our grading process
We use davinci resolve as our tool of choice. it's the same program used to grade the vast majority of movies and big-budget ad spots in the world, hands down. if you want something to look not just "good," but high-end, more often than not, you will be working with a resolve colorist.
because the end-result speaks for itself with what resolve can do in the hands of an experienced colorist, filmmakers deem that the extra effort to transfer their sequence from another program's timeline, into a davinci resolve timeline, is well worth it.
that process is called, "conforming." see our faq's page for a deeper explanation, but all you need to know is that it can be quick and painless if planned for properly; with the editor and colorist in open communication.
once the picture-locked sequence has gone through a "frame accurate conform," having verified it against the offline reference provided by the editor, grading can begin.
Because we implement a proper, "color-managed workflow," we don't just start spinning dials. we make sure that your footage is properly converted from it's log format into the viewing color space it will be delivered in; and do an initial pass to color correct the footage.
Yes, there is a difference between "color correction," and "color grading." Color correction is the process of making your footage "viewable." it is a technical process. Color grading, on the other hand, is the process that uses color to enhance the story and bring out emotion. It is a creative process.
once our color correction pass is finished, we go through your edit and pick "hero" shots to base our look on. a hero shot is a single, still frame that best represents a clip, or group of clips.
out of an edit that has, say, a thousand shots, there may be only twenty different hero frames.
We then color grade the hero frames, and go back and forth with you, the client, until you are happy with the look.
Then, with the approved look, we take the time to do a final pass and apply the grades from the hero shots to the rest of the clips in the sequence; making specific clip adjustments so that the grade is customized for each shot.
good thing we only graded twenty, instead of a thousand, to start with! imagine if we graded all one thousand clips and had to change everything?!
not to worry, because you were brought in early, you already know what to expect from the look. once the final grade is done, we wait for your approval. It could be that some minor things need to be adjusted, since it's the first time you are watching your entire edit with a grade; or you might just be blown away by how drastically different your film looks... for the better!