Motus is the London agency behind many of Mizuno's international brand shoots. It needed a partner in Japan to lead them, supplying the photographer, the director, the DOP and the full crew and production team. For Mizuno's new running shoes, we produced this sports photography in Japan with a well-known Japanese runner and elite Kenyan runners sponsored by Mizuno. The Kenyan runners had come to Japan to visit the brand's MIZUNO ENGINE innovation centre in Osaka.
How we shot it
We shot trackside at athletics stadiums in Tokyo and Osaka, and set up a temporary portrait studio in one of the stadium buildings, so the athletes could move between action and portraits without losing time. Our photographer also directed the campaign film, which DOP Christoph-Julian Gelep shot under his direction.
The hardest part was the heat. On the peak day it reached 38°C, and the athletes ran lap after lap, with the photographer running alongside, camera in hand. A single producer from Motus oversaw the shoot, while our team ran the production and took care of every conversation in Japanese.
What we delivered
We delivered campaign stills of the runners for Mizuno's international marketing.
See more of our sports and advertising photography in Japan.
Client: Mizuno
Agency: Motus (London)
Location: Tokyo and Osaka, Japan
Services: Production, photography, film direction, crew, pop-up studio, bilingual coordination
Crew: Photographer and director, DOP Christoph-Julian Gelep, producer, assistants
Deliverables: Running campaign stills
