There are lots of reasons to learn color grading – but many students want to make it their full-time job. So what does a colorist do and how do you become one?
This page covers
- The role and work of a colorist
- The path to becoming a colorist
- How to plan your color grading learning
- How to get work as a colorist
Jump to:
01.
What is the definition and role of a colorist?
What is a colorist and what do they do? A colorist or colourist is a professional that improves the look of video footage through color grading (also referred to as color correction).
The colorist in collaboration with the director and cinematographer is responsible for the overall ‘Look’ of the production. Does the movie want to have a cool horror type feel or a happy comedy look? The colorist is also responsible for balancing the different cameras, lighting conditions and problems that have arisen during the shoot. The role quite often involves bringing VFX into the project and over seeing the finishing of the film.
What is a colorist’s job? A colorist’s work might include
- correcting attributes like color balance, contrast, saturation, etc, or problems such as blemishes, wrinkles, dirt, etc – this is where the infamous phrase “fix it in post” comes from;
- producing a particular look or feel – like black and white, vintage, cold and suspenseful or warm and happy;
- changing appearance for practical reasons – such as making a daytime shoot look like night-time;
- matching footage from different cameras or takes;
The word colorist is also sometimes used for those who dye hair or for artists who add color to comics, while color grading can also apply to classifying diamonds, but this page and this site refers only to color grading film and video.
In film, colorists are part of the post-production process, usually after filming is complete and editing has begun. However, for the best outcome, a colorist is engaged from the start of a project. Skills that you learn in color grading training affect production the whole way through.
02.
What gets color graded and why?
When you think of color grading, you probably think of movies, documentaries or music videos, but in 2020, 99% of finished video content has had some sort of color correction applied. And in 2020, a lot of things are recorded for publication as videos. This means everything from adverts to wedding and event videos, education and training films, tutorials, to news reports, tv shows or standup comedy . This can be fixing a single drone shot in a YouTube clip or spending 3 months coloring a blockbuster movie where every frame is effected with multiply layers of correction. Some of the hardest things to film well – and so the things that most need color grading – include , extreme light or color conditions (such as night-time, underwater, neon or snowy landscapes), or filming done over a long period of time or on different machines.
If you are responsible for producing video content, you might be asking yourself ‘do I need to color grade my footage or hire a colorist to do so?’. The real question is ‘why do things get color graded?’. Reasons to apply color grading are that it
- professionalises: improves the polish and enhances the production value of footage. In the case of adverts, color grading is often what makes a product ‘pop’, look luxury, delicious, tactile, or standout.
- focuses: helps the viewer focus on what matters, without the distractions of lighting changes, blemishes or other mistakes
- communicates: just like body language says just as much as verbal communication, the colors and feel of a video tells the audience just as much as what is being shot. It gives us important context – indicating how we should feel about and what we should expect from a video
- can save time and money: if you are making a film or video content on a small budget – or a large one – there are many things it is cheaper to hire a colorist to fix than to try to shoot in reality, including special effects, specific times of day or lighting, or things that are difficult to light.
Not everything gets color graded by colorists – many professionals learn basic color grading skills as part of other jobs, and most video editing softwares (like iMovie, Adobe Premiere Pro CC, and Final Cut Pro) include some color correction/color grading tools.
03.
How do I become a colorist?
Step 1: learn the fundamentals
First of all, you need to learn the basics of color theory, color management and workflows. Second, you need to learn the technical skills of color grading – you might learn this in one specific software or across several. Finally, you will need to set up a workspace or color grading suite. This learning is not a finite course – a great attraction of a colorist’s job is that we keep learning and developing throughout our careers and there continue to be rapid advancements both in the film we work on and the technology we use to do so. See our fundamentals course path.
Step 2: practice and build a portfolio
Once you have some grading skills, you will want to put them into practice. To do this you need practice footage – which you can download, but you can also work on some initial projects for free to start building up a portfolio. This might include volunteering your skills to not-for-profits or community organizations, or working with other creatives on low budget projects such as student films, amateur music videos or footage you shoot yourself.
Step 3: pitch and collaborate
When you are confident in your ability and have a showreel to back up your work you can start to pitch yourself as a colorist. It is always hard to break into a new industry and color grading is no different to any other. At first, you may want to take any available work for experience and variety. One of the best ways of getting work is to partner with a director or DP on a short film for example. If the collaboration works, then crews tend to stay together. Eventually, you may decide that you want to specialize – for example that you want to become a film colorist in Hollywood, or that you want to work inhouse for an advertising or event company.
