Colour Timer, Telecine Operator, Telecine Artist and now Colourist, we’ve been called many things. The evolution in grading and camera technology has meant the role of the Colourist has had to evolve too.
Colour timing was the analogue process for adjusting colour on physical film by adjusting the amounts of red, green and blue light used. When colour timing, as you can imagine there would be limited scope to grade in the more granular fashion that we are used to doing now – back then it was more broad strokes for overall change of visual style.
As the technology and grading tools at the disposal of a Colourist improved, so did our ability to really lift the production value of the projects we work on, opening new avenues for producers of a variety of film
Aligning the visual team on the film – director, DOP and colourist
DOPs and colourists should work hand in hand. As soon as the DOP has the decided idea for the visuals of a film, the Colourist needs to know this too. The collaboration with a Colourist and the Director and Director of Photography early on in the process will help with many elements of productions.
Ensuring these roles work together is invaluable in bringing the visual idea to life. It will aid the process of deciding the look and art direction and inform which camera/lens package should be used to achieve the desired aesthetic of the project.
The Colourist will help the Director and DOP work out the full potential is for visuals beyond what you can make happen on set. This is as true for lower budget indie films as it is for major features.
It’s definitely the case that digital cameras democratised filmmaking. The proliferation of tech has allowed anyone to make films with anything from a phone, a DSLR, a go pro to a more professional Digital movie camera. But one thing the images from all these mediums will require is grading. No matter the original medium, the Colourist can really help to shape the look that the DOP and Director have captured in the raw footage. A lot can be done in the grade to hone the look of a project – both in its entirety, and scene by scene. Even if things haven’t gone totally to plan on set, the Colourist can certainly get it over the line.
Pre production with post in mind
In the preproduction phase, testing with the Colourist will allow more informed decisions to be made regarding how much lighting will be needed, what camera and which lenses to use. Sometimes when a film needs a night sequence but doesn’t have the budget to shoot it, a day for night grade is the answer, directly saving money for the production. In the past I’ve discussed the best way to achieve this with the DOP beforehand.
In the hands of a good colourist, a project can be transformed from something that looks mediocre into something that looks astonishing. In today’s systems we can change the lighting in a scene, using the primary correction, in conjunction with windows, (grading masks) to shape the lighting, make vignettes etc. Or they can be used to constrain a correction to an area, even someone’s eye colour can be enhanced and tracked; day can become night, sun beams and/or flares can be added and animated, skies can be replaced, objects can be added or removed as well as green screens composited. You can even do photoshop-type beauty work.
Nonlinear grading platforms in use today are light years away from the old optical colour timing machines. Today’s Grading systems have a very complex toolset, they can also composite, lay the sound, finish, and create the deliverables.
The Baselight grading, created by British company FilmLight, is at the cutting edge of colour grading. It’s a system that I’ve used for 20 years – I have also helped shape some of the toolset. In practice, Baselight allows you to run a timeline of the entire project, or break it down into reels. When grading, the Colourist can choose to work in different colour spaces, and either grade according to the display device, use the camera colour management or even an industry standard VFX colour pipeline.
Colour grading for independent film
For projects with challenging budgets the colour suite is a powerful weapon in the filmmakers’ arsenal. Understanding its capability will mean filmmakers can be more ambitious in their ideas, they’ll be able shoot scenes that would have been too expensive to do before. A skilled Colourist can certainly make more of a lower budget film by adding the visual polish found in big budget films or TV.
As a film maker looking to build relationships with Colourists, I’d say find out who did the work that you like across film and TV and then get in touch. I think it’s important that film makers know how powerful grading systems are these days – we can cover a lot of ground in the grade with the right preparation on set and in the edit.
In today’s budget-constricted industry, the right team using the right tools will be the thing that helps independent filmmakers and creatives to not just keep going, but keep improving their craft and showcasing the best the indie film has to offer.
If you’re in the film industry and either don’t know a colourist or want to work out how to work with visual post production to make production smoother, all you need to do is reach out.
Paul Harrison is widely recognised as one of the world’s top and most decorated colourists, a position he’s earned through decades of exceptional work. Consistently ranked among the top three finishing artists in the UK throughout his career, Paul has frequently topped the Televisual Best Colourist polls and is a multiple winner of the prestigious BTAA Award for Best Colourist. With 27 years of colour grading experience Paul has spent much of his career specialising in grading commercials building relationships with huge global brands including Gucci, Levis, BMW, Dior, Stella Artois, Mercedes Nike and Adidas.
On launching Residence Pictures Paul renewed his focus on grading premium episodics and features. He reignited his successful collaboration with Shane Meadows on The Gallows Pole for which he later won both an RTS Award for Picture Enhancement and a Broadcast Tech Innovation Award for Excellence in Grading. His outstanding reputation has seen him cultivate strong relationships with leading directors and cinematographers, including MJ Delaney, Guy Ritchie, Danny Cohen, Matt Gray and Ed Rutherford solidifying his standing as one of the most sought–after colourists in the industry.
