By Randi Altman

Before opening his own color grading shop LightBender, colorist Juan Cabrera worked as a freelancer for studios like Paramount, Bad Robot, Sony and Deluxe (Stereo-D). When he opened Santa Monica-based LightBender six years ago, he was determined create an intimate, boutique environment. “We like to be accessible and offer a place where clients feel comfortable and creative,” says Cabrera.

LightBender has five color rooms running SGO Mistika and Blackmagic Resolve. Each suite has access to centralized storage, is MPAA/Netflix security compliant and Dolby Vision-certified.

While most of LightBender’s work is scripted TV and feature films, they also work on spots, docs and music videos. “I’m a huge believer in the phrase “post production starts in pre-production,” explains Cabrera. “And I try to apply it to every project we do. I like to get involved in the process as early as possible and help the team design the best workflow for the project from cinematography to editorial. Besides color and deliverables, for some projects, we have also taken care of VFX, graphics and titles.

Let’s find out more…

What would you want people to know about the process that they might not already know?
I like the term “finishing” more than “color grading,” because I think it better represents what it is nowadays. It is true there are some colorists out there that do only color and don’t even know how to conform or output a delivery file. In my mind you have to be able to control the whole process to be able to guarantee the best quality and properly troubleshoot.

Our job is to take the project through the finish line and to the world. We are the custodians of quality and consistency. Anybody can get a shot and give it some style, but to make it consistent through a sequence — or through the whole show — while avoiding technical issues and ensuring it will be seen properly on any platform… that’s the true challenge.

The Alienist: Angel of Darkness

Do you use the same system on all projects, or does that change from job to job?
My tool of choice is SGO Mistika. I’ve been using it for close to 15 years and I still haven’t been able to find anything that gives me the same flexibility. I’ve used Resolve on occasion or for very specific tasks, and I’ve played around with BaseLight, Nucoda, Scratch and Flame. For me is all about versatility and speed. Nowadays, most software has similar tools for color. There isn’t anything on any platform that is an absolute game-changer compared with everything else, but the responsiveness, conform tools, timeline management and organizational tools are a different story.

Working with a fast timeline where you can see changes and perform changes quickly, compare versions quickly, and basically feel in control is extremely important, especially when you don’t have a legion of assistants coming at night to fix your timelines. That allows us to be faster and more efficient with a tighter team.

Other than color grading, what else do you provide on a job?
I’ve been asked to consult on the pipeline, workflow or color-science of a project. I’ve been asked to do beauty work. I’ve been asked to do visual effects. I’ve been asked to run technical tests on camera and recording format comparisons. I’ve been asked to create graphics and titles. In the end it is all about providing as much as possible to bring the show to the outside world.

StartUp

You work on many different types of projects. Can you talk about the differences between working on a film versus a series?
I feel the difference is mostly about schedule. In a TV series you have to deal with multiple episodes and stage the work so you can flow different stages from one episode to another. This has advantages and disadvantages, but overall it feels like everything is more “ongoing work” than with a feature. On a feature it’s like someone yells go and then run, run, run until you are done.

In terms of quality, we like to approach both in a similar way. We don’t rush the TV series because “is just TV.” We try to make it as cinematic and expressive as possible. Nowadays, TV series have become much more stylized, and the clients want to move away from the classic “network” look to something more brave and dramatic. I love that.

You’ve been a colorist and a supervising colorist. Can you talk about the differences of those roles and do you prefer one over the other?
It is common to have a colorist who creates the main look and sets main shots and then an assistant that comes later and “fills the gaps” and colors similar shots, sequences, etc. I think that is still a great way to get into the industry, and for some projects it makes perfect sense.

In my case, I have a team of colorists who work with me. I don’t feel like they are just my assistants; they have great professional experience and great taste. We talk and discuss sequences together, and sometimes after I define some shots I have them work on other sequences by themselves.

For other projects, it is completely their show and I’m just there to make sure everything is up to the LightBender-quality and help if they have issues with any shot. So to me is a matter of giving proper credit to those working with me (not just for me)

On top of that, I’m usually on top of color-science, conform workflows, deliverables formats and custom tools development. So I guess that makes me someone who supervises a team and tweaks the process, not just someone who is coloring.

The color industry is very new, and I feel like it can be approached in many different ways. Roles and titles are still being figured out. In other houses, you have people calling themselves “DI executive producers” and other fancy things. At the end of the day, I think it is important to give your team the best credit you can to better reflect what they do and help them progress in their career.

