FilmLight is inviting Colorist Society members to a private event featuring Eric Whipp’s work on the color grading of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The event is slated for on August 19 at the Dolby Cinema Vine Theatre in Hollywood.

The event will begin with light refreshments and networking, followed by an in-depth presentation on the look development, VFX, color workflow across cities, and Dolby Vision HDR delivery of the fifth installment in the Mad Max series and including a Q&A session.

It is an unique opportunity to explore the artistry and collaborative work behind one of the year’s most visually striking films – demonstrated live on Baselight.

The event is free. Register here.

When: Monday 19 August, doors open at 6pm, presentation 7pm

Dolby Cinema Vine Theatre

6321 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

HDR Vivid is a relative newcomer to the field of HDR technology. Like HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, HDR Vivid sets specifications for dynamic HDR metadata to achieve accurate tone mapping approved by the colorist. Developed in China, there are more than 40,000 hours of HDR Vivid content streaming in China. HDR Vivid has been broadly adopted by Chinese OEM manufacturers and OTT operators. It’s important to be aware of this option, particularly if you are a colorist mastering media for the Chinese market.

“HDR Vivid is based on ST.2084 and comparable to other HDR standards in terms of depth and brightness. Its advantage is that it supports a wider range of output deliverables,” says Tracy Tsui of the UHD World Association (The UWA), an association of enterprises, scientific research institutes, and professional institutions in UHD product manufacturing, video transmission, content production, application and service working to promote HDR Vivid—and a new CSI sponsor. “It is also a fully open standard. Manufacturers can incorporate HDR Vivid into their products without royalty fees for HDR Vivid 1.0.”

For colorists, producing deliverables in HDR Vivid is easy as the trim tools are already supported, and it’s included as an output option in DaVinci Resolve and Baselight. To promote greater awareness of the standard, The UWA is looking to partner with post houses in the US, Europe and elsewhere in hosting demonstration events. It is also developing a certification program for post houses and individuals to signify their expertise in delivering HDR Vivid content.

“HDR Vivid is a good option for colorists and post houses,” says Tsui. “Ultimately, we believe that HDR Vivid has the potential to become a global standard. It is easy for colorists and post houses to incorporate into their workflows, it’s a low cost alternative for OEMs and operators, and it benefits consumers with great content and experience.”

Colorist Society Hollywood is hosting an event in tandem with Barco on its Light Steering Technology for HDR projection. Slated for August 6 from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm at Barco’s demo facility in Hollywood, the event is free and open to all Colorist Society members.

BARCO’s Joachim Zell, Iris Wu and Anders Ballestad will demonstrate the new technology, which promises to radically improve the picture quality of films shown in theaters. Barco’s system includes a color grading plug in that integrates into DaVinci Resolve and FilmLight Baselight for optimized HDR color grading with full creative control. Colorists in attendance will have an opportunity to try the system for themselves.

Barco’s demo facility is located at Deluxe Studios (formerly Glen Glenn Sound) at 900 Seward St in Hollywood. Beer, wine, water and snacks will be provided.

Register here.

FilmLight has finalized the jury for the 2024 FilmLight Colour Awards and announced Australian film director, screenwriter and producer George Miller as guest of honor and award winning Australian cinematographer Mandy Walker as 2024 jury president.

George Miller, AO is known for direction the dystopian action-adventure Mad Max films as well as The Witches of Eastwick, Babe, Happy Feet and more. Mandy Walker, AM, ASC, ACS is known for work on Elvis, Mulan, Hidden Figures, Tracks, Australia and more.

FilmLight also welcomes the following international talent to complete this year’s highly prestigious jury:

Kaitlyn Battistelli, senior colorist and partner at ETHOS STUDIO in LA.

Greg Fisher, senior colorist at Company 3, London.

Jose Francisco Neto, senior colorist and founder of DOT in São Paulo.

Catherine Goldschmidt, award-winning cinematographer whose work includes the 12th Season of Doctor Who, the Emmy-nominated show Dummy, the BBC/Amazon series Chloe and HBO’s House of the Dragon.

Birgit Gudjonsdottir, award-winning Icelandic cinematographer with an extensive career in commercials, documentaries and feature films, including Goodbye Lenin! And The Bourne Supremacy.

Jax Harney, founder and senior colorist at X-LDN in London.

Yong Hou, acclaimed Chinese cinematographer, director, professor at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, doctoral supervisor and president of the Chinese Society of Cinematographers.

