Why Filming the Bullet Train Video was an Absolute Nightmare (Not that I Regret it)
Added 2020-04-13 16:31:58 +0000 UTCStory time.
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If you haven't already seen the latest Bullet Train episode check it out first.
► Watch: https://youtu.be/icwENiwT1zI
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So when JR East dropped us a line a few months ago and invited Ryotaro and I to film inside the Bullet Train, it was a dream come true.
Some Youtubers get to review a phone, and here we were about to review a train.
- Outstanding.
I’d always wanted to do a video on Japan’s bullet train culture, but I’d been put off by the fact it’s notoriously difficult to film inside the cabin, given you’re not allowed to be too noisy. Running around the train terrorising passengers with a camera and my dashing smile was never going to be fun or easy.
With JR East inviting us onboard, at last I’d finally be able to whip out a camera and go wild.
At last, it really would be #AllAbroad.
Originally, the plan was for us to film a video about Bullet Trains in general, predominantly in the economy cabin. We weren’t even going to cover Gran Class, but I got greedy - I figured given we had this rare chance, we may as well go for gold and ask if we could film in the premium-first class cabin, reserved for the Crème de la crème of Japanese society.
And admittedly, overexcited passengers with credit cards.
It was quite a big ask of JR East, given passengers paying to use the Gran Class cabin certainly wouldn’t be too happy with a British guy and his erratic friend running up and down the carriage, causing chaos and making silly noises.
Initially, they admitted it probably wouldn’t be possible but I insisted. I knew that it’d really give the video the edge - especially if I could get some free sake. Surprisingly, my delusions of grandeur paid off; they realised I wasn’t going to give up, so they came up with a solution.
There was no way in hell we could film inside the cabin with paying passengers, and so for a segment of the train journey between Tokyo and Utsunomiya station, 30 minutes north of Tokyo, they bought out all the seats in the entire carriage and populated it with staff from JR East! Ingenious! (And ruddy costly I imagine).
This meant we’d be able to freely move around the cabin - or rather I would, given I’d have to be the cameraman. (Ryotaro might be able to speak 40 languages, but he’s a disaster behind the camera).
However, given we had 30 minutes I knew it’d be tough to get pack in enough scenes to make it look like we’d gone on a proper journey. Watching the video, it kind of looks like we had a relaxing couple of hours, enjoying the complimentary Bentos and sake, whilst gazing at the majestic Mount Fuji out the window.
When in reality it was a shit show.
From the moment we got on, I stopped running the camera two or three times for the whole 30 minutes. There wasn’t a minute where I wasn’t filming a person, a dish or a door. I’d sprint up the cabin like a fucking race horse, frantically film everyone, get a handful of close-ups, run back to my seat at the front of the carriage, throw the camera to Ryotaro, sit down, recline the chair and act like I was having the absolute time of my life in my swanky chair.
- All the while trying to conceal the fact I was completely out of breath, sweating and felt like a wreck.
The shots of me sitting in my chair, gently sipping sake might just have been some of my finest acting yet.
Not only was there the 30 minute time limit though, like some crappy video game level, I also had two other hurdles. The first was the hostess lady, who travelled up and down the cabin dispensing complimentary bentos, drinks and smiles, wasn’t allowed to be shown on camera. So I had to be bloody careful not to get her face in shot, which was tricky given she was moving around the entire time.
The second hurdle was the guy sitting several seats behind Ryotaro couldn’t be in the video either - he was the JR East staff acting as our liaison and didn’t want his face shown. Fortunately, unlike the hostess, I could blur his face as he was in a fixed position.
As the clock counted down to our arrival, and I wrapped on filming, we arrived at Utsunomiya station, in what had felt like less than 10 minutes. There’s no doubt, filming inside Gran Class was the best workout I’ve had since ascending bloody Mount Fuji.
Stepping off the train, I felt a wave of relief knowing the intense ordeal was over and I could stop rolling once and for all, in the 40 minutes since we’d boarded at Tokyo station.
- Except the ordeal wasn’t over.
While filming Ryotaro’s tearful goodbye to Gran Class, as the train pulled out of the station, Ryotaro surprised me by revealing the bullet train which had just pulled into the station heading back to Tokyo, was OUR BLOODY TRAIN.
You can briefly see it pulling in at 11:35 in the video.
I sprinted carrying all the heavy camera equipment, whilst Ryotaro ran ahead - every man for himself - as we ran down the stairs, across the station, up the stairs and remarkably with 5 seconds to spare, dived through the closing doors as they swung shut and the train pulled out of the station.
