Alumnus Alex Boden (German and Drama, 1994) is a Film and TV Producer and Chair of the Production Guild of Great Britain, and recently produced the TV series Tokyo Vice: one of the biggest international series to film in Japan to date. The first season was filmed entirely on-location during the covid lockdown, showing a unique side of Tokyo that has never been seen before, and season two is currently underway. We recently caught up with Alex to find out more about the show and his career.
Tokyo Vice is an exciting original series inspired by the memoirs of American Jake Adelstein who worked as a crime reporter in Tokyo in the late 1990’s and became enthralled with exposing crime. It is immersive and set in the worlds of the police, organised crime (the Yakuza), the Press and the ‘mizu-shōbai’ – the nightlife entertainment business. If you like thrilling crime drama, great writing, talented actors and evocative locations, then this show is for you! Tokyo Vice stars Ken Watanabe, Ansel Elgort and Rinko Kikuchi was directed by Michael Mann, Alan Poul and others, and its Executive Producer was JT Rogers, who was a college friend of Jake’s.
Alex has worked on production in more than 30 countries and loved the scripts for Tokyo Vice so when the opportunity came up to get involved in this project he jumped at it and rode out the challenges that came along with filming during the pandemic. Reflecting on the experience, he says:
“Covid challenged us all. When the first lockdown came, all major film and TV productions around the world were forced to shut down, so there was a real urgency to getting production started again.
As Chair of the Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB), I worked on the UK’s Recovery Task Force to get film and TV crews back on set and working again. We developed such strict safety protocols for everyone involved with a production that we were able to return to work very quickly. We created testing protocols that would keep unmasked actors safe, picking up positive cases before they reached set. The UK really led the way on establishing Covid filming guidance, and this prepared me for when Japan closed its borders while we were filming Season 1. Amazingly, after the re-start we were able to keep everyone on ‘Tokyo Vice’ safe. “
Working in this industry is one that comes with its own unique challenges but it is also one filled with excitement and variety such as projects like Tokyo Vice and why Alex was drawn to it as a career. He enthuses that:
“I really enjoy producing. Every day is different, and every project is unique in so many ways. I get to collaborate with wonderful, talented people throughout the process and I have been proud to play a role in enabling some of the most exciting projects in recent years – from independent films to high-end TV series. I’ve been fortunate to work all over the UK, and around the world – on films including ‘The Reader’ starring Kate Winslet, Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’, the Wachowski’s ‘Cloud Atlas’ with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, as well as their ground-breaking Netflix series ‘Sense8’.
“The UK industry has been booming for the last 10+ years with US and international productions all keen to film here and this is set to continue. Because there is so much production, the industry has been facing skills shortages with many other positions now in demand. So I am now very excited about the opportunities that this represents in terms of bringing a new and diverse workforce into an industry that has traditionally been a very closed shop.”
Before starting his career Alex’s time at Exeter, studying a Combined Honours course of German and Drama, was an inspirational period for him and he spent a year working in theatre and as an English Teacher in Berlin shortly after the Berlin had fallen. After graduating, he returned there to work as a producer’s assistant on theatre and cabaret productions, before coming back home to the UK to start out as a Runner in Film and TV.
When we speak of Exeter Alex mentions that he has kept using his German language skills over the years even in the UK, working for German production companies:
“Thirteen years after graduating I was back in Berlin, now using my drama and cultural skills on film productions including ‘The Reader’ which won Kate Winslet an Oscar and a few years after that, producing the film ‘Cloud Atlas’. That’s when I felt that my time at Exeter had really delivered – that everything lined up. Among other things, the degree at Exeter had encouraged me to take bold risks and to enjoy challenges, to live and work overseas and to take new adventures in my stride! My Drama degree, which was a deep dive into the creative process, also taught me to push limits and to always stay open and receptive to all people and situations. I have the most wonderful memories of Exeter. What a special place to live and to study! I came away with great friends who I am still close to, and who have gone on to do fabulous things.”
Off-curriculum experiences also stand out for Alex such as DJ’ing his own radio show for University Radio Exeter and launching a ‘Battle of the Bands’ night at the Lemmy which fuelled his interest in music and prepared him for producing the feature documentary PULP.
If you are an alum who has recently graduated or looking to change careers, or a student looking to follow a similar career path now is a fabulous time to work in Film and TV with the building of new studios taking place all around the country and crews in short supply. When we discussed advice that Alex would give those who are interested he shared that: “If you are even curious about it and want to produce, direct, write, or work in the art, camera or any of the departments; we need you! There is a lot of training and many opportunities to skill up and to recruit new entrants to the industry. Anyone who is interested should contact their local film office, or organisations such as ScreenSkills or the PGGB, for training, advice and more. Find your people, be open to all opportunities that come your way – and don’t ever give up!”
Life and work continues to be busy for Alex and he will be in Japan for the next few months of filming of season two of Tokyo Vice and enjoying making the most of every day – including novel experiences of writing with Mount Fuji for a backdrop – especially with the Japanese borders being open again. Further ahead Alex will be filming in the USA later this year, is in early conversations for further projects, and his production company has film and drama projects in various stages of development, which he is looking forward to working on and closely with talented writers and directors.
All eight episodes of Season 1 screened on BBC1/iPlayer in the UK, and are currently showing on Max, (as well as other streaming services worldwide) and season two is due to be released soon. The ‘Tokyo Vice’ story picks up where we left off in the finale, re-uniting us with our favourite characters and delivering thrilling answers to the cliff-hangers from the end of Season 1…
Image credit: Robert Viglasky