Video Production Secrets Unveiled: Colour Grading
There are manytricks a video production company in London might use to get their videoslooking professional, atmospheric and moody. Sometimes they magically make theLondon weather appear brighter than it often is, or they do the opposite and create a thoughtful, melancholic atmosphere.
It’s all about thecolour. Colour grading is part of almost all video production. It helps brandskeep everything they shoot aligned with their visual identity. In this article, we’ll unveil this powerful video production technique and tell you everything you need to know.
What is Colour Grading?
Colour grading isthe act of adjusting an image or video to alter the colours and exposure. Thishelps London production houses and other video producers achieve the desired look and make it consistent.
Colourgrading is especially vital for matching shots when a video is shot in multiplelocations. This is because the lighting at the time of shooting might be vastlydifferent and thus alter the mood of the footage. Colour grading keeps footage consistent by keeping everything aligned with the basic hues and shades.
What Is a Colour Palette, and Where Does This Come In?
No matter theirlength or purpose, many films use a colour palette to achieve a visceralresponse in their audience. Colours affect viewers in different ways and evoke certain emotions. In marketing, they can also stimulate the recollection of a specific brand that uses those colours in their visual identity across all channels.
Colour palettes aredesigned so that colours complement each other. Often, this included an accentcolour that stands out from the rest. For example, red on different green and blue tones.
Colour grading canhighlight specific colours in post-production whilst toning others down.
Colour Correction vs Colour Grading -What’s The Difference?
Colour correctionis used to adjust the colours of footage so it looks more like what we can seewith our eyes. This might mean changing an image, so whites are entirely whiteand blacks appear fully black. Cameras and different lighting conditions can throw colours off-balance, which might ruin the impression you are going for.
Colour grading iswhen you enhance the aesthetic with purposeful stylistic choices.
One example isSweeney Todd, a movie that heavily colours every scene to be blue andmelancholy and uses deep reds to contrast this. Another excellent example of colour palettes is Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands”, which showcases characters and neighbourhoods in light pastels. Unfortunately, it determines the main character is entirely black garb.
When Should You Consider Colour Grading?
It’s best toconsider colour grading before you even start shooting for a video. Colourgrading should be an intentional stylistic choice. It may require you to use specific lighting, costume, set design, and cameras. The final colour palette for a video should be considered in pre-production.
That being said,you can still consider colour grading when a video is already in post. Fromthere, it is simple to adjust the mood of a film by lowering or increasing saturation, contrast and exposure.
Do you have avision for a video that will bring your brand colours to life? Get in touchwith High Stakes films today. We are a video production company in London working with unique brands’ visual identities to create stunning branded videos.