Film Look recreation in DaVinci Resolve

Stefan Ringelschwandtner

15 May 202104:44

Summary

TLDRIn this video, colorist Stefan Ringelschwandtner introduces his website, mononodes.com, which focuses on recreating the film looks, particularly inspired by the movie 'Midnight in Paris.' He emphasizes the importance of production design elements captured in behind-the-scenes images for effective look recreation. Stefan discusses his simplified approach, utilizing a minimal node tree in DaVinci Resolve without complex LUTs or plugins. By sharing insights and comparisons with other methods, he aims to provide a practical resource for aspiring colorists, encouraging them to observe and enhance the story through color correction.

Takeaways

🎬 Stefan Ringelschwandtner is a German colorist who introduces his website mononodes.com, dedicated to film look recreation.
🔍 The concept of recreating a film's look involves understanding the on-set elements like production design, art direction, and costumes.
🎥 Behind-the-scenes images are crucial for accurately capturing the original film's aesthetic, despite variations in camera quality.
🖥️ Stefan emphasizes a straightforward approach to look recreation, avoiding complex color space transformations and film emulation LUTs.
⚙️ His minimal node tree in DaVinci Resolve consists of only four nodes: offset printer lights, contrast adjustments, saturation control, and Lift Gamma Gain.
🛠️ Many aspiring colorists complicate their processes with extensive node trees and plugins, while seasoned professionals often use simple adjustments.
📊 The website provides side-by-side comparisons of behind-the-scenes footage with final images, enhancing understanding for colorists.
💡 The goal of the website is to show that effective look recreation can be achieved without excessive complexity in the workflow.
📝 Stefan encourages viewers to engage with his content, asking questions and exploring the resources available on his website.
✨ Ultimately, the art of color grading is about enhancing the story conveyed by the cinematographer, rather than perfecting every color detail.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of Stefan Ringelschwandtner's video?
-The video focuses on introducing his website, mononodes.com, and discussing the concept of look recreations in film color grading.
How did Stefan become interested in look recreations?
-Stefan became interested in look recreations after a discussion in the 'Lift Gamma Gain' forum about how the look of 'Midnight in Paris' was created, which led him to explore recreating film looks further.
What is the significance of behind-the-scenes images in recreating film looks?
-Behind-the-scenes images are significant because they capture production design, art direction, and other elements that contribute to a film's look, despite differences in camera quality.
What approach does Stefan take to recreate film looks?
-Stefan's approach avoids using color space transformations or film emulation LUTs; he goes directly from behind-the-scenes images to the final look.
What are the four nodes Stefan primarily uses in his color grading process?
-The four nodes are: 1) offset printer lights for RGB adjustments, 2) contrast and pivot adjustments, 3) saturation adjustments, and 4) Lift Gamma Gain for matching shadows, mid-tones, and highlights.
Why does Stefan believe his website is helpful for colorists?
-Stefan believes the website is helpful because it provides a straightforward method for recreating film looks without complicated node trees or numerous adjustments, which is often seen in other color grading tutorials.
What is the common misconception about creating film looks according to the industry professionals?
-The common misconception is that creating a film look requires complex adjustments; however, many professionals emphasize that simple adjustments, like using printer lights or basic color corrections, are often sufficient.
What was Stefan's goal with his experiment on look recreation?
-Stefan's goal was to see how closely he could replicate a film look using minimal tools and a clean node tree, rather than striving for an exact color match.
How does Stefan suggest colorists should approach their job?
-Stefan suggests that colorists should observe and understand the story being told through the images and enhance them to complement the work done by the Director of Photography (DoP).
What invitation does Stefan extend to his viewers at the end of the video?
-At the end of the video, Stefan invites viewers to explore his website and encourages them to leave comments if they have any questions.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to the Topic

In this part, the speaker introduces the main topic, highlighting its relevance in the current context. Key themes are outlined, establishing a framework for the discussion that follows. The importance of the subject matter is emphasized, along with its implications for the audience.

🤔 Key Challenges Discussed

This section delves into the major challenges faced within the topic area. Various perspectives are presented, shedding light on the complexities involved. The speaker provides examples and case studies to illustrate these challenges, making it clear why they need to be addressed urgently.

📈 Current Trends and Innovations

Here, the speaker discusses current trends that are shaping the landscape of the topic. Innovations and advancements are highlighted, showcasing how they contribute to overcoming previous challenges. This part also discusses emerging technologies and methodologies that are gaining traction.

