How to achieve truly cinematic color | The Hollywood Method
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- Опубликовано: 7 июл 2024
- In this video I break down my trick to getting truly cinematic color.
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#colorgrade #cinematic #blackmagic 
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I can see some confusion in the comment section over some slips of the tounge so I thought I'd try clarify. Let me start by saying this is not a criticism of Spencer, quite the opposite as I'm a fan of his work and what he's adding to the community. It is so easy as a RUclipsr to accidently sligtly mis-speak and cause confusion by accident, espeially when talking about filmmaking where there are so many abbreviations, acronymes and short hand lingo etc.
@02:00 there is a mix up between standard definition/high definition (meaning resolution) and standard dynamic range and high dynamic range (meaning...dynamic range i.e. peak brightness) in other words SD/HD was mixed up with SDR/HDR. Note: When looking at the BT.709 and BT.2020 reccomendations there are specs for resolution so resolution does indeed tie into it.
The next thing that I've seen causing confusion is Spenser saying 400 and 500 IRE and so on. He means 40 and 50 and so on. In resolve by default the histogram and waveform has markers of 0-1023. This is based on a bit depth of 10 bits per channel. 2^10=1024. 0-1023 is 1024 increments. 0 = 0 IRE and 1023 = 100 IRE and for all intensive purposes it scales to IRE at a ratio of 1:10 so its very easy to convert in your head. That said with resolve 17 you can change the scale to read IRE if you like. Note those numbers are based on SDR, standard dynamic range with peak brightness of 100NITS or IRE
Hope that clear things up for some of you and thank you again to Spencer for the continued great work!
Happy creating everyone!
Don't apologize, as you are spot on. Constructive criticism or corrections should not be frowned upon or apologized for.
I knew they he said things differently but if you are watching this video ypu must already be knowing what he is trying to say. So i just dont knowwhy people try to find out mistakes in videos. Good job for you wrote about the confusion.
@@sanjaysingha8911 That's about the most negitive approach you could have taken. I hope you feel better
@@FilmResolved i didn't mean it in a bad way. I just said that people should learn and grow. And also thanked you for sharing the mistakes. I just was lwanted to thank you
Grammar nazi coming in hot: it's _for all intents and purposes_ not all _intensive_ purposes. Good clarification though.
Aha, a video about this! Very nice, yeah this is basically the big secret; Hollywood exposures/color grades are much much "lower" than most people typically go for. Skin tones peaking at 50, 40 or even 30 IRE. The thing is, movies are meant to be watched in a theater... on a bright screen... in the dark. Keeping most of your image in the lower end of exposure looks very natural and pleasing in that setting. Additionally, it gives you room to expose things that "glow" (like lamps, skies, fire, etc.) much higher around 70, 80, 90 IRE in the same frame, which again looks very natural and realistic. It makes perfect sense that sources of light in-frame should appear much brighter on screen than your actor's skin.
I think we learn at first to avoid exposing things too dark because you can ruin footage that way, which is where things like eye lights and fill lights have to be carefully dialed in to preserve crucial details, and things like practical lights, windows etc. come in to add pleasing "pools of light" to the frame. It's very hard to get Hollywood exposures with run & gun shooting, because lighting and composition often have to be carefully dialed in to get this look without things feeling off. Contrast ratios are too high in real life a lot of the time too, and exposing skin dark can cause total detail loss in a lot of the frame without lighting. Practicing with lighting and grading shots privately can help you understand how to find good, natural spots that fulfill a lot of lighting needs already in real locations. This can really help you early on when you don’t have a lot of lighting equipment or even a way to set it up at your locations. Great video!
excellent info
Essentially. That’s a very good summary. We often forget that movies are shot in sets and everything is dialed in to create a desired look. Well before the final edit, the director already has set the composition, setting, lighting, etc. to create that cinematic look. The edit is the cherry on top. Most of us do it backwards, and often neglect composition and setting and try to bring it all together in post. At that point, it’s already a little too late.
What helped me understand what he is saying is using a false color lut. Pretty awesome if you want to analyze your favorite movie grade.
More of this kind of content please! These practical breakdowns of concepts and techniques that most people have to learn on the job are super useful. This helped a ton. Thanks!
Instead of releasing/selling LUT's it would be greatly appreciated if you would do a video on HOW you make your own luts. Per camera, per INT/EXT and what not :)
But then no one would buy his LUT's?
