There
has been a major change in the digital video workflow; Adobe has created a
direct link from Premier to their new color grading program, SpeedGrade. This
has created new techniques and enabled faster workflows; now, you don’t have to
export and render every time you want to start color grading your video work.
This has inspired me to look back and examine how color grading used to be done
and how these new changes in the color workflow, and especially new cinema
looks, are changing every day in this digital age.
What
is interesting about the new digital workflow is that people are shooting their
footage according to logarithmic curves, or to put that simply, we’re shooting
the image as flat as possible in order to do the best color work in post. It
can be debated whether it’s the best way to shoot for color, but that isn’t the
focus of this blog. The point is that most of our “high-definition” cameras
natively shoot according to logarithmic curves, so that choice is being made
for us. The new black magic pocket camera, for example, shoots its raw footage
in an almost black and white looking picture so that it can later be color
graded with DaVinci. This style of shooting is causing issues though, mostly
with DP’s whose job it is to make the set and lights give the look that is
called for. Is this the best way to shoot now, though?
This
new style goes completely against 100 years of celluloid shooting where the
only color work you could do in post is to add red, green or blue to the entire
frame of film. I find that I like having the choice to either properly light
and color a set or to make a plan to shoot flat and color later. Though if 4K
and higher cameras keep being made the way they are, and RAW footage keeps acting
the way it does, that choice is being made for us. So, regardless, video
producers have to start thinking about algorithmic workflows. I found a great
video on Vimeo that covers most of the basics for those who want to know more
about digital color grading. http://vimeo.com/73746421
The
downside to this new age of coloring is that programs like SpeedGrade are
making it almost too easy to shoot a flat picture, apply a Lumetri look and
call that good filmmaking. I myself get caught in this trap of what appears to
be an easy way to professionally color film, but there’s no soul behind the
color scheme now. Don’t be surprised to find that more and more independent
films start looking the same because of the lazy way that coloring can be done.
I’m sure that lots of DP’s will agree with me that future generations must not
get used to lazily coloring their films, but that they use color to advance and
enhance the story they are trying to tell.
Our
fearless leader at EFillF, Eyal Filkovsky, is quickly becoming a noted colorist
and color grader in the local Colorado community. Having just finished work on
the short film, “Black Friday”, he got a firsthand look at the new color
workflow and has a natural talent for bringing the best picture he can. He provided
several insights into this blog and is available for all your coloring needs! Check out the coloring reel below.
Written By: Jeremy Hatfield
Associate Producer/Blogger
Edited By: Laura Ettinger
Public Relations
EFillF Productions, LLC
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