Brand Film · Concept Pitch v1

Three days
with Kyotto.
One night. Open to close.

KYOTTO
An open-to-close set · one artist, one night, every hour from doors to lights up.
presented by THE MEMBERS ONLY
Client
THE MEMBERS ONLY
Artist
KYOTTO · open-to-close
Route
Colombo → Hill Country → South
Format
40s film · BTS short · social cuts
01 — Concept

A 40-second film built around Kyotto, his island, and the night he plays from open to close.

This is not a tour video. It's the build. Three days following Kyotto across Sri Lanka — Colombo, the hills, the south — every frame leaning toward the night he steps behind the decks and doesn't step away until the lights come up.

The score of the film is Kyotto's set. We pull the opening minutes of his open-to-close — slow, intentional, then escalating — and let the edit follow. By the time the brand mark lands at second 40, the track has dropped.

No voice-over. No filler. No social moments. Just the artist alone with the route and the build, and the line at the end: KYOTTO · OPEN TO CLOSE · presented by THE MEMBERS ONLY.

P1

The set is the score

We cut to Kyotto's actual opening hour. The film moves at his BPM, not ours.

P2

Kyotto is alone in every frame

No crowd, no laughter, no group shots. Solo presence — the artist before the night.

P3

Build, never burst

Energy escalates frame by frame. The drop and the brand reveal land together.

P4

Open-to-close on screen

Time stamps move from 06:42 to 03:00. The film mirrors a full set, compressed.

02 — Script · 0:00 → 0:40

Six scenes. Six locations. One set. Kyotto carries every frame, alone.

00:00 — 00:06Scene 01 · Open
Kyotto lands in Colombo
Day 01 · Colombo
Top-down on a moving tuk-tuk. Quick whip to Kyotto pulling headphones over his ears. Hand on a coffee. He steps out of frame, into the city. Stamp: 06:42 / COLOMBO / OPENING HOUR. First note of his set fades in.
Top-downECU · headphonesWhip panSet begins
00:06 — 00:14Scene 02 · Climb
Kyotto · building + rooftop
Day 02 · Hill Country (1/2)
Wide reveal up the side of a building. Cut to Kyotto stepping onto a rooftop at first light, headphones on, mountains and mist in the distance. He walks to the edge. Match cut from his hand on the railing to his hand on the volume knob. Stamp: DAY 02 / 11:18 / KANDY → NUWARA ELIYA. Track gains a layer.
Building revealRooftop wideMatch cut · hand to knobLayer adds
00:14 — 00:21Scene 03 · Held beat
High country · Kyotto alone
Day 02 · Hill Country (2/2)
Drone pulls back. Kyotto stands alone in mist between peaks, hood up, the only still figure in the entire 40 seconds. Track strips back to a single note. Hold one extra beat. Cut.
Drone revealHooded portraitTrack stripsHold beat
00:21 — 00:28Scene 04 · Drop incoming
Kyotto · skating · Lamanan
Day 03 · South (1/3) · Lamanan
Snap cut to Kyotto on a skateboard rolling through Lamanan. Low gimbal at wheel-level → cut to a medium tracking shot alongside → cut to a wide as he weaves past architecture. Set is now four-on-the-floor. Stamp: DAY 03 / 17:04 / LAMANAN. Track is six bars from drop.
Wheel-level lowTracking alongsideArchitecture wideTrack building
00:28 — 00:34Scene 05 · The walk
Kyotto · alone · the build
Day 03 · South (2/3)
Kyotto walking alone along a deserted southern coastal stretch at last light. Tracking shot from behind, then a slow side-on push-in. He doesn't look at camera. Headphones on, jaw locked, eyes ahead. The track is building. This is the artist's quiet weight before the night — purposeful, serious, no smiles.
Tracking shotSide push-inLast-light gradeTrack tension
00:34 — 00:40Scene 06 · Drop + mark
Decks · drop · brand
Day 03 · South (3/3) → venue cut
Sunset silhouette wide of Kyotto on the south coast. Cut to black. Snap cut to his hands on the decks at the venue — the drop hits. Wordmark fades up: KYOTTO · OPEN TO CLOSE. Underneath, smaller: presented by THE MEMBERS ONLY. Two-second hold. End.
Silhouette wideVenue snap cutDrop hitsBrand lock-up
03 — Days & Locations

Three days, six pins. Each one is a chapter of Kyotto's set.

Day 01
01
Colombo
Opening hour. The artist arrives, headphones on, set quietly underway. City light, traffic, the ride out.
PIN 01 / COLOMBO

Kyotto's first frame

Opening sequence — top-down, coffee pour, headphones, door step-out. Shoot pre-7AM for clean streets and soft city light.

