Shogun director Jonathan van Tulleken and cinematographer Christopher Ross, BSC

The FX miniseries Shōgun takes viewers on a journey filled with
action and adventure through historically accurate 1600's Edo-era
Japan. Englishman John Blackthorne arrives on a Dutch trading ship
after a rough voyage, interested in beginning trade with the
Japanese. The country is governed by five regents locked in a power
struggle, and the ruler Toranaga thinks the Englishman might be
useful to him. Director Jonathan van Tulleken and cinematographer
Christopher Ross worked on episodes one and two together,
establishing the look of the series. They have a deep understanding
of each other's creative vision, collaborating on several TV shows
over the years. For Shōgun, Jonathan and Chris created a visual
experience that honors both the grandeur of feudal Japan and the
disorientation of a foreign visitor like the “anjin,” John
Blackthorne. The two met and created a look book and sizzle reel to
present to FX. Jonathan drew inspiration from movies such as The
Revenant and Apocalypse Now. Chris was influenced by classic
Japanese films Ran, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Akira Kirosawa's
jidaigeki (historical drama) films. Most importantly, they wanted
the show to be bold and stand out with a cinematic look and genuine
artistic intention behind it. Chris chose anamorphic lenses and
wider aspect ratios for the first two episodes, playing with the
point of view of the outsider's subjectivity and disorientation.
The choice of anamorphic lenses, which create a lot of background
blur but keeps the character in crisp focus, may have seemed
controversial, but has become more widely used on today's
television shows. (Read this article from The Ringer to learn
more.) Shōgun was shot in British Columbia during the winter, with
the wild ocean shores of Canada and carefully designed soundstages
standing in for Japan. Jonathan, Chris and the production team
chose a lighting and color palette of browns and greens for the
warring factions. Opulent costumes, warmer lights and colors
represented palace life in Osaka, while in the village, the use of
blues and grays reflected the harsh realities of the time period.
The dialog is almost entirely in Japanese, and Jonathan actually
enjoyed directing in a language he didn't speak. “It meant that you
were not giving line readings, you couldn't give line readings. You
had to direct in a much more pure way, dealing with the bigger arcs
of the scene, the character development, without getting into very
macro stuff that isn't helpful. I think you could just feel the
emotion.” Chris agrees. “What you're hoping to achieve is some sort
of emotional resonance with a character that is in tune with what
they're saying and synchronous with what they're saying.” Find
Jonathan Van Tulleken:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1743387/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Find Chris
Ross: Instagram @edjibevel Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras
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