Uncut Gems is the latest movie from directing duo, the Safdie Brothers. The movie tells the story of a charismatic New York City jeweller and gambler (Adam Sandler), and is set in the diamond industry of New York. So it is appropriate that the colour palette was created at The Mill NY by colourist and director of DI, Damien Van Der Cruyssen.

Van Der Cruyssen collaborated closely with cinematographer Darius Khondji, as well as the Safdie Brothers, all of whom he had worked with previously on the Jay-Z video for Mercy Me. “At that point I got a good understanding of their relationships and how I could fit into the equation.”

Visually, Uncut Gems has a classic New York City look, but with a modern twist. “The Diamond District hasn’t changed much over the last forty years, so it automatically had that 70’s ‘noir’ feel,” commented Van Der Cruyssen. “But we wanted to break away from the steely, gritty New York to a more real-life aesthetic – less forced and contrived.”

Around half of the movie was shot on 35mm film to give it a more natural look, which meant Van Der Cruyssen had to treat the digital footage to match. “Marrying the film footage with the digital scenes was quite challenging,” he explained. “So I asked the crew to shoot some grain elements that could be overlaid in Baselight and adjusted per scene.”

One of the most awaited drama series of 2019, His Dark Materials, produced by Bad Wolf for BBC and HBO, was finished at Technicolor in London. With a story set in a parallel universe that seems like the Britain of a century ago, and with fantastic elements such as giant armoured polar bears and ever-present “daemons” – animal representations of the human soul – the production is a tour de force of visual effects, and therefore somewhat demanding of the colourist, Jean-Clément Soret.

“Over the eight episodes of series one there were four directors and DoPs,” Soret explained. “Justin Brown was DoP for the first two episodes, and I had worked with him a lot in the past on commercials so we had a strong understanding of where we wanted to go. I was really happy to be able to collaborate with him again.

“Justin shot some tests – with the real locations, actors and costumes – in both 35mm and digital,” he continued. “It always surprises me how different film looks! What the tests did was allow us to create a core feel. The decision was also made to add a bit of subtle film grain throughout the episodes. The Technicolor colour science team in LA then created a LUT for Baselight, which gave us that same film feel with the digital footage.”

One of the challenges of the story – based on a trilogy of novels from Philip Pullman – is that each human character has a daemon, and humans are rarely seen on screen without their daemons around them. That meant a large number of VFX shots to insert the CGI daemons. “I found that when it came to the integration of the VFX, contrast and colour was key. The film LUT, together with the control of sharpness and softness from Baselight, was a great help.”

The first series – based on Northern Lights, the opening novel of the trilogy – moves from an Oxford college bathed in warm sunshine to “The North”, Pullman’s name for the Arctic, where the first battles take place. “We may have set the feel in the first episode, but the story develops through different worlds and different eras, so the grade naturally develops,” Soret said.

“With different directors and DoPs across the series, the colourist has to provide the backbone of the look, to create consistency while respecting each cinematographer,” he added. “Baselight allowed me to set the key looks then develop them naturally, freeing me from a constrained palette and allowing us to create a convincing visualisation of this rich and complex story.”

As well as remarkable creative control, the Baselight grading facilities at Technicolor also provided critical support in the workflow, by giving free access to all the raw footage from the series as well as the VFX shots as they developed. The practicalities of creating eight hours of premium drama in a television timescale meant that grading on specific episodes took place when directors and DoPs were available for supervision. That meant that Jean-Clément Soret could be working on three or four episodes at any one time.

The result is an engaging, enthralling drama that looks ravishing and chilling in turn. This first series is broadcast on BBC1 and HBO in November and December, while the second series is already in production.

Color Finale (www.colorfinale.com), the highly popular macOS-only colour grading plug-in for Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) from UK company ColorTrix, has been superseded by Color Finale 2 and Color Finale 2 Pro.

The new Color Finale 2 toolset adds a host of new color grading and image processing tools above the standard color grading tools that ship with FCPX, and has been specifically designed to remove the need for Editors to move themselves and their content to an external dedicated colour grading system.

