AOI MIYAZAKI Actress
GARETH PUGH Fashion Designer
THOMAS HAYO Creative Director
OM-D: CREATE YOUR OWN WORLD
AOI MIYAZAKI Actress OM-D: CREATE YOUR OWN WORLD
AOI MIYAZAKI Actress

Acting became a part of my life before I knew it, so it’s a strange feeling. Perhaps I would consider it differently if I started in adulthood.

I am thrilled to learn there are people who truly need me.

Wonderful moments are born by whittling down my own life in the process, using my past experiences and exposing everything of myself again and again. If it will result in a great film then I don’t mind whittling my life away.

Our souls clash against each other and we can feel that jolt, and in that moment when we mesh together, I think the people on the set can feel it, too.

My ideal performance would have those moments when it all comes out.

Aoi Miyazaki began her career at age 4. She began working as a movie extra at the recommendation of her mother, who thought it a good way to make memories. At age 14, she transitioned from extra to actress and she was hailed by critics worldwide for her portrayal of innocence in the 2001 film Eureka, which was awarded the International Federation of Film Critics Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival. Beginning with Harmful Insects ﾐ Gaichu, for which she received the Best Actress Award at the 23rd Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, she has been widely sought after by talented directors and her exceptional sense of presence has made an impact on the screen.
Even as she refined her acting talents in a broad range of genres, including film, stage, television and animation, it was in films where her appeal made the greatest impression, and beginning from her teenage years she was already being described in the media as "one of the top Japanese film actresses." Then in 2006, she appeared in the NHK television drama series Junjo Kirari. Her appearance in this morning drama series that all Japanese have seen at one time or another, followed by her strong performance two years later in the drama series Atsuhime as the youngest actress ever to star in the NHK Taiga Drama, sealed her status as a top Japanese star adored by men and women of all ages. However, no matter how much her circumstances have changed, Aoi Miyazaki remains very much the same person.
When she is needed, she appears in roles for all kinds of productions from big-budget blockbusters to independent films, and retains her status both as a star of major productions and as an alternative-genre actress. Aoi Miyazaki has been able to achieve this balance thanks to her solid acting abilities that are nonetheless free and unrestrained. This is why so many influential creators have always wanted to work with her, both in the past and in the future.

My relationship with OM began a few years back with the OM-4. I’ve always liked retro designs so I think the OM-D is really cute. Having a place to rest your thumb and the fact that it’s easy to carry around grabbed my attention. It had been a long time since I gazed through a view-finder. The composition of that square world I glimpsed is a different world from that seen on the monitor. I like it.
The autofocus of the OM-D is really fast so there’s no stress at all and taking photos becomes that much more fun.
As always, I use the Art Filter a lot. Especially when I go overseas there are a lot of towns I want to shoot in “Gentle Sepia” and I think the “Diorama” filter really brings power to the shot.
The best Art Filter to use changes with the subject, so searching for the right filter is fascinating and exciting. I begin to feel that I’ve gotten better at photography.
I always used to use the pancake lens but lately I started using lenses with a zoom and I’ve really gotten into that. Of course, getting close to the subject yourself is important and I think so many things are born that way. But when shooting something there’s no way to physically close in on, or when you want to capture a moment, the zoom really comes in handy.
For future OM-D users-
I hope you greatly enjoy “creating photos” using the OM-D.

GARETH PUGH Fashion Designer OM-D: CREATE YOUR OWN WORLD
GARETH PUGH Fashion Designer

As a fashion designer, I always like the build-up to the end goal of your work, which is the fashion show. It’s the culmination of all your labor.

You know, you have like six months building up to this hideously stressful, incredibly important moment--and it's your moment. It’s like 15 minutes.

And even though you have control of it, the moments right before are incredibly stressful. It’s just that very short window of time--those 15 minutes when people are sitting down, waiting for the music to start and the models to come out. That’s kind of the time that I enjoy most though.

So there’s a bit of a sadistic way to look at it, because you know you’re always aiming for that little kind of window of time where….everything is pure and everything is finished and, you know, you’re as happy as you could be with it. You’ve done your best and then….it’s over and finished with. Everyone leaves. And then you go on the next one.

