Lexus made a 60,000-hour documentary on Japanese 'Takumi' craft
Auto brand takes the idea of 'slow TV' to extremes with Chef's Table director Clay Jeter
Editor's Pick
Lexus is emphasizing its dedication to craftsmanship with a documentary about Japanese master artisanship that's 60,000 hours long.
Launching on Amazon Prime on March 19th, "Takumi: a 60,000 hour story of the survival of human craft" takes the idea of "slow TV" to extremes. Claimed to be the longest documentary ever produced, it is intended to immerse the viewer in the worlds of four Japanese master craftspeople who spend 60,000 hours (30 years working eight hours a day) to achieve "Takumi" or master artisan status.
The documentary was created by Lexus's U.K. agency The&Partnership and was directed by Clay Jeter, director of "Chef's Table." Narrated by former British Museum director Neil Macgregor, it profiles master craftspeople Shigeo Kiuchi, 67, a master in "Miyadaiku," an ancient form of carpentry; Michelin starred chef Hisato Nakahigashi; master paper-cutter Nahoko Kojima and finally Katsuaki Suganuma, a "Takumi" who has worked at Lexus for 32 years and carries out final inspections on the production line.
The point is to emphasize that, in a world where technology and AI can replicate or better anything man can do, human craftsmanship still has a purpose and could become more prized than ever. However, rest assured you don't have to dedicate 60,000 hours (that's 2,500 days, or over 6.8 years) watching--the documentary will sit on a bespoke player that allows you to fast forward (up to warp speed) to any point within the time frame.
Credits
- Date
- Mar 05, 2019
- Client :
- Lexus
- Agency :
- The&Partnership
- Directed by :
- Clay Jeter
- In Association With The & Partnership London :
- Saville Productions
- Produced by :
- Rupert Maconick
- Written by :
- Dave Bedwood
- Executive Producer :
- Andy Roberts
- Executive Producer :
- James Miller
- Director of Photography :
- William Basanta
- Edited By :
- J. Santos
- Music Composed and Performed by :
- Duncan Thum
- Additional Music by :
- Tyler Sabbag
- Additional Music by :
- Steve Gernes
- Conversations With :
- Shigeo Kiuchi
- Conversations With :
- Shinji Imoto
- Conversations With :
- Nahoko Kojima
- Conversations With :
- Katsuaki Suganuma
- Conversations With :
- Katsumi Kobayashi
- Conversations With :
- Mutsuko Yamashiro
- Conversations With :
- Yumiko Shigeba
- Conversations With :
- Daichi Kondo
- Conversations With :
- Osamu Tanaka
- Conversations With :
- Hisato Nakahigashi
- Conversations With :
- Sachiko Nakahigashi
- Conversations With :
- Kakou Komatsu
- Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft :
- Nora Atkinson
- Director, Digital Factory of Formlabs :
- Jon Bruner
- Futurist and Author of “Rise of The Robots” :
- Martin Ford
- Special Thanks :
- Dr. Anders Ericsson
- Strategist :
- Matthew Bamford-Bowes
- Consultant :
- Spiros Fotinos
- Consultant :
- Yoko Okazawa
- Consultant :
- Mika Sekine
- Consultant :
- Mara Panizza
- Consultant :
- Nick Howarth
- Consultant :
- Benedict Pringle
- Consultant :
- Sophie Holt
- Consultant :
- Anastasia Terzeon
- Consultant :
- Atsushi Fukuda
- Consultant :
- Natsuki Tosa
- Consultant :
- Masaki Kato
- Consultant :
- Sarah Firmston-Williams
- Head of Production :
- Michelle Travinski
- Producer :
- Daniela Huml
- Story Producer :
- Lindee Hoshikawa
- Line Producer :
- Tomo Sueda
- Ad/Interpreter :
- Mariko Niwa
- 1st AC :
- Ezra Riley
- 2nd AC/ DIT :
- Andrew Parrotte
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