A new member of Colorist Society Hollywood, Jason Bowdach is a colorist and finishing editor at Fox where he grades multi-platform marketing media for such hit shows as 9-1-1, The Cleaning Lady and The Masked Singer. He is also a certified DaVinci Resolve trainer, contributing author to Frame.io and entrepreneur. His company PixelTools develops “artist focused” plugins and presets for Resolve.

A Southern California native, Jason got his start at Disney where he was involved in remastering and localization of entertainment content for international markets. Looking for a more challenging career, he sought advice from industry veterans and determined that color was his best bet. “The idea of influencing a viewer’s emotions through color suited my personality,” he says. “I enjoy helping filmmakers bring their projects to life.”

Jason gained exposure to color through grading his own short films. Eventually, he acquired enough experience to leave Disney and pursue work as a freelance colorist. After having success in commercials and independent films, he landed a gig at EFilm as assistant to veteran colorist Walter Volpatto, CSI on Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence.

He calls it a career altering moment. “It was a big adjustment to go from $100,000 indie films to a $200 million blockbuster,” he recalls. “But it was an amazing experience. It confirmed how much I loved color grading and that it’s what I hope to do for the rest of my life.”

Around the same time, Jason developed an interest in teaching. He became a certified Da Vinci trainer and has taught color grading through such companies as Mixing Light, Lowepost, TAC Resolve and Adobe. He hosts the Color & Coffee podcasts and produces training videos, writes articles on post-production problem solving and leads seminars at trade shows.

To facilitate his work as a trainer, Jason began developing presets for Resolve. They proved so effective in streamlining his workflow that he formed a business to license them. “In 2019, I launched PixelTools,” he says. “I create looks and presets just as I did for my project clients, only now, I do it for other colorists. There is nothing better than building tools for people I like shooting the breeze with.”

Among the products offered by PixelTools is Hue Shift, which supercharges Resolve’s native tools for shifting hues and adjusting density. “It makes it easier to create looks and perform routine tasks,” he explains. “It’s a lifesaver when you have thousands of shots to grade and only so many days to do it. It’s a dream to take things like that that are in my head and make them a reality.”

A member of Colorist Society since 2016, Jason says he was honored to receive an invitation to join the Hollywood Chapter. “I’m a person who wants to give back,” he insists. “That’s what attracted me to this organization. I want more people to recognize the artistry of color and the dedicated people who practice this craft.”

The Hollywood Professionals Alliance has announced nominations for the HPA Awards 2023 Creative Category. Colorist Society is a sponsor of the competition, which includes awards for color grading, editing, visual effects, sound and restoration. Among the nominees for Outstanding Color Grading – Live Action Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature is Walter Volpatto, CSI. Winners will be announced November 9^th.

A complete list of nominees is available here.

Colorist Society Hollywood members John Daro, CSH, Lynette Duensing, CSH and Juan Cabrera, CSH shared their expertise in SDR/HDR grading at an event sponsored by SMPTE Hollywood. The three veteran colorists discussed best practices for SDR/HDR through examples drawn from their work in film, television and trailers. Held October 5 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Linwood Dunn Theater, the event dre an enthusiastic crowd of more than 200 industry professionals and students.Daro, Duensing and Cabrera shared insights into LUTs, deliverables, and ACES workflows.

Click here to watch the video

Annie Chang, P/Creative Technologies, Universal Pictures and ACES Co-Chair, followed with a presentation on the technical application of ACES and the soon to be released ACES 2.  All four presenters were then joined by colorist Laura Jans Fazio for a lively panel discussion moderated by SMPTE Hollywood chair Marc Zorn, Content Protection & Production Security, Marvel Studios was moderator.

Colorist Society Hollywood hosted its first in-person meetup on Thursday, September 14^th at the classic Hollywood pub, The Cat & the Fiddle. Colorists from across Southern California turned up for an evening of drinks, hos d’oeuvres, conversation and fun. The Hollywood Chapter expects host to many more such events, says Lynette Duensing, CSH. “It was great seeing everyone in person,” she notes. “The folks shared their experiences with technology and philosophies on how to approach a project. This speaks exactly to one of the core missions of CSH.”

The event was organized by Michael Mintz, CSH and promoted by Troy Smith, CSH.

Submissions are currently being accepted for the Dehancer Colourist Awards, a worldwide competition for colorists, created by color experts. Categories include Feature Film, Short Film, Documentary, Music Video and Mobile Video. Submissions are free but limited to projects using the Dehancer plugin and at least one film profile. Make your submissions here. Submissions close December 14.

The company describes the competition as “a great opportunity to showcase your skills and get recognized around the world. It is more than just a competition; it is an homage to the artistry, creativity and storytelling through film color.”

Winners receive a cash prize of US$ 6,000. Shortlist nominees are awarded a Lifetime License for Dehancer. Other prizes include subscriptions to Lowepost, Ravegate Cinelook perpetual licenses, monthly, full access subscriptions to DeMystify Color, vouchers for DeMystify Color Shop and Filmic Pro annual license codes. Winning work will also be featured in the company’s social media, which reaches 30,000 industry professionals.

Judges include:

• Nico Fink, colorist, Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Certified Trainer, Head of DeMystify Color
• Daria Fissoun, CSI, Colorist, Compositor, and Certified DaVinci Resolve Trainer
• Darren Mostyn, Senior Colorist and Founder of Online Creative
• Stig Olsen, Founder and Creative Director of Lowepost and Ravengrade
• Toby Tomkins, CHEAT Founder and Senior Colorist
• Matthew Tomlinson, Head of Color Science at Harbor

Please read the Rules & Legal Terms carefully before submitting your project.

