locations, cast and equipment. Send us your brief and dates and we will return an itemised estimate. We can invoice in Japanese yen, US dollars, euros, Australian dollars and Singapore dollars.
What is the difference between a film fixer and a line producer?
A fixer arranges access, research, interviews and logistics, usually for a small documentary or news crew. A line producer runs the budget, schedule, crew and suppliers for a full production. We do both, and many jobs sit somewhere in between.
Can you fly drones in Japan?
Yes. We have a drone operator on our team. Flights in built-up areas, at night or near airports need permission in advance, and for those we bring in specialist licensed operators and make the applications.
Can you help with visas and equipment carnets?
Yes. We organise visa support for visiting cast and crew and help with carnets and customs clearance for equipment.
Do you support photo shoots as well as film and video?
Yes. We produce photo shoots for overseas teams with the same services: locations, permits, casting, crew, equipment and transport. See our photography production page.