Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/786156
www.postmagazine.com 15 POST MEET THE COLORIST FEBRUARY 2017 we were mindful that the target audience would be familiar with the bolder look of some American dramas on Netflix, so we wanted to embrace that and avoid playing it safe." In your opinion, what natural skills do you think lend themselves to being a successful colorist in your field? "I'm not sure that I agree with the idea that some people naturally have an in- nate gift for grading. Like with anything, becoming a good colorist is all about practice and learning from mistakes and bad experiences. Certainly having an interest in film and visual art is pretty vital. Ideally, you would be creative, technical, and good with people." What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career as a colorist? "I would pass on the same advice that was given to me 15 years ago; if you know that it is what you want to do, then go for it because it's the best job in the world. If you have any doubt at all though, don't bother, as it can be a long and frustrating path before you finally get the opportuni- ties you want." Tell us about your DI suite and Baselight set-up? Can you tell us more about your collaborative process with the editorial and VFX teams at Molinare? "There are five grading suites at Molinare, and we move from suite to suite depend- ing on the project. There is a variety of room configurations — some with OLED monitors and a larger screen for clients, and theatres set up for projection. Then there is, of course, our 'Jack Cardiff' the- atre, which is quite an incredible space. It's the largest and most opulent grading theatre I've ever seen. All the Baselight systems are networked, so projects can be picked up in any room. We have a DI team as well, who handle a whole range of tasks, like conforming, VFX updates and deliverables. It's a very Baselight- centric facility, and becoming more so as we start to incorporate Baselight for Nuke with our VFX department, who we work with on a number of productions." What's your single most favorite thing about Baselight? "Well, I know it's an old one, but I love the Film Grade. It feels like such a natural and organic tool, and surprisingly I've not really seen anything like it in other grading systems. I have a feeling that Base Grade might take top honors once we move to version 5.0, though." Can you describe if/how Baselight increases your productivity and creativity? "Top of the list for me would have to be the developments around color man- agement with Truelight Color Spaces. If used correctly, I find that it can get you better-looking pictures with less effort. It almost feels like cheating, but it frees up more time to really finesse the grade. The Blackboard panel is incredibly well designed, and makes grading sessions more enjoyable and interactive for every- one as you spend less time looking at the GUI and more time looking at the image in front of you. I'm increasingly using Baselight to composite and carry out tasks that would've been considered VFX not that long ago." What are the current challenges in getting the look you want? "If the target look for the grade hasn't been considered from the point of shooting and lighting, then it will almost always be a struggle to make it work and feel natural. Problems with color management on-set and in the edit can also pose a challenge. It's not uncommon for a client to resist moving too far from what they're used to, and if, for example, they're used to LogC displayed directly on a monitor, then getting the contrast back in can be something they're uncom- fortable with." If you could have graded any movie/ commercial/TV episodic/music-video in your lifetime, what would it be? "Really hard to pick, but Bridge Of Spies is the best-looking film I've seen in years. Would've loved to sink my teeth into that one." What's next for you? "I'm still very much in the thick of it with a few projects at the moment, but I'm looking forward to Crackanory, which starts soon, as well as Waiting for Andre for Sky [part of Sky Arts 'Urban Myths' season — directed by Ben Palmer; shot by Pete Rowe]. Comedy is great fun to work on. There are also some really interesting feature documentaries with some returning directors, but you know what it's like — I'm not supposed to talk about these things." Fungus The Bogeyman Rodgers got a BAFTA nom for Fungus. Silent Witness