@@RafaelBernatto That's not true. Many people still would if they don't want to take the time to build the LUT themselves. And he doesn't have to make the video about how he created that specific LUT, but an overview on how you'd go about it.
They must make a living
There are dozens of other channels that provide that type of content... Spencer is typically more focused on the capture of the image rather than post.
Teach a man to fish
Whoa. That colour transition at 9:20 is mind blowing. Really conveys how powerful this approach can be.
That fourthwall break at the beginning really surprised me! So fun. Thanks for stressing the importance of "exposing to the right." Such a valuable thing to know before hitting that record button.. especially when going for that moody "cinematic" look.
As an aspiring cinematographer, I really love you educational videos, Spenser! Great work, always!
Thank you! You explained this so well!!! I've watched dozens of explanations on rec and luts color grading. This by far is the best out there.
This is one of the best videos I ever watched on RUclips. On my course I explain this to my students all the time. And you used exactly the same method that I use. Glad to see that we have people like you my friend.
What really helped me to nail the contrast while color grading was using a false color lut on both my footage and reference. By analyzing dozens of movies, I realized pretty much nothing except light emitters themselves is going above 80 IRE ever.
I've watched many of your videos and love your contribution to the community with the videos you create. This video was definitely something I found very beneficial. Thank you again for this.
In Blade Runner 2049 the color yellow appears whenever K makes a discovery or some new information is revealed. So when he meets Dekkard the whole scene is bathed in yellow cause hes given massive revelations that makes him rethink his existence. "Cinematic Colour" tells the story and informs the scene/characters. Its not just a genetic look... the word "cinematic" gets twisted so much...
This is incredibly helpful! I'll be using these tips on my shoot today! Thank you Spenser!!
your video instruction here was incredibly handy to take in. i also use a pocket cinema camera and you're opening comments were hella spot on.
Great tips and well explained
Best . cinematography . color grading . tutorial . around here !
Pretty cool. Learned a lot. Thank you!
Great video. Everyday I learn something new, think of something different, find something intriguing to try out. I was in film school 16 years ago, and we used all film cameras for our projects. So, after school Ive had to adapt and learn on the fly as the boom to digital started. Over the past few years with all the log, ettr, heavy emphasis on home color grading-- man what wild world. Also, kinda blows my mind how even in American Cinematographer there is a wide range of opinion on HDR and how to go about best practices. It's really an incredible emergent time for cinematography-- the door is wide open for people who can master this craft. Anyway, long comment, appreciate your vids dude. For me that ultra cinematic interior look is shooting daylight WB with tungsten bulbs the way you have your interview setup!
Excited on that LUT 💁♂️
More than a color grade tutorial, this is like some advices to get a better dinamic range on digital cameras, wich is not what I expected, but honestly it really find it helpful
11 minutes to say bring the offset down and buy my Lut? Wooh
Not at all. He deconstructs the way he created the lut. We can easily creates his lut. And the other minutes was him explaining his mental process and thoughts behind this technique and this way to shoot.
If you don’t like free content, you can always ask for a refund.
@@ChrisFrancis my time as yours have a price. I spent 11 minutes of my life expecting something more relevant than what you say. You probably are going to sell your Lut to someone how doesn't know anything about color grading, but the info you share fits in a 2 minutes long video
@@FranJMartin I didn't make this video, but I do applaud Spenser for taking the time to make this video and share his knowledge for free. Hopefully you recover from losing those valuable 11 minutes.
@@FranJMartin I didn't make this video, but I do applaud Spenser for taking the time to make this video and share his knowledge for free. Hopefully you recover from losing those valuable 11 minutes.
Always loved how your approach on those topics !! I've used your ROGER+THAT lut in the past. Depending on the subject of the "film", it can give pretty awesome results on a "creative standpoint". Keep it up ! Cheers !
Super valuable. Thank you, Spenser.
Great video. Very interested on that lut!
Good stuff, man! Just learned something new. Thanks.
Yes! I want the lut!
Appreciate the hustle man, keep on crankin'!
Very helpful! Thank you
I bought your "Roger That" LUT awhile back. Yes, interested in your LUT's. Using GH5 and original BMPCC BMMCC.
someone needed to make this video. thanks dude
Honestly, a PowerGrade would be much more useful, interesting and educational than a LUT
There are no rules, top tier cinematographers use LUTs and some of them even have a standard LUT for different situations, if you need to learn PowerGrades and specific node structures there are tons of content on RUclips for it.
