Canary

Cinematographer of "Canary" (2023) Ryo Endo goes over his creative process and explains how he utilized the Atlas Orion lenses to execute his creative vision.

Director | Editor

"The combination of the two, the horrific atmosphere and the bullying, can be also perceived as a comment on human nature, but is also the element that carries the movie from beginning to end, additionally assisted by the excellent audiovisual approach." - Panos Kotzathanasis [Asian Movie Pulse]

“Canary really is a very enjoyable piece of work to watch, which is saying something when a film makes you feel as uncomfortable, tense and claustrophobic as this does.” - Chris Buick [UK Film Review]

“From the outset, it’s clear this will be a nail-biting thriller. The creatures are menacing and wicked, but not nearly as much as the humans.” - Brian Fanelli [Horror Buzz]

“Canary is atmospheric, tense and transports an everyday issue to the end of the world…The direction and cinematography are strong, they create a gripping atmosphere and a great amount of tension, as well as a fantastic aesthetic.“ - Rebecca Cherry [Film Carnage]

“The cinematography incorporates a lot of dimly lit shots, creating an oppressive horror-like atmosphere throughout the film’s 17-minute runtime…Barron Leung delivers an arresting performance as the tormented Alan, making viewers worry about his fate.” - Sneha Jaiswal [Abstract AF]

“[T]he use of silhouette, color, and snappy editing…make this one a slick looking affair from frame one to frame done…The brief runtime and effective ramping of suspense in the narrative…help keep this baby hummin’ right along as well.” - DanXIII [HorrorFuel.com]

“Allowing sound, light, shadow, and emotion to carve out a microcosm of barbarity occurring between four teens in a cabin at the end of days, Tsubota’s Canary is an understated genre update on the theme of humankind’s stubbornly uncivilized nature.” - Ben Dimagmaliw [Indievisual]

“A psychological thriller by nature, the film asks the viewer to find the horror nestled deep within its emotional layers and fill in the missing puzzle pieces.” - Bee Delores [B-Sides & Badlands]

"It’s an immersive spiral downward into depression for the main character, and the sound design offers [a] soundscape of sharp and raw fragments of menace as he awaits his fate." - William Whittington [USC School of Cinematic Arts]

“In the mere span of 17 minutes, Taka Tsubota dissects the dynamic of bullying in such a way that the spectator can fully grasp the intertwining aims of the act of exploiting another subject.” - Pieter-Jan Van Haecke [Psycho-cinematography]

“With such a high concept idea, it would be easy to overextend the modest resources of this independent short but director Taka Tsubota wisely chooses to take the all too infrequent approach of actually understanding how to work within the limitations of his available budget.” - Corin Totin [Sick Flix]

“The everyday terror inside is well conveyed by the performers, while it is up to the audience’s imagination to convey the larger-than-life terror that lies outdoors.” - James Rodrigues [Nerdly]

“Canary is really a masterclass for leaving out things - and I mean this in the best possible way, as it simply trusts its audience to be able to fill in the blanks and withstands the desire to explain everything away.” - Michael Haberfelner [Search my Trash]

"I really enjoyed it, my only complaint is that I wanted more!" - Kate Trinity [Kate Trinity McQueen]