How Colorworks Tweaks the Image for Stereo

Priest, the new action-horror hybrid from Screen Gems, got a 4K finish at Sony Pictures Entertainment’s in-house DI Facility, Colorworks. The project was scanned at 4K from original camera negative on Scanity film scanners. Both 2K and 3D versions of the film were graded at 4K – and, because of the lower brightness of projected stereo-3D images, the 3D image had to be boosted a bit at the end of the process. Film &  Video asked colorist Trent Johnson some quick questions about the workflow at Colorworks and his work on Priest, which opens today in North America.

Film & Video: What direction were you given for working on Priest?

Trent Johnson: I was guided by both the director and cinematographer. Both have superb eyes, and the look of the film was simply the evolution of what they did on set.

What’s involved in grading the 3D version of a film?

Most simply it’s an overall brightening of the image. I did some tweaking to retain detail in the highlights of the bright exterior scenes.

Can you talk about a single shot or scene that took a lot of work to get just right, or that you’re especially happy with the look of?

I especially like the look of the city. It’s dark and moody. The colors are rich, and I think the design of the environment is great.

What tools – hardware and software – are in your color-grading suite?

A Baselight 8 color-corrector, Truelight color management, and a Sony 4k projector.

Were your deliverables at 4K?

Yes. We did a 4K film out, a 4K digital cinema version in 2D, and a 2K version in 3D.

What proportion of the work you do takes place at 4K?

We do all of our film shows at 4K. We do digital shows at whatever the native resolution of the camera is. Today the breakdown is 50/50 film to digital. If you ask me again in 6 months, I bet it will be about 40/60 film to digital.