From “Picture Lock to Pristine Gem”: Color Grading Demystified

Have you ever shot a film and felt that the imagery doesn’t portray the mood or story you are really going for? Telling a compelling story with video is not just about stringing together movement and/or dialog in the edit bay. If you are wondering how to take your video to the next level visually, then come take a tour of a professional color grading studio. In the hands of a skilled colorist, there is a plethora of techniques available to manipulate the visual feel of video footage. Learning about these techniques will expand your options in post production and allow you to establish mood, manipulate audience focus, represent a sense of internal conflict, portray time-of-day or passage of time, allude to an environmental location, and even transport your audience to another country or historic period. In this tour we will familiarize you with the workflow of taking your film to a color grading session, terminology to help communicate with a colorist before and during a grade, and the ramifications of specific technical or visual issues you may come across while shooting or making editorial choices. Questions addressed include: What makes an image pop (contrast/saturation/brightness/black-level), when is basic “re-lighting” possible, how to describe looks/moods/metaphoric enhancements, what are the limitations of certain codecs, how to use video scopes to evaluate an image while on set, caveats of doing it yourself or using inexperienced colorists, and more. Address: Devlin Video International 1501 Broadway, Suite 408 (Between 43 and 44) Be prepared to show picture ID at the door. Cost: $10 for DFA members and Gibney class card holders $25 for non-members Sign Up to Attend: Our Partners: