Ninja and samurai duel inside the centuries-old “Temple of the Shogun” in Aichi Prefecture.
Out of over 70 entries submitted to the Drone Movie Contest 2020, sponsored by the Digital Hollywood Robotics Academy and the Japan UAS Industrial Development Association (JUIDA), only seven works were selected as finalists and four went on to win prizes. The winner of the Judges’ Special Prize, Hitohata, Inc.’s Drone x Ninja ~Daijuji~ short film, is now earning praise for its novel application of drones that will undoubtedly pave the way for new filming techniques and for its promotional value as part of the government’s Cool Japan brand.
“Daijuji” in the video’s title is the name of an important Buddhist temple (built 1475) located in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. It holds historical significance for serving as the family temple of the Matsudaira and Tokugawa clans and is nicknamed the “Temple of Shogun” for enshrining the mortuary tablets of successive shogun including Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled the newly unified Japan from 1600 to 1868.
▼ The prize-winning two-minute film “Drone x Ninja ~Daijuji~”
▼ As the video starts, the camera swoops in and puts us in the ninja’s eyes for the duration of the raid.
The stunning visuals were shot by drones and micro drones on the temple grounds. The video puts the viewer in the perspective of a ninja infiltrating the compound while scaling up trees, running over roof tiles, slipping past a guard into a building, and engaging in a final climactic battle with a samurai.
▼ The samurai sentry who stands between the ninja and the secret scroll the shinobi is after.
▼ The drones allow the filmmakers to shoot from the roofs, rafters, and other parts of the historical building that you wouldn’t want a human stuntman standing on.
The video is currently being used as a promotional tool for tourism on various Okazaki City websites. Hitohata, Inc. has also announced plans to expand the “Drone x Ninja” series further, a release which we’ll be eagerly awaiting.
Source: PR Times
Images: YouTube/HITOHATA JAPAN
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