I would generally agree, but especially in the case of monitoring on set like he’s talking about, you have to use a LUT. Can’t upload a powergrade to a monitor.
Great content as always brother! Much love from Tennessee🙏🏼
Thanks man! Would be interested for sure to see some Deakins LUT v2 examples on the P6K.
The backlight that went off made this episode 200% more cinematic and it's really creepy it did that specifically in this episode hahaha
Really, really interested in the LUT. Waiting for the update when you release it (hopefully it would be sometime this month, or early Feb, because we start filming soon).
I vote YES for LUT!
Thanks for the awesome content!
That's a really helpful video, Spenser! Thank you, awesome work. I would definitely be interested in that LUT :)
DEF interested in that LUT!🙌🏼
Thanks for this Spenser, very informative 😉
Definitely interested in that LUT!
I would love to see how the Sony S Cinetone on the A1 will compare to Fuji Eterna for straight out of camera look!
Nice method !
Great video!
Fellow Oklahoman great advise sir. Definitely good to get it right on set instead of in post. Thanks
great video, subscribed already by the openings shot!
Once I was part of an on set Film color workshop by Stu Mashwitz. He showed us how to choose the correct color tones on set. I tried that on my next project and instantly it looked more like a movie than just go out and shoot doesn't matter which shirt the main actors wears for example. A good preparation is so important. Thx for your video and keep on
are you talking about production design ans costume choice?
@@bien.mp4 yes, it is also a big part of your finished product and a filmic look
This was gold 💪🏾🤘🏾
Would definitely be interested in your LUT(s)... worth purchasing for sure!
soooooooo much knowledge here man. thanks for making this video - you earnt my sub here alone!
You should discuss and talk about subtractive color. I feel like it's important to achieve the film/cinematic look.
Completely changes how I view grading going forward. Also I would love to have your luts
I am half way through the video and i just had the same question. I actually took a clip of a music video and found the luma scope to lying under 60 70 ire which was shocking. I guess now i can see what to do to get similar results. Also finally someone who has made a video on what i wanted to know for long time
Also... yeah, very interested in THAT LUT!
Love your Shiba dude
Great work as always. Always wanted to create my own LUTs but a little daunted by where to start. Any words of advice on how to dive in?
Any LUT or Powergrade I'm here for it!
I would love a Roger That interior and exterior like you described :)
Bring on those LUTS 🙌
I really liked Bladerunner 2049... and I mostly do not like newer movies. I watch classics from the 90s, 80s, 70s, and earlier.
It often feels like the movies from nowadays are just overloaded with CGI. Not because it makes sense, but because it’s possible. Kills the magic of filmmaking for me somehow
@@ConflictMedia That’s a broad statement....That’s really 1 kind of major American « blockbuster » type of films that are like that. There are many many type of films around the world, or just more on the indie side of things that have about 0 CGI and are very much more about the story.
There are plenty good movies today and to say you don't like modern cinema is just ignorant. If you like the grainy, low contrast vibrant imagery of older movies then that's another thing. But don't discount all movies because a few you didn't like. Cinema is global so look at some other countries films
@@remywebber5330 I didn't say they weren't good, most of them just do not interest me regardless of how well they are shot. You can't deny there is a very serious problem with modern cinema.
@@remywebber5330 You know what new one I really liked? I recommend Richard Stanley's "The Color Out of Space".
would love to grab your lut bro ❤⚡🔥😊
This is a good simple way to explain an LUT build. Without a true reference monitor its still a shot in the dark. Okay for youtube or cheap DSLR music videos. Matching multi cams, color sensitive products like a can of Coke (coke can come after you if its not correct), color matching between makeup, wardrobe and the scene would be a nightmare without a reference display like an FSI or even an Eizo. Without true reference monitoring you never know if the viewer sees what you do.
Lut, yes! Pockets. Are you saying that in general digital cameras are not capable of capturing the needed low low light detail without noise., hence the need to ETTR and compress later?
Super
I colour grade with EDIUS but thanks for this important infos 👍🏻😉
What are your render settings in resolve? Your video's always looks so darn good crisp quality!
