Yasu Tanida and Us | Cinematographer
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is a HeadGum Podcast.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's another epic, historic episode for That Was Us. One of our big gets, one of our big guests, Yasu Tanita.
For the longest time, our director of photography, DP, cinematographer, we've been asking and asking and asking. He's like, oh, you know, I'm shooting because he does the land and he does paradise, et cetera. Finally, he made some time for us and we're going to have a really cool conversation.
So excited to finally have him here. There's so much I want to ask him. There's so much I'm eager to learn about.
Yeah.
He is the best. And also, like Sid Khosla, our composer, I feel like he is such an indelible part of the fabric of the show. Integral.
There wouldn't be it without him.
Exactly. Like the look of the show is the look of the show because of Yasu. So if you love the way our show looks, you love Yasu.
That's exactly it. For anybody who doesn't know what a cinematographer is or the director of photography, it's essentially the person in charge of the cameras, where they are, what lenses they use, how the scene is lit is kind of directed by them.
Yeah, the look of the show is really...
They work in tandem with the director, you know what I'm saying? And they come up with things. Our show is really unique. It's interesting. For me, I'll say this before even Yasu gets here, it was the first show that I ever did that was all handheld. Yeah. Had anybody had that experience before? I mean, maybe on an independent film.
Yeah. The Nick was all handheld. Okay. But it's a very specific, and it takes a highly skilled...
Who is Yasu Tanida and what role did he play on This Is Us?
group of people it does to to do that for for our audience there are several things you can do with the camera you can put them on tripods or as they're called sticks and they they kind of have a stationary shot they can sit on on track dollies and roll around they can sit on cranes um but yeah to have a show that is handheld yeah
Yeah, Steadicam, like having somebody holding the camera, moving in and out, kind of like breathing with you in a way.
We didn't necessarily get into this with the conversation. But the cameramen themselves. Yes, the operators. We had some bad, like there's a certain athleticism that comes with being a handheld camera operator. We have like former D1 football players, Koi, right? We had Takata James. James Takata, the best. We had, there was another in season one named James as well. Do you remember the tall?
Yes, yes. Kind of lanky. Yeah. He was great. He left us for a lesser show, I think.
He did?
It couldn't have been greater. It couldn't have been greater. I forget why he left. He went to do a movie, I think. I think he did, yeah. I think that's right.
People would sort of, a lot of the operators, camera operators would come and go, as they do.
Absolutely.
And they would, yeah, come back to us eventually. James sort of stuck around for the longest. And James also directed on our show as well.
That's right.
Does he operate on the land?
Oh, sorry, on Paradise?
On Paradise.
He has come on Paradise, and Koi has been on Paradise as well. We had him on the land too, yeah. So it's been a good time. That whole department, man, you get so close with them.
Yeah, with the camera department, you are... They're in the scene.
They're standing right there. You're looking... at them and not at them at the same time.
I wish we'd asked more about that because I love also sometimes with Yasu, he'd be setting up a shot or explaining what he wanted. And when things didn't necessarily go exactly the way he wanted, he'd be like, I'll operate. So he would jump in and take the camera off. Exactly. He's like, I got it. I got it. And Yasu oftentimes would get in and operate for the shot. And it was great.
There's also this thing that happens that this sort of, this dance with the camera people themselves, they'll be like, hey man, could you sit down a little slower? And that thing when you get up from the table or whatnot. And you're like, oh, you're following me down? And he's like, yeah, I'm following you down, fine. So if you help me out.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–1:56
2
Who is Yasu Tanida and what role did he play on This Is Us?
1:56–4:47
3
How did Yasu and the team decide to shoot This Is Us primarily handheld?
4:47–30:18
4
What lens choices and framing decisions create intimacy with the Pearson family?
30:18–34:53
5
Why does the camera often sit outside rooms and how does that affect tone?
34:53–39:16
6
How did the team 'detune' lenses to achieve the show's soft, nostalgic look?
39:16–1:06:25
7
How has Yasu's cinematography evolved on Paradise and The Land after This Is Us?
1:06:25–1:07:06
8
How do Yasu and his gaffer collaborate to light different skin tones effectively?
1:07:06–1:08:31