Working with colour
With recent credits including Film Club, Dreamers and Just Act Normal, senior colourist and Residence Pictures co-founder Paul Harrison takes DQ inside the ‘dark art’ of grading, his role within TV production and the impact of AI on this corner of the creative industries.
A senior colourist and co-founder of London-based picture finishing facility Residence Pictures, Paul Harrison has worked on projects as varied sci-fi series Doctor Who, family drama Maryland, period drama The Gallows Pole, Roman historical saga Domina and comedy Ghosts.
Recently, he has been working on dance school drama Dreamers, murder mystery Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue (pictured above) and comedy-drama Just Act Normal. His work can also be seen in rebooted detective drama Lynley, upcoming comedy Film Club and season two of Dreaming Whilst Black.
Here, Harrison tells DQ more about the work of a colourist, his role in the production process, the use of AI and how his position is changing amid challenging industry conditions.
Introduce us to the role of a colourist.
A colourist is an artist, a technician and a diplomat. On a personal level, I draw inspiration from film, photography and art. I’m very aware of how light interacts with my world, the colour of the sunrise or sunset, the tone of the shadows at any given time of day, or the change in the sunlight as the seasons change, winter light versus summer light. I try to bring this awareness to all of my work.
How would you describe your role within the production of a television series?
Colourists are integral in helping realise the creative vision of a series or feature, to create a grade that bolsters the narrative. A great grade, to me, is something that takes the series or film to another level and, of course, is beautiful to watch. We work hand in hand with the director and DOP to create an alchemy in the visual end product, marrying up the picture with their vision.
At what stage do you become involved, and how do approach new projects?
It can vary from project to project. Traditionally, we’d be brought in towards the end of the process. And once footage has been shot, I will create a look from the rushes when they come in after it’s edited.
But if I’m bought into a production early enough, I can collaborate with the DOP during the pre-production phase. Before a single frame has even been shot, we can discuss the vision, run some tests and collectively plan how to best light and grade scenes, which strengthens the collaboration process and saves time further down the line.
What’s the typical process for you on a given show?
Generally, we start with a camera test, create a show LUT [look-up table], maybe some in-shoot test grades, then move on to the actual grade. In practice, this means collaborating with the director and the DOP to begin the process of creating a look for the project. This usually requires a discussion about any references for the look, and how best to achieve that in the grade. Sometimes there will be different looks we need to create that are different from the main essence of a project. When that’s the case, we explore these separately.
How do you work with creators, writers, directors and DOPs? Are there other key members of the team who you work with?
I work with DOPs, directors and the production team as both a conduit for, and a source of, ideas for creative and technical grading. I look at their references and combine my own ideas to create the look. In general, I collaborate closest with these people before the execs see the grade and give feedback.
How do you determine the look of a show?
Grading is sometimes described to me as a ‘dark art.’ In some ways, I agree. Sometimes I have no idea what I’ll do when I sit down to work on a project – the grade evolves and comes into its own as I work. In other cases, it’s a distillation of ideas from the other creatives on the project, such as the director and DOP. Ideas can be sparked by past experiences, past grades, films photos – even the look of the morning light that day. Or it can be something that has been art directed and conceived during pre-production and the actual shoot. The grades on Just Act Normal and Dreamers are prime examples of where the visual identity needed to be full of intention and carefully mapped out.
And how is that realised, creatively and technically?
The best way for me to strike this balance is with an analytical eye and a creative interpretation of the imagery we think bests fit our desired look. On the more technical side of grading, I ensure consistency between shot to shot, so that each scene feels like it works with what’s gone before, and holistically works. These days, projects are generally shot on multiple formats, sometimes at different frame rates – all these different mediums need to be blended to create a cohesive piece of work that visually clicks into place.
What typical challenges might you face working on a series?
As many people in the industry would surely agree, the main challenge is time; specifically the lack of it. I’m known for working quickly, but compressed schedules often give us less time for experimentation. Creatives are currently grappling with many hurdles – budget cuts, risk aversion from broadcasters, barriers to access and inclusion – and as finishing artists, we can be impacted by these issues too.
You’ve worked on several shows released this year. Which have presented unique or the most difficult challenges?
Three of the most challenging and enjoyable projects this year were Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, written by Anthony Horowitz and directed by Brian O’Malley and Viviane Andereggen; Film Club, written by Aimee Lou Wood and Ralph Davis and directed by Catherine Morshead; and the second season of Dreaming Whilst Black, written by Adjani Salmon and directed by Sebastian Thiel and Abdou Cisse.
What was great about these projects was that we had artistic licence to play and create some beautiful looks, because the shows demanded it. Each was very different in style – for instance, Nine Bodies was set in a jungle in South America, Dreaming had period dream sequences from the main character’s imagination, and in Film Club, we found ourselves recreating the feel of different movie classics.
How are tighter production budgets across TV impacting your work?
I am finding myself doing more VFX-type work in the grade; from changing skies to changing the colour of people’s eyes. It’s possible to do a lot in colour these days, not just grading. My experience and the speed at which I work mean I can get through a lot of shots in a day, so when time and budgets are tight, I try to help reduce the online workload by doing more in the colour room.
How are you using AI in your work, and how is its implementation affecting the post-production process more broadly?
I think it’s important to make the distinction between machine learning and generative AI. We’ve used machine learning for years in post-production and it’s featuring more and more within grading. We are leveraging this by improving the tools we already use day-to-day – such as using AI to isolate objects and help with tracking them.
How do you see your role evolving over the next few years?
I’m often asked if I see the role of a colourist diminishing in the future as more people grade using home systems and free software. I don’t worry about that. A professional colourist can make a mediocre project look great and a great project look incredible. We have a level of expertise across multiple areas in post, and work with other creative talent that someone at home would never have access to.
That said, I think AI is already featuring more heavily in colour, both in how we work and the projects we work on. So as colourists, we need to keep a pulse on what’s possible and what’s coming. We need to figure out how we effectively integrate AI into what we do so we can use it and not be replaced by it. There will be commercials or even short films made entirely by AI. We’re already seeing this happening, but it draws from content made by humans. I think people will want to continue to work with people on certain projects, and that human element will remain prevalent in the production space, as well as in post.
We will always want and need the creative services – editors, colourists, directors, DOPs and producers – to provide this. Human creativity is something that I think is impossible to replicate in a machine. The things that drive my creative decisions are hard to quantify – sometimes how I feel will have a bearing on this process. Unless a machine can think and feel, they will never replace humanity creatively. They will only ever draw on our work and create some kind of facsimile of that.
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tagged in: Dreamers, Dreaming Whilst Black, Film Club, Just Act Normal, Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, Paul Harrison, Residence Pictures