Open in Maps →
Day 02
02
Kandy / Nuwara Eliya
The climb. Kyotto steps onto a rooftop at dawn, then alone in the mist. The track strips back to a single note. The held beat of the film.
PIN 02 / HILL COUNTRY

Building + rooftop

Building reveal up the facade, Kyotto stepping onto the rooftop, mountains in the distance. Match cut from hand on railing to hand on knob. Shoot first light for soft mist below.

Open in Maps →
PIN 03 / HILL COUNTRY

Mist viewpoint · the held beat

Drone-pull-back reveal. Kyotto alone, hooded, between peaks. Shoot first hour after sunrise for the cleanest mist layer.

Open in Maps →
Day 03
03
Down South
The drop. Kyotto alone — skating through Lamanan, the last-light walk, the silhouette, then the snap cut to the decks where the set we've been hearing finally lands.
PIN 04 / LAMANAN

Skateboarding · Lamanan

Kyotto on a skateboard through Lamanan. Low wheel-level gimbal + tracking alongside + architecture wides. Late afternoon for warm side-light and long shadows.

Open in Maps →
PIN 05 / SOUTH

The walk · last light

Kyotto walking alone along a deserted southern stretch at last light. Tracking + side push-in. Serious tone. Aim for golden hour into blue hour transition.

Open in Maps →
PIN 06 / SOUTH

Sunset → drop → brand

Silhouette wide, cut to black, snap to the decks. The closing brand cut: KYOTTO · OPEN TO CLOSE. Lock 30 minutes before sunset.

Open in Maps →
04 — References

Three reference films we are quietly studying.

REF 01 / Pace

Cut rhythm →

What we take: edit lock-stepped to the track. We score before we cut, and we cut to Kyotto's set.

Watch on YouTube
REF 02 / Color

Palette + skin tone →

What we take: warm-shadow grade, how skin reads against natural environments. Kyotto sits inside, never on top.

Watch on YouTube
REF 03 / Grammar

Cuts on motion →

What we take: motion-match transitions, brand reveal that earns the silence before it.

Watch on YouTube
Shot Reference
StudioBinder · Ultimate Guide to Camera Shots
Shared with the camera team for shot-language alignment across all six pins.
Open guide →
05 — Camera & Gear

Kit list. What goes in the cases for three days on the road.

A — Bodies

Cameras

  • Sony FX6 · main · S-Cinetone + S-Log3
  • Sony FX3 · gimbal + B-cam
  • Sony A7S III · run-and-gun + BTS A-cam
  • Recording: 4K 50p / 100p, ProRes via Atomos
B — Glass

Lenses

  • Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art DG DN
  • Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM · streets, portraits
  • Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM · the held-beat portrait
  • Laowa 24mm Probe · macro details
  • Sigma 14mm f/1.4 · interior wides
C — Movement

Stabilisation

  • DJI Ronin 4D-6K · main movement rig
  • DJI RS3 Pro · backup / B-cam gimbal
  • Edelkrone SliderPLUS · macro & detail
  • Easyrig Vario 5 · long handheld walks
  • Tilta low skate rig · wheel-level POV
D — Air

Drone

  • DJI Mavic 3 Pro · primary aerial
  • DJI Inspire 3 (X9-8K) · mist viewpoint reveal
  • ND set + spare batts × 8
  • Permits: hill country + south coast confirmed
E — Sound

Audio

  • Open-to-close stem (artist-supplied master)
  • Sennheiser MKH 416 · boom
  • Sennheiser MKE 2 Lav set · BTS
  • Zoom F6 / H6 · field recorder
  • Ambient capture at every pin · 60s rooms
F — Light

Lighting

  • Aputure 600d Pro · key
  • Aputure 300d II · fill
  • Aputure MC Pro Pad · accents
  • 5-in-1 reflector + diffusion frames
  • Practicals only on hill country mist beat
G — Monitor & Media

Recording chain

  • Atomos Ninja V+ · 4K ProRes
  • SmallHD 702 Touch · directors
  • CFexpress Type A × 6 (160GB)
  • SSD ladder · 4TB × 2 backup-on-set
H — Filters & Optics

Filtration

  • NiSi True Color V-ND set · 1-5 / 6-9 stops
  • Black Pro-Mist 1/4 + 1/8 (always on hero)
  • CPL · for the south coast water
  • Step-up rings · 67 / 72 / 77 / 82
I — Power & Misc

Support

  • V-mount 150Wh × 6 + chargers
  • Sachtler FSB-8 + carbon legs
  • Manfrotto MT055 · macro tripod
  • Pelican cases · weatherised for hill country
  • Backup data station · MacBook Pro M3
06 — Production Schedule

Three shoot days with Kyotto. A vlog runs alongside the entire time.

