‘I Am Celine Dion’ (Amazon Prime Video), edited by Goldcrest Post on DaVinci Resolve Studio

The original Amazon Prime documentary 'I Am Celine Dion' was edited by colorist Evan Anthony, of Goldcrest Post, for which he used DaVinci Resolve Studio Blackmagic Design.

The film provides a behind-the-scenes look at the singer's fight against a serious illness, shown alongside her illustrious music career. The inspiring documentary is not only a love letter to Celine Dion's fans, but also a manifestation of her strength.

Anthony began the process by sitting down with Irene Taylor, director, Oscar nominee and long-time collaborator, as well as head of photography Nick Midwig, to talk about the project and her feelings and intentions.

“Evan has graded several of my projects and is exceptional when it comes time to create a cinematic aesthetic that retains the authenticity of an intimate reality documentary,” notes Midwig. “The entire film was shot in natural light., which was very important to me to portray Celine in a way that didn't seem contrived like you often see in celebrity music documentaries, so I had to rely on Evan quite a bit to help me shape the look. What I like most about working with him is the fact that he really commits to the characters and uses color grading to elevate the story.”

“We talked about Celine's struggle with stiff-person syndrome and how to be respectful of the physical demands involved,” Anthony adds. "One of the first scenes we used to help craft the final aesthetic was Irene's interview with Celine after her physical therapy, which gives a sense of the singer's real, vulnerable side. In many ways, it sets the tone for the rest of the film."

“In order to achieve the general appearance of the documentary, I used a cinematic chromatic density DCTL (DaVinci Chromatic Transformation Language) in conjunction with the Chroma Warping feature, HDR circles, and DCTL for Celluloid, which I also used to create a custom conversion table," explains Anthony. "I typically allocate time to create three to six color design options to start with and, in this film, I focused on a palette of blues, greens and turquoises.”

Achieve a specific saturation

According to Anthony, a memorable scene was where Dion shows viewers her extensive archive. “It was important to keep the Celine look we had in mind and also show the memories and her true colors,” he noted. “I resorted quite a bit to DaVinci Resolve Chromatic Warp Panel in order to preserve your skin tone and be able to polish the nuances to achieve a specific saturation compared to the intensity of reds, golds, silvers and the shine of dresses created by renowned international designers.”

Como sucede con muchos documentales, la película incluye distintos tipos de contenidos provenientes de diversas fuentes, tales como videos familiares antiguos, clips de recitales en los que Dion era muy joven, y segmentos de megaconciertos. “Fue fundamental utilizar la amplia variedad de herramientas en DaVinci Resolve Studio, por ejemplo, detección de bordes y reducción de ruido, al momento de limpiar y mejorar dicho material”, destaca Anthony.

“I love the story that Irene told and how she did it,” Anthony admits in closing. "This is not your typical celebrity documentary, as it really shows Celine Dion at her most vulnerable and truthful. It's a very personal look at a very public life."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izt1qeGELiw