The feeling and touch are what distinguish the style, and they must be carefully observed with the naked eye and the camera.

Color grading can assist in space-time transformation in a story, the conversion between the surreal and reality, a transition in time, or the creation of emotional mood.

　　The scene of Fu Shu’s film color grading workshop & masterclass

Color grading is a crucial job in filmmaking since it defines the visual style of a film, as well as influencing the viewer’s emotional experience. In this workshop & masterclass lecture, Fu Shu, a colorist, shared her decade-long creative experience in color grading creation with the audience by citing the examples of The Shadowless Tower, A New Old Play, Wu Hai and Jet Lag. 

▍Preliminary work of color grading: specific analysis of films

　　The scene of Fu Shu’s film color grading workshop & masterclass

Fu Shu first emphasized the importance of the preliminary work of color grading. For the preparations, Fu Shu analyzed the three situations that occur preliminary to color grading.

In the first situation: Before shooting, the director and the cinematographer may communicate with the colorist about how to determine the initial tone, and then start filming according to the tone. This is an excellent method. However, this also depends on the situation of each project. If the budget is low, an appropriate LUT can be an option. If the scene is very complex, maybe the on-site color grading effect is better.

The second is to perform color grading after the shooting is completed. The director and the cinematographer may have their thoughts in the early stage, but the filming material falls short of meeting their expectations. The colorist must fully understand the needs of the photography director/film director. Preferably, a PPT document/picture/video can be used to facilitate communication. I was involved in a project that required an effect similar to watercolor after the completion of filming. When I saw the PPT document, I felt it was highly conceptual, because there was a large gap between the filming material and the watercolor painting. I went to study the characteristics of watercolor painting, such as its shades, brightness, texture, contrast grayscale, and color attributes. It referred to watercolors taken from Japanese animated films, so I watched a lot of animated films and explored the material, so that I could get twice the result with half the effort. 

　　The scene of Fu Shu’s film color grading workshop & masterclass

The third situation is that you may not have a definite idea in the stage of shooting, which is often the case in projects I participated in. In this case, I usually commit to memory how I felt when I watched the film for the first time, and look for something that touched me and what I could improve upon.

It can be primarily divided into three parts. First, the uniqueness of the style. The feeling and touch are what distinguish the style, and they must be carefully observed with the naked eye and the camera. This is like a gut feeling. For example, when we see something, we touch it to feel whether it is rough or soft, and whether it has lines or is smooth under light and shadow. Although it is visual, it gives you a tactile feel, which is the common feeling. There are also different cameras. For example, it is filmed using mobile phone, DV, a film camera, or professional camera. Professional cameras come in different brands. The texture of everything filmed is different. The bright colors they extract such as red and blue are different, and the curve is also different. It is also related to the weather. For example, if a film involves location shooting, the south and the north can make a big difference. It is moist in the south, and this creates a big foggy feeling in the film. The weather in the north gives a feel of coarseness, a transparent, contrasting feeling. This is how I feel when I look at the materials. This may not be exactly right. Of course, you can mimic the feeling of wetness, such as sprinkling water on the ground and spraying water, which can have a similar effect. 

　　PPT presentation at Fu Shu’s film color grading workshop & masterclass 

The second is the improvement of different scenes. Color grading can assist in space-time transformation in the story, the conversion between the surreal and reality, a transition in time, or the creation of emotional atmosphere. For example, if a scene needs emotional expression, colors are used to create an atmosphere. Color is subjective. When you see blue, you feel it’s a little cold. I often work in the dark, so I feel cold when I work. For the scenes showing strong desire or emotions, intense colors must be used – yellow or blue. It gives you different stimulation. I think it’s all about creating an atmosphere.

The third is the detailed treatment of each shot. It clarifies the viewpoint of the image and highlights certain elements. This means that all the films are the result of connected lenses. The viewpoint of each shot is important. The viewpoint can be highlighted through color grading. The creation of a sense of flow and breathing in a film is also crucial. For example, if it is a long shot – maybe a train passing by here during the day and traveling for a long time, the shot showing the train can be adjusted to night mode at the outset, as if it passes through the night. It can express the passage of time in terms of color grading.

▍ The Shadowless Tower: Tone setting for a film and the state of the characters

　　Picture/Clip from the film The Shadowless Tower 

Subsequently, Fu Shu used her own works as an example to explain her process of setting the tone of the film The Shadowless Tower, and made the view that “the tone of the film is related to the state of the characters”. The film The Shadowless Tower tells the story of the ambiguous relationship between Gu Wentong, a middle-aged man, and Ouyang Wenhui, a young photographer, and reveals their complex conflicts with their father, lover and self.

The tone of The Shadowless Tower was jointly set by Piao Songri, the photography director, and me. During the tone-setting session, he showed me the photos of photographer Yoshihiko Ueda, hoping to have this kind of warm and slightly cold feeling. Therefore, during color grading, the tone of the film is inclined towards cold. In fact, this film gives me a sense of alienation. There are some shots in the film that touched me, showing the alienation between people. There is a tone of cyanine in the film when the tone was being set.

