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Welcome to 2017!
Time marches on. Relentlessly. And so does our
industry. - ST-2084. BT.2100. ICtCp (we'll explain this one next week).
- Equirectangular. Nadir. FOV.
Those are sounds of our collective future (and recent past). - In 2017 the Tao Newsletter continues riding the wave.
- We work, staying on top of our craft. Our tools. Our business.
- And this edition of the Newsletter reflects this mission.
- We kick off 2017 with top stories of 2016, from July—December.
Each story today was one of the three most read articles, when it was published. - Read on to find inspiration. Education. Answers. And questions you need to keep
asking.
- Take the time to revisit what you may have missed.
- Next week, we're back from vacation—looking forward relentlessly.
See you next week!
Happy New Year & Happy Grading! |
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- Is Color Timing a True Art Form? - “a great deal of training . . . in the many aspects of the process needed to be reduced down to the smallest set of tools in order to master a single task, timing the film.” Read how it used to be done 'back in the day' and how many different departments worked together. Recounted by one
of the legends of the business, Dale Grahn, CSI. (coloristsociety.com)
- Is Color Timing a True Art Form? Part 2 - in this continuing series on the craft of film color timing at MGM in the late '70s, “When I first started my real training in the timing department, which only began after you paid your dues
proving you’re worth the effort to train, I was shocked by what I saw.“ Dale Grahn, CSI Fellow, shares—at the link. (coloristsociety.com)
- Is Color Timing a True Art Form? Part 3 - “All was going well, but at the end the Director said to me, "Dale, the golden color you created is stunning,
your shot to shot matching is flawless - but everything is the same color, the entire film is now one color and it's BORING.” The legendary Dale Grahn, CSI, gets personal about his journey as a color timer in the final installment of his three-part series. Scroll down for the story. (coloristsociety.com)
- Overcooking the Grade - “The look of a film should do just this – serve the story. But can it be distracting and/or pretentious?” DP Simon Wyndham on the dangers of overcooking the grade. (redsharknews.com)
- Go Inside A Professional Color Grading Suite - "colorist Rob Bessette guides a tour of his color suite at Boston’s Finish Post." (premiumbeat.com)
- Gamma V-Log: Tonal-Scale Rendering - a quick demo of the difference between gamma and log encoding. “It’s a handy party trick, but don’t get hung up on it; for the purpose of this demo, just observe how the waveforms evolve as exposure changes.” (provideocoalition.com)
- Meet the Colorist - “A lot of images are starting to look the same: blue shadows, warm highlights and warm skin tones so it doesn’t look like real photography to me. Personally, I like softer highlights, contrast through mid-tones and creating texture, which we don’t see enough of.” Veteran colorist Beau Leon talks images, inspiration, and passion. (filmlight.ltd.uk)
- [video] Color Grading & Manipulating Emotion - this tutorial sparked a lengthy conversation between the Editor and Publisher of this Newsletter during our weekly editorial meeting; should include it here? We both agree that this
video starts out strong… but by its conclusion your Publisher's eyes were bleeding imagining trying to sell the final results to a client. In the end, we consider it a passionate argument why it's always best to set your color palette in pre-production; and acknowledge the point of this tutorial... color influences your audience. (nofilmschool.com)
- [video] HDR 101 - Technicolor senior colorist Mike Sowa on the 4 things you need to know about High Dynamic Range. The comments show how far we have to go explaining the terminology. (nofilmschool.com)
- [video] The Art of Color Grading - “How do we decide when to follow a realistic look and when to use artistic license to stray from reality?” If you can get past the whole
color-correction-is-simply-moving-sliders bit, it's got a good answer. (youtube.com)
- On Finishing "The Revenant”- “To delegate responsibility, to trust the people you work with, and to invite collaboration.” Technicolor’s Steve Scott, on what he learned from working on ‘The Revenant' and the skillset he considers invaluable. (area.autodesk.com)
- 7 Reasons Why ACES Color Science Isn't Going Away - "here's a top-level summary of why the Academy and others believe this standard will stick." (studiodaily.com)
- What Exactly is Rec 709? - a primer on the HD color space. Unfortunately, you'll need
to ignore the section on display gamma, since Rec 709 does NOT specify display gamma... as noted in the comments, which include good explanations of the facts. Red Shark needs to update that article. (redsharknews.com)
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- Why Are My End Titles Jittering? - "They go by many nicknames: jitter, judder, flicker, flutter, shimmer, stutter, ringing, pulsing, strobing. Taming them can seem like a dark art. Luckily, it’s not. It comes down to two things. We call them jitter and stutter." Great explanation. (endcrawl.com)