I promptly dumped the equipment at my feet and collapsed into the chair feeling battered and bruised from the camera which had slammed into my face during the run, as it’d been hanging around my neck. And I prayed that all the footage we’d just shot was actually watchable.
And now that you know all that, go back and watch it the video again and see if you can notice how exasperated I was inside the cabin. See if you can spot those flickering moments where I give it away. Hopefully for the most part I was able to hide it successfully!
My tip to any of you who might be looking to vlog or film though is remember, when you’re filming something, you’re there to quickly get all the footage you can to tell the story and paint a picture of reality. The viewer only ever sees what you show them. Like any good craft, they’re not supposed to notice the chaos and mayhem that went into creating the finished product or piece of art.
Overall, I’m really happy with how it turned out. I’ll admit my sense of humour wasn’t really present, given how focussed I was on filming the video, but Ryotaro’s relentless absurdity certainly made up for it. This episode was essentially The Ryotaro Show.
All that “different air” went to his head.
But there's no doubt without him, it wouldn't have been half as fun.
That’s all for now guys, if you have any questions about this week’s video (or Podcast), please fire away in the comments below! I’ll be back in a few days with two pieces of exciting news and the all important poll for this month’s Patreon exclusive episode.
In the meantime stay safe, wherever you may be out there right now.
Chris
Comments
I assumed the same thing, that JR East invited you and a bunch of other youtubers (with you guys taking turns filming cabin scenes) and that one blurred out guy was the one real customer.
Steve Liu
2020-07-24 17:18:14 +0000 UTCAdd acting to that CV! I was fooled by the calm exterior. What an amazing opportunity. I'm floored that they bought all the tickets for that cabin though £££!
Sian Smith
2020-04-22 15:01:26 +0000 UTCAs I was reading this, I remembered thinking during the video, "Why's he sweating?" Now I know. Still a fun video.
2020-04-22 03:20:30 +0000 UTCLoved to read your story and watch again. Things like this is why I stay Patron! (not only this ofc ;))
2020-04-18 21:40:29 +0000 UTCOh yeah, that whole scene cracked me up. From the familiar sad music coming on, and ryotaro looking all sad, then the complete trolly face when he said "THAT'S OUR TRAIN BACK!" was priceless!
Argus9 (Jonathan)
2020-04-15 01:04:09 +0000 UTCthis is pure class - you pulled it off massively, this is 101 video making at its finest! I love the fact you kept on asking for the Grand Class - it paid off for sure. Amazing Chris - its the videos that are the most painful to make that you look back fondly - or in agony!
2020-04-14 18:46:07 +0000 UTCI am a big fan of Ryotaro but... Boy, does he seem useless in real life :D Also this post explains why you look super tired on a thumbnail, and why you blurred out only one person in the video. Behind-the-scenes posts are awesome, i wish you talked about these experiences more often p.s. i just rewatched the video and had an anxiety, imagining how youre trying to appear relaxed, while in reality youre running around and stressing out. You didnt even get to properly enjoy the ride and the cute bento box and drinks :(
2020-04-14 08:00:44 +0000 UTC"Hack frauds", that's a bit harsh, just because it takes a little longer for them to repair a VCR.
Eels
2020-04-14 07:11:44 +0000 UTCI left this as a youtube comment as well, but one thing a lot of people don't realize about the JR East Pass is that the days don't have to be contiguous (as long as it's within 14 days)! Everyone always talks about this when discussing the regular rail pass that people don't realize how much easier it is to use the East pass! It made my trip north so much easier. P.S. Do we get an extended cut of this video to show y'all dropping out of character the moment the scene ends to scramble for the next take?
Riz
2020-04-14 04:50:08 +0000 UTCOh my god that was actually your return car? I thought Ryotaro made you pay for another Granclass Seat for the return LOL
H J
2020-04-14 04:30:17 +0000 UTCHaha, it never goes smoothly when I'm filming with Ryotaro to be honest. Mainly as we're filming outside with no control over our environment and there are so many factors to take into consideration. Still, though the filming is pretty stressful, it's always worth it when the finished video goes up on Youtube!
Abroad in Japan
2020-04-14 03:19:22 +0000 UTCGood question! The price tag was the price of a return Gran Class ticket between Tokyo and Hakodate in Hokkaido!
Abroad in Japan
2020-04-14 03:17:54 +0000 UTCI could have but it would've taken years, given she was moving around the cabin, in and out of chairs and across other passengers. It would've been such a distraction it would've ruined the video I think. No regrets on cutting her out in general; though the blur tracking worked well for the guy sitting at the back. You're right though - the Youtube blur tool is phenomenal these days!
