It's like a shadow fight… I'm trying to get better I guess. Not only with the artistic craft but also, for example, with people. I find the advertising industry quite cynical and harsh, so it's important to keep calm and be more human.

As for colour grading, I have no strict limits. I'm working with so many different people that it guides me in different ways. I have my methods and vision but it is closely connected with the intent of the directors and cinematographers, and the form of the film. In my opinion it's important to be versatile but with a touch of your own soul. And keep learning. It's a neverending story.

We have been working together since the creation of the studio three years ago. We were working in different companies, but came to a point where we needed to start something new and personal. We knew each other much earlier and it certainly helps with work. We are good friends and share tough moments as well as good drinks. If you calculate the total time spent in the studio together, you can call us a family :)

Flexibility, stability, performance and support… If you take into account these four reasons, as well as thinking strategically and comparing costs and return on investment with other grading software, then it explains it all.

I've not just finally chosen to invest in a Baselight system. It was the first professional grading system I worked on, and at the time it already set the bar quite high in comparison to other tools. Being a freelancer and then working in several different studios, I got to work on various other systems at the time. After many years of hard work, with my own studio, I could finally reunite with FilmLight and I'm really happy about it.

As I said before, we work on the commercials and music front. That means two to three different projects per day. We need to adapt fast and don’t have time to deal with technical issues. Baselight allows rendering and grading in parallel and saves us time. From time to time we have feature film projects, and there too Baselight demonstrates good stability and performance.

The best thing about Baselight? FilmLight, the team – we feel like we have direct interaction with them. It is a relief to know that engineers and colour scientists from the other side are not just playing games with marketing but doing their best to meet the demands of colourists and implement their ideas.

And we love the Slate control panel.

I think more than a project, people inspire me: cinematographers, directors, colourists, painters...

Some recent interesting projects we’ve worked on include: A101 Live Apartments, Red Bull Zero G, To-ma - Hookah, Zoommer, Brusnika Apartments, Ankobo Kaboo Wakangenei, Adrenaline Rush - Moments, Kia Sorento, TochkaBank Paranoia, Lesha Svik - She Likes.

When working on these different projects, we mostly use Dkey and the Texture Blend features, among others. They save so much time.

Overall, Base Grade and Film Grade are the tools that we use the most - they are super clean and flexible. Also, the shaders help a lot.

The most difficult is fighting standards and stereotypes, especially with commercials. Bright and sunny pictures are not everything. Branding can be overwhelming. We need a story. Colour can’t replace emotions but it can make it richer. As for the technical part, Baselight has such a good toolkit we can deal with almost every client’s wishes.

Today it's easier and harder simultaneously. It's hard because there is too much information floating around. It's easy because you have access to great online courses and tutorials.

Watch movies of the masters from the past and present. Try to find new ways of using the colour tools. Listen to the cinematographers and directors carefully. Keep a child inside you - this inner child can evolve your imagination.

Usually I discuss jobs with my friend Tim after all daily jobs are done. And I like to talk with the cinematographers and directors during our grading sessions.