- Clarity About DaVinci Resolve System Requirements – “the point is not to call you out about your hardware, but to help you understand there are some minimum requirements if you want to get the most out of Resolve.” Colorist Richard
Lackey, CSI, does a reality check on what it takes to get the most out of running DaVinci Resolve. And he does a darn fine job answering the Comments. (dcinema.me)
- Premiere Pro 2015.3 Update: 5 Standout Features - the
headline says it. (premiumbeat.com)
- Read Before You Install MacOS Sierra - a list of apps that are, and are NOT, compatible with the latest version of the Mac OS. (toolfarm.com)
- [video] Premiere Pro to Resolve - The simple EDL workflow that may save you from the normal XML headaches. (youtube.com)
- What's the Cost of Grading to Dolby Vision HDR? - have
you been tasked with pricing out a DobyVision HDR delivery? This thread will set you straight on why the Google-machine won't spit out that answer. (liftgammagain.com)
- Apple WWDC 2016 Announcements and Post Production - a solid
round-up of macOS features relevant to post pros. (alex4d.com)
- [app] Resolve Killer Tips - brainchild of colorist
Darren Mostyn, CSI. It's an app to enhance your DaVinci Resolve editing and color skills. More information available at Darren’s website. (onlinecreativetraining.com)
- Creating a Real 'Film Look' with FilmConvert - “The reach and limitations of the controls feel about right in that you can tailor the image quite a bit without getting bogged down in too many controls or extraneous options.” Using their Premiere Pro plugin. (jonnyelwyn.co.uk)
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- A New Shade of Blue - "one day a graduate student . . . was taking samples out of a very hot furnace while I was walking by, and it was blue, a very beautiful blue. I realized immediately that something amazing had happened.” (iflscience.com via Josh Petock)
- The Basic Properties Of Color - “understanding the
basic properties of color is not a skill that only editors and colorists should learn. Filmmakers of all positions will better themselves knowing how colors work.” A very basic primer. (premiumbeat.com)
- [video] How to Pick the Right Color Grading Software
- “Even if you are not a colorist you must get good at grading.” Finding budget color correction software based on their architecture and your needs. Interesting. (youtube.com)
- Developing an Awareness of Color - “color awareness came slowly to me, but now I can’t escape it. Read on, and follow me down the rabbit hole.” So begins an in depth look at all things color. Be sure to also read the link to the The
Wagner Color Response Report. Bookmark this article by Art Adams. (provideocoalition.com)
- Color Grading Resources - learn the difference between color correction and color grading, understand how to grade correctly with scopes, and take a
deep dive into the ACES color space. Put on a pot of coffee. (jonnyelwyn.co.uk)
- Techniques You Can’t Go Without - rhythm, repetition, contrast. “Of course there are more than three painting techniques that will allow you to create
a compelling artwork, but learning how to paint a picture well can certainly start with these elements.” Painting techniques that filmmakers, and colorists, should understand. (artistdaily.com)
- The Evolving Role Of A Colorist - "What is a digital colorist? What are they responsible for? Let’s take a look at the ever-changing duties of colorists in film and video production." (premiumbeat.com)
- The Art of Color Rendering - “the idea that there's some sort of universal standard for how skin should look is no more accurate than the idea that there is any standard for human skin colour in the first place.” Cinematographer Phil Rhodes on the art of color. (redsharknews.com)
- [profile] Coloring Sully - “Because it was freezing that day, we wanted to make sure that it looked and felt that way — and that’s what you experience when you see the movie,” Colorist Maxine Gervais on working again with Clint Eastwood and cinematographer Tom Stern. (postperspective.com)
- [forum] Why Do Marvel’s Movies Look Kind of Ugly? - watch the embedded movie at the link. Be aware, if you're a
professional colorist - it'll probably tick you off. Then read all the comments of the problems with this thesis and its critique. (liftgammagain.com)
- [pdf] HDR Content Creation: Creative and Technical Challenges - grab this PDF while it's still available. From Siggraph 2016 a very detailed look at HDR workflows. By Technicolor. (taniapouli.me via Marc Wielage)
- [video] 7 Things To Watch Out For To Avoid ‘Bad’ Color Grading - the best part of the embed, from the perspective of someone who practices and teaches the craft of color grading, are the quotes of haters saying how much the author sucks at grading! Been there, lived that. Plus, a good list of tips. (nofilmschool.com)
- HDR Video Part 5: Grading, Mastering, and Delivering HDR - "we’ve covered the basic question of “What is HDR?”, what hardware you need to see it, the new terms that apply to it, and how to prepare and shoot with HDR in mind.
