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"trifecta" with the colorist and DP, Smith be- lieves that Klein knows his aesthetic so well that he has no problem having Klein act as "his eyes" in sessions, according to Cole. Red State not only went outside the box of Smith's typical films, it was the first one shot digitally, Cole reports."Dave used a Red and Canon 7Ds for in-your-face shots that help set up the mood of unease in the sec- ond and third acts." Company 3 already had a well-estab- lished Red and Canon 7D workflow, but Cole and Klein partnered early to get pre- pared for the shoot. For example, a test was shot in a car interior, which led to discus- sions of not only lighting and exposure but also camera choices, Cole recalls. "Once Dave got on the set it wasn't exactly guer- rilla filmmaking, but he had to be able to hit the ground running." Klein pulled scenes from Red State for Cole while he was still shooting. Cole took R3D files into his Autodesk Lustre system and began grading to give the DP a reference for how to approach the scenes still to be shot. Cole wrote some plug-ins for Lustre for VFX that he and Klein thought would work well in the feature; director Smith indepen- dently was thinking along the same lines of the effects they devised."We wanted to do a weird kind of motion effect on the cam- era, to make it jitter around and unnerve viewers but remain stable in certain parts of the film," Cole explains."There were some 12-minute hand-held takes in the film, and Dave was also the camera operator.When these long takes were intercut, the software allowed us to enhance the natural move- shot.A shorthand evolves." Cole has been using Lustre since it hit the market. "Most color correctors are good packages up to a certain level, then it's a mat- ter of the person driving it," he says."But Lus- tre's software lets me keep my eyes on the image. I don't have to look at GUI displays. When you don't get that kind of response from the gear,when you have to keep looking at menus and buttons, it distances you from the film."The ability to write plug-ins for Lus- tre, as he did for Red State, is also a plus. Cole says the turnaround time for Red State from shoot to finished product was about three-and-a-half months."Kevin was cutting as he went along, and I was develop- ing looks in production. At wrap Kevin was able to show a version of the movie and shortly thereafter we completed the final version," he reports. Early testing with Klein and constant com- munication with the DP helped to speed post, as well."Having a relationship where you can finish each other's thoughts visually is a major asset," says Cole."The colorist and cinematographer can act as one unit." Editor's Note: At press time,Technicolor an- nounced the purchase of LaserPacific. YOU, ME & THE CIRCUS As cinematographers who met while studying at AFI, Dominique Martinez and Sal- vador Lleo had a unique perspective on the post business when they opened In a Place Post (www.inaplaceproductions.com) in Hol- lywood three years ago.The boutique envi- ronment offers a Quantel Pablo for DI and color correction; it's manned by lead colorists Milton Adamou and Bob Curreri. "Cinematographers and col- orists come from a very technical but also very artistic field," says Martinez. "Many DPs come here specially to work with Milton and Bob.They have established a rap- port with them from previous work they did together," just as Martinez and Lleo had. The couple, who also own In a : Frequent collaborators DP David Klein and LaserPacific's Dave Cole teamed up once again. ment of the hand-held action." It's customary for Klein to give Cole a few days alone as post begins, then they "work hand-in-hand shaping the movie and getting it where it needs to be," says Cole. "It's really good when you have a relation- ship with the DP.You don't even have to talk half the time to know what's effective in a Place Productions, a production and rental company, are still active shooters. Martinez lensed the inde- pendent feature musical You, Me & The Circus last year, primarily on Red, and considered herself "lucky to have a post bou- tique in [her] back pocket.We were shooting so fast and on an indie budget. Every circus number went into post with its own color card. Bob [Curreri] was on the same page Collaborating for HBO's 'Hung' HOLLYWOOD— When a cinematographer and colorist have a rela- tionship that lasts for many years, across a number of projects, com- munication between them can almost transcend words.This is the case with Uta Briesewitz and colorist Pankaj Bajpai of Encore, here. Bajpai first worked with Briesewitz on HBO's The Wire and the two spent many hours together fine-tuning her imagery on that series, a number of pilots and, since its 2009 premiere,HBO's Hung. "Having a strong working relationship with a color timer is price- less," Briesewitz says."It can be crucial because, in the end,so much of that work is subjective. I can write or speak to a colorist as much as I want and tell him I would like everything to be 'more blue' or 'colder.' I can use all kinds of words. I can say 'on a scale of one to ten, I want the blue to be a ten,' but my ten isn't necessarily his ten." On all her projects, Briesewitz makes a point to try to sit in on grading sessions as much as possible, and it is in part through such interactivity that she has come to know that the colorist and she are really on the same wavelength."It's like you connect with the cinematographer," Bajpai offers."It may sound 'new-agey,' but you actually connect with the creative vibration in the room — and what separates one colorist from the other has a lot to do with how they respond to that creative vibration." Bajpai says the notes he'll get from cinematographers can be very abstract.These people are, he points out, visual artists first and fore- most. Citing an example that didn't come from Briesewitz,he recalls, "I've had someone say,'I want this to feel like a daffodil in a B&W field.' Of course, there's no B&W field and there's no daffodil.The scene might be of a gritty alley somewhere. I've been asked to make something look like an old, faded leather chair. Briesewitz describes the look she creates on Hung:"It's a com- edy and I like to have an appealing, attractive look. I like the colors to be nicely saturated with a good, solid contrast. But sometimes there are more serious, dark moments and then HBO allows me to light in a more atmospheric way." For Briesewitz, the process of conveying ideas such as those are always more rewarding when working with a simpatico colorist like Bajpai."Early in my career," she recalls,"I worked with some col- orists, and it was really a struggle.They didn't understand.But when I'm with someone who can totally grasp what I mean, it's wonderful." www.postmagazine.com August 2011 • Post 23 continued on page 46 Red State