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Spyder house rules Using this simple gadget on every shoot will have a huge effect on the colour fidelity of your films B ringing incredible stories to life through the visual medium of movies is the motivation for so many creatives. From pop videos work from. That’s where the Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video comes in. It’s a small, well-priced device that works wonders for achieving natural colours. Only then should you consider grading them with this year’s version of teal-and-orange, for example.
to documentaries, drama work and adverts, there is nothing quite like the freedom you get making films – but it also comes with technical necessities. Not many relish the often-complex nature of colour management. Yet dodgy colours can ruin work, making it look either amateurish or so far from reality that your clients refuse to pay – especially when it comes to the subtleties of skin tones. Professional colourists are the unsung heroes of filmmaking, turning the raw footage into something beautiful and consistent throughout a whole project. They are equipped with expensive HDR production screens and have technical colour management know-how matched to a creative eye. But, for the vast majority of independent filmmakers, it’s an expense that can’t usually be budgeted for. Even if you do work with a colourist, a level of consistency at the capture stage is required to give them something to
With the pressure of time both on-set and in post-production, everyone needs decent colour as quickly and simply as possible without spending years learning the ins-and-outs of complicated software. And it all starts at the taking stage on the shoot, where recording a reference chart before your main shots will ensure all the colours match between cameras and lenses in different light conditions or on different days. Consistency is everything. By spending less than a minute on a shoot sorting out white-balance and colours, it could save you hours in post- production. Yet many filmmakers leave it all to chance, or at worst to the auto white- balance feature in their camera. Mix in Log profiles, Raw shooting and mixed lighting, and it can be a real problem. That’s why high-end productions shoot a large colour card before every shot, held
“Recording a reference chart before your main shots will ensure all the colours match between cameras and lenses” in front of the talent in the same light while ensuring there are no reflections or flares. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s an added step of complexity on-set. It’s actually a simple task which can save hours of headaches in post – and is crucial for every new scene or lighting change.
EVERYDAY CARRY The Datacolor Spyder Checkr Video is a simple tool that will help nail those crucial colours on every shoot
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