The real 'Yellowstone' takes shape with DaVinci Resolve as an editing and grading platform

Editor Olivier Peters and grader Matt Hartle rely on DaVinci Resolve (Blackmagic) for the post-production of 'The Real Yellowstone', the latest documentary by award-winning director and human rights defender Tom Opre.

The Real Yellowstone delves into the life of livestock families who find themselves in the middle of a complex conflict: rising land prices, predator attacks, and a powerful conservation movement that aims to transform the landscape they call home. "It is an honest look at life today in the American West, very different from how it is usually shown in television fiction. As a documentary, we try to give a voice to all parties, raise observations and raise awareness about ideas that sometimes question deeply held concepts," says Peters.

The production had a duration of two years and included a huge variety of material: events, interviews and supporting shots recorded in multiple ways (from professional cameras to smartphones and drones), plus archive material, photographs and animations: "For simplicity, I worked on a DCI 4K timeline, with all the lower resolution duplicates at the same size and frame rate as the originals. This way, we avoided having to do conversions or any relinking tricks when handing the project to the colorist."

The documentary is the first work in which the colorist uses DaVinci Resolve Studio both for the low resolution edition and in the full definitive version. The montage mainly involved cuts, dissolves, resizing of clips (with material recorded in 6K) and object tracking, although Peters also created all of the game titles. opening, titles and end credits with DaVinci Resolve Studio's text tools.

Likewise, he was responsible for edit and distribute all music to create a temporary premix, using the module Fairlight program to perform basic EQ and compression tasks: "I composed the soundtrack using original material provided by composer Paul Mounsey. It's best to change the volume of each clip in the Edit module and then go to the Fairlight module to adjust each track, for example, applying the same EQ and compression setting to all the dialogue. Same with music."

Defining the color of The Real Yellowstone

Once the edition is closed, the colorist Matt Hartle, of Baked Studios, graded the high-resolution material in DaVinci Resolve Studio. Technician Rob Dewbre then generated the final film in several DCI 4K sections without text, again in Resolve. In Peters' words: "They sent me the files along with the finalized audio tracks. In the Color module of the program, I tracked some faces and blurred them as a final touch. From those elements, I put together the final versions of the documentary," said Peters.

“How we work from start to finish in DaVinci Resolve Studio, the exchange of information between the editing and grading processes was easier than almost any other work dynamic with high and low resolution material. There was no need to use XML, EDL files or anything similar, and creative decisions, such as Ken Burns-style movements in photos, were converted correctly. Honestly, at first, although I was confident in the basic capabilities of Resolve, I doubted that it could handle editing a feature film with so many files coming from so many different sources. In the end it was a surprisingly fluid and successful experience,” he explains.

The experience could not have been more satisfactory for the editor: "At first glance, the program may intimidate novice editors, but it is actually very easy to use. For any editor, regardless of their level, Resolve offers a comprehensive work dynamic that is difficult to beat."