5 top tips to getting the grade you want


Tom Russell TV-Bay Magazine
Read ezine online

Generally speaking, a grade session can be broken down into two distinct parts - managing the people involved and managing the grade itself. As colourists, we know that unless both of these criteria are satisfied, it is likely that the client will walk away from the project unhappy and not return to us with the next job.

The first step is to manage the people who would be involved in the grading process. Most importantly, colourists would speak to the principle stakeholders involved in the production, whether it be a film or TV show. This would typically be the director of photography (DOP), director and producer in order to get a feel for the project and a good understanding of their creative vision. It's vital to involve these people as close to the beginning of the grading process as possible to ensure that the project will run smoothly.

To clearly articulate what the client is expecting the grade to look like, the colourists must be able to access how realistic their expectations are. To do this, usually several creative briefings or meetings are scheduled to plan the grading requirements but nowadays almost nothing is impossible in the post production world, given sufficient time and investment.

Usually clients will almost have a complete idea of what they want and it will be the colourists' job to make that vision a reality. A key tip to remember is to always remain positive with clients, even when you are saying no to them. This can be achieved by suggesting a different approach or methodology as this will lead them in a more appropriate direction as trying to move them from their main goal or vision can often fall on deaf ears.

Needless to say, most grading jobs will fall somewhere between where the client will have a strong idea about what they want and where the colourist has made suggestions to take the lead on the look of the film. Colourists must understand their clients and work together to achieve the ultimate goal of a perfect grade.

Having understood the client and the job, it's time to move on to the grade itself and managing time scales is the key to success. For most jobs resources are limited, therefore it is important to use the allotted time appropriately. There is no point having a perfectly graded first five minutes, if the subsequent 85 minutes are patchy and mismatched due to bad time management.

The client may be looking for a stylised look but it is really important as a colourist to get well-balanced images first, before adding the technical elements. A very moody or dark look may be very appealing to the client but when working with footage that includes actors, their features can be lost which can forfeit the purpose and drama of the whole production.

Below are five top tips to remember when grading:

1. Don't try to run before you walk when it comes to grading techniques

2. Be very wary of presets and 'looks' which will depend on the client's vision

3. Know the camera and let the photography do its job

4. Keep the grading simple before reaching for the bells and whistles

5. Remember that consistency is key

A last piece of advice would be to refresh yourself when working on a grade. This means coming out of the grade environment periodically to give your eyes a break. When you return, you can revaluate your work and this will give an indication as to whether you're on the right track and following the clients creative vision.


Tags: iss121 | grading | top tips | Tom Russell
Contributing Author Tom Russell

Read this article in the tv-bay digital magazine
Article Copyright tv-bay limited. All trademarks recognised.
Reproduction of the content strictly prohibited without written consent.
Related Interviews
  • AJA Video HDR Image Analyser 12G for the latest 4K/UltraHD HDR standards at ISE 2020

    AJA Video HDR Image Analyser 12G for the latest 4K/UltraHD HDR standards at ISE 2020

  • Davinci Resolve 14 with Fairlight from Blackmagic Design at NAB 2017

    Davinci Resolve 14 with Fairlight from Blackmagic Design at NAB 2017

  • Digital Vision on BroadcastShow LIVE at IBC 2013

    Digital Vision on BroadcastShow LIVE at IBC 2013

  • Cintel at IBC2011

    Cintel at IBC2011

  • Image Systems at IBC2011

    Image Systems at IBC2011

Related Shows
  • Bubble and Squeak: Live and Loud from Monday at IBC 2013

    Bubble and Squeak: Live and Loud from Monday at IBC 2013

Articles
Sennheiser MKE 400 hands on review and test
KitPlus

Sennheiser have just released two products aimed at simplifying audio on the move, the MKE400 shotgun microphone and the XS Lav Mic, in this review we’re looking at the MKE400.

Tags: sennheiser mke400 | sennheiser mke 400 | sennheiser mke 400 quality | best microphones for youtube | mic for youtube videos | sennheiser mke 400 hands on | microphone review | iphone videography | microphones | sound for video | camera microphone | microphone for iphone | microphone for youtube | video microphone | shotgun mics | smartphone microphone | vlogging mic | best microphone for video | shotgun microphone review | mke 400 | sennheiser mke 400 hands on review | sennheiser mke 400 test | KitPlus
Contributing Author KitPlus Click to read
A Broadcasters Guide to Microservices
Roger Persson

The word “microservices” has been creeping into the conversation about software-centric systems recently. Is it really a different approach, what does it mean, and what are the advantages?
Tags: nxt edition | microservices | modular software | Roger Persson
Contributing Author Roger Persson Click to read
Streaming Technologies Explained
Bruce Devlin - new

The word streaming can relate to different technologies from different manufacturers in different scenarios and in this short article we are going to take a little tour of what it all means. 
Tags: mr mxf | streaming | hls | dash | cmaf | mpeg | Bruce Devlin - new
Contributing Author Bruce Devlin - new Click to read
REVIEW - Hollyland MARS 400S PRO Digital Wireless Transmission System
Phil Vinter

Built by Hollyland and costing around £600 the Mars 400S is an easy-to-use wireless video transmitter/receiver system – it will be right up the alley of anyone who, like me, considers an instruction manual to be nothing more than box padding.

Read Phils Full review here, and link to the video review.
Tags: HOLLYLAND | MARS 400 | wireless | tx | rx | Phil Vinter
Contributing Author Phil Vinter Click to read
HOLLYLAND LARK 150 Review
Phil Vinter

The exponential growth of video supercharged a technological revolution that began in the early noughties with the advent of DSLR cameras.
The cinematic-style shallow depth of field image video quality from DSLRs was a revelation, but, back then audio was the big drawback. As demand has grown so the technology has improved and today’s one-man-band small rig set ups can capture pretty good sound into a DSLR style camera.

Phil Vinter reviews the latest release from HOLLYLAND and it's a thumbs up from us.
Tags: HOLLYLAND | radio mic | audio | LARK-150 | CVP | Phil Vinter
Contributing Author Phil Vinter Click to read
Total Articles: 1956 [1-50] 51-100 101-150 151-200 201-250 251-300 301-350 > >>
Blackmagic Design Hyperdeck Studio
Canford - Everything in pro audio, video and broadcast
LiveU 360
Mediaproxy
GV Media Universe
openGear Applications Guide
Dejero EnGo 260
Neumann NDH 20
PTZ SUPERJOY
Magewell SRT Solutions
Guntermann Drunck KVM