Maximizing the potential of AI video through strategy and creativity.
The arrival of generative AI has greatly expanded the methods of video production and the options for expression. Yet simply using AI does not produce a “video that communicates.” Strategic Partners combines the planning and directing skills honed in live-action video production with the expressive power of AI and the reality of live action, delivering video production optimized for your objectives, quality and budget.
BackgroundVideo production enters a new phase
THENUntil now
Locations, cast, art direction, shooting days, production budget. The range of expression has been dictated by production conditions.
NOWThe arrival of generative AI
Spaces that don't exist, large-scale scenes, visualizing multiple proposals — the range of what can be considered for video is expanding.
NEXTFrom here on
Is it right for the brand? Will it reach the viewer? Making those judgments takes the power of planning and directing.
The evolution of AI × the ability to design “what to convey and how to express it” will determine the value of video going forward.
Our ApproachWhat we provide is not “AI video”
From “making with AI” to “using AI strategically.” We provide three functions as one integrated whole rather than dividing them up, taking responsibility all the way to “achieving the video's objective.”
01STRATEGY | Designing the purpose of communication
Challenges, target, message, media
02CREATIVITY | Creating the optimal expression with AI and live action
Concept, script, direction, division of roles
03PRODUCTION | Completing the work while managing quality, rights and cost
Generation, filming, compositing, finishing, delivery
5 ValuesStrategic Partners' 5 strengths
01Planning skills based on live-action video production experience
Not “enter a prompt → generate → done,” but design starting from the challenges of the company and brand, through concept, script, storyboard and expressive techniques. We decide “where to use” AI only after the plan is solidified.
02Expanding expressive power with AI
We add to the planning options worlds and scales that would require large budgets and extensive preparation with live action alone.
03Reality through fusing live action and AI
People and products in live action, the world in AI. Through compositing, we achieve both freedom of expression and the persuasiveness of live action.
04Quality design that minimizes the uncanny feel unique to AI
We manage consistency of people, products, text and across cuts at each stage, and finish with editing, color and sound for natural expression.
05Optimizing production costs with AI
Not “making it cheap,” but achieving the quality and expression you seek with the optimal production method for your budget.
Video expression expanded by AI
Future cities & architecture
Cityscapes and architecture that don't exist, future living spaces
Spectacular nature & locations
Imagery of landscapes that would require travel or large-scale location shoots
Product usage imagery
Depicting scenes in which products still at the concept stage are used
Dynamic visual direction
Camera work and direction with a sense of scale
Comparing and evaluating multiple proposals
Visualizing proposals with different color tones and worldviews in a short time
Cataloging and testing visuals
Proposing a variety of patterns visually
* Images are for illustration only. Results vary depending on project conditions, and not every expression will be low-cost.
Shoot the real. Generate the imagined. Fuse them into a single video.
We design from the planning stage what to shoot in live action, what to generate with AI and what to composite.
Quality control that minimizes the “AI look”
| Common uncanny issues | Main countermeasures | Process |
|---|---|---|
| Unnatural facial expressions and hands/fingers | Using live-action footage; selecting and regenerating expressions and movements | Filming / generation |
| Changes in product shape | Use live-action product footage and check shape and logo | Filming / review |
| Distorted text and logos | Place text and logos using live-action footage or in the editing process | Editing |
| Inconsistencies between cuts | Manage consistency of people, costumes, backgrounds, light sources and color tones | Design / generation |
| Unnatural compositing | Masking, compositing, color grading | Finishing |
| Lack of immersion due to sound | Design sound effects, ambient sound, music and narration | Finishing |
We don't claim to “completely eliminate the AI look.” We minimize the uncanny feel according to the video's purpose and content, and pursue natural expression.
Optimizing production costs
Hybrid live-action/AI production can potentially reduce location and set preparation, shooting days, art and background production, production of multiple patterns, and handling of revisions and additional cuts. On the other hand, new processes are also required, such as generation trials, compositing, quality checks and rights checks.
Cost variables: number of generation trials / whether live-action filming is included / difficulty of compositing / quality control / rights clearance. Using AI does not always make things cheaper, so we design the production method for each project and optimize the balance between cost and quality.
Approach OptionsProduction approach options
You can choose an approach, or combine them, according to the project's objectives, quality and budget. Composition ratios are for illustration only.
ProcessProduction process
From planning to rights confirmation, we proceed consistently through six steps.
01BRIEFING
Confirm objectives, target, budget, media and deadline
02PLANNING
Design the concept, script, direction, storyboard and division of roles between live action and AI
03PRE-PRODUCTION
Prepare live-action filming and materials; confirm cast permissions and AI service terms of use
04PRODUCTION
AI generation, live-action filming, compositing, production of video materials
05POST-PRODUCTION
Editing, color correction, sound, quality checks, revisions
06DELIVERY
Final check, confirmation of rights conditions, delivery tailored to the specified media
Use CasesUse cases
| Scenario | Example use |
|---|---|
| Corporate branding videos | Capture real employees and sites in live action, and add the company's future vision with AI |
| Product / service introduction videos | Show the product accurately in live action, and expand usage scenes and worldview with AI |
| Web ads / social media videos | Efficiently roll out multiple patterns tailored to media and targets |
| Recruitment / company introduction videos | Overlay imagery of the work environment and future vision onto live-action employee interviews |
| Trade shows / events / concept movies | Turn products and spaces still at the concept stage into videos that can be experienced on a big screen |
Case StudyKuroutoshikou rebranding | New brand “Crowxis”
Kuroutoshikou had technical strength and price competitiveness, but its image as being “for advanced users” created distance from users. Inheriting its values of rationality, reliability and practicality, we redefined it as the new brand “Crowxis” under the concept “A solid axis for choosing your PC.” We handled everything from naming and logo development to commercial production, and the new brand was unveiled at Tokyo Game Show 2026.
Filming a real actor and depicting a mystical world with AI
REALModeling shoot of a real actor
Facial expressions and textures captured in live action
DATAImporting the footage into AI
Using live-action material as the starting point for generation
AIGenerating a world themed on the Yatagarasu
Depicting a mystical space that could never be filmed in reality
The Crowxis commercial was produced using generative AI, achieving both the reality of live action and the highly flexible expression of AI.
Quality & TrustThe quality and trust we prioritize
| Items we confirm from the planning stage | Main items checked |
|---|---|
| AI-generated materials | Commercial-use conditions and terms of the services used, handling of input data, risk of infringing third-party rights |
| Cast | Permission for filming, AI processing, compositing, media of use, period and secondary use |
| Products / brand | Rights checks for logos, buildings, costumes, music, filming locations, etc. |
| After delivery | Confirmation of scope, period and media of use |
Simply shooting live action does not automatically secure all copyrights and portrait rights. We design production on the premise of rights checks and risk management in line with the conditions of use.
Freeing up the possibilities of video.
Strategic planning × the expressive power of AI × the reality of live action