color grading, built before you shoot it.
A collaborative color process for directors and cinematographers from pre-production through the final grade.
Develop the visual direction. Build a custom show LUT. Shoot with the look in mind. Then carry that creative direction into a collaborative remote color session and final grade.
PRE-PRODUCTION
Look-locked before you shoot
Look-locked before you shoot
Before a single frame is shot, we build a custom LUT from test footage, references, or stills, so the director and DP know exactly what the final look will be before production begins.
PRODUCTION
Standby Support
Standby Support
Available remotely during production to troubleshoot the look in real time if something drifts on set: camera settings, lighting changes, or footage that doesn't match the plan. You're never left waiting on a colorist mid-production.
POST-PRODUCTION
Build on the look and finish the image
Build on the look and finish the image
Once the edit is locked, the project moves into the final grade. Working shot by shot. Refining through revisions until the project feels cohesive and intentional.
Review
Before anything is finalized, you'll review the grade and share notes. Making sure the final look is something we land on together. Live remote sessions are available to see the grade come together in real time.
DELIVERY
Hand off a master built to last
Hand off a master built to last
You'll receive a final graded master in ProRes 4444 XQ, ready to hand off for whatever finishing steps come next. whether that's a DCP conversion, streaming encode, or festival submission format.
Color shouldn't start after production
Too often, the visual direction of a project doesn't fully come together until post. By then, the shoot is finished and the colorist is trying to reconstruct an intention they weren't there to help create.
Color Motel brings color into the process earlier. Giving directors and DPs a clearer visual target on set and a more collaborative path through post.
More than a final grade
Color Motel isn't just about making the image look good at the end. It's about giving the project a more intentional color process from the beginning.
A clearer visual target
Establish the look before production so the director and DP have a better idea of where the image is headed while shooting.
A more consistent look
The visual direction developed in pre-production carries through production and into the final grade.
A collaborative process
Review the grade together remotely and make creative decisions in real time. Not through endless rounds of exports and notes.
A smoother handoff into post
When the look has already been established, the final grade starts with a clear creative direction rather than a blank canvas.
Already shooting or wrapped?
This process works best when we start before the camera rolls, but it's not a requirement. If your project is already shot, we can still build the grade from where you are.
This process works best when we start before the camera rolls, but it's not a requirement. If your project is already shot, we can still build the grade from where you are.
