SUB CATEGORY :

ANIMATION (IN-CAMERA OR DIGITAL)

COMPANY ENTERING :

HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO

TITLE :

HAIR ALBUM

BRAND :

TAKARA BELMONT

ADVERTISER :

TAKARA BELMONT

AGENCY :

HAKUHODO INC., TOKYO

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

YUKI YOKOI

COPYWRITER :

YUKI YOKOI

PLANNER :

YUKI YOKOI

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

TAIYO KIKAKU CO., LTD., TOKYO

DIRECTOR :

YUKI ISHIKAWA

CINEMATOGRAPHER :

SHINYA KOCHO/RYO UNO/KEITA UENO

GAFFER :

HARUKI OHORI

FILM PRODUCER :

KOJI EGUCHI/RISA MATSUI

PRODUCTION MANAGER :

OKI TANJI

PRODUCTION DESIGNER :

MIDORIKO NEMOTO

CASTING :

AKIKO WATANABE/ATSUSHI HASEBE

HAIR & MAKE-UP :

KANAKO HAMA

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY :

TAIYO KIKAKU CO., LTD., TOKYO

EDITOR :

YUMA MATSUOKA/JUN HATANO

COLORIST :

TAKESHI YAMAGUCHI

ANIMATOR :

TAKESHI YASHIRO

SOUND PRODUCTION COMPANY :

FREELANCE, TOKYO

SOUND MIXER :

AYAMI FUJIWARA/NANAMI KUBO

SOUND EFFECT :

AKITO NARITA

SOUND STUDIO PRODUCER :

JUSTIN FRIEDEN

RECORDING :

HIDETO KIKUCHI

ENGLISH SYNOPSIS :

AN OLD LADY WITH LONG WHITE LOCKS AT THE HAIRDRESSER’S. AS THE HAIRDRESSER SNIPS AWAY, STRANDS OF HAIR GLIDE TO THE FLOOR. THE FALLEN TRESSES GATHER TO FORM A FIGURE OF A YOUNG WOMAN. MEMORIES OF THE HUSBAND WITH WHOM SHE HAS SPENT HER LIFE START TO FLASH BEFORE HER EYES… HAIR, WE BELIEVE, IS INTIMATELY BOUND UP WITH DAILY MEMORIES. SO WE DEPICTED A WOMAN’S LIFE WITH ANIMATED PUPPETS MADE FROM HER CUT TRESSES. MEMORIES OF HER NOW-DEPARTED HUSBAND ENCOURAGE HER TO GO ON. THE MORAL OF THE STORY: BARBERS AND HAIRDRESSERS CAN DO SOMETHING NO ONE ELSE CAN. THEY GIVE YOU A NEW LEASE ON LIFE SIMPLY BY CUTTING YOUR HAIR.

ENGLISH CONTEXT EXPLANATION :

THIS VIDEO WAS PRODUCED TO BOOST THE MOTIVATION OF BARBERS AND HAIRDRESSERS DURING COVID. EVEN WHEN FORCED TO LIVE IN ISOLATION, SEEING A NEW SELF IN THE MIRROR CAN HELP YOU REGAIN YOUR OPTIMISM. BARBERS AND HAIRDRESSERS HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. TO UNDERSCORE THE VITAL ROLE OF THEIR PROFESSION, THE CHOSEN PROTAGONIST IS NOT A YOUTHFUL HAIR MODEL, BUT AN OLD LADY PREDECEASED BY HER HUSBAND. WE IMAGINED HER LONG TRESSES TO BE REPLETE WITH MEMORIES OF THE DECADES SPENT WITH HER HUSBAND. THEN WE CHALLENGED OURSELVES TO CREATE AN ANIMATED SEQUENCE IN THE MEDIUM OF HAIR. THE VIDEO AWAKENS THE VIEWER TO THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER THAT BARBERS AND HAIRDRESSERS POSSESS. BY GIVING YOUR HAIR THE RESPECT IT DESERVES, THEY ENABLE YOU TO COME TO TERMS WITH YOUR MEMORIES AND MAKE A NEW BEGINNING IN LIFE.