
Large grading theaters, like this one at EFILM, can accommodate upwards of two dozen clients and crew members, while a colorist and a team of 3-4 assistants work their magic. But for one or two reviewers in the suite at any given time, a nominally-sized office should do just fine. If you’re planning on having 10 or more clients in the room, you’ll need a small theater. Color grading suites can be almost any size or shape, but your post-production context will dictate exactly what you need. SpaceĪssuming you can justify this investment, the first task is to select an actual physical workspace. Or have a plan to gain the requisite skills. Any filmmaker considering such an investment should already have sufficient coloring talent to justify it. Of course, tools are only as useful as the person using them. You need to determine if such an investment will pay off for your project/workflow before you even get started. That means building out a color suite is a significant investment that really only fulfills a single function. This purpose has special requirements that won’t add much to other post-production workflows, like editing or VFX. It’s built for a very specific purpose, and that’s working with color as efficiently and precisely as possible. The first thing to understand is that the color suite is a specialized, highly-controlled environment.
#Building a black light room upgrade
Thankfully, it’s now easier than ever to build a pro-level color grading suite for a reasonable cost. If you’re looking to upgrade your personal color workflow, or your team wants to handle color work in-house, here are the basic requirements you’ll need to build a color-suite of your very own. So impressive facilities give an appreciable sense of confidence to clients entrusting you with their project.īut what if you’re a mere mortal without a Hollywood budget to build a massive DI theater? If your talents are high-dollar, clients expect that your tools should look the part. In fact, the tools and venue of a proper color suite can add value far beyond simple workflow efficiency. That said, the utilitarian function of grading suites doesn’t subtract from their often impressive visual form. And with much more creative control than they could otherwise. Well-thought-out color grading suites allow colorists to work faster and more precisely.
#Building a black light room professional
Not just a pretty spaceīut high-end grading theaters are more than just luxurious indulgences-they’re a critical part of professional color workflows. Not everyone can afford ARRI Media’s color grading theater (photo © Arri CC BY-SA). It’s enough to get you thinking of building a color grading suite of your own.

With enormous displays, cushy chairs, perfect mood lighting, and oh so many buttons and knobs, they have an almost mythical reputation among those who can only peek inside their secluded walls. In the world of post-production, few settings can elicit the vivid excitement or intense envy of the professional color grading suite.
