By Randi Altman
The long wait for the final season of Showtime’s Homeland seemed to last an eternity, but thankfully the series is now airing, and we here at postPerspective are pretty jazzed about it. Our favorite spies, Carrie and Saul, are back at it, with this season being set in Afghanistan.
Keith Shaw
Year after year, the writing, production and post values on Homeland have been outstanding. One of those post folks is colorist Keith Shaw from FotoKem’s Keep Me Posted, which focuses on finishing services to television.
Shaw’s credits are impressive. In addition to Homeland, his work can be seen on Ray Donovan, Shameless, Animal Kingdom and many others. We reached out to Shaw to find out more about working on Homeland from the first episode to the last. Shaw shares his workflow and what inspires him.
You’ve been on Homeland since the beginning. Can you describe the look of the show and how you’ve worked with DPs David Klein, ASC, and Giorgio Scali, ASC, as well as producer Katie O’Hara?
Working on Homeland from Episode 1 has been a truly amazing experience. Katie, Dave, Giorgio and I are an extremely collaborative group.
One consistent factor of all eight seasons has been the need for the show to look “real.” We don’t have any drastic or aggressively stylized looks, so the goal is to subtly manipulate the color and mood yet make it distinct enough to help support the storyline.
When you first started on the show, how would you describe the look?
The first two seasons were shot by Nelson Cragg, ASC. For those early episodes, the show was a bit grittier and more desaturated. It had a darker, heavier feel to it. There was not as much detail in the dark areas of the image, and the light fell off more quickly on the edges.
Although the locations and looks have changed over the years, what’s been the common thread?
As I mentioned earlier, the show has a realism to it. It’s not super-stylized and affected.
Do the DPs come to the color suite? What kind of notes do you typically get from them?
They do when they are able (which is not often). They are generally on the other side of the world. As far as notes, it depends on the episode. When I’m lucky, I get none. Generally, there are not a lot of notes. That’s the advantage of collaborating on a show from the beginning. You and the DP can “mold” the look of the show together.
You’ve worked on many episodics at Keep Me Posted. Prior to that you were working on features at Warner Bros. Can you talk about how that process differs for you?
In remastering and restoration of feature films, the production stage is complete. It’s not happening simultaneously, and that means the timeline and deadlines aren’t as stressful.
Digital intermediates on original productions, on the other hand, are similar to television because multiple things are happening all at once. There is an overlap between production and post. During color, the cut can be changing, and new effects could be added or updated, but with much tighter deadlines. DI was a great stepping stone for me to move from feature films to television.
Now let’s talk about some more general aspects of the job…
AS A COLORIST, WHAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE THE MOST ABOUT WHAT FALLS UNDER THAT TITLE?
First of all, most people don’t have a clear understanding of what a colorist is or does. Even after 25 years and multiple explanations, my father-in-law still tells everyone I’m an editor.
Being a colorist means you wear many hats — confidante, mediator, therapist, VFX supervisor, scheduler and data manager — in addition to that color thing. For me, it boils down to three main attributes. One, you need to be artistic/creative. Two, you need to be technical. Finally, you need to mediate the decision-making processes. Sometimes that can be the hardest part of all, when there are competing viewpoints and visions between all the parties involved.
WHAT SYSTEM DO YOU WORK ON?
Digital Vision’s Nucoda.
ARE YOU SOMETIMES ASKED TO DO MORE THAN JUST COLOR ON PROJECTS?
Today’s color correctors are incredibly powerful and versatile. In addition to color, I can do light VFX, beauty work, editing or technical fixes when necessary. The clients appreciate the value of saving time and money by taking care of last-minute issues in the color suite.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB?
Building relationships with clients, earning their trust and helping them bring their vision to the screen. I love that special moment when you and the DP are completely in sync — you’re reaching for the knobs before they even ask for a change, and you are finishing each other’s sentences.
WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
Deadlines. However, they are actually helpful in my case because otherwise I would tweak and re-tweak the smallest details endlessly.
CAN YOU NAME SOME RECENT PROJECTS YOU HAVE WORKED ON?
Ray Donovan, Shameless, Animal Kingdom, Single Parents and Bless This Mess are my current shows.
ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF A PROJECT FROM A COLOR PERSPECTIVE?
Become a part of the process as early as possible. Establishing looks, LUTs and good communication with the cinematographer are essential.
HOW DO YOU PREFER THE DP OR DIRECTOR TO DESCRIBE THE LOOK THEY WANT?
Each client has a different source of inspiration and way of conveying their vision. I’ve worked from fabric and paint samples, YouTube videos, photographs, magazine ads, movie or television show references, previous work (theirs and/or mine) and so on.
WHAT IS THE PROJECT THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
I can’t pick just one, so I’ll pick two. From my feature mastering work, The Shawshank Redemption. From television, Homeland.
WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?
Definitely in photography. My father was a professional photographer and we had our own darkroom. As a kid, I spent countless hours after school and on weekends learning how to plan, take and create great photographs. It is still a favorite hobby of mine to this day.
Randi Altman is the founder and editor-in-chief of postPerspective. She has been covering production and post production for more than 20 years.