You have some huge credits, including Star Wars, Star Trek and Transformers. How does working on big tent-pole films differ from more indie, TV or smaller projects?
On Star Trek: Into Darkness I was DI supervisor. I basically took care of the whole online process internally at Bad Robot instead of leaving it up to the color facility because of its complexity and the speed at which editorial was doing new versions. It was a 3D feature with three different delivery aspect ratios (scope, 1.85:1 digital IMAX, 1.66:1 Film IMAX), and the sheer amount of pan and scan adjustments for all of that, besides all the 3D convergence tweaks, made it more efficient to do internally. On top of that, I was taking care of all the internal color grading and temp color for reviews, and the 3D balance of the stereoscopic versions.

Quantum Break

On Star Wars: The Force Awakens I was the stereographer, as well as internal/temp colorist. We used a similar workflow to the one we did for Star Trek, just not so complex on the delivery format side. All the internal reviews up to the very end were colored in-house at Bad Robot. On the 3D side, since it was a post-conversion movie, it was a lot about reviewing work from Stereo-D and giving them notes on volumes and consistency. The 3D is a process I really a joy; working with the Stereo-D team and Brian Taber was absolutely amazing.

On Transformers: Age of Extinction I was working directly at Paramount to balance the 3D shots of the movie. In this case, the film was shot in 3D, natively, so all of that needs to be balanced, geometry corrected and depth-graded (making it flow smoothly from one shot to the next) 

Is working on big films like that easier or more difficult?
Working on big movies is way easier than working on smaller ones. Think about this: On a $200 million movie, they usually have no shortage of lights, sets look amazing, the cameras and lenses are probably the best that can be, and you usually have a huge VFX team to fix anything that couldn’t be fixed on set. That makes color grading way simpler. Almost anything you do looks pretty and is more about subtleties, logistics and many color versions and reviews.

The smaller projects might have some serious light challenges. They might have been forced to shoot on different days with very different lighting conditions. They might not have been able to get the right lenses, or full sets for every camera. They don’t have access to top-notch VFX to fix most problems. At the end of the day, you have to spend more time, get more creative and have the “helping hat” on all the time. But it can be very rewarding to get something that was very challenging and take it to the point where nobody thinks about the budget and can just enjoy the story, the scenery and not get distracted by all the issues you fixed.

The Alienist: Angel of Darkness

Have you worked on many projects remotely during the shutdown?
One of our most recent projects was The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, for which I was nominated for an HPA Award. It’s the second season of the TV series for Paramount TV/TNT. We were in the middle of it when the pandemic hit, so we had to quickly adapt to a remote review environment with the production team.

We used different things — we sent ProRes files for the team to review on their calibrated monitors so they could get back to us with notes, we used Mistika’s MP4 streaming tool to create a remote viewing stream using VLC, we did remote sessions SDI to SDI using Streambox with the DP Cathal Watters, ISC, who lives in Ireland (he was able to review at his regular Post Facility on a Dolby PRM-4200), we had some producers using the Streambox app to check content on their iPad. I would say after the first couple of weeks of adaptation everybody felt pretty comfortable with the process and the different options.

How do you prefer to work with the director and DP?
In Europe it’s very common to have the DP sitting with you throughout the whole process. It wasn’t until I came to the US that I realized that sometimes the DP barely steps into the color room, which I think is a huge loss.

The DP is the person who has been working and talking about the look and feel of the show for the longest time. It’s an invaluable source of information and inspiration, and I think any color process improves by having the DP deeply involved in it.

Having said that, for most projects, I usually have a “set-looks” session to start the process. I sit with director, DPs and producers and spend some time going through the sequences and talking about what they want, what they hope for and what their references are. Then we work on the look for some sequences (or all sequences if time allows). These are supposed to be creative sessions, not technical. The aim is to capture the spirit of the project.

After that, we work on it until we go through it all, and then we schedule a final review. (Depending on the project, we might send over some sequences for specific feedback.) On that final review, we do all kinds of technical fixes too, from windows to light fixes, framing to dead pixels. Depending on the project, these sessions might be one or two days or longer.

How do you prefer the DP or director to describe the look they want? Physical examples?
Anything that works for them. It can be images, movie references, paintings or photographs. People perceive the feelings associated with color in vastly different ways, so the references can vary immensely. The most important thing at the beginning of a project or a session is finding the common language.

