Today’s Lab
Mark Todd Osborne Says It All…
Mark Todd Osborne has been a Colorist for around 25 years now, based in Los Angeles, and is a fellow member of both the Colorist Society International and the Digital Cinema Society.
Recently he came out with a statement that is short and simple but says so much about our new place in the digital film community – one that is not always appreciated. “A colorist is an extension of cinematography, and we should always be in good communication with our DPs before, during and after production. Remember, the colorist is the new lab. We need to make the best decisions on how we will process digital camera negative properly and efficiently in order to be able to apply a consistent and pleasing creative grade throughout the project.”
The Colorist SHOULD be the new Lab.
Often, in fact probably more often than not, what we bring to a project is seen as the last part of the editing process, the final shine on a film before it goes out for viewing. But what Mark says is very true – our role is to help the DP and cinematographer see what can be achieved with a shot if it is captured in a certain way, by shooting for the grade.
In that way the relationship between camera crew and colorist is much more like the traditional role of the processing lab and the cinematographer. He runs a series of tests which are put through the lab and fine tuned to achieve the exact look he/she wants, matched to a choice of film stock, exposure and color balance that is then executed during the actual filming. Of course, I can do a lot to get any look out of any shot, especially if I know the camera, lens and lighitng combination after the shoot is complete – but I can do a lot more if I’m given the perfect shot to work with, and know the exact intent of the DP in advance.
This doesn’t happen as much as I’d like, despite being a free service that I provide, but you can 100% tell which films I have worked on where this collaboration between DP, cinematographer, DIT, Director and myself has taken place before the shoot – and where I have come on set for a few times during the shoot to run additional tests or provide advice.
To fine tune what Mark says – the colorist SHOULD be the new lab.