The Movie Minute with Madeline, Episode #9
Greetings all,
Madeline from Poor Bear here, back with another entry in The Movie Minute. For this week’s entry, the topic is color; specifically, how we manipulate color-related features to get the best quality picture for our videos in tandem with the right exposure and lighting.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the right color settings, known as “color correction”. One of the most important is the environment where the shooting of footage takes place. It can be affected by whether it’s indoors or outdoors, lighting, color of nearby furniture, time of day, etc. The first step is to adjust the color settings on the camera, with common examples being color profiles, white balance, and color temperature, in addition to many other steps according to StudioBinder.
Color profiles can vary from camera to camera, but many of them often have similar presets. Often, when we shoot projects (especially interviews), we often use a format such as “CineD” or “SLog”, the reason being that since it’s a more flat color profile, these formats give us greater control over how the colors in the picture can be manipulated.
White balance, as highlighted by StudioBinder’s Sam Kench, is one of the most important factors, as it affects the color temperature of the image. It is usually measured in kelvins (K), with lower values having a “cooler” (more blue) image and higher values having a “warmer” (more red) image. It’s one of the most essential settings to understand and manipulate to get the most true and accurate colors. Often, many modern cameras contain presets for adjusting white balance, each for different environments and weather conditions, in addition to an auto setting. However, we try to stick to a certain mode instead of using the auto mode whenever possible so that we have more control and the footage stays more consistent. But color correction doesn’t stop when shooting is done. Once the footage is loaded onto an NLE, it may look gray or flat, which often means that a LUT must be applied to the clips.
LUTs, short for “look-up table”, are files that contain a preset of values to adjust the color values of the clip to speed up the color correction and grading process. We typically use “technical” LUTs, meaning those that are meant specifically for footage shot with a certain camera and/or film stock. In addition, there are also “creative” LUTs meant for the purpose of giving the picture a certain look. In addition to picking the right LUTs, other settings may need to be adjusted, such as temperature (to make the image “cooler” or “warmer), tint (to adjust the amount of green or magenta), saturation (to adjust the intensity of the colors), and other settings.
Overall, color correction is a crucial part of of the filmmaking process, and understanding color profiles, white balance, LUTs, tint, and other factors, when used in tandem with good exposure and sound, contributes to producing a high-quality video that is appealing to the eyes and ears of those who view your content.
That’s all for this week. Thank you all for tuning in, and I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving with your friends and family. See you next week! -Madeline
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