Wataru Takeishi
Wataru Takeishi (竹石 渉, Takeishi Wataru, born 1982[1]) is a prolific Japanese music video director. Takeishi has created videos for Japanese superstars such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Every Little Thing.[2]
Most Expensive Music Videos
Three videos that Takeishi directed appear on the list of most expensive music videos. He directed three out of five for Ayumi Hamasaki, excluding Green and Virgin Road.
The videos are:
- My Name's Women - Ayumi Hamasaki - Cost: $1,200,000
- Fairyland - Ayumi Hamasaki - Cost: $2,000,000
- Jewel - Ayumi Hamasaki - Cost: $1,000,000
Directorial Trademarks
Takeishi's most pervasive interest is one in bright reflective light by way of lens flares, white lights, reflective back grounds/surfaces/microphones, back lighting, moving lights on the video's subject. Often this creates high contrast between light and shadow. Morning Musume's "Osaka Koi no Uta" and "Ambitious! Yashinteki de li jan" offer good examples:the former contains shots of sparkling jewelry, members of the band sing into a sequined microphone, and bright pulsating and moving lights during dance segments. The latter's lighting is at a constant flicker, the set is reflective metallic sheets behind disco balls and spinning lights affixed to the floor. In "Ambitious!" lens flares and reflections are a constant.
Takeishi also employs camera focus often in the aforementioned "Osaka Koi no Uta" many of the shots are in partial focus. However Every Little Thing's "Shapes of Love" provides a more indicative example, shots are often sliding in and out of focus or remaining unfocused. Yaen's "Get Down" goes as far as to encompass everything thus far being home to rapid flashing lights, partial focus, and a blur that slides in and out.
Too are the rapid fire transitions that appeared in "Shapes of Love" they appear in "Dakishimeru" by BoA, an already fast paced video is punctuated by quick successions of different shots sometimes inexplicably detached from the beat. In a similar vein "Future World" again by Every Little Thing Takeishi instead speeds up segments of the same shot to get a similar effect to the rapid transition, in some shots these are over-laid with rapid images.
Music Videos
Sorted by year, then within year sorted alphabetically.
| Artist | Title | Youtube Link | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every Little Thing | "Feel my Heart" | watch | 1996 | |
| "Future World" | watch | |||
| The Alfee | "Love" | watch | ||
| Every Little Thing | "Dear my Friend" | watch | 1997 | |
| "Shapes of Love" | watch | |||
| SPEED | "White Love" | watch | ||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Poker Face" | watch | 1998 | |
| "You" | watch | |||
| "Trust" | watch | |||
| Chisato Moritaka | "Tokyo Rush" | - | ||
| Every Little Thing | "Time Goes By" | watch | ||
| "Nesscessary" | watch | |||
| L'Arc~en~Ciel | "Dive to Blue" | - | ||
| "Honey" | - | |||
| "Snowdrop" | - | |||
| "Winter Fall" | - | |||
| SPEED | "My Graduation" | watch | ||
| Yaen | "Get Down" | watch | ||
| "Sakebi" | watch | |||
| "Snow Blind" | - | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Appears" | watch | 1999 | |
| "Boys & Girls" | watch | |||
| "Love (Destiny)" | watch | |||
| "To Be" | watch | |||
| "Whatever" | watch | |||
| Dreams Come True | "Asa ga Mata Kuru" Tomorrow Still Comes | - | ||
| "Nante Koi Shita n' Darō" I Think I was in Some Kind of Love | - | |||
| Every Little Thing | "Over and Over" | watch | ||
| "Someday, Someplace" | watch | |||
| L'Arc~en~Ciel | "Driver's High" | - | ||
| Mariya Takeuchi | "Tenshi no Tameiki" | - | ||
| Noriyuki Makihara | "Hungry Spider" | - | ||
| SPEED | "Long Way Home" | - | ||
| Utada Hikaru | "Addicted to You" | watch | ||
| Yaen | "Be Cool!" | watch | ||
| "Selfish" | - | |||
| "Yozora wo Machinagara" | - | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Fly High" | watch | 2000 | |
| "Kanariya" | watch | |||
| "M" | watch | |||
| "Surreal" | watch | |||
| "Vogue"/"Far Away"/"Seasons" | watch | |||
| Every Little Thing | "Ai no Kakera" Love's Fragment | watch | ||
| "Pray" | watch | |||
| "Rescue Me" | watch | |||
| "Sure" | watch | |||
| L'Arc~en~Ciel | "Finale" | - | ||
| Utada Hikaru | "For You" | watch | ||
| "Time Limit" | watch | |||
| "Wait and See (Risk)" | watch | |||
| Yaen | "Chicken Guys" | - | ||
| "First Impression" | watch | |||
| "Taiyo no Kaseki" | - | |||
| Aya Matsuura | "Dokki Doki! Love Mail" | watch | 2001 | |
| "Tropical Koishiteru" Tropical Loving | watch | |||
| "Love Namidairo" Love: The Color of Tears | watch | |||
| "100Kai no Kiss" 100th Kiss | watch | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Dearest" | watch | ||
| "Endless Sorrow" | watch | |||
| "Evolution" | watch | |||
| "Never Ever" | - | |||
| Mariya Takeuchi | "Mayonaka no Nightingale" | watch | ||
| "Nostalgia" | - | |||
| Morning Musume | "Mr. Moonlight~Ai no Big Band~" Mr. Moonlight~Love's Big Band~ | watch | ||
