In December 2023, Toyota UK released a video that uses light and sound to weave Toyota's history. Here, we look at how the film was created.
Let’s cut straight to the video.
This film was released on YouTube by Toyota UK in December. It uses projection mapping to depict Toyota’s history, from looms to automobiles, as well as the current transformation into a mobility company.
The production was powered almost entirely by energy derived from green hydrogen. In addition to showcasing Toyota’s history, the use of clean energy represented the company’s commitment to carbon neutrality.
The video was filmed at the offices and plant of Platt Brothers, a company with close ties to Toyota.
A symbol of change
Platt Bros was once a world-leading textile machinery manufacturer. Today, it is known as the company with which Kiichiro Toyoda concluded a patent rights transfer for the Type G automatic loom in 1929.
To secure the agreement, Kiichiro traveled to England via the U.S. During this trip, he surveyed automobile plants and machine tools, which only reinforced his idea that Japan needed an automotive industry of its own.
The Platt Bros company buildings and plant, located in the once-thriving textile hub of Oldham, closed their doors in 1982. And yet, it is not hard to imagine how profoundly the patent transfer that took place here shaped Toyota in the years that followed.
The film’s production was led by Agustín Martín, Head of UK Operations (at time of filming), and UK Marketing Director Stuart Sanders. They share the following words in the making-of video:
Agustín Martín
One of the fundamental pillars of the Toyota culture has been “challenge.” It’s not just a theoretical conversation—if we could move from loom manufacturing into automobile manufacturing, everything is possible.
Stuart Sanders
That philosophy is not just historical reference. It’s that burning flame, that innovative spirit to constantly challenge yourselves and do more, for society and for a bigger purpose. It started in this building, and it has lived through the generations of business.
It really links to “inheritance and evolution.”
Now, Toyota Times readers can also enjoy the making-of video, in which the pair is joined by Toyota Director Sir Philip Craven (Japanese subtitles available).
Almost a century on from the patent agreement, our colleagues have shed light on Toyota’s history of transformation and challenge. Don’t miss the making-of video alongside the main film.