Day 01 — Colombo

City · pulse · pre-dawn start
  • 05:30Crew + Kyotto call — gear check, route brief, BTS rolls from minute one.
  • 06:30Pin 01 — opening sequence — top-down, coffee pour, headphone close-up, Kyotto step-out.
  • 11:00B-roll — café, street, transit. Kyotto candid in the city.
  • 14:00Travel — Colombo → Kandy. Kyotto in transit. BTS captures the playlist conversation.
  • 19:30Wrap Day 01 · dailies · Kyotto voice memo on the day.

Day 02 — Kandy / Nuwara Eliya

Climb · green · the held beat
  • 05:00Pin 02 — building + rooftop — facade reveal, Kyotto onto the rooftop at first light, match cut hand-to-knob.
  • 09:00Hill country plates — wides + landscape detail. Kyotto in landscape.
  • 13:00Lunch on location · BTS rolls — Kyotto talking music with crew.
  • 15:00Pin 03 — mist viewpoint — drone reveal + Kyotto held portrait beat.
  • 18:00Travel down to south coast. BTS captures the change in landscape.
  • 23:00Arrive south · soft wrap · day-2 vlog dump.

Day 03 — Down South

Coast · build · drop · close
  • 08:00Late call — crew + Kyotto wake to ocean. BTS opens the day on the deck.
  • 10:30Pin 04 — Lamanan skate beat — wheel-level gimbal + tracking alongside + architecture wides with Kyotto on the board.
  • 15:00Pin 05 — the walk — tracking + push-in. Kyotto alone. Serious tone.
  • 17:30Pin 06 — sunset finale — Kyotto silhouette → cut to black.
  • 19:30Venue pickup — hands on the decks, decks-side close-ups. The drop frame.
  • 21:00Crew dinner · final BTS frame · fade.
07 — Kyotto Checklist

What we need from the artist before, during, and after the shoot.

A — Pre-production

Before the shoot

  • Three wardrobe looks confirmed — one per day, tonally aligned (no conflicting logos).
  • Opening 60 seconds of the open-to-close set delivered as a locked stem (44.1kHz / 24-bit min).
  • Headphone model approved — will be visible in nearly every Kyotto frame, treated as continuity.
  • Travel + call sheet signed off — confirms Kyotto present at every call time.
  • Likeness + audio release signed — covers both main film and BTS use.
B — On set · daily

During the shoot

  • In place 15 min before each call — light is the boss, not the schedule.
  • Headphones on for every Kyotto frame — continuity, even when not strictly needed.
  • No phone visible in any frame — no glow, no scrolling, off entirely.
  • No on-camera dialogue unless requested — film is dialogue-free.
  • One voice memo per day — end-of-day, ≤90 seconds, raw audio for BTS edit.
C — Looks

Wardrobe per day

  • Day 01 · Colombo — daytime urban, neutral palette, light layer.
  • Day 02 · Hill country — layered, hood/jacket essential for the mist beat.
  • Day 03 · South — coastal but considered, no slogans, no busy graphics.
  • Backup look — one neutral spare ready in case of weather or grade conflict.
  • Footwear continuity — same pair across Day 03, locked from morning.
D — Post

After the shoot

  • Full open-to-close set delivered for BTS scoring rights.
  • Voice memos approved for use in BTS short.
  • Edit review pass — one round of feedback on the locked cut.
  • Stills approved for ticketing, social, and brand collateral.
  • Release window aligned — drop date for film locked alongside event announcement.
08 — BTS Vlog

A second film, built quietly alongside the first.

01

Daily diary cut

One short edit per day. Internal review, plus the spine of the final BTS film.

02

Kyotto voice memos

End-of-day recordings from Kyotto + crew. Honest narration layered through the BTS edit.

03

The in-betweens

Travel, meals, late-night chats, accidental footage. The actual heart of three days on the road.

04

Final BTS film

One 90-second emotional cut, scored with a Kyotto track, delivered alongside the main 40-second film.

09 — Deliverables

What lands in your hands at the end.

D1 / FILM

40-second brand film

Master 16:9 + 9:16 + 1:1 versions. Color graded, scored to Kyotto's set, ready for paid + organic.

D2 / FILM

90-second BTS short

Emotional behind-the-scenes cut with Kyotto voice-memo overlay. Built for IG, TikTok, YouTube Shorts.

D3 / SOCIAL

Three daily vlog cuts

One short per day during the shoot. Builds anticipation toward the night Kyotto plays open-to-close.

D4 / STILLS

Photo set

Curated stills pack from each location for use across web, ticketing, and brand collateral.