The Bridge Lights Were Stolen, the Waterfalls’ Power Brought Tears: Behind the Scenes of Filming in Brazil.

From Kyoto to São Paulo, Brazil, it’s approximately 19,000 km—a journey almost halfway around the world.

Michael, a native of Brazil, has been living in Japan and working as a CG Motion Designer at Atmoph. Recently, he passed the test to become an “Atmoph Cameraman” and took on the challenge of filming landscapes in his home country for the first time. This allowed Atmoph to finally release the much-anticipated Brazilian scenery. We spoke directly with Michael about the emotions and challenges he faced during the shoot.

All the lights on the bridge were stolen. A tense 15-minute shoot.

– Thank you for your shooting in Brazil. The cable-stayed bridge over the Pinheiros River and Iguazu Falls are incredibly impressive landscapes that are hard to see in Japan.

Michael: I’m glad you enjoyed them. The Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge over the Pinheiros River is one of the symbols of my hometown, São Paulo. This time, I filmed the daytime scenery, but I really wanted to capture the illuminated night view as well. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.

When I asked the locals about filming at night, they told me, “The lights aren’t on now, so it won’t look nice.” Apparently, all the LED cables on the wires were stolen, and one day it suddenly went dark.

– All the LED cables were stolen?

Michael: It’s unimaginable in Japan, right? Hearing such a story just as I was about to film made me think it might be impossible to shoot alone.

Filming in São Paulo was a tense 15 minutes. Since it’s not safe where the LEDs were stolen, there’s also the risk of expensive camera equipment being stolen. I thought it was dangerous to film from the road, so I shot the footage from a restaurant rooftop.

Though there are some risks, the central area of São Paulo is filled with historic buildings, much like Kyoto, where Atmoph is located. It’s a very beautiful city. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to show the world the beauty of my hometown through Atmoph Window.

A view filled with waterfalls. The overwhelming Iguazu Falls.

– How was the climate in Brazil? Being in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are opposite to those in Japan, right?

Michael: Yes, the weather is very different from Japan. Even in winter, it gets up to around 30 degrees Celsius, so it’s quite hot. The rain is also different; it can rain for about 15 minutes and then suddenly clear up. Being used to Japan’s climate, it was surprising.

– How did you manage to shoot in such rain?

Michael: Of course, I prepared to get wet. Especially at Iguazu Falls, you’ll get soaked just by being close, regardless of the weather. In such places, you need special lenses to prevent water droplets from appearing in the footage. Sure enough, after the shoot, the camera was drenched.

– Were there any other difficulties in shooting?

Michael: At Iguazu Falls, I shot seven times on the way to the largest waterfall. I’d walk a bit, shoot the scenery for 15 minutes, walk a bit more, and shoot again. Since I was shooting in 8K, one battery only lasts 30 minutes. So I had to change the battery every two shoots. The data capacity of each shoot is about 25GB, so I had to frequently change memory cards as well.

There were so many shooting points I wanted to capture that I eventually ran out of battery.

Another challenge was dealing with tourists. When you set up a tripod for shooting, tourists would come up and ask, “Are you filming?”

At Atmoph, the sound from the location is just as important as the video, so we try to avoid unrelated conversations as much as possible.

Talking would pick up their voices, so I had to communicate without speaking, using gestures, showing timers, or displaying a “filming in progress” screen on my smartphone. Even if I moved to a less crowded area, people would gather, thinking, “Oh, this must be a good spot.” Some would even start filming in front of my camera or try to hold their phone above my camera to get the same angle. This was the hardest part to manage.

– It’s natural to be curious (laughs).

Michael: It was a tough shoot, but Iguazu Falls was truly breathtaking. Beautiful waterfalls stretched as far as the eye could see, and rainbows appeared in the mist. The sheer volume and sound of the water made my heart race. The 15-minute shoot felt like just 30 seconds because I was so moved, and I found myself in tears while filming.

– The footage is impressive, but the experience on-site must be on a different level.

Michael: That’s absolutely true. I tried to choose the best locations and angles to convey the experience as much as possible. But honestly, the video can’t capture even 10% of the on-site impact. For any place that looks good on Atmoph Window, I highly recommend visiting in person.

A Special Sentiment in Filming My Homeland

– Filming your home country’s landscapes and releasing Atmoph’s first Brazilian scenery must have a special significance for you.

Michael: Yes, although I am Brazilian, there are still many places I haven’t visited. This was actually my first time at Iguazu Falls. It was an opportunity for me to get to know my own country better and realize that there are many other breathtaking sights besides Iguazu Falls.

We once received a message from someone at the Brazilian Embassy using Atmoph Window, saying, “There’s no Brazilian scenery yet?” Answering such calls, I hope many people discover Brazil’s beauty through Atmoph Window.