Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1504875
Zambrano CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 Union Made CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 52 C I N E M O N T A G E knows that I love to bake (and share it)! I once went on a mission to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there and must have tried 15 different recipes before landing on my favorite. (For those who are curious, it's the "Bingeing with Babish" recipe, closely followed by the LAUSD choc- olate chip cookie recipe, although that one might be influenced by nostalgia.) I also love to run! I'm a pretty active person in general. Q Favorite movie(s)? Why? Disney's "Tangled." I could watch it over and over and never get tired of it. I don't know exactly why, but the way that Rapun- zel and Flynn Rider's relationship develops over the course of the film is something that always struck me as just a good, humble, and engaging story. I'm a sucker for charac- ters that feel real, characters that convince you that, despite living in a world without magical hair and anthropomorphized an- imals, we can still relate to them and their journeys in some way. Q Favorite TV program(s)? Why? I am a huge fan of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." My sister and I used to watch the show together, and we still quote lines from it to each other all the time. No other show has gotten me to belly laugh so hard that I had to rewind it to make sure I didn't miss any of the plot. Q Do you have an industry mentor? I don't have a specific mentor by name, but I consider anyone who has ever taken the time to answer a question, offer advice, or lend a hand to be my mentor in some way. I have been extremely lucky in my career, and no part of it was earned by my hard work alone; it has been the amalgamation of different people taking a chance on me at different points in my career. It's some- thing I intend to pay back as my own career progresses. That being said, while I have the op- portunity to give shout-outs: John Roesch (for seeing in others what they fail to see in themselves), Becca Berry (for trusting me), Isabel Yanes (for the endless support), and Jeff Newman (for believing in me). Q What advice would you offer to some- one interested in pursuing your line of work? Be kind. Be humble. Be willing to learn. But overall, be kind. Q Was there ever a circumstance when you had to rely on the Guild for help or assistance? Luckily, no. But I'm confident that if I ever needed to, the Guild would be there to support me. Q Is there anything you'd like to say to your fellow Guild members, some words of encouragement? I'm very proud to be a union member, especially during a time when it seems like unions are more important than ever across the U.S. and the world. I look for- ward to being an active participant in our union and am always excited to meet fellow members. ■ Compiled by David Bruskin. had the Arri 16BL, so I sold myself as a DP. This afforded me the opportunity to quickly gather a lot of experience in the local indie film community. On what would be my last feature in Arizona, I met an actress, and, as one does, I followed her to Los Angeles. There, ready to be a big-time screen- writer and cinematographer, my ego met reality: I needed a "real" job. Through luck and a fortunate connection, I accepted a great job at P.O.P. Film where I learned to scan and record major motion pictures onto film. It was there that I discovered color grading. Trained by the best to use an eye loupe and lightbox to color match digital visual effects shots to prints from the lab, I began grading. Eventually, I became manag- er of that department, all the while grading more and more. This led me to recording out digital and HD features to film, beginning with Oliver Stone's "Comandante" (2003), a political documentary about Fidel Castro. The era of the Digital Intermediate (DI) came calling. The process was expensive and out of reach for many, so when I found myself out of work, I opened a DI house, Cranium Filmworks, to accommodate the indie market. I set out to bring the cost of DI's down to give everyone a chance at this revolutionary process. I had my successes, but the economy was crashing, and large studios were dipping their toes into my indie market. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I shut down my company and became a DI and re m a s te r i n g c o l o r i s t a t Wa r n e r B ro s. Motion Picture Imaging, which was my first union gig. This transition was pos- sible because of previous relationships, connections, and work experience that I had accumulated. After nine years at Warner Bros. and five at Paramount, I've had the opportunity to grade some renowned features, classics, a n d a n i m a t i o n . M y j o u r n e y h a s b e e n one of transition as I embraced the road that opened before me. I have found that through trust in the process, and through learning and being kind, it didn't matter if I had set out to be a director, DP, or colorist. The ongoing journey into an art form I love has been the reward. ■ Matt McFarland is a senior colorist with a diverse background who has color graded DIs and classic titles for Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures such as "Almost Famous," "Election," "Key Largo," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Storks," and "Blended." Matt can be reached at matt_ mcfarland@yahoo.com.