In 2004, California. The sky was incredibly wide and the ocean was endlessly blue. The music mixed with the sound of the waves was light, like cereal, and I was simply staring at this vast world, doing nothing.
—Or so I thought.
This is Kyohi, the CEO of Atmoph. I was filled with frustration in a sterile apartment room in California. At that time, I was studying abroad in the United States, overwhelmed with assignments, research pressure, and the suffocating feeling of being stuck. I wanted to do something about it, but I couldn’t find a solution.
After returning to Japan, I continued to search for a way forward, and eventually, the answer came to me in the form of the “digital window.”
“I want to create a window that, when you look up from it, shrinks this vast world just a little bit. A window that expands a single person’s world, little by little.” This is the story of how I found the first landscape to display on the world’s first smart digital window, “Atmoph Window.”
The Big Wall After Starting the Startup
—Now Atmoph Window features over 1,000 landscapes, but at first, it wasn’t professional videographers who shot the footage, it was you, Kang. Why was that?
In August 2014, I founded Atmoph with software engineer Nakano and designer Tarui. We needed to raise funds through crowdfunding to make the “digital window” concept I had been nurturing for a long time into a product for mass production. However, at that time, we didn’t have a demo unit. We were in the middle of hardware development and prototyping, but of course, we needed footage to display on the LCD screen, and that’s where we ran into a huge obstacle.
This product wasn’t just about being a smart display; we were aiming for it to feel like a real window. So, the landscapes had to be real and natural, just like what you would see out of a real window. That meant 4K video was a must, but it also had to be filmed with a stationary camera capturing the same scene for an extended period. However, at that time, no such videos existed anywhere in the world. There were plenty of beautiful landscape videos, but most of them had moving cameras. A video shot from a stationary point, without movement, was nearly impossible to find.
So, we had no choice but to create it ourselves. Fortunately, the 4K cameras that originally cost about 500,000 yen had dropped to around 50,000 yen, so we bought one. But there was no cameraman. So, I decided to do it myself.
—What was the reason for choosing New Zealand as the first landscape location?
I was confident in the product concept, so when we showed the demo unit, I didn’t want the concept to lose its impact due to subpar footage. I wanted to provide the best possible landscape footage. And since the investors we were showing it to were Japanese, I felt it would have more impact if it was not a familiar Japanese landscape.
I started thinking about where to go, and I came up with New Zealand. Known for being the filming location for movies like The Lord of the Rings, this country promised breathtaking views. Plus, since it was December at the time, New Zealand was in summer, so I thought I could capture bright and beautiful landscapes.
—Where in New Zealand did you go specifically?
New Zealand is divided into two islands: the North Island and the South Island. Both islands have many beautiful places, but the first one that caught my eye was Mount Cook on the South Island, and Lake Tekapo, which is nearby. Mount Cook is a beautiful peak and New Zealand’s highest mountain, while Lake Tekapo is famous for its starry skies and stone church. I planned to base myself around these two locations and visit other stunning viewpoints.
With more than 15 kilograms of equipment, including the 4K camera, tripod, and my personal luggage, I felt the weight of the equipment, but the pressure on me felt far heavier. I was in a constant state of panic. In reality, Atmoph’s future depended on this shoot, but since it was my first time, I had no idea if the footage would turn out well. “What if I don’t get good shots, after all the expenses for the trip?” I was overwhelmed with anxiety.
The Shoot Didn’t Go As Planned and Unexpected Setbacks
—How did the shooting go on location?
I rented a car from Christchurch Airport and drove for about three hours to Lake Tekapo. I immediately started shooting, and the weather was great, so I was able to capture beautiful scenes of the blue lake. The lake is known to change color depending on the weather and time of day, and just two days later, when I saw it again, it looked completely different. I felt like I was off to a good start.
