The Inside Scoop: Exclusive Interview with One Piece Live Action Cinematographer, Nicole Hirsch Whitaker

Highlights

Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, the cinematographer responsible for Netflix's One Piece Live Action series, had a remarkable journey while working on the show. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, she dedicated considerable time and effort to prepare for this immersive experience.

Whitaker extensively utilized her understanding of the One Piece manga and anime when approaching the cinematography, striving to find a harmonious blend between respecting the original material and constructing a more realistic and accessible world for the live-action adaptation.

In collaboration with director Marc Jobst, Whitaker opted for the development of custom lenses by the esteemed company Vantage Hawk, specifically designed for the One Piece Live Action series. These lenses enabled a distinctive fusion of anamorphic and spherical qualities. Meticulously, Whitaker and Jobst handpicked iconic shots from the source material to meticulously reproduce within the live-action series.

The highly anticipated Netflix series, One Piece Live Action, premiered today, much to the delight of fans who have been eagerly awaiting its release for years. The series serves as an adaptation of Eiichiro Oda's acclaimed work, One Piece, which tells the story of a young pirate named Luffy. Portrayed by Inaki Godoy in the live-action series, Luffy embarks on a thrilling adventure during the Great Pirate Era, a time when pirates roam the seas, particularly in the treacherous Grand Line. Luffy's ultimate quest is to locate the fabled One Piece, a legendary treasure. Along his journey, he forms a formidable crew known as the Straw Hat Crew, consisting of Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji, played by Arata Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson, and Taz Skylar, respectively.

These talented actors have skillfully brought their manga counterparts to life, but the One Piece Live Action series offers much more than meets the eye. Game Rant recently had an exclusive interview with Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, one of the cinematographers for the series, who shed light on the intricate process of filming and how Oda's captivating story was masterfully translated to the screen. With a keen focus on the art of cinematography, Nicole revealed the meticulous framing of each shot and the carefully chosen lenses that helped create the series' unique aesthetic. Additionally, she shared fascinating behind-the-scenes details that fans would otherwise be unaware of.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

GR: Hey, Nicole! It's great to talk to you! First off, congratulations on the release of the One Piece Live Action series. As a huge fan of One Piece myself, I've been eagerly awaiting this for years, and it looks absolutely amazing! You put in a lot of effort on the show. Could you tell us about your experience working on it?

Nicole: Oh, it was such an incredible experience. We began preparing for it during COVID, which gave the director and I nearly a year to get ready for filming. We even spent four months on the ground in Africa prepping before we started shooting. This gave us ample time to figure out how to bring this incredible IP to life in a live action format. Being a parent, I already had a deep knowledge of One Piece, having watched hundreds of episodes and read all the books with my son, who even has a tattoo of Trafalgar Law! I probably knew more about it than anyone else my age, except for Matt, who's younger, and a few others. So, being asked to work on something I was so passionate and knowledgeable about was truly thrilling.

GR: I heard that you have extensively immersed yourself in the world of One Piece, both through reading a significant amount of the manga and watching approximately 400 episodes. How did this experience shape your perspective on cinematography for this project?

Nicole expresses that they faced challenges in determining the lensing style for the adaptation. They aimed to create a more realistic look, as opposed to the bright and flat animation of the anime and manga. They wanted the audience to connect with the characters and be able to envision them in real-world settings. Therefore, they needed to strike a balance between honoring the source material and creating something unique.

GR agrees that the adaptation requires a different approach, considering the differences between media formats. Simply copying the anime or manga would not suffice. Instead, they commend the team for successfully finding the right balance between the two and executing the adaptation effectively.

GR: Have you decided to utilize lenses specifically designed for the One Piece Live Action series? I came across Director Marc Jobst's tweets praising your exceptional work on the show, where he also discussed the lenses you used. I even received personal confirmation about it. Could you kindly share which lenses you opted for and explain the reasoning behind your choice?

Nicole explained that for the show, they had lenses specially made by a company called Vantage Hawk, based in Germany. She mentioned that she had been working with them for many years and that the owners were Peter Martin and Wolfgang. Initially, they wanted to shoot anamorphic, but due to the way the manga and anime were lensed, they knew they couldn't achieve the desired close focus with anamorphic lenses. Instead, they opted for spherical lenses to allow for close focus and deep focus. However, they still wanted the bokeh effect of anamorphic lenses. They approached Hawk, referencing their previous use of the Mini Hawks lenses on another Netflix show. Nicole explained the concept and their requirements, and Hawk agreed to custom-build large format versions of the lenses specifically for the show. The preparation involved several conference calls with Netflix to gain their trust in using new, custom-made lenses. The lenses arrived a few weeks before shooting began, and Nicole knew they would be stunning as Hawk always exceeded her expectations. Moreover, the lenses were even labeled with her name, which she found very cool.

Regarding your collaboration with Marc, he mentioned that you honored the source material by capturing certain frames with your lenses. There were specific shots, like Gold Roger's execution, that closely resembled the anime and manga versions. It seems you aimed to showcase your own creativity while remaining faithful to Oda's foundation for the series. Could you explain how you successfully achieved this delicate balance?

