Developing a Career in Color Grading with Colorist Aurora Shannon

August 16, 2024

Company 3 Colorist Aurora Shannon shares practical advice from her career journey as an assistant and final colorist on top-tier shows.

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Series

From DI Assistant to Sought-After Colorist: A Conversation with Aurora Shannon, Company 3 Vancouver

Aurora Shannon, colorist at Company 3 Vancouver, is known for her impressive work on popular shows, including Sweet Magnolia and Under the Bridge. Aurora’s career journey spans several continents and includes incredible career opportunities with

  • Rob Pizzey
  • Stephen Nakamura
  • Stefan Sonnenfeld
  • Mitch Paulson
  • Adam Glassman
  • Greg Fisher
  • Paul Ennsby

As a result, the wealth of color grading knowledge she has to share is considerable!

In this detailed discussion, we unpacked her professional accomplishments, creative process, the technical aspects of color grading, and her approach to tackling long-form color grading.

Alongside her professional achievements, Aurora has an inspiring commitment to mentorship roles and giving back to the community. Her insights on carving a successful career in the industry offer valuable lessons for all aspiring colorists.

Colorist Aurora Shannon, Company 3 Vancouver

“The biggest challenge I had as a junior colorist, was I was used to having a client next to me, telling me what they wanted, validating what I had done.

But the moment I didn’t have that person next to me, I didn’t know what to do.

I’ve got an image, I’ve got the tools, how should it look? I don’t know. Does it match? Well, I think it does, it does on the waveform, but does it?

Is it good? No idea.

That was a lack of experience, right?

That was a lack of time in the chair, and specifically time in the chair alone. And that’s reason why I went into VFX grading, because I knew I was going to get that time. I was going to be forced to figure it out by myself.”

Colorist Aurora Shannon, Company 3 Vancouver

Key takeaways from this Insight

By the end of this Insight, you should understand that:

  • How to best sell your skills and shape your reel to get hired as an assistant colorist
  • Why the transition from working alone to working with a client in the room can bring challenges regarding time management and maintaining a focused environment.
  • The characteristics of a consistent process to manage complex, long-form projects and ensure an organized workflow.
  • Why training and working under more experienced professionals can greatly benefit your ability to learn important skills, including balancing, matching, consistency, and working to a brief.
  • How working under high-pressure situations, like completing projects in an extremely short amount of time, can be quite challenging but is valuable for growth.
  • To develop the skill set of an assistant colorist you should focus on technical aspects, such as balancing and matching, over creative vision, which can be developed over time.

Chapters

  • 00:00:00 – Discussion of the grades of Sweet Magnolias and Under the Bridge
  • 00:10:07 – Mentoring up-and-coming Assistant Colorists
  • 00:18:11 – Selling your practical skills and experience to get into the Industry
  • 00:46:34 – The Importance of mastering technical skills
  • 00:48:26 – The Value of learning from other colorists over freelancing
  • 00:52:24 – Why achieving perfect color separation is the foundation of Hollywood Looks
  • 00:57:37 – Techniques for using Nodes and Keys
  • 01:09:39 – The challenges and opportunities different projects present
  • 01:01:41 – Balancing creativity and technical considerations in grades
  • 01:14:20 – Taking time off for personal priorities

Questions or Comments? Leave a comment!

What was your journey like from assistant to colorist? What was the best career advice you received to unlock the next step? Need help moving up a level? Hit the comments and let us know!

– Kali

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Kali Bateman CSI
Insight # ML 1321
Type Video
Duration 86:14
Skill Level Beginner
Skills Business
Categories Attended Grading Business
Series Color Grading Interview Series

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