💡 Solutions and Best Practices

In this part, the focus shifts to potential solutions and best practices that can be implemented to address the challenges discussed earlier. The speaker shares success stories and lessons learned from various initiatives, encouraging the audience to consider these approaches in their own contexts.

🌍 Future Outlook and Conclusion

The final section provides a forward-looking perspective on the topic. The speaker summarizes the key points covered and offers predictions about future developments. The conclusion reinforces the significance of the topic and encourages ongoing engagement and discussion among the audience.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Colorist

A colorist is a professional who specializes in adjusting and enhancing the color of film and video footage during post-production. Their work is crucial in establishing the mood and aesthetic of a visual project. In the video, Stefan identifies himself as a colorist, emphasizing his role in recreating specific looks from films.

💡Look Recreation

Look recreation refers to the process of mimicking the color grading and visual style of a particular film or scene. This involves understanding the artistic choices made during filming and replicating them in post-production. Stefan discusses his website focused on look recreation, indicating its significance in helping others achieve similar visual results.

💡DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is a professional video editing and color correction software used widely in the film industry. It offers advanced tools for color grading and is favored by many colorists for its capabilities. Stefan mentions using DaVinci Resolve to recreate the look of 'Midnight in Paris,' showcasing its relevance to his practice.

💡Production Design

Production design involves the visual concept of a film, including set design, location choices, props, and overall aesthetic. It plays a vital role in establishing the film's narrative environment. Stefan highlights the importance of production design in achieving a film's look, indicating that much of the visual style is set before post-production.

💡Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes (BTS) materials include footage and images taken during the making of a film that provide insight into the production process. BTS images often reveal the practical effects and setups that contribute to the final look of a film. Stefan emphasizes the value of BTS images in his research for recreating film looks, as they capture authentic colors and lighting.

💡Node Tree

In color grading software like DaVinci Resolve, a node tree is a structure that represents different adjustments made to the footage, each represented as a 'node.' This allows colorists to apply complex grading techniques systematically. Stefan mentions keeping his node tree simple with just four nodes, emphasizing his minimalist approach to achieving the desired look.

💡Printer Lights

Printer lights are a color grading tool used to adjust the brightness and color balance of footage. They allow colorists to manipulate the RGB values of an image for exposure and contrast adjustments. Stefan discusses using offset printer lights in his node tree to achieve necessary changes, highlighting their significance in his workflow.

💡Film Emulation

Film emulation refers to the process of mimicking the characteristics of film stock in digital footage, often through LUTs (Look-Up Tables) or plugins. This technique is popular among colorists who want to achieve a specific 'film look' in their digital projects. Stefan intentionally avoids using film emulation LUTs in his approach, preferring a more direct method to recreate looks.

💡Color Grading

Color grading is the process of enhancing and altering the color of footage to achieve a desired aesthetic or mood. It involves adjusting parameters such as brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue. Stefan's work revolves around color grading, and he discusses its importance in achieving the look of films like 'Midnight in Paris,' underlining the creative decisions involved in this process.

💡Observing

Observing, in this context, refers to the practice of closely analyzing film scenes to understand their visual qualities and the choices made by cinematographers and directors. For a colorist, this skill is crucial in recreating looks accurately. Stefan mentions the need for colorists to observe what is happening in the scenes, emphasizing the role of observation in enhancing storytelling through color.

Highlights

Stefan Ringelschwandtner introduces himself as a colorist from Germany and welcomes viewers to his channel.

He discusses his website, mononodes.com, focusing on look recreations in film.

The concept of recreating a film's look is inspired by discussions on the 'Lift Gamma Gain' forum.

Juan Melara's recreation of the 'Midnight in Paris' look in DaVinci Resolve serves as a reference point.

Understanding the original film's look involves recognizing elements like production design and art direction.

He emphasizes the importance of behind-the-scenes images for analyzing film looks.

Stefan conducted extensive research through DVD extras and behind-the-scenes material.

He points out that the dynamic range and color quality of behind-the-scenes images may differ from cinema cameras.

His approach to look recreation avoids using color space transformations or print film emulation LUTs.

Stefan uses a minimal node tree approach consisting of four nodes for adjustments.

The four nodes include offset printer lights, contrast adjustments, saturation adjustments, and Lift Gamma Gain.

He highlights the growing trend of recreating film looks through various online platforms and courses.

Stefan notes that professionals often use simple techniques rather than complex node trees or plugins.

The website aims to provide a platform for colorists to study look recreations effectively.

His goal is to achieve a close approximation of the film look while keeping the process simple.

Viewers are encouraged to explore the website for more insights into look recreation.

Stefan invites viewers to leave comments and questions about his techniques.