What to do if your client doesn’t trust any of your reference displays?

From The MailBag Episode 69

How To Handle A DP Or Client That Doesn’t Trust Any Monitor In The Facility?

To paraphrase J.R.R. Tolkien, as colorists we often hope that one day there will be ‘One monitor to rule them all’. Meaning wouldn’t it be great if everyone in the world viewed content on the same monitor so there was never any variance how content looks display to display.

This will probably never happen, and even if it did people would probably STILL perceive differences display to display! This week we got a question from Mixing Light member Charles who’s been wondering how to handle a DoP who finds problems with content on every display they look at:

We’ve had a DoP that’s been in our shop a lot who seemingly doesn’t trust any monitor in the facility.  He bounces from room to room checking out his content on each monitor in those rooms, and giving feedback and finding different things he’s unhappy with.  Is he just OCD? Is this something that you guys have faced?  All of the monitors match and all are in spec – .5 deltaE, so really well calibrated.  Any ideas on how to handle this situation?

-Charles

Charles – whatever you do don’t take Dan’s suggestion at the start of the MailBag to kill them!  He was joking (we think!) – you need happy clients.

We’re sorry that you’re going through this, its something that the three of us have experienced and have some opinions about. So, in this installment of From The Mailbag, we discuss the case of DoP who doesn’t trust/find problems with every monitor he or she looks at plus some related issues we’ve encountered over the years.

Have A Question For Team Mixing Light?

Remember, if you have questions that you’d like to get an opinion on please use the contact form.

Your questions can be aesthetic, technical or even client related. We’d love to hear from you, and your question might make future episodes of From The MailBag.

Enjoy the MailBag!

-Robbie