With the ad industry going through trying times in recent years (caused by the strike, 9/11, a poor economy and a war), every commercial colorist has to be wondering when business will pick up, myself included. While the music video industry continues to be relatively strong, many of us are looking to diversify beyond shortform, and have pursued work on feature films and episodic television shows.
Diversifying has proven to be a good thing—and not just because it’s helped to maintain a steady stream of work. Working in a new medium provides an opportunity to improve one’s skills by applying them in new ways. Diversity also promotes an exchange of ideas. As colorists move from commercials and music videos to feature films and television shows, they bring with them the knowledge, insights and problem-solving skills from the shortform field, which may be unknown in the longform arena.
As a commercial colorist, I have had the opportunity to work with the best gear and adopt the latest techniques. Innovations quickly become routine in our shortform world. In contrast, new techniques take longer to become standard in longform post, where budgets, schedules and the production pipeline are quite different. While a new tool may be quickly embraced by a commercial colorist, that same tool may take time to become part of the mix in episodic television postproduction.
However, when a colorist moves between fields, it can speed things up. I found this out recently when, as part of my own effort to diversify, I had the opportunity to work on HBO’s Sex and the City. Being equipped at Company 3, New York, with a Spirit Datacine and Da Vinci’s 2K plus, I was able to enhance the look of many scenes for the show.
At one point during the season, for example, we needed to make scenes shot during early fall appear as if they were occurring later in the year. We needed to turn lush green foliage into a mix of orange, red and green hues. We did it by using the power windows feature of the 2K to isolate and modify certain areas of the picture without affecting other areas. In the past, this would have required time-consuming rotoscope work. We saved time and money while introducing our clients to a current postproduction technique.
With new technology advancing the world of color correction, diversity will bring new insights and problem-solving skills to another level. More work in the feature film arena is moving toward color correction in the digital realm by using HD, 2k and 4k data as part of the digital intermediate (DI) process. As a commercial colorist, I have had the opportunity to work in the data world, and I can see how this will continue to evolve into a new era for the feature film industry.
Today, the commercial market is showing signs of a rebound. The pending Olympics and presidential election portend better times in the ad world. In the meantime, my experience in the episodic world has made me a more well-rounded professional. By diversifying, I have gained insights that will enhance my work in commercials. Whatever project comes my way, I’m prepared to meet it head on.
