🎨 Colorist Newsletter #572

Published: Sun, 11/26/23





Issue DLXXII: The Super 8 Edition
The Color Grading Newsletter
News, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sundays. Curated by a professional color grader.
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Curated & Published
by
Patrick Inhofer
 
From The Publisher
It's Thanksgiving weekend (I hope you enjoyed the long weekend) and the Newsletter is shipping - which is a rarity. But it gives me an opportunity to feature some Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales. Be sure to keep reading for some of those.

Now let's jump to it!

Happy Grading!

I'll see you next Sunday.

Sincerely,

Pat Inhofer
Colorist & Publisher
The Craft
Featuring the work of creative craftsmen, the theory of color, and industry news. Learn practical workflows, useful theories, and actionable insights from existing (and emerging) leaders and teachers in our industry.

I strongly encourage you to do this, if you haven't already. I'm not asking you to do anything that I haven't done already: "If you're wondering how much to get paid for a job, what post production pay rates are in your town, or how much to pay someone to work on your production, the information can be found here.

The survey covers everyone in our industry, from executives, facility owners and hollywood's top colorists, to content creators and PAs. This is for colorists, vfx artists, editors, sound designers and audio mixers, producers, post supervisors, assistants, trainees, interns, technicians and workflow supervisors, DITs and dailies operators, and everyone else working professionally across America."

"Dehancer Colourist Awards is a worldwide competition for colour enthusiasts, created by colour experts ... We accept any project that uses the Dehancer plugin and at least one film profile. Participation is FREE, without extra fees." Submissions close, 14 December.

Click through to register, 6 December, "Whether you're seeking to forge new connections, reunite with old friends and colleagues, or unwind after a busy day, we’ll be happy to see you for an evening of refreshments and talks."

For my Spanish-speaking readers, "FilmLight will be at MicroSalón Madrid, engaging in discussions on ‘The Digital Chromogen: A Novel Approach to Look Development’ with Daniele Siragusano."

"Are you a DaVinci Resolve user looking for Black Friday deals? Here’s some options to help you save some cash during the 2023 Holiday Season!"

(video) "Recorded live at the September, 2023 lacpug Meet. Colorist Ryan McNeal, CEO of RKM Studios in LA, connects some traditional art with the greater topic of Image Design. He kept it fast and loose using still references from films and talked about how color underscores the emotional state of the characters/world."

As Mr. Spok would say, fascinating: "Through identifying the components that contribute to a successful artwork — one that leads a member to choose and watch it — we can give our creative team data-driven insights to incorporate into their creative strategy, and help in their selection of which artwork to feature."

"This exclusive discount is valid from 20 to 30 November 2023 and can be applied to all first payments of Mistika VR, Boutique and Workflows subscription plans and single-use licenses."

New - Get a sneak a peek at the discounts for Mixing Light Discover+ and Premium members on products and services - often exclusive to Mixing Light!

(video) "If you've never heard of colour grading before, you need to watch this introductory lecture from professional colourist and trainer Luke Ross."

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 TAO newsletter subscribers get to skip the waitlist. 
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The Tools
Our craft keeps changing. And growing. Learn about updates to your favorite software. Discover new tools to help you work faster or more creatively. Build your toolchest with new techniques and approaches. 

If you're running 18.6 then you'll want to update. It fixes some substantial bugs.

(video) An explanation of a critical compositing concept.

"I’ve taken [my] tests a step further and released several chatbots. They rely on the latest product from OpenAI called GPT which allows developers to easily deploy chatbots and augment their knowledge with custom datasets." He's also created chatbots for Adobe products.

(video) Demo: "The ‘RGB Split Tone Hi Lo’ and ‘RGB Split Tone Hi Mid Lo’ DCTLs offer targeted control over the RGB channels in your footage, allowing for film-like tonality in highlights, shadows, and even mid-tones. With a built-in slope function, these tools enable fine-tuned adjustments to the curve’s steepness, making it easier to emulate classic film characteristics."

Sponsor
Flanders Scientific XMP550 Professional HDR Reference Display
The new Flanders Scientific XMP550 is a 55" QD-OLED monitor specifically designed for professional HDR grading applications.
Available now at ShopFSI.com
Pushing Photons
These stories are from MixingLight.com's membership Library of color grading articles, tutorials, and podcasts (Tao Of Color is co-Owner). Do you want to read a story listed here but not a member? Sign up for a 7-Day Test Drive.​​​ There's also color correction Practice Projects for purchase. 
How do you *accurately* monitor a color-managed image from Fusion on your external monitor? Colorist Daria Fissoun teaches the workflow.
"Mixing Light has new membership levels, pricing, and a Members-only Steals & Deals page. Click through for the announcement."
(video) "Learn the fundamentals of DaVinci Resolve's OFX 'Match Move' plugin - in a color-managed pipeline replacing the sky with an sRGB image."
Gear Heads
Stay updated on the latest hardware that's shipping - because the craft of color grading isn't just about software. Plus, keep an eye on future equipment trends and hardware odds-and-ends.
"The C7 HDR can measure up to 10,000 cd/m² (nits), catering to calibration professionals and enthusiasts, and offers a remarkably low minimum luminance range down to 0.002 cd/m². This extreme sensitivity to dark and light variations showcases unparalleled precision, satisfying discerning demands at a price point that is groundbreaking for the industry." Click through to the Press Release for more details.

Colorist Marc Weilage writes in about this story, "I’m surprised that a financial publication like Forbes would cover a story on Sony Broadcast’s new BVM-X3110 HDR display, but here it is ,.,, Note they still aren’t talking about how many dimming zones the BVM-HX3110 is using and what its specific list price is."

I'll add to Marc's comments by saying: The lack of mention of QD-OLED is quite the oversight and helps this piece feel more promotional that an in-depth exploration of current technology related to the professional display market.

Marc Weilage shares, "Kodak just announced they’re finally getting back into the Super 8 camera business, for those who really and truly want “the film look.” Unfortunately, their first camera is $5500!"

I used an online calculator to estimate the equivalent of $5500 in 1965, the year that Super8 was introduced to the masses: $578. How much did an 8mm camera cost at the time, (priced for the masses)? According to the next story in the Newsletter, under $50. So yeah, not quite 'masses' pricing this go-around.

There are great details about the history Super 8 in this 2014 article, including, "Unlike super 8, which came in a cartridge, 8mm had to be threaded into the camera. Super 8 had smaller perforations on the edges, which led to better quality and larger image size. You could load the cartridge in direct sunlight without damaging the film (loading 8mm in daylight could damage about 20 percent of the roll).

Cameras designed for use with super 8 film had faster lenses, greater zoom capacity, wider shutter openings, and could shoot in lower light. Unlike regular 8mm, the exposure system in a super 8 camera was automatic, which meant you didn’t have to adjust the setting yourself."

"This series represents your correspondent’s shameless abuse of his position to complain about things which he’d like to exist, but which, for some reason, nobody wants to sell. The first among them is a piece of lighting equipment which used to exist, but which has fallen out of favour as power levels have grown."

Sunday Fun(nies)
Random thoughts, tidbits, and fun stuff catching my attention this week. Maybe it's color grading related. Maybe not. Ya gotta read to the end of the Newsletter to find out.

(video) Another Baumgartner meditation: "Hiding beneath an old and heavily discolored natural resin varnish exists a stunning Elizabethan portrait of a woman telegraphing her wealth and status. But to truly see her as she wished to be seen, we must first transform her from Ruff to Refined."

 
Th- th- th- that's all folks! I'll see you next week.
 


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