DaVinci Resolve TV Colourist & Colour Grading Suite. North West. Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds.

With many years experience working for the BBC and for a variety of other independent facilities and production companies, we offer commercial post production colour grading in the North and North West to broadcast standard for commercials, documentaries, TV programmes, corporate, website, social media and TV commercials. We bring creativity and experience to your project. We can work remotely using Frame.io or Blackmagic Cloud.

From Our Clients…

People who have loved working with us…

Promo Video Production

“Adrian is a truly gifted individual and when you throw in the mix all his experience you are sure to come out with very professional results every time.”

Robin Perris

Local Business Owner

Pappy's Texas BBQ

Location Drama Film Shoot

“It was a pleasure to work with Adrian on [the Glen Grant] commercial drama. He is a very experienced DoP. I learned a lot from him and look forward to working with him again in the future.”

“You are quite the wizard behind the lens.
Couldn’t have done it without you.”

Anna McPherson

Producer / Director

Recite Films

Colour Grading in the Post Production Process

Adrian Turpin is an experienced TV and Commercial Colourist. He operates from a custom designed and broadcast specification DaVinci Resolve Colour Grading Suite based in Kendal, Cumbria in the North West.

Quality post production can transform the most beautifully shot footage into a complete and cohesive finished product. The success of any project depends on the planning beforehand during the pre-production stage and the care and attention during the editing or post-production stage. This is when the story really comes together. Our lovely DaVinci Resolve grading suite in Kendal is fully equipped and makes colour grading affordable for those who are put off by the high prices and costs of a big city facility.

We use Blackmagic Cloud and Frame.io for remote grading. Clients can also transfer material over a VPN direct on to our server or send us a hard drive by courier with the exported timeline and the rushes and we can then grade and return the footage to you ready to import back into your edit suite for final completion.

The post production stage is where we take all of the source footage that has been shot, along with any library footage, and edit it all together to create the story that was planned using the story board and then the script that was created at the pre-production stage. We also add in any still photographs, music, voice over recordings and any graphics that are required. The audio is carefully mixed to optimise audio levels from a technical and creative point of view and then dubbed to add in any sound effects and background atmosphere that is required.

Grading is the process whereby we take the original source footage that has been shot either on location or in the studio, and we firstly optimise it and then secondly enhance it. Optimising the pictures involves adjusting the video levels, making sure the colour balance is the best and most natural it can be, reducing any unwanted noise in the pictures, altering the tonal range of the picture to reveal as much shadow and highlight detail as possible. This is what we refer to as primary colour correction. This process has to be carried out using a properly lined up and calibrated monitor as well as waveform monitors and colour gamut displays.

There is a great quote from Simon Reeve’s new book ‘Step By Step’ in which is he explaining the production process on his many fascinating documentaries. He describes the job of the Colourist so perfectly. I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing this, I couldn’t have put it any better:

“When the Editor finishes, a composer creates the music, then graders enhance the finished film so it looks glossy and inviting on the TV. Pound for pound, nothing improves a programme faster than a skilled Colourist sitting in front of a vast Star Trek sized console playing with scores of dials and sliders like Jean-Michel Jarre, tweaking colours and shadows.”

The next stage is to enhance the pictures by adding effects and making certain colours or parts of the picture really ‘pop’ out at the viewer. This is what we call secondary colour correction. An image can be transformed by this process, adding maybe a vignette or soft focus effect, changing certain colours within the frame to better complement the subject matter or mood of the piece, maybe dramatising a sky.

As this process can be time consuming, it is normally carried out after the main edit has been finished, so that only footage that is actually included in the final product is graded.

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