Tim Kuhn, BVK. award-winning German cinematographer, known for his work on series like Breaking Even (2020) and Amazon series Luden (2023).

Michael Liu, distinguished Chinese cinematographer whose portfolio includes including The Wandering Earth series.

Tim Masick, senior colorist at Company 3, New York.

Avik Mukhopadhayay, esteemed Indian cinematographer known for his work with directors like Mrinal Sen and Aparna Sen.

Marina Starke, Berlin-based senior colorist with a portfolio in feature films, series, commercials, and music videos.

Jason Zukowski, senior colorist at Fort York VFX in Toronto.

They join the previously announced jury members to complete this year’s jury: Ben Gervais – freelance technical producer; Mahak Gupta, senior colorist at Bridge PostWorks; Elodie Ichter, senior colorist at Light Iron; Natasha Leonnet, senior colorist, Picture Shop; Dirk Meier,  freelance colorist, lecturer and 2023 FilmLight Colour Awards winner; Erik Messerschmidt, ASC,  cinematographer; Yov Moor, senior freelance colorist; Robert Richardson, ASC, ACK, cinematographer; and Damien Vandercruyssen, senior colorist at Harbor.

The FilmLight Colour Awards are open to colorists on any grading platform and close for entry on 31 July. A shortlist will be announced in autumn and the winners unveiled at EnergaCAMERIMAGE in November.

For more information, please visit: www.filmlightcolourawards.com/

Good news for IMDbPro users. You can now include your CSI membership in your IMDbPro profile. Simply navigate to your IMDbPro name page, select the About tab, and navigate to Performer Profile. Click Edit and navigate to Professional Affiliations. Select Colorist Society within the dropdown.

As a member of CSI, you are eligible to receive a 25% discount off an IMDbPro Premium subscription, which offers full access to features for entertainment professionals to highlight their affiliations. Access the discount code by logging into your member website. This offer is limited to CSI members only and is non-transferable. Enter your code HERE to apply the discount to both monthly and annual memberships.

Award-winning cinematographers Mandy Walker, Robert Richardson and Erik Messerschmidt amongst talented worldwide jury

FilmLight has announced the first set of high-profile creatives lined up to judge the 2024 FilmLight Colour Awards, including cinematographers Mandy Walker, Robert Richardson and Erik Messerschmidt. The awards are presented annually at the international film festival EnergaCAMERIMAGE in November.

Following her participation in the 2023 ceremony panel discussion with Lawrence Sher, first to join this year’s jury is Australian cinematographer, Mandy Walker, AM, ASC, ACS. Walker is best known for her work on Elvis (2022), Mulan (2020), Hidden Figures (2016), Tracks (2013), Australia (2008), Shattered Glass (2003), Australian Rules (2002), Lantana (2001),The Well (1997) and Parklands (1996).

“I really appreciate the artistry of great colourists,” comments Walker. “They help the cinematographer enhance the storytelling with colour, contrast, light and darkness – creating atmosphere and focusing the audiences’ gaze to what’s important in the frame. I will be looking for consistency and colour that is not too ‘affected’, but seamlessly works with and not against the elements of the story.” 

Also joining this year’s jury is renowned American cinematographer, Robert Richardson, ASC, ACK. Richardson, who has won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times, for his work on Hugo (2011), The Aviator (2004) and JFK (1991), is a regular collaborator of Hollywood directors like Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese and known for his use of high contrast lighting, shapeshifting style, dynamic camera movements and keen eye for detail.

“Judging the work of a colourist is complex, as there are many factors that play a part,” says Richardson. “For example, how early was the colourist involved? Did they create a LUT to use in camera or during post? What was their relationship with the director of photography? What is their history? With this in mind, the process of judging for me will be based on the information they provide about the project as well as how well the visuals support the story. I am excited to take part, as the colourist is pivotal to my work and I have immense respect for the creativity involved.”

Also joining this year’s jury is cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, ASC, who recently had two feature films premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival – David Fincher's The Killer and Michael Mann's Ferrari. He also shot Fincher’s series Mindhunter(2017-2019) and feature film Mank (2020).

FilmLight is also delighted to welcome the following talented creatives to the 2024 jury:

Yov Moor – senior freelance colourist in France, whose work encompasses award-winning feature films, documentaries, art films and shorts. In 2024, Moor had four films at Cannes: Miguel Gomes’Grand Tour, Gilles Lellouche’s L ’Amour Ouf (Beating Hearts), Keff’s Locust and Wei Liang Chiang’s Mongrel.

