Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

Ado is one of the top artists who started in Nico-Nico Doga. Her song, “Ussewa,” which she released in 2020 became a social phenomenon recording 180million views on YouTube. The only thing the fans know about Ado is that she’s an 18-year-old female artist and the one illustration profile. Her real name, feature, and background remains a mystery. Her latest hit, “Yoru No Piero(The Night Clown)” is a story of a girl who is on a journey to discover her own identity, caught between the real and digital worlds. Set in neo-Shibuya, Tokyo, the billboards that light up the global cities of NY, Paris, Shanghai, etc., have become the canvas for the many young unknown artists. The story captures the internal struggle of Ado herself who suddenly became the social darling in the physical world with her song and visuals plastered on the billboards all over the city.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Nico-Nico Doga is a Japan-original video streaming platform where there is a thriving culture of unknown musicians who showcase their music generated through a software, combining the melody and lyrics sung by vocaloids. This song then becomes a collaborative platform for other singers who perform their own versions as well as illustrators jumping in to create a music video. Those who take part in this creative platform are all unknown and unsigned artists and creators who take part purely out of mutual respect for the fellow creative talents. Nico-Nico Doga is THE place for Gen Zs and the youth which has now become a breeding ground for many hits as well as artists who move onto the major music scene.

Tell the jury about the ambitions & challenges of production process.

This work was designed to enhance the music experience on the large screen. Set on the future city, “neo Shibuya,” this is a super high-definition world created with the 3DCG software, houdini. The plethora of art work that captures the world of the song by the unknown illustrators fill the billboard in the music video with meticulous details that can only be appreciated on a large screen. The bug expression throughout the city was created using original plugins which pixelates the color data, creating a unique bug/glitch expression. Two minutes and ten seconds into the video is where we see the 360-degree scan of Shibuya which was converted into a point cloud format then combined with illustration and CG.