Starting the color grading process by using the show LUT

[George]

Dear forum members,

I wanted to ask how you approach the color grading process (timing, correction – name it whatever you like), in case you have developed a show LUT before shooting.

I´ve recently shot my first feature, where we created a single LUT beforehand, which I really liked. Additionally my DIT matched and fine tuned some shots before creating the dailies. Then in the grading process the colorist wanted to use the LUT only as a reference and to start completely from the scratch, which I thought was okay because I also wanted to tweak some things. Although now I have the feeling that the LUT Version sometimes looked more natural und we tried to get out too much details in the blacks and so on, it looks too correct. So I am thinking that it would have maybe been better to import the LUT in DaVinci, start the grading by using the LUT and work from there.

What are your experiences with that? Any advice? What are your workflows? To me it sounded like it is something completely unusual to grade from the LUT, but I guess afterwards it would have felt better.

Thankful for all thoughts on that topic!

Topic

[Stip]

Typically show LUTs are meticulously built upon test footage so that they don’t break and work for a range of scenarios, so that decisions on set can be made under the intended, final look (in camera).  Changing that look in post can mean messing with those decisions (e.g. exposure). So usually in post you would grade under the LUT (or the power grades it was rendered from).

But there’s no rule. Ultimately the colourist needs to work towards the vision of the DP and/or director.

Here’s a great interview about show LUTs and their use with Jill Bogdanovic, colorist of ‘Joker’, ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ and others.

[Roger Deakins]

The LUT transfers from the dailies to the timing suite.  I rarely do a ‘power grade’ on set. Maybe I adjust contrast or saturation a very small amount on set and that will also transfer to the timing suite. But I do very little timing and that probably comes from shooting film for so many years. For film you have RGB. Otherwise you have to shoot and expose it the way you want it to be in the final grade.

[Author]

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