Bitcoin and Indies 2

At the dawn of the 21st century, it was widely believed that digital cameras would never catch up to film cameras in filmmaking, that digital would never surpass film. Perhaps we simply wanted to believe it couldn’t happen.
What about the present year of 2025? Filming, editing, and theatrical screenings have all become completely digital.

On the other hand, what about the aspects of payment and accounting in film production? In the Japanese film industry, where the production committee system remains the mainstream, there still seems to be little room for digital payment systems to gain a foothold.
The digital payments I refer to here are not central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) issued by central banks, nor are they credit card or debit card payments, prepaid card payments, or the like. They are purely peer-to-peer transactions conducted via a blockchain without a central authority—in short, Bitcoin payments.

Bitcoin transactions are essentially a form of barter. Rather than “paying” with Bitcoin for services or labor received, it feels more like “returning something of equal value.”
In Japan, Bitcoin is not yet recognized as a “currency.” Therefore, it is not considered “money” unless converted into current legal tender at an exchange or trading platform.

Now let’s consider Bitcoin payments in film production.
The poor working conditions, long hours, heavy labor, and low pay, in film production have finally begun to receive attention recently, yet there’s no sign of improvement. We hear about severe labor shortages on set, and videos of current staff voicing concerns about their retirement are frequently seen.

Those who have never even touched Bitcoin might find it daunting, but for film staff who should be tech-savvy, especially younger staff, once they create a wallet and give it a try, they’ll find it incredibly easy to adopt.
Perhaps it’s already quite widespread among young film staff, even if I’m unaware of it.
If both the production side and the staff side agree to prepare and manage non-custodial (self-custody) wallets, it is possible to pay the film staff—most of whom are freelancers—via P2P Bitcoin transactions.

However, attempting to settle the entire film project solely in Bitcoin at this stage would likely lead to complications. Paying actors and performers, most of whom are represented by agents, in Bitcoin would be difficult at present.
However, what if we were to implement Bitcoin payments only for pre-production work done in collaboration with cinematographers and the directing department, or only for costs incurred during pre-production and post-production, or only for staff members who have agreed to it…

Bitcoin possesses “scarcity” with a fixed supply cap of 21 million BTC. Consequently, the global “musical chairs” competition is unlikely to cease, making it highly probable that its price will continue to double every three to four years. For example, while 1 BTC was around ¥100,000 in early 2017, it surpassed ¥11 million by late 2024, and as of late May 2025, it has surpassed ¥15 million.

Whether to hold onto received Bitcoin or quickly convert it to fiat currency is a personal choice, but holding onto BTC is undoubtedly a promising investment for the long term (for one’s future).
It could even be said that production staff struggling under the harsh working conditions described above (long hours, heavy labor, and low wages) have the potential to become game changers of your life in the near future by retaining a portion of their pay in Bitcoin.

What’s written here may seem like a pipe dream now, but no one will ever complete the painting unless someone starts drawing it. Just as Lars von Trier achieved that astonishing musical scene in Dancer in the Dark in 2000 by utilizing 100 MiniDV cameras.
As I wrote at the beginning, when we entered the 21st century, no one could have imagined the digitalization of film technology we see today.

If we can integrate blockchain payments into indie film production now, the day may come in the near future when the entire production budget for a single film is paid in Bitcoin.