Meet Yoshihisa Toda | Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yoshihisa Toda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yoshihisa, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
As a cinematographer, I have shot over ten feature films, along with streaming drama series, such as for Disney+ and Amazon Prime, as well as various commercials and music videos. My work has taken me to approximately 40 countries. My focus is on using light to capture the world, the story, and the actors in front of the camera in the most compelling way possible. I aim to illuminate the emotions embedded in the narrative, bringing the actors to life through the use of light to express the beauty of the world and its people.
Without light, films and cameras wouldn’t exist, but by carefully applying light, you can reveal the hidden emotions within a story—whether it be joy, sorrow, or a sense of happiness—and share that experience with the audience. Light can also symbolize hope and a brighter future. Personally, I believe that working with light has the power to guide things in a positive direction. Just as light brings out various colors, it can also reveal the inherent beauty in things. In my work, I see it as my role to support directors in visualizing their visions, to highlight the actors’ appeal by shining a light on their emotions, and to use light and color to entertain people and make a positive impact on our society.
I have been doing this job for about 20 years, so when I am on set with my team or in my free time, I share my experiences and techniques with young film crew members as much as possible, sometimes giving them advice and helping them to develop their own cinematography.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
There have been many hurdles to get to where I am today. I started my career as a documentary cameraman and traveled to many countries where I didn’t understand the local language. An interpreter usually accompanied the directors, but no one interpreted for me during filming. I had to observe the life and behavior of the subjects without relying on language, imagining what they were feeling and what they were going to do next. It was a great training period to sense people’s emotions beneath the language, helping me to understand their emotional power. After becoming a cinematographer, I have tried to visualize emotions in a story and the actors using colors and lighting. In terms of color, I decide on the hue of the scene, the color that reflects the character’s emotions, and the lighting, ensuring that the story and the charm of the actors complement each other. I have developed my digital color palette, Look Up Table, for more than 10 years, and also talked in detail with directors, production designers, and costume designers to determine the color scheme for each film. I am often told that the color schemes in my images and lighting are beautiful, and the way I use different colors as delicately as possible may be what differentiates me from other cinematographers.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Grand Central Market,

LACMA/ Los Angeles County Museum of Art,

TSUJITA- Located at the Art District and the best Ramen shop in L.A.

Alcove Cafe, in Los Feliz. Super chill.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife, Yuriko, and child, Ryunosuke, are the most important to me. Due to visa issues, I’m currently living alone in L.A., while my wife and child are in Tokyo. Right now, my wife is taking care of our child and supporting our life in Tokyo. Without her support, I wouldn’t be able to manage my life in L.A. I have deep love, gratitude, and respect for her—she is an indispensable partner in my life. Over the years, I’ve consulted with her on many things, and she has always been there to support me. I’m truly grateful to her.
Additionally, I wouldn’t be here in L.A. without the support of many people, including Yasuhiro Toyosato from Syncyee Inc, Emi Inoue, and Takao Uno from the Inoue & Tsukioka Movie Foundation, the members of The JSC (Japanese Society of Cinematographers), Arato Ogura and Masako B Misaki from ZEISS Cine Lens, everyone at the ZEISS L.A. office, Tom Yoda from GAGA Corp., Tetsuya Fujimura from Philosophia Japan, VIPO, my friends at the American Film Institute, my roommates, DoP Ryan Kuna, and Production Designer Caleb Kephart. I’m deeply thankful to all of them.
One of my goals moving forward in my career is to give back to these people through my work.

Website: https://yoshihisatoda.com

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