Natasha Leonnet – senior colourist at Picture Shop based in LA and recipient of numerous prestigious accolades. Leonnet’s work includes Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), Billie Eilish: Happier Ever (2021), Candyman (2020), Mulan (2020), First Man (2018), Hidden Figures (2016) and Whiplash (2014).

Mahak Gupta – senior colourist at Bridge PostWorks in India and a 2022 FilmLight Colour Awards ‘Spotlight’ nominee for her work on Shoebox (2021). Gupta is also the co-founder of ‘The Colorists Workshop’ development program designed to support and recognise aspiring colourists in India.

Elodie Ichter – senior colourist at Light Iron in New York, who recently completed the grade on Hulu’s Shōgun (2024). Born and raised in France, Ichter’s career path took her to London and Los Angeles before New York where she worked with renowned directors such as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Chloé Zhao and Ben Affleck.

Damien Vandercruyssen – senior colourist at Harbor, based in New York. Damien's expertise in cinematography and colour science have earned him regular collaborations with highly regarded directors such as Sofia Coppola, the Safdie brothers and Trey Edward Shults, along with leading cinematographers Philippe Le Sourd, Drew Daniel and Darius Khondji. His work on Apple TV+'s Lisey's Story (2021) won him the ‘TV/episodic’ award at the 2021 FilmLight Colour Awards. 

Ben Gervais – technical producer in Canada. Gervais is a pioneer in high frame rate and 3D workflows and developed 120fps production, post, distribution, and projection technology for Ang Lee's Gemini Man (2019) and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016).

Dirk Meier – freelance colourist and lecturer in Germany. Meier won the ‘Episodic’ award at the 2023 FilmLight Colour Awards for his work on season one of The Pimp: No F***ing Fairytale (OT: Luden). 

In 2024 colourists will be awarded across six categories: theatrical feature; television series/episodic; commercial; music video; Spotlight, which recognises colourists who have worked on a lower budget feature film or television movie; and, new for 2024, Emerging Talent, which celebrates the work of young colourists (age 18-35) in commercial and music video creation.

The remaining jury will be announced in the coming months with this year’s call for entries closing on 31 July. A shortlist will be announced in autumn and the winners unveiled at EnergaCAMERIMAGE in November. For more, visit: www.filmlightcolourawards.com.

A new sponsor of Colorist Society, Pixelview.io is a developer of a remote collaboration platform designed with colorists in mind. Along with innovative tools for sharing grading sessions, Pixelview offers the benefit of being super simple to use. Sessions are streamed via a proprietary encoder plugged into a reference monitor. Options for capture cards and software streaming are also available.

On the client side, it’s even easier. Stakeholders can join a session via a link or QR code. From there, the user experience is intuitive. Clients can view sessions through a web browser or app and communicate with the colorist through video or text chat. Other features include on-screen annotation, screen sharing and personalized branding. Better color accuracy can be achieved by a separate app. Sessions are encrypted to keep assets safe.

One more point: Pixelview is affordable. A plan supporting up to five concurrent viewers costs $175 per month.

Founder Max Stromberg began developing Pixelview during covid. A colorist himself, he was frustrated with the complexity and high cost of collaboration solutions. “Our aim is to eliminate technical challenges so that creative people can be creative,” he explains. “We make it easy to set up, log in and watch streams. Simplicity is our main selling point.”

Max and his team continue to develop Pixelview. They recently added a new, streamlined user interface. Currently, they are looking to upgrade security through TPN certification and improved watermarking and login protocols.

Citing the popularity of remote and hybrid work, Max says his user base is growing. “As covid waned, I thought things would go back to the way they were,” he observes. “But it hasn’t. People have gotten used to working remotely, and often prefer it because they can get more done.”

Hollywood SMPTE invites you to a demonstration of Barco’s new Light Steering technology for HDR projection. The event will be held  on Thursday, May 30th at Deluxe Studios at 900 Seward Street in Hollywood.  “Twenty-five years ago this month the first digital cinema presentation took  place,” says Bill Hogan who is producing the event for SMPTE Hollywood Section. “Now, we are entering the era of High Dynamic Range cinema. Last year we presented an HDR direct view program. This month, we present a program with HDR projection from Barco.” Speakers include Barco Cinema’s Joachim Zell (Head of HDR Content Workflow),  Dan Huerta (Technical Solutions Director) and  Anders Ballestad (Head of Content & Studio Relations). Two sessions will be offered, 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Refreshments at 7:00 PM. Please arrive 15 minutes before your chosen session time. Register here.