Arguably, we’ve saved the most complicated subject for last: grading, mastering, and delivering." Word. (mysterybox.us via Marc Wielage)
- [video] Anatomy of a Grade - “I can
show you how I did this, and I will . . . [but] the ‘why’ of color grading is far more important than the ‘how.’” Colorist Chris Hall’s newest episode in his ongoing series. (vimeo.com)
- [video] Finding the Commands You Need in Resolve - if you can't find your shortcut commands, this is a GREAT tip that your Publisher never knew until
two days ago... from watching this video. (vanhurkman.com)
- Billy Lynn’s High Frame Rate Walk - "In this installment of End Run Chat, we debate the use of HFR (High Frame Rate) in Ang Lee’s new movie/world’s longest camera test. Among other things, it was shot at a staggering 120 frames per second. The transcript below was edited for length, but not for cussing." (endcrawl.com)
- IMDbPro Now Recognizes the C.S.I. Designation - "this means that all CSI Full Members who work on productions listed at IMDb can now choose the CSI designation at the Guild Affiliations page of IMDbPro." (coloristsociety.com)
- Pantone: Color of 2017- it's nearly here, and Pantone has named its color of the year. “A refreshing and revitalizing shade . . . symbolic of new beginnings.” What color are they talking about? Click through to find out. (pantone.com)
- Developing an Awareness of Color - "First I’m going to talk about color perception and the basics of learning how to see it. Then we’ll touch on how cameras create color at a very basic level, and why it’s amazing that cameras work at all. Lastly, I’ll talk about what color characteristics I’ve noticed in various cameras, and why that’s important to how we work." Cinematographer Art Adams. (provideocoalition.com)
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- How To Salvage
Overexposed Footage - two quick techniques. (premiumbeat.com)
- Professional FCPX Film and TV Workflows -
"I’ve brought together some of the best workflow case studies, presentations and articles on using FCPX to cut TV shows, trailers, feature film and commercials." (jonnyelwyn.co.uk)
- Final Cut Pro X 10.3: First Look - "I’ll be providing the TL;DR (too long;didn’t read) version for FCP X and talking about what it’s like to actually use it. Let’s start
with the headline features, then go a little in depth." (fcpxpert.net)
- [video] Uncompressed 4K Post-Production Workflow - "freelance colorist Warren Eagles shows the key benefits of Flow’s toolset when working with Adobe Premiere Pro CC and DaVinci Resolve." Using
EditShare's XStream RAID. (youtube.com)
- [review] Blackmagic Design Fusion 8.2 - "I will look at some of the key features that come with Fusion 8.2 and see what it has to offer. I will also take a look at how it fits into the compositing software’s landscape, when put up against competing software like Nuke, After Effects, and HitFilm." (cgpress.org)
- Quick Tip: How to Use Composite Modes in Resolve - “My mind was still in Adobe CC mode — DaVinci Resolve doesn’t have “blending modes.” Instead, it uses Composite Modes.” Pithy overview for the novice. (premiumbeat.com)
- [video] Davinci Resolve Color Grading Film Look Tutorial - “you cannot compensate poor cinematography by slapping LUT on it and calling a day.” Building a grade manually, from the ground up, using parallel nodes. Download
the source material to follow along. (aramphotography.com)
- Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 12.5.3 Update - features support for the latest FCPx XML language, improved Media Composer interoperability, ACES 1.0.3, and revised 3-Way Color Wheel behavior. (provideocoalition.com)
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Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers |
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- The 10 Flavors of HDR - "While talking to an industry expert at the Samsung HDR event, he told me there are actually 10 HDR systems currently making the rounds. What are the other eight?" If you're interested in HDR, this is a don't-miss article! (displaydaily.com)
- The Netflix Backlash - “They all got addicted to crack. Nobody really thought [Netflix would become] a competitor on the originals market. They used stuff from the studios and became important.
