James Takata is an American film and television director, writer, and cinematographer. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and International Cinematographers Guild Local 600.
James’ television debut as a director was an episode of the hit show This Is Us, “The Day of the Wedding” (613) on NBC. His next project was the ABC show The Company You Keep, “Company Man” (107). He also directed 2nd Unit for additional episodes of TCYK (103 & 110).
James Takata is represented by Marathon Management (Carel Cutler and Gerardo Machado) and United Talent Agency (Milorad Dragicevic).
James serves on the Advisory Board for the Fashion Institute of Technology SUNY Film and Media program.
Documentary & Shorts
Takata directed and produced the 2013 feature documentary We The Parents. Daphne Howland of the Village Voice called the film “a must-see civics lesson…Takata masterfully tells a tale of struggling families in Compton who want more for their young children.” We The Parents had a theatrical premiere in LA and NY and played at SXSWedu in March 2014. Due to strong interest from legislators and educators the documentary had a successful series of screenings at venues such as the Yale School of Education, Columbia Teachers College, and the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. We The Parents is distributed by Virgil Films and is available to stream on VUDU.
Broken Wings, a 2016 short which James directed and shot, had its world premiere at Cinequest and won the Gold Award (Independent Shorts Family/Children) at the WorldFest Film Festival in Houston.
In 2009, Takata took home the Best Music Video award from the California Independent Film Festival for Mic Champion (J Maddox).
Early Life and Career in the Camera Department
Born and raised in Los Angeles, James’ interest in filmmaking began when he saw Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing at the age of 12. It was in middle school and high school that James first experimented with the family video camera. Collaborating with friends, the highlights of these projects were a fire-breathing clown, and a few ill-advised stunts resulting in minor injuries. In high school, he received a scholarship to the Ryman Program for Young Artists where, safe from the dangers of amateur special effects, he learned the fundamentals of classical drawing and painting.
In college James studied at the Art Institute of Florence and the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia where he earned a B.A. in Studio Art.
After graduating, James returned to Los Angeles and wrote, produced, and directed Remember Pearl Harbor, a short film about an interracial couple’s experience with the Japanese American internment. James cast Brian Tee as the lead who would later go on to roles in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Chicago Med, and Expats. Takata financed the film with help from friends and relatives and, in true indie fashion, put the rest on his credit card.
In 2000, James was accepted to the Film Independent Project: Involve mentorship program, choosing to focus on cinematography in order to sharpen his technical understanding as a director. He was mentored by Nancy Schreiber, ASC, and his work with her helped to launch his career in the camera department. James joined the union in 2002 and worked his way up the ladder as a Film Loader, 2nd AC, 1st AC, Steadicam Operator, and Director of Photography. Takata was honored by the International Cinematographers Guild with a 2012 Emerging Cinematographer Award for his work shooting the short film Only Child.
James was recently the Director of Photography for the Amazon series The Horror of Dolores Roach. He lensed 5 seasons of 2nd unit work on This Is Us while also serving as the A camera/Steadicam operator. He shot several full episodes of This Is Us: “Clooney” (212) “So Long Marianne” (409), “Light and Shadows” (410), and “I’ve Got This” (510), and 2nd Unit Photography on The Company You Keep (103).