Nicole: In essence, we extensively prepared and carefully selected the canons that best represented our vision and were of utmost significance. There are certain iconic images from One Piece that are universally recognized with the show. We understood the importance of capturing the essence of characters like Luffy and Shanks accurately. Additionally, the Gold Roger scene was pivotal as it laid the foundation for the entire show. However, we wanted to strike a balance and not overwhelm the audience with too much of it. Therefore, there were extensive discussions among Marc, the showrunners, and the entire team regarding production design, wardrobe, visual effects, and special effects. We all collaborated to determine the approach we would take. While not everything made it into the final cut, I believe that the selected imagery in the pilot was incredibly impactful. Even if you are not familiar with the show, these strong images allowed you to connect with the characters on a deeper level.

The sense of adventure in One Piece is truly remarkable. It manages to seamlessly blend heartwarming moments, comedy, and lightheartedness with intense action scenes. For example, there is a scene where Zoro fights in Shell's Town and encounters Morgan. In this scene, the emotions vary between heartwarming and intense action. It's impressive how the show achieves this balance.

Nicole acknowledges that this achievement is mainly due to the director, Marc. He dedicated a lot of time to working with the actors, helping them gel as a group and navigate the emotional rollercoaster of the story, which involves discussions about family and shared experiences alongside fight scenes. The assistant director, Justin Vandermeer, also played a crucial role by carefully planning the shooting schedule. They would allocate several days exclusively for shooting fight scenes, and then devote equal attention to emotional narrative beats, especially for Colton, who portrayed young Luffy. It was essential to give him and the other actors enough time to rehearse and prepare for these emotionally challenging scenes.

In television, time constraints often limit opportunities for actors to build rapport and chemistry. However, Marc understood the significance of this and made sure the cast bonded by organizing trips and activities together. Their approach to the production was more akin to that of a theater piece, creating a genuine sense of familiarity and connection among the characters, which is evident, particularly in the pilot episode.

GR: As the person in charge of cinematography, did you have to make any adjustments when handling these situations? For instance, when the series is heartwarming, you adopt one approach, but when it transitions to combat, you have to completely change your approach. Juggling these different styles must have been quite a challenge. From what I've observed so far, you have certainly exceeded all expectations!

Nicole: That question has never crossed my mind before! When it comes to storytelling, I find no distinction in my approach compared to stunts, action, or visual effects. Once I settle on a design concept for the show, it seamlessly integrates all elements. It's fascinating how I never considered this aspect before. Moving forward, I need to contemplate this because my goal was to create a cohesive experience regardless of whether there was a fight scene or not. I wanted everything to exist in the same world, so there were no changes made. Of course, the camera setup was different. We were fortunate to have an incredible stunt team and a dedicated camera operator who collaborated on the stunts behind the scenes. They sorted out many camera details that I didn't have the time to address. Then, we would make slight adjustments as needed. We were fortunate to have numerous talented individuals assisting us with all these aspects.

Nicole: Thank you for noticing! I was initially concerned about the exterior shots in this show, especially with the large ships being on land instead of in the water. We had to be resourceful and move around accordingly. When the ships were in water, we were able to spin them, which made things easier. However, being on water still presented its own challenges. For the particular scene you mentioned in episode two, we had to shoot it on a stage because shooting it in water wasn't feasible. We created a captivating set with smoke, mist, and the vibrant red lighting. We dedicated a lot of time to preparation and research to ensure it turned out as best as it could. In fact, we had about four test shoot days for that scene alone. I have some amazing behind-the-scenes photos that I hope will be featured in one of the articles. It was a really cool set to work on.

GR: Is there anything you'd like to add that you want One Piece fans to know?

Nicole: It's amusing, really. For me, being a part of this show was not only an honor, but also a source of excitement. I wanted the fans to understand that I was more than just a hired technician; I was a genuine fan myself. This meant a great deal to me. Besides, I believe my son would have been extremely disappointed if the outcome hadn't been flawless! I definitely felt the pressure.

Nicole: My family seems to put even more pressure on me than the fans do! I was worried that there would be a lot of skeptics, but the support for the show has actually been overwhelming. It really speaks volumes about the fans of One Piece, they're truly special. It's really cool!

GR: Honestly, the support we've received has been incredible. At first, some people approached it with skepticism or cautious optimism. However, as more content has been released - like trailers and clips - it's become clear that we're onto something great. Personally, I've been blown away by what I've seen so far. I'm so excited for the release that I've even taken a day off work to binge-watch the entire thing! Congratulations once again, and I hope you have the opportunity to work on the show again in the future. I'll be eagerly awaiting your future projects. Good luck for tomorrow!

Nicole is feeling a great sense of excitement as she hasn't had the chance to see everything completed. There were still some visual effects being worked on, so this will be her first time experiencing the finished product in its entirety. Nicole is eagerly looking forward to sharing this with the fans.

Nicole: Yeah, exactly!

One Piece Live Action is available to watch on Netflix.