Interview with Colorist Billy Hobson from Harbor Picture Company

A conversation about collaboration, mentorship, and serving the story

In this interview, senior colorist Billy Hobson from Harbor shares his experiences grading across feature film, documentary, and commercials. He covers why collaboration and workflow mastery are essential, and how mentorship and the right tools shape a colorist’s growth.

When speaking with Billy, you get a glimpse of what it must be like to be a client in one of his color sessions. He’s charming, well-spoken, funny—an absolute delight. It’s clear he’s one of those colorists who isn’t just technically and creatively experienced, but also possesses that extra magic quality of natural people skills that the best colorists use to run a room with everyone on the same page, moving on schedule, and with a sense that they’re in safe hands.

Billy’s portfolio is remarkably diverse, spanning everything from The Peanut Butter Falcon to Venom, from Super Bowl commercials to music videos. What stands out isn’t just the range—it’s the consistent quality and the clear sense that every project, regardless of format, receives the same thoughtful approach to storytelling through color.

Key takeaways from this Insight

In this interview, you should learn:

External Links

Related Mixing Light Insights

Questions or comments? Leave a comment!

Did you enjoy this conversation? Let me know! Did I miss a question you wish I asked? Please drop me a comment so I can stay in sync with what Mixing Light members want to learn.

– Kali

Digging Deeeper into This Insight

Finding Your Style Across Formats

What becomes clear early in the conversation is Billy’s thoughtful approach to different types of projects. Whether it’s the elevated naturalism of The Peanut Butter Falcon or the heavily stylized VFX work on Venom, he starts every project asking the same fundamental questions: What’s the story trying to convey? What’s the subject? How will color—whether invisible or visible—serve as a character in telling that story?

For narrative work set in reality, like The Peanut Butter Falcon, the approach leans toward elevated naturalism. The film takes place in the Outer Banks on the US East Coast, where the summers are hot, muggy, and dense. That atmospheric quality became the foundation for the look—muted pastels, soft contrasts, and a sense of place that feels lived-in rather than polished. The goal was to let the performances breathe while maintaining a consistent visual language throughout.

But Billy’s work isn’t limited to naturalistic approaches. The key is understanding what each image wants to be and finding that “pocket” where it feels right. Push too far in either direction, and something feels off. This intuitive sense of balance comes from experience, but also from a willingness to experiment and trust your instincts.

Navigating VFX-Heavy Workflows

When we discuss his work on Venom, a different set of challenges emerges. VFX-heavy projects require close collaboration with visual effects teams, often involving multiple rounds of shots coming in at different stages. The grade needs to accommodate changes while maintaining consistency across practical photography and digital elements.

These types of projects demand:

The technical demands are significant, but Billy emphasizes that the fundamental goal remains the same: serving the story. Even in a superhero film with extensive digital effects, color choices should support the narrative and emotional beats, rather than just showcasing technical capability.

The Baselight Philosophy

Billy has worked exclusively in Baselight throughout his career, and his enthusiasm for the platform is evident. What draws him to it isn’t just the technical capabilities—though those are considerable—but the way it encourages a certain approach to grading.

Baselight’s Base Grade tool, in particular, has transformed how many colorists work. Rather than building up complex node trees, Base Grade provides intuitive controls that naturally balance shots. The dim/dark and light/bright zonal controls make HDR grading more approachable, while tools like Texture Highlights and Texture Equaliser offer creative options that would require multiple nodes in other systems.

Here’s what makes Baselight particularly powerful for Billy’s workflow:

That said, Billy acknowledges that every platform has its strengths. The key is mastering your chosen tools well enough that they become transparent—you’re thinking about the image, not the software.

Learning from Mentors: The Yvan Lucas Legacy

One of the most valuable aspects of Billy’s career has been the mentorship he received from Yvan Lucas at Company 3. Coming up under an experienced colorist provides insights that can’t be learned from tutorials or manuals alone.

Working alongside Yvan taught Billy not just technical skills, but how to think about images, how to run a room, and how to collaborate effectively with clients. These “soft skills” are often undervalued in discussions about color grading, but they’re what separate competent technicians from sought-after collaborators.

What makes mentorship so powerful:

Even now, years into his career as a senior colorist, Billy considers Yvan a mentor. That relationship doesn’t end when you reach a certain skill level—the best mentors continue to influence how you approach your work long after you’ve stopped working directly with them.

Becoming the Mentor

We also discuss Billy’s transition into mentoring others. It’s a natural evolution for senior colorists, and one that benefits everyone involved. Teaching forces you to articulate why you make certain decisions, which often clarifies your own thinking. And helping someone else grow in their career provides its own satisfaction beyond the work itself.

For those aspiring to work at Billy’s level, his advice is straightforward:

• Master your tools completely—know them well enough that they become invisible.
• Focus on storytelling first, technical execution second.
• Build genuine relationships with clients and collaborators.
• Stay curious about new techniques and approaches.
• Find mentors who can guide your development.

Commercial vs. Long-Form: Different Mindsets

The differences between grading commercials and long-form content go beyond just duration. Each format demands a distinct mindset and workflow approach.

Commercial Work:

Billy describes the commercial process as having more room for “Jackson Pollock moments”—throwing paint at the canvas to see what sticks. You might try halation here, some grain there, push saturation in unexpected ways. When you have creative license, the experimentation can be exhilarating.

Long-Form Narrative:

For features, Billy often starts by watching material with a LUT applied, just getting a feel for what’s on screen. He looks for that intuitive sense of where each image wants to sit. The inspiration images are valuable, but you’re ultimately translating the vision to what was actually shot. Finding that translation—giving a flavor of the references without forcing footage into something it’s not—is where the art lives.

Managing Client Expectations and Feedback

One of the most insightful parts of our conversation involves client dynamics. Billy shares a perspective that many colorists can relate to: filmmaking is a miracle, and by the time projects reach the color suite, everyone involved has been living with them for months or years.

When directors or producers walk into your suite, they’re carrying:

Meanwhile, you’re seeing the project with fresh eyes. That can be both a gift and a challenge. Your perspective is valuable precisely because it’s new, but you also need to understand that changes to the imagery can feel destabilizing to someone who has been with the project from its inception.

Effective client management involves:

Sometimes, a client will return the next day wanting to see where you were yesterday. It’s not that your work wasn’t good—it’s that they needed overnight to catch up to the new vision you introduced. That’s normal and healthy. The color suite is where many creative decisions finally crystallize, and that process isn’t always linear.

Thoughts on Facility Life vs. Freelancing

While Billy has primarily worked within facilities like Harbor Picture Company, we discuss the broader question of facility life versus freelancing. Each path has distinct advantages and challenges.

Facility Benefits:

Freelance Appeal:

Billy’s experience within facilities has provided mentorship opportunities, exposure to major projects, and the support system that makes high-level work possible. The infrastructure—from color-accurate monitoring to rendering farms to technical support—removes barriers that freelancers must handle themselves.

Advice for Aspiring Colorists

When discussing what helped him succeed, Billy emphasizes several themes that resonate throughout our conversation: