CULTURE TRADING COMPANY 'SHIKI INC.' and Nippon TV's Smartphone Content Boutique 'VIRAL POCKET' Release Joint Project Work

CULTURE TRADING COMPANY 'SHIKI INC.' (hereinafter 'SHIKI'), as a joint project with Nippon TV Broadcasting Network Corporation's (hereinafter 'Nippon TV') smartphone content boutique 'VIRAL POCKET', co-created with generative AI creator Akihiro Miyagi, scriptwriter and video director Jumpei Hirota, and others, and released works for the project 'The Unseen Beauty', which challenges new visual expression utilizing generative AI.

Four visually impaired individuals belonging to ePARA Inc. (hereinafter 'ePARA'), which focuses on perception and sensibility that do not rely on vision, and works on discovering the individuality of people with disabilities and creating opportunities for social participation, participated as video directors. Each of them verbalized the images expanding from the sound, and launched them as videos through the generative AI created by Mr. Miyagi.

The human beatbox crew SARUKANI's song 'CROWN' was adopted as the subject matter, and a story was constructed based on the participants' interpretations. Furthermore, by reconstructing the song to match the world view of the video, we attempted an expression where sound and video mutually influence each other.

This project focuses on the creative possibilities born from ideas that do not rely on vision, and explores a new form of video production expanded by generative AI.

The music video was released worldwide on Wednesday, April 8th, on SARUKANI's official YouTube (URL: https://youtu.be/PtCzVhUE57s) and The Unseen Beauty special website (https://epara.co.jp/unseen_beauty/).

Music Video

■ Music Video Production Process
1. Interpreting the artist's song based on perception and sensibility other than vision
2. Visualizing based on that storyline using generative AI
3. Newly arranging the song to match the world view and story of the video
4. Releasing worldwide as a music video

■ Work Overview
MUSIC VIDEO: SARUKANI 'CROWN (Water Remix)'
This is a music video work directed by four visually impaired individuals active in different fields such as e-sports players, voice actors, engineers, piano, vocal music, and theater, visualizing 'CROWN (Water Remix)', an arranged version of the human beatbox crew SARUKANI's song 'CROWN', utilizing generative AI.

■ CONCEPT:
Water continues to exist while having no shape, breaking, mixing, and circulating.
This work depicts the emotions of people and the state of their existence through the very changes of water.

■ Message
Water is always by our side.
It exists inside our bodies and inside the world.

It does not stay in one shape,
but continues to exist and circulate while splitting, mixing, being crushed, and rising up.

People's emotions and ways of life are similarly,
while breaking, wavering, and losing shape,
they never completely disappear.

Through the changes of water, this work
depicts the fact that people continue to live while changing shape without stopping.

Music Video Distribution URL: https://youtu.be/PtCzVhUE57s
Song Distribution URL: https://orcd.co/crown_waterremix

■ Credit Information
Title: CROWN (Water Remix)
Artist: SARUKANI
Video Directors: Naoya Kitamura, Rio Sekiba, Yuki Nishiwaki, Mashiro (ePARA)
Generative AI Creative: Akihiro Miyagi (KANA-L HOLDINGS)
Script/Video Composition: Jumpei Hirota (GOKKO)
Creative Director: Shunsuke Minami (SHIKI INC.)
Producers: Tatsutaro Hiraoka/Naoya Inoue (Nippon TV), Takashi Inoue/Fumiya Miyake (SHIKI INC.)
Assistant Producer: Saki Maruyama (Nippon TV)
Production Cooperation: AOI.Pro

Project Movie

A documentary recording the production process and state of this project. It records how this work took shape through the process of visually impaired participants working on video production and their trial and error.