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Documentary photography may very often be concerned with presenting a supposedly
unvarnished (yet gloriously rendered) look at the world. And yet, even this ”realistic” look
atthe world is a fabrication, as every adjustment you make to improve the visibility of a
subject, enhance the glory of nature, clean up some archival footage, or push the
surroundings of the frame to recede artfully into the background, can be as carefully
thought out and manipulated as any music video grade.
The point is, whether you’re making a horror movie, an architectural documentary, a sales
video, or an automotive spot, you’re using the tools and techniques of color correction to
create a subjective representation of the imagery. The more control you can exercise over
this representation, the larger palette of emotional response you’ll have to draw from.
Evolving to do High-end Work
If you want to learn and stay competitive, and especially if you intend to work on client
projects rather than your own, it’s good to make yourself aware of current styles and
trends. You’ve no doubt heard that if you want to write, you should read as much as you
can, and the same holds true for color grading. Watch movies, television, music videos,
andweb shorts. And if you’re watching television, make yourself watch the ads. Once
you’ve had a chance to learn the grading controls that DaVinci Resolve offers, you’ll start
tosee how different looks correspond to adjustments you can make in your own projects.
And finally, get out into the world and look at other visuals. Flip through fashion magazines,
go to art galleries, take a hike in the woods, and observe. Fill your mind with diverse
images, and analyze them to see what inspires you. The more aware you are of other
visualdisciplines, the more ideas you’ll bring to your own work.
A last issue to consider is the effect affordable color grading has had on the television
industry. In most current episodic television production, the visual style is now as good
asin a feature film. This dramatic change in quality has made television programming
betterthan ever.
An unintended benefit of this change is that top-level feature film actors now move into
television work and back to film with amazing freedom because television no longer looks
like an inferior medium. Also, high-level film crews and facilities are able to do a wider
range of both television shows and feature films, while still retaining their premium status.
It’s an exciting time when you consider the additional increase in the number of distribution
platforms for high-quality work, such as streaming services. The industry is growing more
quickly than ever, which means talented editors and colorists are more in demand than ever!
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