| "Souda! We're Alive" That's Right! We're Alive | watch | |||
| "The Peace!" | watch | |||
| Yaen | "Star" | - | ||
| Aya Matsuura | "Momoiro Katomoi" Peach-Colored Unrequited Love | watch | 2002 | |
| "Yeah! Meccha Holiday" Yeah! Super Holiday | watch | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Daybreak" | watch | ||
| "Free & Easy" | watch | |||
| BoA | "Every Heart-Minna no Kimochi" Every Heart-Everyone's Feelings | watch | ||
| "Jewel Song" | watch | |||
| "Kiseki" Miracle | watch | |||
| "Listen to my Heart" | watch | |||
| "No. 1" | watch | |||
| "Valenti" | watch | |||
| Morning Musume | "Do It! Now" | watch | ||
| Sonim | "Curry Rice no Onna" | watch | ||
| Aya Matsuura | "Goodbye Natsuo" Goodbye Summer Boy | watch | 2003 | watch (wild ayaya version) |
| "The Last Night" | watch | watch (close up version) | ||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Rainbow" | watch | ||
| BoA | "Double" | watch | ||
| "Shine We Are!" | watch | |||
| Morning Musume | "As for One Day" | watch | ||
| "Shabondama" Soap Bubbles | watch | |||
| Porno Graffitti | "Uzu" | - | ||
| SPEED | "Walking in the Rain" | - | ||
| Tommy February6 | "Love is Forever" | - | ||
| Aya Matsuura | "Kiseki no Kaori Dance" Miraculous Fragrance Dance | watch | 2004 | watch (close up version) |
| "Waterasebashi" Watarase Bridge | watch | watch (close up version) | ||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Humming 7/4" | watch | ||
| L'Arc~en~Ciel | "Ready Steady Go" | - | ||
| Morning Musume | "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari"The Story of Noisy Girls | watch | ||
| "Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago" Tears That Won't Stop After School | watch | |||
| Aya Matsuura | "Zutto Suki de li Desu ka" May I Love You Fovever? | watch | 2005 | watch (another version) |
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Fairyland" | watch | ||
| "My Name's Woman" | watch | |||
| "Heaven" | watch | |||
| BoA | "Dakishimeru" Hug | watch | ||
| Morning Musume | "Osaka Koi no Uta" Osaka Love Song | watch | ||
| "The Manpower!!!" | watch | watch (another version) | ||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Jewel" | watch | 2006 | |
| Mariya Takeuchi | "Henshin" | - | ||
| "Synchronicity" | - | |||
| Morning Musume | "Ambitious! Yashinteki de li jan" Ambitious! Ambition is Good | watch | ||
| Nirgilis | "Sakura" | - | ||
| AKB48 | "Bingo!" | - | 2007 | |
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Decision" | watch | ||
| Capsule | "Jumper" | watch | 2008 | |
| Mariya Takeuchi | "Shiawase no Monosashi" | - | ||
| Utada Hikaru | "Prisoner of Love" | watch | ||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Sunset (Love is All)" | watch | 2009 | |
| "Sunrise (Love is All)" | watch | |||
| Nana Mizuki | "Etsuraku Camellia" Pleasure Camelia | - | ||
| "Silent Bible" | - | 2010 | ||
| Tatsuro Yamashita | "Kibō toiu Na no Hikari " In the Name of the Light of Hope | - | ||
| Ayumi Hamasaki | "Sweet Scar" | watch | 2012 | |
| Nana Mizuki | "Metro Baroque" | - | ||
| T.M. Revolution | "Vestige" | watch | ||
| AKB48 | "Kiss made Countdown" Countdown to a Kiss | - | 2013 | |
| AKB48 | "Soko de Inu no Unchi Funjau ka ne?" You're Gonna Step in Dog Poop Then, Aren't You? | - | ||
| AOP | "Mirai e Tsunage" Connect to the Future | - | ||
| "Never say Never" | watch (short version) | |||
| BKA48 | "Haste to Waste" Haste and Waste | - | ||
| Every Little Thing | "On and On" | watch | ||
| Himari | "Sakura" | watch | ||
| NO NAME | "Kono Namida wo Kimi ni Sasagu" I Offer These Tears to You | watch (short preview) | ||
| AKB48 | "Seikaku ga Warui Onna no ko" Girl with a Bad Personality | watch (short preview) | 2014 | |
| "Kimi wa Kimagure" You Follow Your Whims | watch (short preview) | |||
| AOP | "Cosmic Magic Stars" | - | ||
| Himari | "Sakamichi~Graduation~" | watch | ||
| HKT48 | "Hikaeme I Love You!" Carefully I Love You! | watch | ||
| "Kidoku Through" Already Read Through | watch (short preview) | |||
| Mariya Takeuchi | "Shizukana Densetsu (Legend)" | watch | ||
| Miss Mary | "Tobidase Summer" | watch | ||
| Namie Amuro | "Can You Celebrate?" | watch (short preview) | ||
| AKB48 | "Madonna no Sentaku" Madonna's Selection | watch (short version) | 2015 | |
| AOP | "Hanamaru Pippi wa Yoiko Dake" The Hanamaru Whistle is Only for Good Kids | - | ||
| "Stay Gold" | watch | |||
| "183 no Nihon Torebian Rock n' Roll" | watch | |||
| "Ano ne, Kimi Dake ni" Well, Just for You | watch (short version) | 2016 | ||
| "Cotona Mode" | watch (short version) | |||
| "Hatsukoi Hello Chuuihou" First Love Hello Warning | - | |||
| "Kibou Traveler" Hope Traveler | watch (short version) | |||
| "Zenryoku Batankyu" Full-Force Batankyu | - | |||
| Utada Hikaru | "Hanataba o Kimi ni" A Boquet for You | watch |
References
- http://www.eart.ne.jp/iiapc/iiapc_artist_detail.asp?ArtistID=1510&ContestID=7&lang=j
- "Wataru Takeishi". MVDBase.com (person). ASG. 1998–2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- Takeishi's website.