Principal Hong Kong: From Istanbul to Cappadocia with YAMANYAMO & Line Production Turkey

Line Production Turkey partnered with Hong Kong-based production company YAMANYAMO for Principal Hong Kong’s 2019 online video campaign, bringing an international production team to Türkiye for a journey across Istanbul and Cappadocia.

Created for Principal Hong Kong through TBWA, the film was directed by Mo Chan of YAMANYAMO, with cinematography by Huang Jun Tuan. YAMANYAMO served as the main production company, while Line Production Turkey managed the Türkiye production and Seesaw Post Production completed the post-production process.

PRINCIPAL HONG KONG: A STORY ABOUT LIFE AFTER WORK

Principal Hong Kong has operated in Hong Kong since 1996 and specializes in retirement planning, asset management and investment solutions. It is part of Principal Financial Group, a global financial organization with a history dating back more than 140 years.

The 2019 campaign approached retirement not simply as a financial milestone, but as a new chapter of life — one built around freedom, discovery and the opportunity to experience the world differently.

That creative direction made Türkiye a natural setting for the film.

Moving between the cultural intensity of Istanbul and the extraordinary landscapes of Cappadocia, the production created a visual journey that reflected the sense of exploration and possibility associated with retirement.

YAMANYAMO x LINE PRODUCTION TURKEY

The project began when Hong Kong production company YAMANYAMO approached Line Production Turkey to explore Türkiye as the location for Principal Hong Kong’s campaign.

Founded in 2010 by Mo Chan and Wy Chan, YAMANYAMO is an award-winning Hong Kong production house working across commercials, music videos, short films and branded content for international clients.

Following an extensive remote pre-production process, the teams developed a shooting route covering two very different sides of Türkiye: the historic and cosmopolitan character of Istanbul and the natural landscape of Cappadocia.

For Line Production Turkey, the project required full local coordination for an international crew working in Türkiye for the first time.

LPT managed the local production process, including location research, planning, permits, logistics, crew coordination and on-set production support. Independent industry credits also list Principal’s 2019 commercial among Line Production Turkey’s international projects, with LPT credited as Line Producer.

ISTANBUL AS A CINEMATIC JOURNEY

The Istanbul production was structured almost like a journey through the city.

Filming included some of Istanbul’s most recognizable historical and cultural environments, including the Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, İstiklal Avenue and Galata Bridge, alongside hotels and other locations selected for their architectural character.

This variety allowed the film to move naturally between different layers of Istanbul — from centuries-old landmarks to the energy of contemporary urban life.

For an international financial brand communicating the possibilities of retirement, the city provided something more valuable than a conventional commercial backdrop: a sense of discovery.

FROM ISTANBUL TO CAPPADOCIA

After completing the Istanbul schedule, the production moved to Cappadocia.

Based in Göreme, the international team filmed among the region’s volcanic landscapes, valleys and iconic fairy chimneys, including locations beyond the most familiar tourist routes.

The contrast between Istanbul and Cappadocia gave the campaign two very different visual worlds within a single country.

One offered history, architecture and city life.

The other offered open landscapes, silence and a feeling of escape.

Together, they supported a campaign built around the idea that retirement can represent not an ending, but the beginning of a different way of experiencing life.

AN INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION PARTNERSHIP

Beyond the locations themselves, the Principal Hong Kong project became an example of the relationships that international production can create.

The Hong Kong and Turkish teams worked closely throughout the shoot, adapting to changing weather conditions and evolving production requirements while maintaining the planned schedule.

That collaboration ultimately became more than a transactional production relationship. YAMANYAMO later described Line Production Turkey’s support simply:

“They made it easy to shoot from the other side of the world.”

For Line Production Turkey, that statement captures one of the company’s core ambitions: allowing international agencies and production companies to arrive in Türkiye with a creative vision and leave with both the production they wanted and confidence in the local filmmaking infrastructure.

TÜRKIYE THROUGH AN INTERNATIONAL LENS

The Principal Hong Kong campaign remains a strong example of Türkiye’s ability to provide radically different locations within a single international production.

From the Basilica Cistern and Grand Bazaar to Göreme and Cappadocia’s hidden valleys, the project connected a Hong Kong financial brand, a global advertising agency and an international production company with Türkiye’s locations and local production expertise.

For Line Production Turkey, the collaboration with YAMANYAMO reinforced a production model that remains central to LPT today:

**International vision.
Local expertise.
Istanbul to Cappadocia.
One seamless production.**

*PROJECT CREDITS*

Client: Principal Hong Kong
Project: Principal Hong Kong Online Video Campaign
Year: 2019
Agency: TBWA
Main Production Company: YAMANYAMO Co. Ltd., Hong Kong
Director: Mo Chan / YAMANYAMO
Director of Photography: Huang Jun Tuan
Türkiye Production: Line Production Turkey
Post-Production: Seesaw Post Production Ltd.
Filming Locations: Istanbul & Cappadocia, Türkiye
Istanbul Locations: Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, İstiklal Avenue, Galata Bridge & additional locations
Cappadocia Base: Göreme

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