English-born fashion designer Gareth Pugh has received global recognition for his approach to redefining modern luxury. Educated at London’s Central Saint Martin’s, Gareth’s clothes have been described as wearable sculptures - experimental forms, volumes and fabrics are all signature to Gareth’s ever evolving style. A textual mash up where PVC, Perspex and parachute silk meet luxury mink, leather and cashmere.
Gareth made his London Fashion Week debut in February 2005, as part of the Fashion East line-up. His first solo show at London Fashion Week came in 2006, with Topshop NEWGEN sponsorship. In 2007 he was invited to present his work as part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Fashion In Motion showcase. It was around this time that Gareth’s collection began to garner the highest critical phase. “An incredible, unmissable show… his genius is undeniable,” said British Vogue of his SS 2007 collection. Later that year, Gareth’s work was selected to feature in Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In July 2008, the designer won the ANDAM Fashion Award, presenting his first show in Paris the following September. He went on to present his first menswear collection in Paris in January 2009.
The designer’s clothes are stocked internationally and in August 2010, he opened his first flagship store in Hong Kong. In January 2011, Gareth was the guest designer at Italian trade show Pitti, where he presented a special collection via large-scale video installation, created with director Ruth Hogben. He is a regular collaborator with SHOWstudio.com, photographer Nick Knight’s fashion website, the established home for fashion film.
Gareth has worked with some of the world’s most celebrated artists including Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue and continues to collaborate with leading editorial and creative forces in the fashion and entertainment industries.

The classic design of the OM-D is like that of a vintage camera--it certainly feels build to last. However, unlike a manual film camera, it offers much greater ease, immediacy and flexibility, thanks to its high spec digital format.
Having the option to view a subject through either the large adjustable monitor, or the camera’s built-in viewfinder, is a great feature, again offering a level of flexibility that other cameras I've come across do not.
The autofocus on the OM-D is super fast, which means I'm able to point and shoot and get a good, crisp shot every time. This is especially helpful when I'm researching ideas. I always like to take photographs of things that inspire me.
I want to experiment with the OM-D to learn more about how I see things and how I want to capture them.

THOMAS HAYO Creative Director OM-D: CREATE YOUR OWN WORLD
THOMAS HAYO Creative Director

What is beautiful about this job is also what makes it gruesome. Because coming up with ideas is one thing, and I believe that every human being is very creative. But the art of this job is being creative under time pressure: you have to deliver an idea or campaign and you are not ready yet or no ideas come to mind. Then the pressure increases more and more and it can become extremely painful.

However, when you finally have an idea that pleases you, and you feel that it is exactly the one that will solve the problem, you then get an incredible feeling of happiness.

What inspires me most? Basically anything that happens around me. When you keep your eyes open, the whole world is actually full of incredible things, and unusual things. And I think that is the big secret to a creative person, who comes up with interesting stuff, that one always has to be open. My creativity comes from all the experiences I have had in my life.

What gives me a lot of joy and excitement is getting to the production stage because that‘s where you can finally execute your ideas. Being in the photographic studio or on the movie set.

That’s the stage I enjoy the most, because that’s when you see how everything comes together and that’s when you work with your team--and where you see your idea really coming to life. And to me, that’s the part that fills me with incredible joy every time.

Thomas Hayo, born and raised in Germany, loved drawing since childhood. As he matured, he became interested in photography, filmmaking and graphic design—leading to his studies in Visual Communication at the Academy of Arts in Darmstadt. His love of the creative process led him to pursue a career in advertising, even while he was still in school.
In 1993, he moved to New York and soon became one of the most respected creative directors in the advertising business. In New York, he worked for some of the world’s top agencies on high-profiles national and international accounts.
His work has been recognized by the world’s most prestigious advertising awards shows, earning him bronze, silver and gold Lions at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. What’s more, some of his commercials are part of the Permanent Collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
His campaigns for Levi’s are considered exemplary in highlighting his creative philosophy: stories are the way to reach people’s hearts and products should be naturally and intelligently integrated into advertising.
Thomas’ work is not limited to advertising. For the past two years he has been a judge on the popular German TV-show, Germany’s Next Top Model by Heidi Klum, demonstrating his talent to guide and mentor contestants in reaching their full potential.

The OM-D feels great in your hand due to its compact size and great design, which has a classic, timeless nature that I love. I always enjoyed taking pictures through a viewfinder; it feels different to me than just looking at a monitor and with the new electronic one I can see the exact end result right away.
I live a fast life and everything around me happens fast. To catch the best moments, the camera has to be quick and with the OM-D's incredible high-speed autfocus, I never miss a great moment.
I always loved black and white photography, so my favorite Art Filter is the one called “Grainy Film”. It gives the shot a timeless look. If used right, it can make the picture feel instantly iconic.
Furthermore, I find interchangeable lenses indispensible. It has a big affect on the look and feel of the final results. Personally, I have always loved shooting with zoom lenses and playing with a narrow depth of field. The end results get a very cinematic quality, which I love.
Shooting motion films is something incredibly important to me. Sometimes I just document situations while other times I shoot self created little narratives.
Taking pictures with the OM-D is great fun due to the fact that you have ultimate creative control.
It’s also small and light so you can carry it around anytime, anywhere, which means you constantly have opportunities to take pictures of the　highest quality.