I wanted to convey a world-class landscape. This is the first YouTube challenge that a beginner video took on islands in the Seto Inland Sea.

Vol. 2: "Setouchi Relaxation Films" Failure and Why

In 2022, I launched a YouTube channel called Setouchi Relaxation Films The target is people all over the world who love Naoshima and Toshima. With a drone and an iPhone in hand, he tried to bring in beautiful time in the Seto Inland Sea by layering relaxing music on the quiet sea and island scenery.

But the outcome was... not working.
Still, everything is connected to the present. In this article, we look back at the failures and learning on our first channel, and the story that follows the current birth of Setouchi Ambience

The challenge of Setouchi footage began on Naoshima. Filming began in February 2022.

I started my YouTube channel as Setouchi Relaxation Films The first time I started filming was Naoshima, a remote island in Kagawa Prefecture. I went to Naoshima many times to try to find cherry blossoms in full bloom. The film was completed, "Naoshima in Spring," which reflects the beauty of the four seasons.

I wanted to reach foreign tourists

The original target was foreigners who had traveled to Naoshima and Toshima. The quiet and beautiful images reminiscent of their memories. Inspired by an overseas channel called Scenic Relaxation, we aimed to create long-term footage that combines relaxing music and scenery .

He signed up for MUSIC BED for about 60,000 yen a year, and mainly used quiet music such as piano. I created works that I could keep forever in the waiting room of a beauty salon.

Trial and error in initial equipment and editing

For the first shoot, I used a drone called the DJI Mavic Air 2, then switched to the DJI FPV. Terrestrial photography is supported on the iPhone 13 Pro. I didn't have much trouble with operating drones or cameras, but I edited the question.

This was my first time trying HDR video using Adobe Premiere Pro, and every day I was groping around, wondering, "How can I export HDR for a long time?"

The number of views that don't grow and the sense of anxiety

Even the films I worked so hard to create are not increasing at all. The number of subscribers was also very small, and I was shocked the moment I thought, "At this rate, it will take 10 years to monetize." The costs for equipment and music licenses have also been heavy.

I want to do this now: High-performance drones and AI music

Looking back now, I think it would be better if you had used a drone with a telephoto camera from the start, like the DJI Mavic 4 Pro.

Viewers get bored of the monotonous scenery. However, with a telephoto camera, you can naturally capture the passengers of faraway ferry and people on the beach from a safe distance, adding "changes" to the footage.

There are also services that generate music using AI, allowing you to create custom-made songs that are perfect for your own video. Thinking about it that way, the range of creative work could have been wider without relying on high-priced subscriptions like MUSIC BED.

Turning point: Migrating to "Setouchi Ambience"

A truly turning point was when I came across a popular ASMR channel called Nomadic Ambience

That's when I realized it. No one in the world searches for the search term "Naoshima." However, there is always a demand for "ASMR" and "Rain Sound."

I tried taking a footage of me walking around Takamatsu Station on a cold rainy day in the middle of winter, and then posting footage of Ritsurin Park, which was raining, and then I received a much more response than I expected. The Rain Ritsurin Park has been viewed over 10,000 times in one go.

At this moment I decided to "go in this direction."

Unforgettable memories of islands

Still, I still have a special feeling to the footage of Naoshima and Toshima filmed with Setouchi Relaxation Films In particular, the hour-long footage of Naoshima's four seasons and the HDR footage of Toshima in the summer are important "proof of my first attempt" for myself, who have not been used to creating videos.

By reaching our current channel, " Setouchi Ambience But there's no doubt that all of that is driving us right now.