Abroad in Japan
2020-04-14 03:16:04 +0000 UTCYou never know, maybe we might be able to hop on another train some day. I've always wanted to travel on the 7 star train which is the next level up of luxury. But they're usually so booked up they don't want additional coverage! Check it out: https://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp/english/
Abroad in Japan
2020-04-14 03:14:13 +0000 UTCIf only! haha
Abroad in Japan
2020-04-14 03:09:38 +0000 UTCHaha, thanks for spreading the word Georgina! Glad he enjoyed the video!
Abroad in Japan
2020-04-14 03:08:22 +0000 UTCI'm just so glad to hear that all filming sessions don't have to go smooth 😂 most of the time it's the case for me as well- I'm usually just looking for the nearest beer after finishing filming. But most of the time it's definitely worth it!
2020-04-14 02:04:26 +0000 UTCLOL I actually knew it had to be a short journey... not that I recognize the stations or anything, but smaller Shinkansen stations have a unique.... look... to them. Also since you purposely put in the cut where you had to rush to catch the other train on the other side back to Tokyo, I knew you hadn't gone far. I think it's still pretty cool how they let you on it though.
2020-04-14 02:03:17 +0000 UTCHoly cow, I'll have to go back and watch it again. I will say though for my first run, I was not able to tell that you were stressing. So where did the...what, $750 price tag come from? Surely that's not the price just for a quick 30 minute ride? Shit, this is Japan...it probably is. I just want the four-person suites featured in Inception that don't exist... EDIT: Looks like it's 26,360 yen to Aomori.
Nikolai “MUFFS” Lojek
2020-04-13 23:32:18 +0000 UTCI had been wondering why you blurred out only this one person's face. For the cabin attendance lady, couldn't you have tracked her face and blur it out in After Effects? If you're not proficient with that, YouTube's video editor includes a pretty decent face blurring functionality as well.
Johannes
2020-04-13 22:37:08 +0000 UTCWell done and you worked your magic to hide all of this from the viewer. Keep up the great work!
2020-04-13 21:38:12 +0000 UTCThat's cool background! We've been to Japan 4 times, and had a green jr rail pass each time. We've been on the TSUBASA all the way to Yamagata. We've also taken the shinkansen all the way south to Kagoshima. The Gran Class is only on JR east trains, so heading south from Tokyo the green class is the best you can get - for now. Guessing Gran will come to other trains some time.
Alxa
2020-04-13 21:12:37 +0000 UTCYou did a great job. It’s gotta be tough being in front and behind the camera, plus having all the time constraints. Ryotoro did a great job in front of the camera - the different air works well for him!
Becks
2020-04-13 20:33:58 +0000 UTCAmazing, I had no idea. The video shows not hint of chaos. Well done! 😁
Elaine Sparklemonkey Campbell
2020-04-13 20:07:53 +0000 UTCThis just shows how great you are at doing this! The video was bloody brilliant, we didn't notice a thing. We'll watch it again though, just to watch out for the odd drop of sweat that you didn't manage to edit out ;D
Stefan H
2020-04-13 19:52:44 +0000 UTCJust watched it again. That was some excellent acting mate, didn't suspect a thing.
Max Jensch
2020-04-13 19:35:41 +0000 UTCThis shows just how good you are at this. I never would have guessed it was so chaotic behind the scenes. Masterfully done.
2020-04-13 19:21:25 +0000 UTCAbsolutely love you're being transparent here and giving us the "real" story. You did an absolute amazing job on the video, and even watching it twice, I couldn't really tell people were "acting". But I did notice the guy's blurred face(I figured it was a rich business man who didn't give consent). Hope your face didn't bruise, and I'm sure you were more concerned about the equipment! Stay safe and healthy Chris (and Ryotaro, but I get a sense he's immortal and can't get sick)!
Bobby
2020-04-13 19:21:19 +0000 UTCThe Ryota-show would be a funny name for a series staring Ryotaro 😝 I thought the bullet train episode looked fun and relaxing, I had no idea it was so stressful. You did a great job! 🙂
Storm
2020-04-13 19:13:21 +0000 UTCAdmittedly, “this is our train back” was the best joke on the show, but I did hope it was part of the script lol Thanks for posting this! I wondered why just one guy had his face blurred especially when you see Japanese folks blurring out their colleagues and friends from innocent Instagram shots. And yeah, great vid, awesome to see it posted now, it makes for some nice change from the coronavirus agenda 😊🙌🏻
2020-04-13 19:04:38 +0000 UTCI guess I wasn't very observant because, although I have ridden on the Shinkansen before, I've never had a chance to ride in the new Gran Class, and I was more interested in it than judging how sweaty you were. Also, Ryotaro did a great job. It's a shame you couldn't enjoy it. Do you think JR East will invite you back? Maybe for "Abroad on scenic Japanese train rides"?
