100 layers
Aya Sato’s local knowledge proved invaluable while filming in Hakuba, Japan. Humble and talented, she’s pictured here airing a textbook stalefish. Photo: Alex Pashley
Words: Alastair Spriggs
Filmmaker Finlay Woods felt like a “hardcore tourist” as he tore through Central Tokyo at random—tripod strapped behind his back, RED and Bolex cameras swinging on his shoulder. Alone in the city, a week ahead of his crew, he chased raw sounds: the screeches of stopping subways, rings of shrine bells and echoes of roadside kanpai in the distance.
This unusual start to a three-week shred trip set the foundation for Sound of Japan, a sensorial short film backed by The North Face, produced by Lauren Taaffe and featuring Austin Smith, Mateo Massitti, Aya Sato and Kazushige Fujita.
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