FilmLight BaseLight

Sometimes the story of how a film was made is almost as compelling as the story the film itself tells. That was certainly the case with There is No Evil, this year’s Golden Bear winner at the 70th annual Berlinale, the 2020 Berlin Film Festival. The film, from Iranian director Mohammed Rasoulof, faced serious and unique challenges getting onto the big screen at a film festival. First, there was the fact that Rasoulof is unable to leave Iran.

One of the most awaited drama series of 2019, His Dark Materials, produced by Bad Wolf for BBC and HBO, was finished at Technicolor in London. With a story set in a parallel universe that seems like the Britain of a century ago, and with fantastic elements such as giant armored polar bears and ever-present demons – animal representations of the human soul – the production is a tour de force of visual effects, and therefore somewhat demanding of the colorist, Jean-Clément Soret.

The next in the series of acclaimed FilmLight Color Day master classes will be held April 8 during the National Association of Broadcasters convention. Presented by industry leaders in creative grading, this intensive day will introduce colorists, DPs and the wider production and post industry to the opportunities and challenges of modern color finishing and delivery.

Swapnil Patole is senior colorist and digital intermediate head of department at Famous Studio in Mumbai, which opened in 1946 and has become one of the finest post-production houses in India. Since starting his career 14 years ago, he has graded a long list of commercials in all genres and for brands such as L’Oreal, Garnier, McDonalds, Honda and Nivea, to name a few. He has more recently worked on feature films, festival short films and music videos, including a project for Sony Music India. Digital Cinema Report recently spoke with him about his career and how evolving technology has changed the work of colorists around the world.