Now you see the backlash." (hollywoodreporter.com)
- Real or Fake 4K? - we just stumbled on this website which answers one essential question for the home theater enthusiast: "Real 4K, Nearly 4K or Fake
4k?" Love it! And you can sort by those categories. The link is to a sample film, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Bookmark this. (realorfake4k.com)
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- Email Etiquette - "when you send an email off to a client, there's a pretty good chance they won't fully grasp your intended meaning.” 10 common phrases you should stop using in client emails. Immediately. (blog.hubspot.com)
- The Wrong Way To Introduce People Over Email - "surprise introductions like this are fraught with dangers. If you’re doing them, you’re running the
risk of a couple things going wrong." Yeah, I'll be changing a few of my habits. This article is dead right. (hbr.org)
- 20 Phrases You Should Never Use In An Email - for some us, not using any of these terms would leave a blank email. Oops. (hiverhq.com)
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- OS X Sierra’s Storage Management Tools Are A Complete Disaster - "Sierra’s storage-management aren’t a ‘bit of a mess’ at all: having just seen what they did to my MacBook Air, seemingly prompted by the update to 10.12.1, they are a complete and utter disaster . . . " (9to5mac.com)
- Is it finally time to move on from the Mac? - The chorus singing “You’ve lost that loving feeling” is growing louder since Apple introduced the new MacBook Pro. (redsharknews.com)
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Th- Th- That's ALL Folks! We'll see you next week. Happy Grading! 11,150'ish Stories Now Shared
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The Book Shelf- Color Correction Handbook, Updated - Alexis Van Hurkman has updated his Color Correction Handbook, which has set the standard for learning all things color correction. (amazon.com)
- Color Correction Look Book - This is the second part of the Color Correction Handbook, exploring the creative techniques for over 200 different visual looks. A sort-of recipe book for colorists. (amazon.com)
- The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction - Read how a dozen different colorists grade the same footage with the same gear, differently. A fantastic approach to learning the craft of color grading by Steve Hullfish. (amazon.com)
- Color Grading with Avid and Symphony - Written for version 6. Fully applicable to version 7. I was a contributor. (amazon.com)
- Digital Cinematography: Fundamentals,
Tools, Techniques and Workflows - Don't let the title fool you. I'm only a third way through this book and its explanations of how digital images are recorded, sampled and viewed is essential knowledge for anyone who's craft intersects with digital images. Not light reading. But not filled with math either. I highly recommend this
book. (amazon.com)
Have a book you think should be in this list? Reply to this email and let me know!
FCC Disclaimer: Links in this email to Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or ToolFarm are Affiliate links that help support the TaoOfColor.com. FSI is a paid sponsor. Tao of Color, Inc. is part owner of
MixingLight.com—which is a sponsor. BlackMagic Design is sometimes a client.
We thank you for your support.
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Managing Editor:
jim@jimwicks.com
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Published by:
Patrick Inhofer, CSI
Colorist, Coach: TaoOfColor.com | MixingLight.com patrick@taoofcolor.com
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