On October 18 at 7pm AEST, the Australia/New Zealand Chapter will host an online meeting via our Discord Group. Along with a general group catch up, it will include a discussion about working remotely with clients in a post-COVID world. We are looking to broaden our scope, so please invite friends and colleagues from the vision side of production and post-production to take part in the discussion and perhaps become members.

Register here.

Colorist Society hosted a Colorist Mixer, September 16, in Amsterdam in tandem with the 2023 International Broadcasters Convention. Organized by iColorist, the event was held at Arti et Amicitiae, former home of a Dutch artist's society, in Rokin. 

The Mixer was well attended and enthusiastically received. It was a great opportunity to network, relax, learn, reconnect with old friends and make new ones. We also handed out more than $15,000 in raffle prizes provided by our sponsors. Winners included Jamie Dickinson (ACES), Cassiano Zoboli (Adobe), James Willett (ASUS) Nikolai Waldman (Blackmagic Design), Rik Mahieu (Colorfront), Alexander Hohenthaner (Flanders Scientific), Boris Klasser (Hedge), Paolo Verrucci (Kaurus), Alexandre Sadowsky (Leader), Achim Kapitza (MASV), Jenn Lee (Portrait Displays), Jon Hall (Professional Video Alliance) and Peteris Sudakovs (Tangent). 

(l to r) Alexander Hohenthaner, Rik Mahieu, Boris Klasser, Alexandre Sadowsky, Jenn Lee, Jon Hall, Kevin Shaw, James Willet, Jamie Dickinson, Achim Kapitza, Paolo Verrucci, Nikolai Waldman, Peteris Sudakovs, Cassiano Zoboli

IMDbPro recently launched a series of “How To” videos on YouTube to help you manage your profile. Learn how to change your primary profession or update your personal details with step-by-step instructions. Click here.

Colorist Society members receive a discount off an IMDbPro Premium Subscription, which offers full access to the most powerful features, including setting your featured image, primary profession and unlocking advanced search. See the Member section of the website for details.

The availability of powerful, and relatively low-cost color grading software is contributing to the growth of the post-production industry worldwide and enabling colorists everywhere to expand their skill sets. A prime example of both these trends is colorist and new CSI member Bilal Ahmed who has developed an impressive resume in his hometown of Baghdad, Iraq, a city not often thought of as a media production center.

A graduate of the University of Baghdad’s College of Fine Arts, Ahmed began his career as an editor and later founded Mesopotamia Cinematheque, the first library to build a catalog of Iraqi cinema. More recently, he developed an interest in color grading and taught himself to use Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve. In 2021, he became the first Iraqi colorist to be certified as a DaVinci Resolve trainer. “I worked for years as an editor at a satellite television station, but I loved cinema,” Habib recalls. “I wanted to learn how to color movies, but grading systems were too expensive until I found Resolve.”

Ahmed now conducts training courses and leads workshops in grading, editing and sound post-production, while also working as a freelance colorist. His credits include a mix of locally produced short films, television shows, music videos and commercials. His recent projects include editing and grading 31 episodes of the television drama Entiqam Rooh. He also graded the films Rain Music, On A Highway to Germany, Michigan and Black Line. “I see membership in CSI as a chance to further develop my skills and share my work with other colorists and professionals,” he explains. “Membership in an international, professional organization distinguishes me among my peers.”

As production grows in Iraq, Ahmed hopes to have more opportunities to grade features, scripted television shows and high-end commercials. He would also one day like to open his own post facility. Another short term goal is to broaden his experience by working outside Iraq, perhaps in the United States. “I have dreams,” he says. “But working in Iraq is very nice now. The future looks good.”

At this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas, CSI Fellow Lou Levinson took part in a thought-provoking panel discussion on remote collaboration and grading in the cloud. Sponsored by SMPTE, the session also featured FilmLight Managing Director of the Americas Peter Postma and AWS Senior Specialist Solutions Architect Marlon Campos.

Moderator Debra Kaufman asked the panel about the benefits and limitations to cloud-based workflows. Postma noted that recent software and hardware improvements have reduced but not eliminated issues with latency, bandwidth and compression, making cloud grading a more practical option than in the past. But it still works best when storage and virtual resources and located close to the user—across town rather than on the other side of the world. Campos added that AWS has been building data centers at strategic locations around the world. “In some Local Zones, we have reduced latency to single milliseconds,” he said.

According to Levinson, the cloud offers practical advantages for colorists faced with shorter deadlines and client bases spread around the globe, but they come with new responsibilities. “It can be done well,” he pointed out. “But you must be careful. Colorists are used to sitting down at a control surface and not thinking about infrastructure. There is a direct connection between our brains and the color we want. If you disturb that with concerns over latency or bandwidth, it interferes our ability to translate and deliver what the director has in mind.”

Postma said that cloud solutions work best in terms of cost efficiency when applied to post-production ecosystems that include visual effects, editorial, dailies processing and other services in addition to grading. He also noted that the cloud provides facilities with the flexibility to add virtual resources and avoid the expense of additional local hardware.

The discussion also touched on AI and machine learning tools available locally and in the cloud. All three panelists agreed that AI is helping colorists with repetitive tasks but are a long way from replicating the skills of experienced artists. As Levinson put it, “Humans are still necessary.”

At the end of the session, an audience member asked about security in the cloud. Levinson acknowledged that protecting assets remains a serious issue and cautioned that technology alone provides no guarantees.  “You can have the best protection in the world, but humans will still fail.”

You can view the full session here.