colour grading advice!!

[LARAB]

Hello everyone!!!

I am currently editing a short film which is set in recently vacated suburbs after the outbreak of a virus. It's kind of got a '28 days later' vibe, set in Australia, but I am having troubles deciding on the colours to use. Does anyone have any suggestions for choice of colour grading - is there a specific colour for this type of genre?!

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - i want people to see the colour of the film and identify it as of this genre instantly!!

cheers,

lara from oz

 

[calif0rnian]

Hello everyone!!!

I am currently editing a short film which is set in recently vacated suburbs after the outbreak of a virus. It's kind of got a '28 days later' vibe, set in Australia, but I am having troubles deciding on the colours to use. Does anyone have any suggestions for choice of colour grading - is there a specific colour for this type of genre?!

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - i want people to see the colour of the film and identify it as of this genre instantly!!

cheers,

lara from oz

Not to be a complete arse, but I recently made a tutorial on some color grading. It mostly covers looks like Terminator and typical Michael Bay stuff, but it gives you a decent insight on how to color correct in After Effects with Colorista.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4DTC735ynQ

This can be done in other programs also, and as long as you have color wheels to work with you get the idea!

Hope it helps you, because explaining it in text is just a lot harder... lol

 

[chilipie]

I think colour grading should usually be an extension of the film's cinematography and production design as much as it's about the moods and emotions being portrayed - there's no point in making everything dull and blue, for instance, if your frame is filled with bright reds and oranges. Ultimately, you want to enhance what you chose to shoot, not completely diminish it.

These kinds of films often have a similar approach to colour grading - desaturated, grainy and contrasty. My only advice on achieving this is not to go overboard - so many indie films seem to abandon all sense at the grading stage and just slap on a preset with no regard for the content or how it actually looks. Subtlety is often best, and remember to try and preserve your skin tones - your vectorscope will be very useful for the latter.

 

[WalterB]

1 Always try to figure out what colors you want before you start shooting.

2 Grading like 'similar' movies can be fun and recognizable, but it is not a 'must'.

Try some things and look how it works out on different scenes.

Creating a desolate, hopeless world is 'easier' with a bit desaturated look. But there is not specific color for the genre. Compare 'Outbreak', 'I am legend', '28 Days later' and 'Shaun of the dead' (the latter is a parody, so it might let you think that's the genre-specific-grade ) and you'll see different choices.
I don't know what your grading experience is.

What color is important?
What colors do you want to lose?
Do want it to look cool or warm?

Subtlety is indeed the way to go, but unlike chilipie I don't 'believe' skintones are 'sacred'. (But don't oversatured them or make people pink, purple or blue :-P )


A few months ago I made a (silly) trailer.
I knew the color blue of the hero's outfit was important before we started.

During the grading proces I played around with different looks.
Let's look at the colors (and not the contrast/toning) on the rooftop the blue is slightly more saturated and lighter than the rest.
The underground shots 0:53 - 0:56 show a beter separation: the rest is more desaturated and the blue is lighter and saturated to make it al 'pop'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4y9WeLP0rY

 

[Ernest Worthing]

Just echoing here. But the following two things are the most important imo to keep in mind.

1. Have a reason for the specific grade; i dont care whether it is overdone or kept realistic as long as it is there for a fitting purpose and enhances the movie instead of diminishing it.

2. Shoot knowing your grade; here production design is key. You want a zombie scene for your short with a horrific blood and death feel, don't just add a reddish cast in PP. Have items and colours in you scene which bring out the feeling you want and add to that in PP.

 

[Synia]

Just to add on to what everyone has been saying.

For most scenes, when the audience look at it, the audience shouldn't even think about thinking to think that "oh, nice color grading". They shouldn't notice it, because it should just blend in naturally with the rest of the movie.

Only in a few shots, where you wish to emphasize should you make it stands out. and as Ernest so rightfully said. it must be "for a fitting purpose and enhances the movie"