As simple as it might seem, something like “contrast” or “saturation” or “vibrancy” or “warmth” doesn’t mean the same thing for all people. So creating that common language and understanding what they mean when discussing looks is the most important thing. It’s not about matching a look. It’s about finding what you can do to the footage you have to provoke a similar feeling in your client.

Juan Cabrera

Any suggestions for getting the most out of a project from a color perspective?
– Always fight to have the highest possible file quality to make sure your footage can stand being stretched and pushed without degradation.
– Talk with the DP ahead of time when possible to discuss workflow and make sure everything on set is done to favor that. Remember you both are on the same team.
– Run camera tests when possible to confirm everything is where it’s supposed to be from the get-go. And it’s always better to do REAL tests, not just charts. Meaning exteriors, interiors, over-exposed, under-exposed, high saturation, darkness, etc.
– Make sure your color pipeline works to help you and not against you. Working with complex LUTs might force you to chase your tail and overcompensate constantly. It’s usually better to work in a simpler way and create the color and tweaks yourself rather than leaving it all to some LUT.
– Test, test, test — From conform to delivery — test all cameras, all possible combinations — to make sure you are in control.

What’s your favorite part of color grading?
When clients are happy with the end result. That’s the best reward! Especially if you have challenging shoots they felt were probably never going to work, and you make them work. Seeing that gratitude and knowing you have helped them tell their story the way they intended to (or better) is what makes it all worth it.

Do you have a least favorite? If so, what?
“Can we make it look like this Instagram filter?” (laughs)

StartUp

Why did you choose this profession? How early on? Did you know this would be your path?
I started my career 25 years ago as an animator, which evolved into visual effects. At one point, almost by accident, 15 years ago I found myself doing color for a short film, and I really enjoyed the process. VFX can be very lonely, and you are one of a team of hundreds. Or if you are the VFX supervisor, you are constantly chasing a moving target with an ever-shrinking budget. It’s crazy-stressful. With color grading there is an immediacy to it, it happens quickly, and you are a larger part of the decision-making process. It has the technical base, but is also hugely creative and more rewarding.

What is the project that you are most proud of?
This is a tricky one. Different projects give you satisfaction in different ways. In no particular order:
– StartUp: We did all three seasons of this show. We created very strong looks and had a lot of creative control. It is an amazing show with strong performances and beautiful locations. The whole team was amazing, and I would work with the showrunner and the DP on any project anytime without even thinking about it.
– Star Wars/Star Trek: Working at Bad Robot was a dream come true. As a life-long geek and huge science-fiction fan, I was stoked when they called me. Being able to be part of something so big and meaningful for so many people was an incredible honor, and I made quite a few life-lasting friendships in the process!
– The Alienist: Angel of Darkness: Doing a period piece was something different than what I was used to. That, combined with the size of the project, the schedule challenges and COVID hitting in the middle of it, made everything very challenging. I am extremely proud of the work we did and how we managed to overcome every obstacle and curveball that was thrown at us.

The Final Wish

Where do you find inspiration?
I’m inspired by very mundane things… I don’t actively look for it, but now and then there is a sunset, a landscape, a wall, a reflection, a T-shirt, a comic book, a billboard… you can find interesting textures and color palettes everywhere. I don’t have a specific style I force on my clients.

I think a colorist’s job is to be adaptable and flexible, so I try to be inspired by the references they show me or the conversations we have when we are researching looks. Part of it is not being afraid to go crazy in a specific direction and see how it reacts with the footage.

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
On a personal level, I try to devote as much time to my wonderful family as possible. They really make it all worth it. Getting back home and being able to be silly with my daughter, cook dinner, watch something on TV with my wife, or just relax really makes a difference in my day.

Besides that, I started doing meditation and exercising regularly around five years ago. That really helps too. Doesn’t matter how crazy the day is, you can always take five to 10 minutes to sit quietly and meditate. When I exercise, I usually do it at the end of my day so I can physically shake off all the stress before winding down for bed.

On a business level, I’m constantly looking for more efficient ways to do things, and I implement as much automation as possible to better use time. I’ve written several Python and Bash scripts to help on repetitive tasks (all our systems are either Linux or OSX), and I’m a huge fan of open-source and small tools that help you with day-by-day tasks. I’m proud to support the development of every open-source tool we use. A few examples would be: DCP-o-matic, NFS Manager, RapidCopy, Belle Nuit Subtitler, and , among many others.

Randi Altman is the founder and editor-in-chief of postPerspective. She has been covering production and post production for more than 20 years.