Colourist Tom Reiser uses Baselight system to create distinctive look for action adventure release DIVERGENT
Hollywood post-production facility EFILM—a Deluxe Media Creative Services company and a long-time innovator in digital intermediate technology—has added to its toolset by installing a Baselight colour grading suite from FilmLight.
The installation includes the Baselight TWO real-time grading system with Blackboard 2 control surface, and the Baselight Assist station for background rendering and processing.
One of the first projects EFILM worked on with Baselight was the recently released action adventure film Divergent starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. From director Neil Burger and shot on ARRI ALEXA cameras by director of photography Alwin Küchler, BSC, the feature film adaptation of Veronica Roth’s best-selling novel was released in theatres on 21 March 2014, by Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE (NYSE: LGF) company. It grossed nearly $55 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, the second highest-grossing opening weekend of the year.
EFILM lead colourist, Tom Reiser, was responsible for the film’s distinctive look. “Action adventure movies traditionally have a cool look, but Neil Burger wanted this to start out colourful and warm. There were plenty of opportunities to use Baselight to create interesting looks,” Reiser said. “There is also a plot device of going into people’s dreams, and I gave each a distinctive look with green and yellow washes. I also used the grain and degrain features within Baselight, which perform really well. Alwin Küchler also featured a lot of bold lighting with big colour casts from LED lamps, which added to the tone.”
Reiser, who has been a lead colourist at EFILM since 2009, praised the system for its auto tracking tool and its inclusion of printer light emulation, which he believes is a significantly better approach to colour grading.
“The auto-tracking in real time is pretty amazing. I can put a shape on and hit area tracking and it shows me precisely what the shape is going to do. Being able to create and store my own pre-sets is also a huge benefit, as well as having the option to use a different LUT for every shot if I want to – I used five or six in Divergent,” Reiser added. “Baselight also gives me excellent secondaries with good logarithmic tracking. My overall sense is to make the images naturalistic, and Baselight allows me to achieve what I am looking for.”
Wolfgang Lempp, co-founder of FilmLight, added: “We are very excited by our first installation at EFILM. As a digital intermediate facility, EFILM is legendary in leading the way and we are delighted to be playing our part, working with top colourists like Tom and on major movies such as Divergent.”
For colourist Tom Reiser, the choice of Baselight as the grading platform in the modern world of digital acquisition and delivery comes naturally. “It’s the system of the future,” he said. “It’s perfect.”
About Divergent
Divergent is directed by Neil Burger from a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor. The film stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray St zvenson, Zoё Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer, and Kate Winslet.
The first film in the Divergent franchise grossed nearly $55 million at the domestic box office last weekend, the second highest-grossing opening weekend of the year. Divergent is based on the first book in Veronica Roth’s best-selling book series, which has sold nearly 18 million copies worldwide to date and is the biggest-selling book series of 2013. The story is set in a world where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy by a faction leader (Kate Winslet) to destroy all Divergents, Tris must learn to trust in the mysterious Four (Theo James) and together they must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it’s too late.
About Deluxe
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. is a global leader in media and entertainment services for film, video and online content, from capture to consumption.
Since 1915, Deluxe has been the trusted partner for the world’s most successful Hollywood studios, independent film companies, TV networks, exhibitors, advertisers and others, offering best-in-class solutions in production, post production, distribution, asset and workflow management and new digital solution-based technologies.
With operations in Los Angeles, New York and around the globe, the company employs nearly 6,000 of the most talented, highly honored and recognized artists and industry veterans worldwide. Deluxe is a wholly owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. For more information visit www.bydeluxe.com.