Key new Color Finale 2 features include:

• Masking – shape based and free form keying for selective color grading

• Area Tracker – track masks on moving picture elements

• Film Emulation Tools – add customizable digital grain

• Shot Matching toolset – semi-automate primary color correction for shot matching

• LUT Manager – auto-locate, live preview, and export of LUTs and Presets

• Modern Sharpening algorithm – enhance perception of focus in soft areas of shots

• Video Analysis Tools – locate and correct technical image anomalies

Color Finale 2 for Mac ($99) and Color Finale 2 Pro for Mac ($149) are available to purchase now from www.colorfinale.com

Independent London post house Directors Cut Films – owned and operated by its creative staff – has invested in a Baselight TWO colour grading workstation with a Blackboard 2 control panel. Directors Cut works primarily in premium long-form television, as well as drama series, documentaries and feature films, with increasing interest in 4K and HDR.

“Being owned and run by ex-editors, we know what is required to meet and exceed expectations in post,” said Senior Colourist Andy Elliott. “We felt it was the right time to invest and embrace HDR and 4K workflows. HDR in particular produces much more of a positive visual impact, with real benefits in the immersive experience for the viewer.”

Leading broadcasters and production companies in the UK routinely turn to Directors Cut to finish major projects. While the work includes major dramas and some feature films, the company has a reputation for long form TV, especially documentaries. Recent projects graded by Elliott include biographies of Cher and Elton John, an investigation of the Bauhaus for BBC4, and Sir David Attenborough’s call to action Climate Change: The Facts.

Elliott pointed out that such programmes frequently bring together footage shot on multiple different cameras and formats, often in less than ideal circumstances. The task for the colourist is to integrate all of the footage as well as create a coherent look that reflects the story the director wishes to tell. That makes the speed and power of the upgraded Baselight suite an important asset.

At Inter BEE, the FilmLight presence will be led by Koichi Matsui, General Manager of FilmLight KK, along with Yoko Kimura, newly appointed sales and product specialist. “FilmLight is one of the world’s leading companies for production and post production technology,” said Koichi Matsui “Yoko’s recent appointment underlines this region’s importance to us, and is a clear indication of the support we are giving to our existing and future customers in Japan.”

Top end post-production is placing ever-more stringent technical demands on technology, in support of the creative ambitions of directors, cinematographers and colourists. 4K and HDR are now commonplace, and 8K is being broadcast today in Japan. Recently, Baselight workstations were chosen for grading and finishing Ang Lee’s new movie, Gemini Man, shot and delivered in 120 frames per second, 4K, high dynamic range 3D.

Only the power of the Baselight X system can handle such a data-intensive project, while still giving the colourist free rein with next-generation creative tools and realtime response. FilmLight will demonstrate these tools as part of its latest software version at Inter BEE 2019, on an 8K display powered by a Baselight X grading system. This includes new productivity features such as the enhanced timeline with collapsing stacks and multiple tracks.

Leading London boutique post house Fifty Fifty has added a second Baselight grading suite as part of its expansion programme. With the growing interest in top end content for broadcast and streaming, both suites are equipped for 4K and HDR Ultra HD, and certified for Dolby Vision grading and delivery.

At this year’s IBC, FilmLight (Amsterdam, 13-17 September, stand #7.A45) is demonstrating new colour management tools and products designed to improve efficiency and flexibility for a wide range of workflows.

At this year’s IBC, FilmLight (stand #7.A45) is hosting the free two-day seminar series, Colour On Stage, on 14-15 September 2019. The event provides an opportunity for visitors to participate in live presentations and discussions with colourists and other creative professionals at the peak of their craft.

Burbank, CA-based Matthews Studio Equipment helps grips, electricians, and filmmakers in general solve the problems of the day on every set. When it comes to rigging lights, they work with lighting manufacturers to ensure the right tools are available for every job. Partnering with lighting pioneers Kino Flo, Matthews developed the MK-FS48 FreeStyle Rigging Kit and accessories to increase creativity and mount-ability while on-set.