04.
How do I learn color grading?
There is no universal course or qualification for color grading, however many credible colorist academies offer a series of classes that combine to cover the fundamentals, and then continue to train and upskill colorists throughout their career. For more information on building a course of classes tailored to your needs, read up on our classes here or contact us for a personal recommendation.
Your path to learning how to grade will depend on your purpose. You can learn a lot from independent research, but it is a complex and varied subject. Most softwares include free educational content and tutorials to help you get started, and you can learn individual tips and tricks online. For more free resources on how to color grade, see our blog including articles, videos and podcasts on color grading basics and techniques.
These will give you part of the picture. The best way to learn is to work alongside an established senior colorist as an assistant or junior colorist. However, positions like this are hard to find. The next best option is to take a fundamentals class from an experienced and credible working colorist: this will jumpstart your knowledge to get you started on the right path and help build the foundation for the rest of your career. But it will also put you in contact with other colorists, aspiring colorists, or industry professionals so that you can keep learning from each other. A good class will have a trainer that is invested in being a mentor and providing ongoing support as well.
05.
What qualifications does a colorist need?
Like all jobs in the film industry, you do not need a degree to progress. In fact, there is no degree or equivalent qualification that certifies a colorist. What you do need is the skillset, demonstrable working experience, and referrals/reputation.
The skills can be learnt through independent learning, apprenticeship, or accelerated through training. In addition to, or in lieu of an apprenticeship, Structured short-form training mixed with real world experience is the best way to become qualified. All our classes are certified: our certificates are industry-recognized and a strong addition to a colorist’s CV at any level and we keep a searchable, up-to-date database of certified students online for potential clients to browse.
Demonstrable working experience and your reputation is built up through your portfolio of work, via showreels, IMDb page, and testimonials from previous clients.
06.
Do I need to take a color grading class? Who takes color grading classes? Is color grading training right for me?
Color grading classes are not just for colourists. In fact, many of our students are directors, film editors, cinematographers / videographers and cameramen, audio engineers, vloggers, YouTubers and influencers, film students, restoration engineers and even video club hobbyists – everyone who deals with video content regularly has things they need to know about how to prepare, handle or manage footage.
People all over the world who create video content, from wedding photographers, to dive shops to music videos come to us to learn the fundamentals and make their jobs easier. Major streaming and content platforms like Netflix, Prime and Apple TV often arrange for group training for employees, as do film studios, national archives, broadcasters, and post-production houses. And colorists that have years of experience take classes to bounce ideas off peers, stay fresh, upskill, or stay abreast of new technology. See classes by job role.
However, it is not necessary to take a color grading class to become a colorist – many colorists are self-taught and have worked their way to the top with hard work and dedication. An ICA class will accelerate the learning process and the friends you make during your classes will in some cases open doors to future projects.
07.
How do I decide what color grading class to take (next)? How do I compare color grading classes?
I.
First, find an academy or trainer that has industry recognition and good reviews. Look for benefits you will get from their class including:
- Small class sizes: this is important because interactive and collaborative learning is crucial to robust learning, but also because a class often offers new peers and mentors that you will stay in touch with for life – and this group learning is only possible with limited class sizes.
- Guaranteed one-on-one instruction: this is key for retention and to address any questions you might have when going through the process in the class. It’s really important that the course includes the opportunity and the time to speak to the instructor directly so that you come away feeling truly comfortable with your new knowledge. It is also a good indicator that classes are individualised and tailored to attendees.
- Industry experience: unfortunately, anyone can set themselves up as a color grading teacher. Many look extremely professional with glossy videos and clickbait content. But you are not paying for packaging. Instead, it is best to learn from working colorists who have a list of credible projects they have worked on in addition to their training skills. This is important for several reason:
- It means what you are learning is based on real-world use and works
- It means what you are learning has been road-tested and improved on over time
- It means what you are learning is up-to-date and draws on current information and trends
- It means your instructor can teach you not only theory and hard skills, but also tips and tricks, customer and project management experience and other aspects of actually working the job. This can make all the difference to your confidence as you take your new skills out into the world solo.
All ICA trainers are also working colorists. You can see their credentials on our instructor pages.
- Quality partnerships: credible academies or trainers should be endorsed by or work with major industry manufacturers. They should ideally offer a range of softwares, so that they are not biased towards one manufacturer, but it is a good sign if they have close connections with major players as this will mean they are up-to-date with recent and upcoming updates and may even be involved in development as beta testers. All our instructors have close partnerships with a major manufacturer and you can see a list of our sponsors here.