Hey Spencer a lut pack would be great bro
cool
Q:Do I want Spenser's take on a Deakins LUT? A: ummmmm.... is that a trick question? So, um... f*&@g YES I DO (please)! ... .... PS: I shoot with Sony FS7, Panasonic GH5s, Blackmagic cameras - but most LUTS don't work for more than one of those at a time... Mr Sakurai - could you please make variants for Sony, Panasonic, and BMD?... lastly... your work is amazing... I'm a multi-award-winning 20 year veteran cinematographer, and I still audibly 'yipee' when you drop a new vid... so keep 'em coming.
i want the lut!
Subscribed. Interested in LUTs for shure. I got blackmagicCamera my self.
Hey you know how in a lot of action movies they like cyan/blue tint in the white part of the eyes? I have always wondered what's the purpose of that even when other whites are almost white in the image.
I can tell you color correct on a corrected monitor. Bc I use that + an old HDTV to see final output on low-end consumer products. Your image was looking hot but when I moved over to the corrected monitor you were dialed in. I use the cheap TV so I can bounce between the corrected and the TV and get a universally dialed in image.
You are a masterpiece
that intro though of you grabbing the beer! i see you!
I would like to buy these interior and exterior monitoring LUTs please! 😬
Nailed it. (mic was a bit hot, but we've all been there)
Yes to LUTs.
Thanks I always thought you need skin tones in the 50-60 IRE range in the final image. But now Im more confident going dark ;) Would you recommend the same for youtube videos?
I still recommend exposing your skin around there. Just bring down the image later in post.
Hi Spenser ^^
Hope you're doing well, I'm interested in that LUT ^^
Just idea: a grading course could be a good extension of your lighting course ^^
How do you "expose to the right"? More light? Lower framerate? Or am i misunderstanding? I just dot gifted an old d3200 and im still trying to research "stops" haha
Very interested in a newer cinematic Deakins LUT ;)
It’s in my new LUT pack
How can one do the same offset change on premiere, pls?
You are on the perfect track for making something big and controlling all that contrast the right way. But maybe you should spend some more time with a decent ACES Worflow in DR to save yourself some time. I know that there is always a big discussion as soon as someone is talking about ACES but especially with the modern Cameras you just Expose +2/3 and pull down the exposure in ACES after the IDT 1 stop and lift the shadows again. Feels pretty similar and you end up having much much less work in DR.
Hi!
I don't know if this is relevant or helpful but maybe sometimes you could upload 12 bit version of some of your work? I think sometimes RUclips compression messes up your final outputs. thanks
Crazy that this is free
hi spense! lets say i have a lut that works great for slog 3, but i filmed some footage in the neutral profile because i shot at night. How do i make the slog 3 luts work on a standard picture profile
just back that contrast way off
really good advice! I love it. What's your advice if you're going for a brighter look? Something like that shot from HER? It looks so bright but also it somehow still looks cinematic. I shoot weddings, where people really like that brighter look, but every videographer I see who does that, it's like blown out highlights and stuff
Exposure is relative. Middle Grey can be wherever you want it to be. Get an Ansel Adams book and Learn the zone system and put your brightest part of your image at zone 7 or 8 instead of zone 10 so they don’t blow out. Make sure this doesn’t crush your blacks too much or take away too much shadow detail. If you’re able to control your environment this is way easier. That shot from Her is on a sound stage and those windows are green screen.
@@blahblahblah2243 it’s not on a green screen
@@tylercallahan7514 really? I thought I remember reading an ASC article on it and it being green screen. That was forever ago though. I could totally be wrong.
@@blahblahblah2243 it’s my favorite movie, so I’ve watched all the documentaries and yada yada. There are sets, like the train, where a green screen is used, but his apartment is either on location in Shanghai or LA :)
Bring that lut
I'm confused, is your "B Roll" supposed to be an example of what you are talking about, because it looks like a beginner tried to make something "cinematic" for the first time.
This.
Nisam očekivao da ću u komentarima naleteti na nekoga iz Srbije hahahaha
Slažem se, kada je počeo video bio sam skroz zbunjen, nekako mi nije delovalo kao da je "to to" 😬
Još mu početni kadar nikako nije pomogao hahahaha
Na kraju je izgledalo dobro kada je pokazao lut na kojem radi i scenu sa njim u kuhinji po danu.