In fact, I tend to ask the others for views first whilst working. Mr. Piao shared some ideas, and there were reference photos taken by the photographer, so I could get a rough idea of what he wanted. In addition, I was struck by the film The Shadowless Tower watching its sample. I was touched by the film in many areas. Moreover, I have lived in Beijing for many years, and I have my own view of Beijing.

　　Picture/Clip from the film The Shadowless Tower 

After I watched this film, the sense of alienation, a kind of distance between people and a feeling of coldness, it creates leapt out at me. As I worked with director Zhang Lu on Yanagawa, I probably knew what the director wanted for The Shadowless Tower and I made relevant attempts.

I think there are many shots in The Shadowless Tower that touched me, and I made color grading in a lot of the details. In order to highlight the characters, as well as the sense of distance between people, this film has a kind of blue tone. For example, for the shot showing the male and female protagonists taking a stroll, I adjusted the color of the tree to make the scene more breathable. For indoor shot, I set the gray tone and suppressed the excess light to show the lonely and helpless state. For the shot of the fish in the pond, I made color grading to make the water more tranquil. For the shot of the sea, I separated the sea and the beach through color grading to highlight the people. For the shot showing bicycle riding in an alley, the tone is set to cold in order to extract the characters and the background, so that the picture has a greater sense of depth, the distance between the characters is increased, and the audience focus more on the characters.

　　

　　

　　

　　On the left is the restored 709, and on the right is effect after color grading

　　Picture/Clip from the film The Shadowless Tower

▍ A New Old Play: Color grading cannot be made out of nothing 

　　Photo/Clip from the film A New Old Play

The clip of A New Old Play was shown thereafter. Fu Shu emphasized that “color grading cannot be made out of nothing, and you can’t unduly rely on color grading”. Therefore, preparations for a film are highly important.

The film A New Old Play shows both the hell and the man’s world, so the color is slightly yellow for the world and a bit cold for the hell. Before color grading, I especially went to watch the director’s painting (the director is an oil painter) for reference.

　　On the left is the restored 709, and on the right is effect after color grading

I’d like to share an interesting thing. At the time of filming, there is actually a piece of flannel in this scene. The director wants to create a scene of black hole behind the Bodhisattva. That place was made black at the time of color grading. This black hole appears in several shots.

　　On the left is the restored 709, and on the right is effect after color grading

In this case, if there is not much smoke in the early stage, it is actually difficult to achieve this effect. I think color grading is sometimes ineffective in many areas, such as it is impossible to make something out of nothing. Some work is highly necessary in the early stage of shooting.

▍ Wu Hai: Strong color contrast highlights regional characteristics

　　Clip from the film Wu Hai 

Regarding the clip from Wu Hai, Fu Shu emphasized color grading for the creation of regional characteristics and psychological characteristics of characters.

Wu Hai actually has a distinct style. It pursues a contrast between orange and blue, and its black is pitch-black, which is a deliberate effect. This film was shot in Inner Mongolia, where it is bright. There is sandy soil, and the blue sky is a regional characteristic. However, its plot is also depressing and intense. It is good to put these two colors together.

▍ Jet Lag: Use particles to create a sense of atmosphere

After sharing experience in color grading for feature films, Fu Shu talked about color grading for documentaries, and discussed the difference in color grading for different types of films.

I also want to share experience in color grading for documentaries, because I want to show you different types of films. This documentary is individual, filmed using the mobile phone and DV. Compared with those shot with a large camera, it has a small color space, and the color grading is different. After watching the film, I felt I could try something different, making some changes in fluid, dynamic places. The DV shots show many granules, and especially when it rains at night, there is astigmatism, and there is a lot of noise without content. I think this scene is a manifestation of ideology. You can use granules to guide the film. The changes in granules and the kind of restlessness they bring to you make you feel unreal. I added granules to the shots, and made rendering to some extent. 

　　Poster of Jet Lag

　　▍Q&A：

　　

　　Questions from the audience at the workshop & masterclass

Audience: Ms. Fu, when you talked about standard processes of color grading, you mentioned the objectivity of the material and the expression of your emotions. How do you remain calm and objective in the process of color grading? When I perform color grading, I often tend to make personal expression, and when I look back, I may not be able to accurately judge the scene of color grading. I would like to ask how you achieve the unity of personal feelings and works in color grading.

　　Sharing experience at Fu Shu’s film color grading workshop & masterclass  

Fu Shu: I was at a loss to begin with, wondering what was right and wrong, and what was the best result. I think this needs continuous practice. For color grading, I suggest you try to find a shot in the film that you like, and change it to a certain level before saving the static-frame. At this time, you can go out or take a rest for a while, and then continue it and compare it with the previous result to find the preferred result. You can also transmit it to your phone and tablet to see which one you like, or you can view the photos in your favorite films and compare these against your own. Although there will definitely be a gap, it will be good when you feel comfortable with it.

During Ms. Fu’s presentation, we learned the skills of color grading, and more importantly, realized the importance of color grading in image creation. Through example films, Ms. Fu intuitively presented the vivid visual contrast before and after color grading, and analyzed how to adjust the light, shadow and color of the picture to move the audience, assist in the narrative of the film and help shape the characters. Meticulous color grading helps to produce more vivid, in-depth and unforgettable works.

　　Group photo of the workshop & masterclass