Hello, this is Izumitani from Ehime Film Commission.
We’re a month into the new fiscal year, and it’s time to share Ehime FC’s production support record for FY2024.
Total productions supported: 28
└ Feature Films: 1
└ TV Dramas: 3
└ Variety Programs: 13
└ Commercials: 3
└ Other: 8
The single feature film was an independent production by an Ehime-based production company. The dramas included Warau Matryoshka (Smiling Matryoshka). The 13 variety programs ranged from Hajimete no Otsukai (Old Enough!) to history documentaries and information programming. Commercials covered local Ehime businesses and regional specialty products.
The “Other” category tends to be the most interesting. It includes music videos, photo books, web content production, publication shoots, and compositing source material. No two of these projects are alike, and they consistently push us into new territory.
One growing category in this space: compositing material for games and AR (augmented reality) applications. This involves capturing footage of Ehime locations that will later appear within game environments or via AR overlays. While you’re watching it, the shoot looks entirely ordinary — nothing spectacular is happening on camera. But when the finished product comes out, you discover that Ehime has somehow appeared inside a video game world. It’s a strange and wonderful experience, and we expect to see more of it.
Ehime FC typically supports around 30 productions per year, so FY2024 was consistent with that pattern.
But numbers don’t tell the whole story. The 28 recorded productions represent only what reached the finish line. Behind them is a much larger number of preliminary consultations — inquiries by email, phone, chance encounters, referrals — that informed our activity but may never have resulted in a shoot.
I don’t track inquiry volume precisely, because the volume is high, the forms of contact are varied, and most inquiries don’t convert to productions. What I can say is that there are roughly 50 to 60 active conversations for every 28 completed productions. Many dissolve or disappear quietly; a few quietly ripen.
And some of what we’ve been working on behind the scenes since last year is beginning to take shape this fiscal year. We’ll share updates as things develop. We appreciate your continued support.