Thinking about Colour 24/7
I work from both larger facilities and my boutique London-based studio with Dolby-calibrated monitoring and real-time 4K+ playback. End-to-end SDR and HDR finishing workflows including conform, grading, online and delivery for cinema, broadcast and streaming platforms.
It would be fair to say that I was a little obsessed about colour and the moving image from a young age. I made 'movies' using a torch and tinted clear film for my own amusement, I'm not sure how long I did this for, probably to my parent's relief, until I got interested in music, photography and the outdoors.
After studying photography and design in Cape Town, I spent several years in London involved in colour restoration of fine art negatives and prints, through to producing colour work on fashion and natural history. This was punctuated by a period of working in Soho, London (in compositing and animation), as the digital age took hold on the moving image. This is where my eyes were opened to the opportunities of combining my love of working with photography and the moving image, with the emerging world of Digital Intermediates and Colour Grading, what could be a more perfect vocation?
So here I am now, creating what I hope is visual harmony for the silver screen, and some smaller screens too.
It's a privilege to do what I do, and I am very aware of how much work goes into producing a film: An army of creative people all gearing-up for that first screening, where all the hard work comes together and you all feel it was worth it. I have been incredibility fortunate to work on films which have gained multiple awards, and with artists who are globally respected for their dedication to the moving image, shown at the major Biennales and acquired by institutions such as The Tate, MoMA, Guggenheim and many more.
A final thought:
From the days of the Technicolor process to the modern blockbuster and everything in-between, great colour on screen is almost always planned. And while the digital age has made this process easier, it's no substitute for a good story and great photography. We often forget that some of the most celebrated films never touched the digital world, so it's easy to think of what happens in the studio, surrounded by monitors and control surfaces, is where it all happens, this is just where you get excited about it again.
