Yasu Tanida gives actors room to make us care, with lighting and framing that seldom ask for attention. We value that restraint, though Paradise exposes the limits of images that make people more convincing than their surroundings.
Fi1m perspective
In This Is Us (2016), the camera is at its most effective when it lets us watch the actors without calling attention to itself. Yasu Tanida favours understated lighting and subtle framing. His close-up work includes natural California sunlight and Panavision lenses chosen for their treatment of faces. The aim is to let a performance register without distraction. We value that care, though we would not choose these programmes for their images alone.
After early independent features and shorts, August Evening (2007) brought a first substantial break. The Blacklist (2013) helped take him into series work. His lasting collaboration with Dan Fogelman began on This Is Us and continued with Paradise (2025). He worked across all six seasons of This Is Us and directed three episodes. Director and producer Ken Olin is another recurring collaborator.
On This Is Us, cinematography is also credited to James Takata and Brett Pawlak, so the programme's look should not be treated as one person's achievement. Tanida's handheld coverage and handling of different periods suit a family drama that moves between timelines. Dan Bishop and Gary Frutkoff's unobtrusive production design gives the performances similar priority. We were moved by the performances in This Is Us, and the unobtrusive photography helped us concentrate on them. The carefully arranged revelations and persistent musical encouragement test our patience more than anything the camera does.
In Paradise, we need more from the surroundings. Tanida and production designer Kevin Bird give the drama a polished finish, but its setting seldom becomes as interesting as its people. A story with such an ambitious premise needs a more convincing sense of how that setting works. Sterling K. Brown keeps us engaged through improbable turns, though he has to do too much of the work of making the premise convincing. Start with This Is Us, but bring a reasonable tolerance for being prompted to cry.
Biography
Yasu Tanida is a cinematographer and director. Born in Tokyo, Japan, he moved to the United States as a child and studied film at Chapman University. His early feature credits include August Evening (2007) and The Retrieval (2013).
Tanida has worked extensively in television as director of photography on series including The Blacklist (2013), This Is Us (2016–2022), Tracker (2024) and Paradise (2025–), on which he shot all episodes of the first season. He has also directed three episodes of This Is Us. He is a frequent collaborator with creator Dan Fogelman.
His awards include the Independent Spirit Award’s John Cassavetes Award for August Evening (2007) and recognition on Variety’s list of 10 Cinematographers to Watch (2008).
