‘The Protégé’, released with DaVinci Resolve Studio (Blackmagic Design)

Martin Campbell's new thriller, The Protégé, has been graded by Vanessa Taylor using DaVinci Resolve Studio software. Blackmagic Design.

The film, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton and Maggie Q, tells the story of two hitmen who share a mysterious past. When her mentor Moody (Jackson) is murdered, Anna (Maggie Q) must form an uneasy alliance with Rembrandt (Keaton) and return to Vietnam to find the killer.

Photography was done by David Tattersall (The green mile), while Vanessa Taylor was responsible for grading. Of their collaboration, Taylor herself commented: "It was great working with Martin and David, two extraordinary creatives. They were in agreement about what they wanted to achieve, and that made grading easy." The process was carried out using DaVinci Resolve Studio.

Focusing attention

According to Taylor, one of the main goals was to guide viewers through the story, focusing on specific aspects fundamental to the development of the plot. "The focus is always on the brightest part of the image. By darkening or lightening certain areas, we channel the audience into the narrative," confirms Taylor. This methodology especially emerges in one scene: "We focused a lot on a motorcycle scene, featuring Maggie Q and Patrick. In this sequence, the camera focuses back and forth, capturing various color temperatures with the sensor. David and I worked closely to achieve the right balance, using a combination of curves and primary tools to achieve a match."

Another challenge was another moment in the film that takes place in a monastery located in a jungle. As Taylor explains, it was necessary balance green tones to eliminate reflection on Maggie Q's face: "When adjusting the primary temperature control, the lipstick color was highlighted. This happens with some cosmetics that contain fluorescent pigments. Digital cameras detect them, and the lips look very bright. I had to use a mask and alter the color to carry out the correction."

Working with LUTs

One of the benefits of DaVinci Resolve What convinces Taylor the most is the possibility of using conversion tables (LUT) and see the result instantly: "With the new dynamics of the program based on color management, we use these tables a lot. Being able to apply them to a clip and see how they affect the displayed image is extremely useful."

"The colorist's main job is to enhance the look of the footage. The further we go from its natural state, the more digital the look becomes. What we do is complementary. The most beautiful images are the easiest to grade. David did an extraordinary job of capturing the style and emotion of this story, so I'm very pleased with the result. The film looks great," Taylor concludes.