THE CRAFT OF THE COLOURIST POST-PRODUCTION
JOSEPH BICKNELL
Colourist on All of Us Strangers and Cannes hit How to Have Sex, Joseph is based at prestigious post-production facility Company 3 G rowing up with a love of film, Company 3 colourist Joseph Bicknell knew from a young age that he wanted to work in the industry. Dabbling in photography and discovering the world of colour grading was a watershed moment: combining creativity, technology and collaboration, it was a perfect match for his skillset and he fell in love with the craft. On any project, Bicknell strives for a balance between conviction in his process and being open to experimentation and play. “What makes a successful grade is incredibly subjective. There are a bunch of ways you could colour something, but I try to make it so that, when I hit that play button, the way it’s coloured makes me feel my small contribution has punctuated the emotion in the scene,” he muses. “That’s when I get that sense of a job well done.” Bicknell thrives on early involvement in the process, relishing becoming emotionally immersed in projects and participating in the creative dialogue. “You get an incredible amount of extra value, having those conversations away from the kit and away from the final process of getting the work done,” he asserts. “It means that your understanding of the nuances in the film, and the director and DOP’s vision, are that much greater – so that, when you’re actually behind the panel, you can work with intention and understanding.” While he keeps an eye on the latest tech trends, he finds a simple approach often works best, giving a cleaner, more direct result. “As well as building the look, we’re shepherding it through the different formats the project is going
CHEMA ALBA Colourist and head of DI at Deluxe Spain, Chema is one of Spain’s top professionals. He’s currently riding high on the success of his work on Society of the Snow W ith 17 years as a colourist under his belt, Chema Alba knows a thing or two about creating a killer grade. His career started at a film lab, but as soon as he saw what was possible during colour grading – the role it could play in enhancing an image and being there on the very last day of making the film – he was sold. “I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do,” he smiles. “That was nearly 20 years ago. Even today, I still love it and I’m always excited by the next project.” Uniquely, Alba says he'd rather not get involved with films before they reach the post-production stage, preferring to be the first viewer – watching just as somebody at home would. This, he finds, gives him complete clarity on what he’s seeing and the job that’s required. For him, the key to thriving in the trade is a unique artistic view and strong aesthetic sensibility, coupled with excellent people skills. “Sometimes, you get people with excellent technical skills, but no social skills. They might be able
to do the job, but they’re not going to survive! You’ll spend a lot of time in pain if you don’t like the social, collaborative side,” he insists. Alba finds watching films and TV can be a busman’s holiday, turning instead to music as a source of inspiration. “ Society of the Snow was the Stone Roses film,” he laughs. “Another film was Van Morrison. For every colourist – if you’re working a lot and deep into a project, it can be hard to enjoy films and TV – you’re seeing masks, vignettes… you’re seeing everything. So it’s better to hear music than watch something, for me. “You don’t need to be obsessed with the machinery, the technical part – and you don’t need to watch every film made in Europe over the last 30 years!” Alba continues. “But you do need to travel, you need to be prepared to speak for hours, and most importantly you need to be able to translate feelings – of directors, cinematographers, artists. You need to be able to tease out what they want and convey the feeling.” YOU’LL SPEND A LOT OF TIME in pain IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE social side ”
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