100 Cameras

NHK used 100 stationary cameras in a single place to observe people’s behaviour. The location was the editorial office of the topselling boys’ manga anthology Weekly Shonen Jump, which issues 1,750,000 copies every week. Since it was launched in 1968, it has produced a string of hit manga series. What’s the secret to its success? To find out, NHK gained access to its editorial offices, sacred ground to manga-loving boys and men who have never lost their love for manga, and observed a group of fascinating characters from every imaginable spot (even the inside of the refrigerator) as they worked. The documentary does not use any interviews. It is an observational, uniquely revealing peek at people being human. 100 cameras enabled us to show things that were happening concurrently and to show highlights. We decided to heighten the sensation of peeping by means of the presentation format: We tracked only limited information. Plus, we put two entertainers on a studio set and had them watch the footage and comment on it. We then used a picture-in-picture box to superimpose them onto the footage as they made their comments. We believed that viewers would find the show more exciting if they had the sensation of sharing the peeping experience with the entertainers.