Yakult

The Yakult Lady

Yakult Europe wanted to make a new marketing push across their various markets. To achieve this, MikeTeeVee was hired to direct and develop this short film this piece by Yakult Europe as part of an effort to share their story with the world.

They decided to create a piece of cinematic branded content by delving back to the roots of the company in Japan by sharing the tradition of Yakult through the eyes of a Yukie, a Yakult lady. Our charming character does the same thing every day: visits her many costumers and delivers healthy products with a smile, rain or shine by bicycle through scenic rural terrain. Although her work might seem repetitious she enjoys it just as much as her customers love seeing her. Especially when she gets to visit Shirogashi, a 100-year-old woman living in a remote mountain home. There's mutual respect and appreciation between the two women and over time an unspoken bond forms between them. Yukie would love nothing more than to know how Shirogashi stays so healthy and happy at such an old age. But before she's able to ask her, the old lady passes away. And now Yukie is left with a mysterious gift, an unfinished artwork that will lead her to the big city, where perhaps she might still find her answer after all.

MikeTeeVee arrived in Japan with two producers, a client, a director & DP. Strategy welcomed the team and the challenge of taking on the logistics of the multi-day shoot including location fixing, casting, line production and everything in between to make this short film a reality. This piece was shot in Tokyo and a rural location about two hours outside of the city, Kawaguchiko. Strategy provided pre-production support and creative consultation to solidify locations and technical needs along with full crew support which included bilingual staff, talent casting, and equipment. The piece was shot on the ARRI Alexa mini with HAWK Anamorphic Vintage 74 Glass.

The yakult lady