Since his second year of high school, Yoshida has been making interesting videos and showing them to his friends. The Harry Potter films are what inspired him to pursue a career in filmmaking. “I love Harry Potter. These movies wonderfully depict a world that does not actually exist, and they have been won the hearts of many fans over the years. These movies work made me realize the incredible power of the moving image, and I started to think that I would also like to make films that appeal to people's emotions," says Yoshida.

With the goal of becoming a film director, Yoshida enrolled in the College of Image Arts and Sciences at Ritsumeikan University. During his first two years, he was a member of the Lighting Club, and it was there that he learned everything he could about lighting techniques. Lighting is an element that greatly impacts the impression that an image gives. Even when the same line is spoken, it will come across differently if it is said in a brightly lit space than in a dark space. “By harnessing the power of lighting, you can visually convey more information and messages than you can verbally. This fascinated me, so I put a lot of effort into studying lighting," he recalls.

Yoshida honed his basic knowledge of film production by taking courses from the College of Image Arts and Sciences curriculum. However, one day in his second year, a desire welled up inside him to gain directorial know-how in an actual filmmaking setting. From that point, he took swift action. He used social media to contact professional video directors who produce music videos for top artists and made a strong case for himself. Then one of the directors allowed him to visit a filming location. After that, the director recognized his talent, and started he traveling regularly between Kyoto and Tokyo to learn filmmaking techniques in professional settings. “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn many things directly from this director as I assisted him. I can't count the number of things I have learned, like how to think about planning, how to communicate with artists, and how to direct videos," he recounts. This experience was invaluable in his growth as a director.

Putting thoughts into action and taking the initiative to seize opportunities. This proactive approach has afforded Yoshida with many learning opportunities, and it led to him producing music videos for artists. “I directly contacted people I was interested in, such as indie bands and rappers, by e-mail and asked them if they would like to produce a music video. At my busiest, I had eight of these conversations in one day! I was contacting several different artists on a daily basis,” he explains. By proactively reaching out, Yoshida was able to receive positive responses from several artists and has since been involved in the production of four music videos. One of his most memorable works is the music video he produced for the pmam song “Pretty Girl”. “What I wanted to convey in this music video is that no matter how hard things get, listening to this music will cheer you up. We decided on the overall story based on that concept, and I focused on lighting and artistic technique to express this world view," says Yoshida. The sense of enjoyment comes across particularly clearly in the live performance scene at the end of the video. Yoshida gathered 30 extras for the shoot. “pmam respected what I wanted to do, and many people helped me make it a reality. I am filled with gratitude, and this is now a very memorable video for me," says Yoshida with a smile.

While keeping busy with music video production, Yoshida decided to tackle a new challenge and apply for the 3rd TYO Student Movie Awards, a short film contest for students. Although he had built up a track record of video production, he had never participated in a video competition before. The requirement for the competition was to create a 60-second short film inspired by dancing. Yoshida produced and submitted a work entitled “Challenge”. The protagonist in this film is a young girl. Depicting the conflicts, wavering feelings, and problems faced by an adolescent girl, the film features emotional music and impressive lighting. The use of music and lighting were praised highly by the judges, and Yoshida ended up winning the Bronze Prize. Yoshida reflected on the joy of winning a prize in his first-ever film competition. “It was very rewarding to know that a video I had created from scratch could receive such high marks. I was able to utilize my expertise in music video production to address the topic, and I think the fact that I was able to showcase my strengths led to my winning an award."

Meanwhile, the third-place finish left Yoshida with some regrets about the production process. “As the director, I did not properly share my intentions with the filming and lighting crews, and they pointed this out to me during the shoot. I was confident that I had directed and shot a beautiful film that reflected what I was thinking, but I think the video could have been even better if we had communicated more effectively," says Yoshida. This bitter experience served to remind Yoshida of the importance of communication. Taking a lesson from this process, Yoshida tapped into these reflections in the production of the music video for Lucy's “Elevate”, which he shot after applying for the competition. As a result, Yoshida says he felt that he was able to communicate more successfully with the parties involved in the production than on any of his previous works and that he had grown as a director. “I was able to convey the message I wanted to convey to the maximum extent possible, and this video is now a source of pride for me.

As he prepares for his graduation project, Yoshida tells us his vision is to “create a comedic film that depicts family ties.” Yoshida’s creative drive that spring from his love of film knows no bounds. We are eagerly waiting to see what kind of heart-stirring works he will create going forward.