Los Angeles-based post production company Encore is using Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve for colour grading on CBS’ television show Elementary. While shooting takes place in New York City, Cinematographer Ron Fortunato, ASC, works closely with LA-based Senior Colourist Tony D’Amore at Encore, who is responsible for colour grading the entire show. Originally shot in Log-C, the dailies colourist Steven Bodner applies a single Linear LUT to all the footage. By loading the same LUT on a node in Resolve and the dailies CDLs, created by Steven, on another node, Tony is able to start with the exact same colour as the dailies that were delivered to the network, DP and producers. Resolve allows Tony to turn the LUT node on and off on demand, which is used if he has a stock shot, title card or main title sequence that is already linear. The same goes for the dailies’ CDLs, which Tony can use as a starting point or transition to Log-C if he decides to go in a different direction and needs the latitude of the original footage. “The ability to work from either colour corrected dailies or camera original LOG material at the click of a node gives me extreme versatility and saves time and effort,” said Tony. “In the past, I would have to drag in an offline cassette and queue up and switch the tape, having to look at it before cutting back. With Resolve, in one click I can mute the node and see it without the dailies’ CDL if need be. It’s simple, but extremely effective. Being able to see everything Ron saw during production provides a dialogue when conforming.” Using Resolve’s node based processing, Tony takes advantage of unlimited Power Windows with circle, linear, polygon and PowerCurve shapes, which he uses to address any issues and deliver on the producers’ and Ron’s vision, creating a rich and moody feel out of a normal New York City scene. “Resolve’s unlimited nodes, windows and shapes help me deliver on the look of the show,” said Tony. “Without it, I might have to make compromises due to a lack of tools. With a show like Elementary, there’s no room for compromise. With Resolve, I can take down the exposure on the walls or floors, address every issue and ensure everything looks perfect.” Resolve’s Power Windows’ full multi point tracking further increases efficiency by helping keep Tony’s workflow organised by locking windows to on screen objects. “I’m able to pop a window on and hit auto track, which allows me to move on to the next shot. I’m not wasting time opening new windows, rebuilding tracking points or dealing with cumbersome keyframes. Clients and DPs are always amazed at how fast it is. Resolve lets me stay ahead of the curve,” said Tony.www.blackmagicdesign.com
