Taku's Blog

  This week, I had the chance to attend the NYU Reality Show, a tradition prepared for freshmen during their orientation week. For context, I am currently a junior at NYU Abu Dhabi, and back on my home campus, I had already experienced our own version of the show titled Real AD . While spending a semester in New York, I signed up to watch their version of the show, a live musical performance designed to give incoming students a glimpse of what college life is like. While the performers on stage were the main focus, I found myself equally drawn to the screens scattered throughout the venue. These monitors were broadcasting the performance in real time. It may look simple, but when you pause to consider it, there is sophisticated technology at play. The Basics of Live Broadcasting At its core, live broadcasting is about capturing an event and transmitting it in real time to an audience. Cameras are set up to capture different angles, microphones gather sound, and all of that informat...

  Film festivals have long been seen as glamorous red carpets, flashing cameras, and prestigious awards. Yet behind the glitter lies one of the most vital aspects of the entertainment business. Festivals are celebrations of art, they are marketplaces, networking hubs, and launchpads for the next generation of storytellers. When I think about film festivals, I think about more than just watching a film in a crowded theater. I think about the ecosystem they create, where filmmakers, distributors, investors, and audiences meet. Festivals are where art and commerce intersect. Why Festivals Matter At their core, festivals give films visibility. A festival can elevate a project that might otherwise remain unseen, giving it a platform to reach not only audiences but also potential buyers and distributors. Think about films like Whiplash(2014) or Moonlight(2016) ; festival buzz was a huge factor in their eventual success. For emerging filmmakers, festivals also provide validation. Getting...

  Film funding is one of the most critical yet challenging aspects of filmmaking. Great ideas remain on paper when the finances to bring them to life are missing. In this edition, I want to explore what film funding is, how it works, why it matters, and how I see it fitting into my vision as a filmmaker and future studio owner. When people talk about “film funding,” they often imagine big Hollywood budgets, hundreds of millions of dollars poured into blockbusters. While that’s one end of the spectrum, film funding comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether it is a small indie film or a massive franchise, every project requires resources. These can come from various sources such as: Studios – Large companies funding their productions or acquiring films. Private Investors – Individuals or groups putting money into a film in exchange for a return. Grants & Public Funds – Government programs and arts councils supporting the creative sector. Crowdfunding – Platforms like Kickstarter...

  Agencies are one of the pillars of the entertainment industry that I had not understood well enough. For this edition, I’m focusing on what I’ve learned so far, through research, experience, and personal visits to two of the most powerful agencies in the world: Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and United Talent Agency (UTA). What Are Agencies, and Why Do They Matter? Before learning about agencies, I often wondered why they existed in the first place. If studios can hire in-house representatives to scout talent, why do we need a separate industry built around doing the same thing? It starts to make sense when you consider scale . A major studio’s core business is to produce films, not to become a global recruitment network. Agencies, on the other hand, specialize in connecting the right talent to the right opportunities across film, television, games, and beyond. Agencies operate as creative bridges, connecting different parts of the industry, studios, producers, artists, and creati...