Bunny
Directed by Rosibel Villalobos
The Subtle art of Making A Self-Tape
Directed By: Beatrice Brown
To Be Cool
Directed By: Beatrice Brown and Alyssa Bonfigli
How Do I approach Color GradinG?
Color grading is truly one of my favorite steps in the post production process. While it can be painstaking, it is creative, and can elevate the tone of the film.
Original Image:
Colors from Lookbook:
When I start work on a color grade, I examine two things: the director's vision and the raw footage. Which colors are prominent in the lookbook? What is the general mood of the piece? Are these things reflected by the raw footage?
Option One:
Option Two:
The above stills are from a project entitled BUNNY by Rosibel Villalobos. The film is moody and dark, with moments of magical realism embedded throughout. While this scene is set outside of reality, and exists in the imagination of the protagonist and the memory of an apparition, the raw footage doesn't present as moody or dark.
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So, in approaching this scene, I wanted to provide the director with a few different options. One that was more reflective of the raw footage, with minor enhancements (option one.) The other that more reflected my take on this scene, which I read to be ominous, dark, even nightmarish (option two.) I made sure that, even though I altered the footage drastically in option two, it still reflected and represented the colors and mood communicated in the lookbook for this project.
My goal is always to enhance the mood of the piece. I prefer to work closely with the director, moving at a slow pace so that the film can be visually stunning, while reflecting the intention of the filmmakers.