The grade took place remotely via Parsec under the supervision of DP Adam J. Minnick. We worked to chase a naturalist look akin to the films of Kelly Reichardt. To create the look we used a combination of Dehancer, printer lights, and grain.
Director Spencer Swenson and I wanted a look that was warm, yet reflected the coolness that comes with an Autumn day. I first created a Show LUT to view on set through a BMPCC6K. The film’s final look doesn’t stray too far from the Show LUT. In addition to the grade, we wanted to create gritty film grain look to match the energy and vibe of the band.
For “Crying in the Club” Spencer and I were keen on giving the video a hauntological feel---deliberately referencing an analogue era through digital tools. This guided our entire process from creating the Show LUT to view on set to the final video which uses thick layers of grain, scratches, and film jitter. I also created the film burn and warp effects in Fusion, taking a film burn templates and graphically matching it’s warp to the frames.
Creating the look for The Lovers was like an entire grading school for myself. I learned everything I needed to by tinkering with the grade for nearly 2 years. The film is supposed to have a haze over the characters. It is dreary, desaturated, and foggy. One of the key colors in the film is red, but a very specific, dense red that you can see in the curtains. The film is also slightly sepia toned, with desaturated browns filtering into every frame. The final touches on it are halation and grain to create another layer of haze.
I worked with Alex to create the look and feel of the film. We went for a soft, dreamy, surreal look to complement the narrative. In the final scene we really wanted the skies pinks, blues, and purples to wash over. The rest of the film is nod to the neon dinginess of Robby Muller’s photography in film’s like Repo Man and Paris, Texas.
