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Inspired Technique
Mastering the Black Art of Color Correction

By Terence Curren

I always find it interesting when people talk about the individuals who helped them learn their craft. In a creative field such as ours, there are many things that influence the work we do. I have been fortunate over the years to work with very talented people who have been willing to share their experience. This, combined with the teaching opportunities I have been afforded, have all coalesced into a large part of my toolset.

When the color corrector first came out in the Avid Symphony, color correction itself was considered a “black art” of sorts. This was due to the prohibitive cost of equipment, which led to limited opportunities for aspiring colorists to learn. With some colorists earning as much as doctors, their skills became professional secrets.

Prior to the release of a few books on the subject last year, there still wasn’t a clear path to learn the “secret” skills of color correction. I was very lucky to have access to Brian Hutchings, a daVinci colorist who provided me with plenty of learning opportunities. My background was in linear online bays, so I had numerous chances to see the before and after work of many colorists. I always preferred Brian’s work, which I referred to as the Kodachrome look. I liked the rich colors and warmth that he could pull out of the weakest material.

“I cheat toward red with a picture, as NTSC workflows lean it toward green,” says Curren.

When I first opened the new Symphony color corrector, I was overwhelmed. Fortunately, Brian was willing to sit down and play with the interface with me. Together we figured out that the curves function seemed like the best tool for most situations. To this day, I still do the majority of my work in that section of the color corrector.

It was from Brian that I learned the basics of how to get the picture evened out, and then fine-tune it with my personal preference. One of the most valuable tricks I learned from him was to cheat toward red with the picture, as NTSC workflows will eventually lean it toward green. After getting comfortable with the interface, I began to realize the enormity of the task of learning the “art” part of color correction. I am forever grateful to Brian for his help in these areas.

It’s important to recognize how much we have learned from others and never forget that we have a responsibility to pass on our wisdom. That’s why I’ve decided to give back by teaching an advanced editing class at a local community college. Not only do I get the rewards of helping others, I also find that I learn even more by teaching students than I do on my own.

Terence Curren is founder and president of AlphaDogs, a post-production studio headquartered in Burbank. He began his career in the early 1980s by directing, editing and producing music videos as well as a successful direct-to-video feature film, Interview with Terror. Since then, he has become one of the industry’s best-known editors. In 1989, he began work at Matchframe, a Burbank-based post-production studio, where he spearheaded the creation of the studio’s edit bays. His extensive editing credits include MTV’s Road Rules, A&E’s Biography, Disney’s Bug Juice and TBS’ Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!

See original article online: http://www.avvideo.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=26739