TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES / TOP RIGHT: COURTESY OF ARBELOS FILMS AND CINELICIOUS PICS / BOTTOM RIGHT: COURTESY OF ANNAPURNA PICTURES38 WINTER 2019 MOVIEMAKER.COMCOMMENTARY
COLOR
A seasoned colorist explains
everything you need to know
about the process, and how
it will enhance your movieBY CAITLIN DÍAZadjusting problem areas, such as
masking out a crew member from
a frame or shifting a hue to more
closely match the director’s refer-
ences. When working on a film
that requires heavy VFX work, the
colorist will be in close contact
with the VFX artist, swapping
files back and forth. When the
look is established and achieved
on set, the colorist will have
more time to finesse VFX shots
to match the rest of the scene.
Involving the colorist during
pre-production and production
saves time and heavy lifting, and
enables the director and DP to be
certain of the look they wish to
achieve while shooting.
Sometimes a project’s budget
or schedule won’t allow for the
colorist to be involved prior to
post, which is routinely the case
in independent moviemaking.
Once the project is picture-locked,
the colorist will step in and work
their magic. Along with camera
and editorial specs, a colorist will
also request a collection of refer-
ence images that help translate
the vision of the director and DP.
These can range from examples of
films, paintings, and photographs
to specific words or phrases. A
colorist’s job is to take these refer-
ences and interpret them using
their knowledge of color theory
and color science. Sometimes a
colorist may find that a reference
reflects an emotion rather than a
stylistic choice. When this is theand the timer would watch the
film again, making notes on what
needed to be adjusted for the next
round of prints. This would be
done multiple times, especially as
the film advanced toward picture
lock and mastering. As limited
as this method may seem, it is an
involved process that requires a
specialized skill set. Color timers
needed to have the eye for aes-
thetics and the technical know-
how to translate the film negative
into a vibrant print.
This same skillfulness applies
to modern-day colorists, though
now we have a larger, more com-
plex toolkit to work with. But no
matter the advances in technolo-
gy, the rules of color are fixed and
their interactions are endlessly
fascinating. Tinting and toning,
the shifting intensity of hues, and
the awareness of how various
combinations make a viewer feel
are all important subjects a color-
ist must understand and master.
By combining a knowledge of
color theory and aesthetics with
color science and new technology,
colorists can ensure that every
frame looks its best.
While usually hired during the
post-production process, color-
ists can also begin collaborating
with the director and DP during
pre-production and camera tests.
By working together closely early
on, DPs and colorists can create
a workflow that will retain the
integrity of the image from pro-duction to post. Camera
models like the RED DRAGON,
Alexa Mini, Sony FS7 and count-
less others have the capabil-
ity to record images in RAW or
LOG format, which mimics the
characteristics of a film negative.
This allows the DP to capture a
wide and dynamic range, giving
the colorist more latitude to work
with. It’s important to keep in
mind that a LOG image will ap-
pear milky and desaturated if the
proper LUT, or look-up table, isn’t
applied. A LUT is a mathematical
specification that takes the RGB
values of a flat LOG image and
transforms them into the proper
color space for specific displays.
Although camera manufacturers
provide LUTs for various models
and color spaces, a colorist can
create a custom LUT tailored to
both the camera model and the
stylistic choices the DP makes on
set. This custom LUT plays back
during production through on-set
monitors and is applied to edito-
rial proxies for post. This process
helps materialize the shared
vision of the DP and director
and creates the basis for further
experimentation on set.
By involving the colorist
early on, the production crew
can anticipate what is possible
in post, like the exposure range
needed for a day-for-night look,
for example. By establishing the
look of the film early on, colorists
can focus their time during postOUR COLOR-
IST is the most
elusive-yet-
integral member
of your post-
production team. Whether you’re
aware of it or not, color’s unique
essence directly influences our
emotional and psychological
states. From production design
to lighting, moviemakers use
color to forge deeper connections
with their audience. Directors
and cinematographers construct
a world through performance
and composition, and their color
choices express their films’ emo-
tion and tone. It’s the knowledge
of color theory and the technical
expertise of the colorist, however,
that elevates cinema’s palette to
a level that unearths the core of
cinematic stories.
Before the digital age, color
timers analyzed the film nega-
tive on a machine such as the
Hazeltine and adjusted the
amounts of red, green, and blue
light needed to print each scene.
Once these printer lights were
set, the lab would strike a printY
WAR PAINT: COLORIST
MILTON ADAMOU WAS TASKED
WITH GIVING THE BLACK-AND-
WHITE WORLD WAR II FOOTAGE
OF PETER JACKSON’S
THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD
A FRESH COAT OF COLOR