From The Grading Room – Are We Sterilizing Images?

Congrats Dan on managing to keep quiet here! Tame Impala reference Vs. shot material: did they really mean it??
This reminds me Part 2 of Mailbag Ep.35 (http://bit.ly/2pSBu5q): Robbie’s way of dealing with the Matrix look (at 9:15) sounds the same as your ‘protesting V3’ aimed at answering the proposed reference… 😉

Congrats Dan on managing to keep quiet here! Tame Impala reference Vs. shot material: did they really mean it??
This reminds me Part 2 of Mailbag Ep.35 (http://bit.ly/2pSBu5q): Robbie’s way of dealing with the Matrix look (at 9:15) sounds the same as your ‘protesting V3’ aimed at answering the proposed reference… 😉

It’s interesting, I also get feedback like that all the time. The funny thing I find is that as colorists we would analyze the reference video compare it with the current grade and would come to a decision that tons of things need changing (a lot of which needed to be shot differently in the first place).

But very often the client might mean seomthing really tiny that they like in the reference video (and when I would ask them what was the particular thing they like about the ref video they normally wouldn’t know), and once you try and guess that tiny bit sometimes you can have a real home run when a super easy change just makes the grade perfect for them. It’s completely counter intuitive and the ref and the final grade still look completely different, but the client is suddenly super happy and your just absolutely baffled…

It’s interesting, I also get feedback like that all the time. The funny thing I find is that as colorists we would analyze the reference video compare it with the current grade and would come to a decision that tons of things need changing (a lot of which needed to be shot differently in the first place).

But very often the client might mean seomthing really tiny that they like in the reference video (and when I would ask them what was the particular thing they like about the ref video they normally wouldn’t know), and once you try and guess that tiny bit sometimes you can have a real home run when a super easy change just makes the grade perfect for them. It’s completely counter intuitive and the ref and the final grade still look completely different, but the client is suddenly super happy and your just absolutely baffled…

I think there’s a key reason why the band and their management get to provide input on the color grade yet the colorist doesn’t have input on the band’s sound or music: The band hired the colorist.

Think of the reverse scenario. If a filmmaker hires a musician or band to provide music or a score for the filmmaker’s project, it would be perfectly reasonable for the filmmaker to provide direction regarding the music, no?

I think there’s a key reason why the band and their management get to provide input on the color grade yet the colorist doesn’t have input on the band’s sound or music: The band hired the colorist.

Think of the reverse scenario. If a filmmaker hires a musician or band to provide music or a score for the filmmaker’s project, it would be perfectly reasonable for the filmmaker to provide direction regarding the music, no?