Color-grading in video production is the most overlooked part of the modern post-production process!!

It is the key instrument to set the mood and highlight what is needed, drawing the viewers’ attention to the right parts and lines of the story captured in the video.

At the same time, it has to be unnoticed by the viewer, because color-grading influences the subconscious part of our brain.

Next time when you watch a movie, pause it and pay attention to the colors, shadows, and highlights, and how it is connected to the story. It is all done on purpose.

!!warning!! It’s hard to “unsee” it! :) Perfect example is “The Matrix”, the color palette, and the movie barcode (the whole movie compressed in one frame) are attached.

The majority of the film takes place within a computer simulation called the matrix, which is depicted with desaturated green hues in the shadows and highlights, and yellowish hues in the mid tones (figure 1). This look is achieved through a combination of set and costume design as well as post-color grading.

These colors can have many meanings based on the intention of the filmmakers. In this case, the colors may represent the corruption and sickness of a prison, almost like a mental hospital. The idea is that the world is “sick,” and the filmmakers communicated that in a visual way.

The colors can also be interpreted as a reference to older computer monitors that displayed monotone green text.

That’s why color-grading in video production is what we pay a lot of attention to at “IT STARTS! media” as a marketing-oriented video production team, making sure the video content we produce performs the best for your business and brand.

Check out our latest article about the newly released iPhone 15 Pro with LOG encoding and ACES color standards capabilities. This makes the new Apple product an appealing option for the aspiring filmmakers who want color grading flexibility.