However, on the second day of shooting, in the middle of a vast farming region where the scenery didn’t change at all even after driving for three hours, my tire burst and was completely damaged. There was no one around, only sheep. I had no cell service. Alone in the middle of a vast farmland, I stood there in shock, thinking that this trip was over. I had just started shooting, and thinking about the footage I was supposed to bring back to Japan for my two teammates, I thought to myself, “Why did I come all this way?” It felt pathetic and sad, and tears came to my eyes.
After standing in the middle of the road for a while, I calmed down and checked the trunk, and luckily, I found a spare tire. Though I had never changed a tire before, I managed to do it, and I was able to continue my journey. I went to a local repair shop, and after a day of repairs, I was able to continue shooting.
How Atmoph’s Landscapes Are Filmed
—Can you tell us about how Atmoph Window’s landscape videos are filmed?
There are countless stunning places around the world, and many photographers and videographers share information about the best spots to capture the perfect shot. However, just because these points are great for typical photos doesn’t mean they’re ideal for Atmoph. Most popular photos are taken with wide-angle lenses that capture everything to create a dramatic effect, or they’re shot from a low angle to capture the entire beach, from the sand to the sky. But Atmoph is a window, and you don’t see landscapes like that through a window. We wanted to achieve the reality of looking through a window.
So, when we went on-site, we had to search for the right shooting spots ourselves. Unlike photos, we also needed sound, and finding a place with a beautiful view where no people or cars were passing and no annoying noises were present wasn’t easy.
—What was the most challenging part of the shoot?
Finding a good shooting spot was hard enough, but when we finally found one and were close to finishing, large trucks would pass right by or people would come up and ask, “What are you doing?” Since we were recording sound with a microphone, I’d gesture “shh!” but they would continue talking. This meant we had to start over from the beginning.
Shooting was full of unexpected challenges, and I was constantly battling the anxiety and pressure of wondering, “What if I don’t get the shots?” The only relief I found was when I was actually filming. Because I couldn’t make any noise while shooting, I had to stay still next to the camera. During that time, I could escape the constant tension and quietly sit, facing the nature in front of me. It was truly a wonderful moment.
Did You Successfully Capture the “Real Landscape Outside the Window”?
—Were you able to achieve your goal?
In the seven days I spent there, I shot landscapes at over 20 locations. At that point, I wasn’t sure if the footage would actually be usable, but I felt like I had accomplished my goal. On the final day, as I was driving to the airport, I looked back and saw a beautiful rainbow. I felt like the rainbow was saying, “Well done. Atmoph is now ready for a good start.” It was a very memorable scene.
However, I couldn’t feel truly relieved until I showed the footage to Nakano and Tarui in Japan. Especially Tarui, being the designer, had a very sharp eye, and I was nervous when showing the videos. Fortunately, they both liked a few of the shots, and that was the moment I was finally freed from the heavy burden I had been feeling. After that, I presented the footage on the demo unit, and we were able to raise around 20 million yen on Kickstarter in the U.S. and around 6.8 million yen on Makuake in Japan, which allowed us to mass-produce the first Atmoph Window.
Later Landscape Filming
—Who is shooting the landscapes for Atmoph now?
Currently, there are about 10 videographers filming landscapes for Atmoph all over the world. From places that look like they belong in an Indiana Jones movie to Mount Fuji and the Himalayas, shooting these landscapes is often very demanding, but they never complain. They work tirelessly, pushing themselves to create the best footage possible.
I’m sure they could film the New Zealand landscapes I shot even better than I did, but because I went there myself and filmed, I truly understand and empathize with how difficult it is to carry heavy equipment and move around, and how many obstacles come up when trying to capture the perfect shot. I believe that when it comes to filming landscapes, the quality and output are not the only things that matter—it’s the trust built with the videographers. I think that belief comes from my own experience of being the first one to go. I’m always grateful when I hear their stories about the challenges they face during filming.
The Continuing Dream
Atmoph, which started with just three members and one landscape, now has 20 members and offers over 1,000 landscapes for users to enjoy. We want to bring not only the views of the world but also adventures that cannot be experienced through a real window, such as the Andromeda Galaxy and Earth seen from the ISS, to users around the world.
