“Clients need to have the confidence that no matter what problems arise you have the skills to provide intelligent solutions and deliver the project to their liking,” says colorist Rob Pizzey.
What Company do you work for?
Goldcrest Post Production London
Can you describe Goldcrest and the services it provides?
Goldcrest is supplier of Academy and BAFTA award-winning picture and sound post production services for film and broadcast projects based in London.
Goldcrest offers three Dolby-licensed dubbing theatres with DCI-compliant projection, ADR recording, sound design and editing suites, offline editing suites, data extraction, film recording and scanning, online editing, and 4K and 2K grading in 2D and 3D for theatrical releases as well as ultra HD and HDR for streaming services and broadcast TV. In May 2020 we launched a new VFX division.
Disney’s The One and Only Ivan
As a colorist, what would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
Most people think colorists sit in a dark room creating a look, balancing up shots and isolating parts of the image, but there is far more to it than that.
One of the most important aspects of the colorist job is how you deal with clients. Clients have to be comfortable sitting in a dark room with you for many hours a day. You have to be able to read the room. Empathy with the director and cinematographer is a must. You have to have great patience, and attention to detail is paramount.
Clients need to have the confidence that no matter what problems arise you have the skills to provide intelligent solutions and deliver the project to their liking. Gaining the trust and confidence of clients is a skill all unto itself. In some bookings you could be working very closely with somebody you have never met before, and after a couple of weeks you are almost their therapist.
What system do you work on?
I grade using a Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio 16 with an advanced panel. The digital projector I am currently using is a Barco DP4K-P.
Rocketman
Are you sometimes asked to do more than just color on projects? If so, can you describe?
It’s crazy to think how my toolset has evolved with changes in technology. Back in the day when I started grading, you were limited to what you could do. A primary grade with a couple of secondaries. Nowadays, it’s common for me to carry out basic visual effects work on certain shots.
At the end of the grade, if needed, I will carry out a cosmetic pass for beauty fixes. There have been a number of jobs the last couple of years on which I have had to fix problems with prosthetic makeup. It’s time-consuming but worth it.
What are some recent projects you’ve worked on?
Currently, I am working on Death on the Nile, which is fantastic. It’s shot on 65 mm film and looks amazing. Recent projects over the last year include Rocketman, Emma and The One and Only Ivan.
How do you prefer to work with the DP/director?
Ideally, I’d like to have a look-setting session with the director and cinematographer to create the mood and color palette for the film. We usually select still frames from scenes — a wide and close-ups — and work on them. I find this works perfectly; we can really mold the images quickly. After we have created the looks, I then will work unattended matching everything up, tracking all the isolated power windows and programming in keyframes.
Emma
After I have a graded pass on the film, the clients will come back in the theater, and that’s when the fun really starts. I find working this way is the best use of clients’ time. They can assess the whole film and make instant decisions; it’s relatively quick to change the look of a scene once I have a first graded pass available. If a director or cinematographer wants to work in a different way, it’s fine by me. It’s whatever makes them feel comfortable in the suite.
How do you prefer the DP or director to describe the look they want? Physical examples? Film to emulate, etc?
Every director/cinematographer is different. They all have their ways of describing what they want to achieve. I don’t have a preference as long as they communicate with me. I graded a film once where the director hardly attended a session and didn’t give any color direction. When they did pop in for five minutes, what we were doing wasn’t what they wanted, but they wouldn’t give any direction. It was extremely , but we got there in the end. Communication is everything. It can be a nightmare when the director wants something completely different from the cinematographer. You have to act as a mediator and try to keep everybody happy.
Any suggestions for getting the most out of a project from a color perspective?
It all depends on the subject matter of the film. You have to try to follow the narrative arc of the story. The color grade, along with the cinematographer’s lighting, should help tell the story. I believe you shouldn’t overpower the grade. It should complement the cinematography.
What’s your favorite part of color grading?
I look forward to reviewing the first graded pass of a film with clients, then making changes quickly to scenes and getting instant feedback if it is working. Every now and then there are scenes or shots in a film where the cinematographer didn’t have the time to light properly or the weather conditions are very mixed. It’s a good feeling when you can rescue something when everybody on production thinks the scene or shot cannot be used.
Do you have a least favorite? If so, what?
Unfortunately, I have to work in the dark all day. Due to schedules of back-to-back films, the hours can be long. It’s not great during the winter months. I get up, it’s dark; travel to London, it’s still dark; grade all day and go home in the dark.
How early on did you know this would be your path?
I thought that working in the TV industry would be fun. I was lucky enough to get a job as a runner in 1992 at a company called Soho Images. Whilst serving tea to the telecine operators, I realized what a cool job it would be to be able to change the appearance of an image that gets broadcast on TV whilst having massive lunches bought for you. I decided that’s what I wanted to do, and it became my mission to become a grader, as they were called back in the day. In 2004 I made the transition to color feature films. I still color commercials every now and then, and episodic TV, but mainly I grade features.
What is the project that you are most proud of?
I’ve been lucky enough so far to collaborate with some amazing directors and cinematographers. I am proud of all of the films I have worked on. I make sure I give 100% to the job I am on. The day that doesn’t happen, I guess it’s time to stop. I worked on one film called The Iron Lady for which I received a Hollywood Post Alliance Award for outstanding color grading using a DI process for a feature film, which was pretty cool. I remember for that film, we put so many isolated tracking layers, and the cinematographer only reviewed the film once in the DI. It was a great use of the tool set we had at the time.
Where do you find inspiration? Art, Photography?
Every now and then, if I have a free hour, I like to pop down the road to the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. It’s a great place to lose yourself, and the art is truly amazing. Other than that, when I’m out and about, I always study the light.
Can you name three pieces of technology you can’t live without?
I definitely could not live without my phone. My Sonos speakers are pretty awesome and great for a party, which is pretty much every weekend. Thirdly, my Garman GPS golf rangefinder — anything to help me when I’m playing golf is a bonus.
What do you do to de-stress from it all?
The stress levels internally can get very high. I work with very different people film to film. I make sure at the end of the day when I get home to the family, the first thing I do is work out, whether it’s boxing training or a run. I love trail running, and I am lucky enough to live very near Ashridge Estate National Trust Park. There are some great trails to run through there.
At weekends it’s great to have a game of golf with the boys. We do a lot of socializing with friends at the weekend, which helps. Holidays are a must, but I have to plan a year in advance due to work scheduling. However, this gives my family and I something to look forward to, when we can be together exploring new territories whilst embracing downtime.
