CNN, Jfoodo and Electriclimefilms Bring an Insightful Look Into the World of Sake

Shot across two continents, electriclimefilms worked with JFoodo and CNN to bring an insightful look to the world of sake. Two character pieces, told by a master sake sommelier and a world renowned chef, shed light onto a drink that in many countries is unjustly relegated to the status of ‘free shot after a sushi dinner’.

Directed by Damiano Fieramosca, these pieces unfold through personal and intimate insights by creating sensory experiences through immersive sound design and distinct visual textures. Fieramosca created a stylistic blend to bring form to a genre that sits where reportage and art meet.

The first film focuses on a sake tasting held by master sake sommelier, Joshua Kalinan. The tasting is represented almost like a ritual, where he allows himself to pause, focus, reflect, and to get engulfed by smells and flavours that can only then reveal the nuances that hide just beyond the veil. Translated on screen through captivating abstract macro shots, intricate sound design, and naturally lit frames, the essence of sake is captured through its different personalities and characteristics.

Told by award-winning chef Pepe Moncayo, the second film takes an inside look at the surprising and unconventional heights that certain ingredients can reach if accompanied by sake. We follow the preparation of two of his signature fish-based and sake-paired dishes focusing on the selection and combination of the ingredients and how they interact with sake.

The films were captured in a handheld manner with slight slow motion by an Alexa Mini combined with a set of Atlas Orion Lenses that gives the films its distinctive crisp feel. Spanning over a series of 4 days, the films were shot in Singapore and Washington D.C., and despite the challenge of working on a tight schedule while overcoming jet-lag, the teamwork between electriclimefilms and CNN definitely paid off to make for these captivating pieces.