Chris attended my DaVinci Resolve R101 and R201 class in December 2012 hosted by the guys at the Manhattan Edit Workshop.
He introduced himself as a 10 year editor/finisher/colorist, a title I had never heard of before. He went on to explain that he would often undertake the grading as a separate pass, not being distracted by online fix ups titles VFX etc. The only problem was he was on an Avid Symphony, so felt very restricted with his grading, especially the creative side of his work.
This lead Chris and his fellow classmates to fly to LA a month later to take a special ‘Looks’ class with me at the ICA HQ in Burbank.
What were you doing before becoming a Colorist?
I started my professional career in Theater, work in a variety of capacities from Sound Mixer and Lighting Designer to eventually becoming a Theatrical Technical Director. While working for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company I got involved with an interesting video project filming and editing a webseries. We used Final Cut Pro 7 and Final Cut Server to manage the nearly one thousand hours of multi-camera footage of performances, rehearsals and interviews. It seams obvious but looking back working in theater definitely prepared me for working as a Colorist. It’s technical and its creative and requires attention to detail.
How did you get the job here at Final Frame Post?
Well, I heard there was one of those elusive full time colorists positions available via a forum so I applied. There was a few rounds of interviews first via phone then Skype then a final in person interview. One of the most important things I think I had was really good references. My references were from people that I have worked with, former Post Supervisors and Senior Producers with whom I have really good relationships with. Couple that with timing and luck and here I am working as a Colorist in a Grading Theater at Final Frame Post.
Well done, you a have a fantastic set up here. I noticed you are using a Nucoda Film Master, but my class was using Resolve?
Haha yes, well… it has taken me a few months to get used to the GUI and technical differences between Resolve and Nucoda. The tools we use as colorists are important and we all have opinions about which software’s and plug-ins work best for the job but what’s most important is giving the client a finished product that you are both happy with. Achieving that takes more then technical know how. It takes years of experience working with clients and the ability to understand what they would like to achieve. Your classes bring together a room full of experience from a variety of backgrounds and although you are teaching the technical ins and outs of DaVinci Resolve the environment you create fosters conversations that go way beyond that. That is probably why we all met up again in LA a month later.
How long are you on each movie? Is it a set time, do you just grade or do you get involved in the conform?
Each film has different budgets and needs so the scale is varied but generally 1 week for a film grading in P3 color space with an additional day scheduled for a trim Pass to Rec709. Yes I will do my own conforms. I always like to know how and figure out the best way. Codecs and software updates are constant so it’s important to keep up but if we are busy we have online conformists who will do the bulk of the work prepping the project and since we are a full finishing facility we have online editors who create the DCP and HDcam deliverables after the final grade is complete.
How did the ICA class help you secure this position?
Well, like I said earlier the networking and environment you create in your classes fostered conversations that allowed me to learn what other people are doing, how they are solving and trouble shooting problems, and kept me in contact with other industry professionals which have made me a better colorist. Plus, it has never hurt that since taking your class you’re always up for grabbing beer when your are in town, which over the past few years has given me a chance to pick your brain and learn from your vast knowledge and experience.
What are you working on at the moment?
‘The Erotic Fire of the Unattainable’ Directed by Emilia Ferreira Cinematography by Lisa Rinzler
Any advice for anybody considering an ICA class?
There is always room to better your craft so even if you have lots of experience there is a class for you. If you are new, do not fear, there is a lot to learn, even I feel as if I have only scratched the surface, there is a class for you that you will be able to understand at your level Warren is an excellent teacher. That’s my 5 star review.
