Important Grade

Rediscover The Basics – Preparing For An Important Grade

February 25, 2015

You've landed the grade of your career, what happens next? Dan shares his preparation when a big job arrives for him to grade


Series

How do you prepare for the ‘Big Break’ color grading session?

I think we have all been in situations where a job arrives in the door that makes your jaw drop.

A phrase I would use is that it “feels above your pay grade” and you get the instant feeling of

“They really want me to grade this?”

They good news is that feeling of fear and excitement never goes away and it’s something that I’ve come to enjoy. It makes me feel like a rockstar musician about to go on stage and play the gig of a lifetime.

In a sense it’s actually quite similar to a band playing their first big gig… except we do it in the dark and without the room full of screaming fans.

These big jobs are the ones we aim for when we slave away for hours doing favours and freebies on in hope of getting an opportunity like this.

The scary thing is our performance on the day of the big grade can either make or break us.

The inspiration for this insight is quite close to my heart.

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Comments

Homepage Forums Rediscover The Basics – Preparing For An Important Grade

  • great insight! gonna be thinking about these….

  • Bring back the Mohawk!

  • Dan, please tell me you were into punk 😀 Come to Slam Dunk festival man 😀 Great post by the way!


  • Greyson A
    Member

    Great post Dan. Your comments about impressions and atmosphere are spot-on. In the past I have always graded my own projects, but have just recently begun grading for clients. Unfortunately, my color suite is located in the only place I can manage: my apartment. I have a Flanders DM250, Ideal-Lume light, and a neutral gray backdrop, so the technical setup is decent. While everything works perfectly well, it certainly does not look good. What would you suggest to someone who is unable to access a dedicated office space/suite and has clients who want to do sit-in sessions?

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