Tim Szczesuil
2020-04-13 18:36:48 +0000 UTCHahaha, I have to say, none of that came through on first viewing! Of course I had to go back and watch it again. NOW I notice you're flushed :p In a rush? Quick cuts, B-roll, slow-mo and archival footage are your friend. :p To your credit, you've turned it into a nice, coherent narrative. It was hilarious reading about your misadventures though. Thanks for the glimpse behind the scenes! "At last, it really would be #AllAbroad." Admit it, you did the whole thing purely so you could crack that pun.
2020-04-13 18:30:32 +0000 UTCHad noticed on first viewing that you seemed a bit "damp" and unkempt... now I know why. Will definitely rewatch now, having seen behind the curtain.
2020-04-13 18:12:05 +0000 UTCWonderful video as always, I really couldn't tell you had such a short duration to film Gran Class! The only thing I could tell was the people in the cabin behaving oddly like they're paid to do so. Keep up the good work and stay safe!!
Choong Chin Wei
2020-04-13 17:56:20 +0000 UTCOh my goodness, I definitely thought you got to actually sit and enjoy your sake in the Granclass. Great job on pulling this off and hiding all the chaos. I did wonder if it was just a bit where Ryotaro said, "That's our train!" but now that I know it's not, wow haha I'm sorry, but I'm glad you made it.
2020-04-13 17:33:11 +0000 UTCI did find it surprising that you didn't seem to have a problem filming the rest of the 'passengers' in the cabin, especially with that one close up shot of the two women eating their bentos but I just assumed you used your superior social skills to convince them. "Freelance Peasant" ftw.
Madeline Chen
2020-04-13 17:31:52 +0000 UTCI’d expect such behaviour from my other Patreon account - the hack frauds at RLM - but this? oh noes! (You had mentioned in the podcast that the carriage was full of JR East bodies) Getting ad hoc coverage, reverse angles etc in 30 mins, ouch.
2020-04-13 17:22:45 +0000 UTCI suppose vloggers and filmmakers would take it as norm, but thanks for sharing a bit of the fun you have behind the scene ;)
Jimbo
2020-04-13 17:10:40 +0000 UTCWow! I did notice there was one man in a suit with his face blurred, and one bowing female staff member as you exited the train, but what I thought happened was that JR East had invited a bunch of influencers to ride the train - and although I was a bit confused about your exact itinerary (what with you boarding a Komachi but ostensibly shooting all the other footage on Hayabusas - can you tell I'm a train nut?), I really expected the Gran Class part to be a much longer section than 30 minutes! You are apparently a talented actor :). Also, what a coup, to get JR to do that!
Nynke de Haas
2020-04-13 17:02:48 +0000 UTC11/10
Eyyy J
2020-04-13 16:58:19 +0000 UTCWait you mean you lied to us?! Not everything happens as shown in the Video? Joke aside i really enjoyed the Video and rewatch it now knowing how much stress you went through to show it to us.
2020-04-13 16:53:12 +0000 UTCYeah, pretty much what everyone here is saying, I didn't notice any of the chaos you mentioned. The video really came together well! And ryotaro's zaniness and sense of L U X U R Y had us smiling. This one was worth the wait! Now to go back and see if we can pick out the chaos the second time through 😂
Argus9 (Jonathan)
2020-04-13 16:52:56 +0000 UTCGreat video. Now enjoy stayingthefuckhome for a bit and be safe!
2020-04-13 16:45:27 +0000 UTCGlad that everything wasn't for naught. Really loved the video. I actually thought the bullet train back to Tokyo was a gag.
2020-04-13 16:41:32 +0000 UTCI really enjoyed it. Well done! I would never have guessed but it's nice to get the insight to what really actually happened. Mental how they rented out the cabin and filmed it with JR East staff. I did wonder how you went about recording and managed to get a clip of the girls behind Ryotaro in.
Michael Taylor
2020-04-13 16:41:15 +0000 UTCI could not tell at all. I showed this video to my boyfriend, it was the first Abroad in Japan video he has ever seen and he was really impressed with the quality. "I would have thought this was the BBC if you hadn't told me it was YouTube" Good work Chris.
Georgina Luxford
2020-04-13 16:40:27 +0000 UTCLoved the video. You did such a good job with it (as always!). Thanks for the behind the scenes, too, even if it was a bit of a nightmare. 😃
SnoodDogg
2020-04-13 16:37:44 +0000 UTC