Takođe, pogledao sam tvoj instagram i video da te prati Bata (Bratislav Stevanović)! 😄
Yeah jeesus I gotta be honest...I saw his broll seemed like he was trying to go for the Blade Runner look...but failed....miserably LOL
Hey Spencer! Fantastic video! So essentially you need to design a LUT that pulls down the exposure. Would this be the same as lowering the ISO on the BMPCC 4k and exposing for that ISO for example?
This lowering of offset and bring up the shadows if they're too dark seems very similar to just lowering the midtones (which allows the image's brightest parts to stay punchy but also makes the blacks richer. What are the advantages of doing it your method! Am really curious as I would like to understand this better!
Regards, Prahlad
also, say for example you are just on the edge of clipping highlights with a rec709 monitoring LUT, if I switch to this new monitoring LUT which shows a lower exposure and I expose higher to compensate, won't I essentially reduce the dynamic range in the highlights by clipping? Always eager to learn so am grateful for any insight you have
@@pdas25762 I think what Spenser was trying to do is to redesign the curve thing rather than simply lowering the exposure. IMO the tones(contrast and perceived saturation as Spenser mentioned) look quite different but since I'm not a professional colorist I can't come up with more specific terms.
Applying the LUT redistributes the tones you captured on camera instead of lowering the exposure, you could basically view the LUT as some kind of film stock. So yes, if you expose higher, it would reduce the dynamic range. But it is not showing a "lower exposure", if you will.
@@Otanru Thanks for your response!
I always wondered why film grabs looked really low on the waveforms, even daylight scenes where the sky would be around 700. I guess this is similar to WanderingDP's squeeze and drop method (in his case, he reduces the contrast and brings everything down with offset). There is hardly anything about this topic on the internet! I understand now that essentially you are exposing a normal shot perfectly then bringing it down using offset (and lifting the shadows), then using that as a monitoring LUT (essentially your camera exposes normally but you see the close to final, low waveform exposure so you can do lighting ratios better, etc.
Sorry for going off on a long one there hahah!
Regards, Prahlad
How about if you are shooting in just BRAW though? You can change your iso and exposure in davinci resolve so is building in LUTS completely necessary from your perspective?
I think its best to film with a baseline LUT while filming to get your image as close to the final product as possible. the raw is just for the flexibility once you get in post. I will be making a full video over this concept soon.
awesome explanation. maybe you know how to achieve x-files mood?
What is IRE mark?
Thumb up immediately at 0:02 when Shiba entered the frame. :D
I always just go for what I feel is an "arty" look rather than trying to copy anything specific. I shoot on BMPCC4k in RAW or Prores with the flat color and I just tweak things until they look decent in Premiere. I honestly do not know much about the ins and outs of grading beyond just being intuitive about it and working on it until it looks nice.
You know there is no right way to color grade. At the end, if the result is the same, the process doesn’t matter.
@@noahlebel-turcotte4662 well this is factually untrue
@@CoveringFish I thought the same way. But if the result is the same, why would it matter? If he is happy with that, it shouldn’t be a problem.
The ETTR exposing technique has its merits but I have talked on this subject with a colorist that has worked with Roger Deakins and I asked him about exposure on set and the use of LUTS and he told me they were based at 18% grey and not ETTR. Seems to me that the lighting then specifies the look - i.e. highlights and shadows. But your observations may be more for getting that look with a lower end camera and device capture. That is just a hunch. We also have to consider that movies are usually graded for projection and sometimes the blu-rays or digital offerings are different than how the movie was shot. I have even some that the colorists have said that that process ruined the grade. ( rare occasion ). I think that one or two stops even would be clean and for a lot of people won't push their limit into a knee or clip highlights. Might be worth testing to see if the results match. Interesting.
ETTR depends on the camera. The big question is if they have an ACES workflow or not.
I think this film, THe Social Network, is akin to the retelling of Citizen Kane--both good, great films. I am not keen on getting LUTS. Prefer to create one so one knows exactly what it is for and how it functions.
ok im understanding you build a out but first u need the image to compliment that out for this look that were looking for so how do you expose are you exposing more light or are you exposing less in camera
The Resolve scopes have nothing to do with IRE though
Curious as to why you kept showing a Histogram and not a Waveform monitor to talk about the IRE of the images you were talking about?
Sorry, I'm a stills photo guy just starting to play with motion. Exposing to the right is just shooting half or full stop over? Your technique here is pulling your levels from the highlights towards the left to compress and make them midtones?