Entries are now open for the 2024 FilmLight Colour Awards. The awards, which will once again be presented at EnergaCAMERIMAGE in November, are independently judged by a panel of prominent creatives, cinematographers and colourists. Entries close July 31.

New for 2024, the ‘Emerging Talent’ award will recognise and celebrate the work of young colourists (age 18-30) who have worked on a commercial or music video project aired between 1 September 2023 and 30 September 2024.

Top left to right: Dirk Meier (2023 TV Series / Episodic winner), Marina Starke (2023 Music Video winner), Tim Masick (2023 Commercial winner), Cem Ozkilicci (2023 Spotlight winner). Bottom centre: DoP, Lawrence Sher (2023 Jury President).

“The next generation of colourists is critical to the future of our industry,” says Jacqui Loran, co-director at FilmLight. “We have introduced this award to help support and encourage these emerging young talents – shining a light on their work and helping them to form a path into the industry.”

The new category sits alongside the existing five: theatrical feature; television series/episodic; commercial; music video; and Spotlight, which recognises colourists who have contributed to the creative impact of a low budget feature.

The awards are lead and organised by FilmLight, in conjunction with EnergaCAMERIMAGE. “In 2021 we welcomed the FilmLight Colour Awards into the EnergaCAMERIMAGE Film Festival programme and we have enjoyed watching the success of the awards and the partnership grow year-on-year,” says Marek Žydowicz, EnergaCAMERIMAGE Founder and Director. “We continue to receive positive feedback about our joint efforts to shine a light on the work of the colourist and their invaluable collaboration with the cinematographer. We can’t wait to do it again this year.”

For 2024, FilmLight also welcomes four new supporting partners: ShotDeck (fully-searchable cinematic image library), AMC (Mexican Society of Cinematographers), BVK (German Society of Cinematographers) and ISC (Indian Society of Cinematographers). They join the growing list of long-standing supporters, including: AFC (French Society of Cinematographers), ASC (American Society of Cinematographers), BSC (British Society of Cinematographers), CNSC (Chinese Society of Cinematographers), CSI (Colorist Society International) and more.

The Colorist Mixer returned to NAB on April 14, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of more than 250 colorists, colleagues and friends. Carlos ‘n Charlie’s at the Flamingo, our fantastic new venue, was the site of a memorable evening of great conversation, food and cocktails.

The evening kicked off with the always entertaining Medialight Color Quiz. Big screen displays throughout the space played showreels from colorists, CSI sponsors, shots of the wonderful raffle prizes, and photos taken at the event. Each sponsor had an individual drawing box with guests submitting their tickets for the prizes of their choice. In true Las Vegas fashion, you had to gamble to win.

A big thank you to our cohost, iColorist, our sponsors and our guests for their support.

Prize Winners:

• Jenn Lee, Banana Post: Adobe Creative Cloud
• Michael Tosti, idc-la:Blackmagic Design DaVinci Micro Panel
• Tay Christopher, The Media Village: Creative Solutions Small HD 27" OLED
• Gilberto Balderas, Cadis AI: DELL KM900 Premier keyboard
• Jason Lyons, 67post: Dolby Vision Training/Certification 
• Jamie Coats, Dovecoats Ltd: Kevin Shaw Finalcolor training
• Mikhail Starkov, Institute of Film and Television: FSI XMP310 QD-OLED HDR 31.5” Reference Monitor 
• Catherine Meininger: ASUS Proart PA169CDV monitor
• Roberto Negron, Nitido Post: Louper Pro 1yr plan 
• Gregory White, Pearl Street Post: MASV 10TB Free Transfer Credits
• Eric Cameron, freelance: Medialight Pro2 set
• Francesco D'Ascenzo: BULL SRL: PVA Video Calibration Training/Certification 4-Day Course

See you at the IBC Mixer on Saturday 14th September.

Kevin Shaw, Mikhail Starkov

Walter Volpatto, John Daro, Warren Eagles

Sarah Priestnal, Bob Festa

Jason Bowdach, Robbie Carman, Bram Desmet

Rob and Michelle Lederman