GRADING CRAFT


POST


ROSS BAKER


On a drama or feature doc, we tend to get involved before a single frame is shot. We would be in collaborative discussions with the DOP and Directors regarding the style and feel of the project. We will also discuss which cameras are being pitched to be used, what codec they will all shoot with and of course the lenses. All these factors need to be considered to ensure harmony in all the footage that comes back off set. After these discussions the DOP would shoot test footage with a proposed camera and lens configuration which would be sent to us. We’d then begin creating show LUTs for Dailies or Camera usage which will go through an approval process and travel through the life of the project, so it’s important we agree on all aspects of the show’s aesthetic.


We are influenced by what we take in consciously and subconsciously each day, whether that’ll be our surroundings or what we choose to watch and consume. I take lot of inspiration from the natural world and love to study how light falls and reflects on surfaces, objects and characters. I think regardless of the look you wish to


craft, understanding the way the light interacts in the environment will always help sell the look.


When you first start a grade in HDR you do have to take a different approach, there’s an excitement in the knowledge you have all this extra range to play with but it’s easy to fall into a trap of making things overly bright, excessively punchy with high contrast. What we do, however, is become much more mindful of the impact of the brighter elements and how they will affect the viewing experience. As colourists, we ensure that the desired visual impact is achieved regardless of the delivered dynamic range.


It is the added headroom in the highlights that I really enjoy with HDR. Having practical lights that are brighter than a character’s face makes the scene feel much more organic. As colourists we are always trying to replicate the natural separation in luminance throughout a scene, and HDR allows us to represent more accurately what the DoP crafted on set.


What makes a good grade is one of my favourite questions. A grade is all about your own perspective and interpretation. To me outlining ‘what a good grade is’ means to acknowledge a show’s complete consistency, clean shaping and manipulation of an image.


We are still seeing a big trend of colour separation with limited Colour selection. Which impactful and striking as this is, it can make a lot of shows look like each other. Another trend that I have seen recently is a softer roll off the bottom end, creating a softer shadow impression.


Colourists need meticulous attention to detail and a consistent approach, a thorough knowledge of how different cameras behave and look, along with an in-depth understanding of how to harmonise them all together. I had the pleasure to train and learn from some fantastic colourists, taking lessons and cues from their projects and looks. However, all of this doesn’t really matter, the essential role of a good colourist is to make it all match and create a product which everyone is happy to sign off.


Spring 2022 televisual.com 103


Molinare Inside No.9; The


Chelsea Detective; The World According to Jeff


Goldblum; The Surgeon’s Cut; Trigger Point;


Rules of the Game; The


Cockfields, Motherland; I, Sniper; American Monster


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