When the USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka opened its doors to a two‑day game‑design workshop for 75 Japanese high‑school students, Iowa State University needed discreet, documentary‑style coverage that spoke to Gen Z and Gen Alpha authenticity.
That’s where DFS Productions came in.
The Brief
- Client: ISU
- Event: Design Workshop – 28 & 29 June 2025
- Venue: USA Pavilion multifunction room, bar & balcony
- Goal: Deliver rich 4 K UHD raw footage the university’s in‑house producer could edit into admissions content.
Pre‑production at a World Expo
Securing access inside a World Expo is never trivial. DFS Productions:
- Handled VIP pass logistics – registering via the Expo’s RSVP portal and printing date‑specific tickets.
- Co‑ordinated with pavilion security to comply with B‑band RF regulations (our Sony UWP‑V1, D11 & D21 wireless mics were pre‑tuned to JB 806.125 MHz).
- Split gear strategically – a Pelican 1620 rolling case for tripod & light, a backpack for the core Canon cinema kit, ensuring zero down‑time at security.
Gear & Settings
| Item | Why it mattered at Expo 2025 |
|---|---|
| Canon EOS C300 Mk II (C‑Log) + Canon R6 (gimbal) | 4 K UHD, 10‑bit colour headroom for aggressive grading. |
| DJI RS‑2 gimbal | Fluid B‑roll in crowded pavilion aisles. |
| LED panel (battery‑powered) | 100 V mains not required; fast pop‑up interviews. |
| Sony UWP wireless lavs | Clean nat‑sound + dual‑track redundancy. |
All footage was captured at 60 fps, giving the ISU editing team slow‑motion flexibility.
The Shoot
- Day 1 focused on student ideation sessions and professor walkthroughs. Close‑ups of sketchbooks and medium shots of peer‑to‑peer feedback highlighted the creative buzz.
- Day 2 centred on prototype testing and participant interviews. Using a single LED and lav mic, we set up a corner mini‑studio that blended with the workshop aesthetic.
- Throughout, a roaming gimbal added kinetic context shots of the pavilion’s futuristic architecture — invaluable for cold‑open sequences.
Deliverables & Turn‑around
- Raw Footage: 150 GB zipped, delivered via GigaFile with a 30‑day expiry.
- Metadata Sheet: file names, frame rates, audio channels, and recommended pull‑quotes time‑coded.
- Payment & Handover: Square credit‑card settlement (3.6 % fee accounted for) → automated link release; a friction‑free workflow ISU plans to replicate for future projects.
Lessons Learned
- World‑Expo security is fluid – even “VIP” passes don’t bypass gear checks; always budget an extra 30 minutes.
- RF coordination matters – pre‑tuning to pavilion‑approved frequencies avoided last‑second scrambling.
- Gen Z authenticity = mobility – a lightweight rig captured genuine interactions better than a multi‑cam tower ever could.
Thinking of Filming at Expo 2025 (or Any Global Event)?
DFS Productions offers:
- Event videography in Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and beyond
- Multilingual crew coordination
- On‑location data‑wrangling up to 8 K
Get in touch now to reserve your 2025 slot — Expo calendars fill fast!