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Questions?
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions I receive from clients.
However, if you’re still having trouble finding what you’re looking for and it hasn’t been answered here, please send me a message.
How is the final price calculated?
The final cost is calculated based on the number of cuts needed to grade. The number of cuts defines the time required to complete grading your footage. I use an average time of 6min per cut to calculate the total amount of time required for standard shots. If there is any 1 Special Shot, time is calculated based on the requirements of those shots, and you need to contact me to make an estimate based on your special needs.
We can agree on an estimate at the beginning of the project based on these criteria, or work based on the hourly rate and receive an invoice at the end of the project. If you have a specific budget for your project, please feel free to discuss it with me along with project details.
Do you charge for additional deliverables or shorter cuts?
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Does the total running time increase the final price estimate cost?
Short answer, no. On an average project, one shot takes the same amount of time to be corrected if the cut is 1 second long or 30 seconds long on screen. The number of cuts is the key factor for color grading, and matching those cuts to one another determines the amount of work needed for those shots.
Ie. If you have a 45-second TV ad with 30 cuts, it will cost the same as a 30-second TV ad with 30 cuts.
***1 Special Shot may change this outcome.
How much time is needed to complete a TV Ad?
On average, a TV Ad takes about 3 to 4 hrs to complete, without considering 1 Special Shot requirements.
This time increases when the grading includes a live session, and feedback occurs in real-time. You can add 1 to 2 hours for feedback and comments if needed.
Wich video file format should I send for color grade?
Short answer: The original camera format.
During color grade process, we are basically “squeezing” all the image information available to us in order to achieve a desired look; meaning that we need all the information we can get.
If we “squeeze” re-compressed files, we start very quickly to see artifacts from that compression, and most of the time, those artifacts are not visible to naked eye until the image is manipulated.
I.e., isolating objects becomes harder, and correcting in-between or specific tones like skin becomes noisy and contaminated, also skies start to have “banding” lines.
Also, metadata is lost in the process, making it impossible to know the camera color spaces and original gamma for decoding.
Raw data is also lost, and any parameter made during re-compression will be irreversible in grading. This is a common issue when drone Raw image sequences are converted to Apple ProRes, and highlights are lost in the process.
Can I convert the footage before sending it for color grade?
Yes, but it is not recommended.
Unless you have (or someone in your team) extensive knowledge on how to deliver footage without losing color data in the process.
Format conversion is common when VFX workflows are involved, and an EXR container for ACES (or any other color space) is used. Otherwise, the original camera format is the file required to color grade footage.
For more details:
Which video file format should I send to color grade?
How is color grade handled if VFX is involved?
Which frame rate should I use for color grade?
Short answer: the same as your main camera frame rate.
If the framerate of your clips are different from the sequence, please talk to your editor to conform the footage and reset the time-code start to 0 for those clips before editing. Skipping conform is a common mistake made by editors and leads to issues during the import and conforming of the sequence into the color grading sequence and online because the original time-code is lost, and instead is replaced by a new “virtual timecode” made by the editing software to make those clips work in the timeline’s base framerate.
If your editor has conform some clips, this should be informed before sending the sequence to color grade in order to repeat the process during file the conforming to original camera file re-conection for color grade.
Ie. Some drone footage is often recorded at 60 or 50 fps for slow-motion. To add those clips into your 25 or 24fps timeline, you need to conform those clips to 25 or 24 fps and reset their time-code to start at 0. Even if those clips are going to be used in real time instead of slow motion. You’ll have to speed those to 200% on your timeline during editing if needed but a the new time-code will match between any software.
Can I send a single file render in high res?
Yes, but it is not recommended.
For today’s workflows, sending a single file can lead to an increase in time used during conforming and, therefore, increase the cost due to the need for manual checking every cut before grading. To avoid this extra cost, you can send an EDL file along with the single-file render.
Another issue may be the loss of color data in the process, or the need for a manual log of every shot if multiple camera sources were used, and where.
For more details:
Which video file format should I send to color grade?
What is the best online transfer service to send files for color grade?
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1. Special Shoot: Is any shot containing some special treatment that could increase the time needed to complete grading your footage. Some of this may include, but not limited to: a. Poor quality source footage. b. Excessive source camera matching. c. Object isolation or rotoscoping. d. Recompressed source footage.