- Certification: It is an added benefit to be able to add a qualification from a course to your c.v.. However, any class can technically offer a certificate of completion. But it is worthwhile reviewing who else in the industry holds the certificates and publicly includes them on their profile. You can see a list of ICA students on our database and mention your certificate on your LinkedIn once you have completed one of our courses.
- Career benefits: it is worth considering how a class can help your career in addition to any new skills learned. Will you make connections that will be useful to you? Will potential clients recognise and value your certification? For example, we put all ICA students on a public database that can be searched by clients looking for qualified colorists, which can help your next job find you.
- Other added benefits: consider if there are any additional benefits that might make one class more useful to you than another. For example, all ICA students are entitled to become free lifetime members on completion of a class – and this in turn gives you access to industry discounts with major manufacturers, as well as occasional discounts or first-dibs on upcoming classes and events.
- Pricing: of course, the right color grading class must also be within your budget and the cost must be a worthwhile investment. This is hard to judge, but consider the 7 steps above, as well as the duration of the class – this will give you a good indication of how in-depth the class will be on your chosen topic. Finally, review what other students have said to see whether the class will be worth your time and money.
II.
Once you find an academy or instructor that offers these benefits and meets your criteria, you need to find the right class. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you looking for a physical class or an online class? In-person classes benefits include better networking and suit some learning styles better. However, online classes offer more flexible learning, can be taken from anywhere at any time, have no travel costs, and may be your only safe option in the current environment. Our online classes take place in virtual grading suites so students still get the full hands-on experience.
- Are you looking to improve your general or theoretical knowledge or to acquire a specific skill?
- What is the optimal new skill that will make the biggest difference to your day-to-day working or to your next pitch?
- Do you want to learn on a specific software or to be software-agnostic?
You can view our classes by topic, job role, software, and difficulty level, as well as instructor and duration.
For example, we run classes on color grading skills (both software-agnostic classes that apply no matter what technology you are using, and classes on how to use specific software including Baselight, Mistika, Nucoda, and Da Vinci Resolve), color theory, color management, digital workflows, editing, sound, VFX (visual effects), and on the preservation and restoration of film.
We have fundamental, intermediate, and advanced classes – these don’t necessarily mean that you are a beginner or an experienced professional they refer to how far along you are in your knowledge of that particular skill. We have many experienced professionals take fundamental classes to expand their skills into a new area, undergo a refresher course for a skill they haven’t used in a while, or simply approach an old skill in a new way for fresh inspiration.
It all starts with your next challenge – you may need to learn or get more proficient with a particular software because you want to pitch your services to a new client, or you may not be a colorist but in another creative field and want to take a generic color class to learn about the theory of color rather than the application.
If you are not sure which class to take next, just contact us to discuss your needs.
08.
When does a colorist get involved in a film?
Perhaps you’ve garnered your colorist skills and are ready for your first job, or maybe you are looking to hire your first colorist. So at what point in typical filmmaking process does this happen?
Ideally a colorist is involved in a film from the pre-production stage: this means you are involved in the initial meetings with the DP, director and production designer, to discuss color pallets, workflows, VFX, etc. This has several benefits: it means everyone has a clear, aligned vision for the film from the outset. But it can also save time and money as the colorist can advise on the best approach to realise an effect or vision for the film.
However, on smaller and lower budget projects, like indie films, it can often be the case that the search for a colorist only starts once the editing has began. See more on how long it takes to grade a film or a show.
09.
How do I get work as a colorist?
Ok, so you are ready to start looking for colorist jobs and now you are looking for tips for working as a colorist. There are two main routes for a colorist: freelancing (securing project work) or taking a color grading position at a company. The later is often the best place to start for newer colorists until you get some experience, examples of your work, and industry connections – it’s also how you would work up to being a Hollywood colorist, if that’s your goal. If you decide to freelance, you will likely be working internationally and may need to travel to the work. You will also need to set up your own grading suite or have access to one.
Once you have a good showreel, and a website or Vimeo/Youtube page showcasing your work, you can contact post-production companies and offer your services. In this respect, color grading is like any other job in the industry – you have to knock on a lot of doors and write lots of letters. For real life examples of colorists and the wide variety of things they work on, listen to our Color Tour podcast where we speak to working colorists and hear all about their jobs. We also offer classes on the working and career sides of being a colorist, which may give you a clearer foundation and confidence to embark on your own.