Toronto-based post and VFX facility The Vanity has installed a new color grading suite with a Baselight TWO color grading system and Blackboard 2 control surface from FilmLight. The FilmLight grading tools allow the company to offer an end-to-end finishing services, along with its Autodesk graphics, effects and editing systems.
“In the past we have worked with a separate color grading facility, sometimes getting the final grade on the elements, sometimes on the finished spot,” said Naveen Srivastava, one of the founders of The Vanity. “We wanted grading to be a more collaborative, more intimate experience for us and for our clients, so we made the decision to add our own suite.”
“We started by finding a great colorist, Loren White,” Srivastava explained. “He has experience with Baselight, and was adamant that it was the best tool on the market. This was soon backed up with our own research as we visited and talked to a number of post houses and colorists in the U.S. Baselight was hands down the most highly recommended system we came across.”
White has worked on most available systems and in numerous locations around the world, including Istanbul, China, India, Canada and the U.S.
“Baselight has such an impressive toolset and there are a number of key features I love,” he explained. “I like the way the cursors are utilized and how there are so many routes to the same outcome, adding to the overall efficiency. The strip/layer approach allows me to apply one layer to multiple shots, making groups of changes very quick and simple to complete.”
“I do much more than just creating a look,” White added. “It is not uncommon for me to do sky replacements, logo removal, adding flares and other processes that are typically left to the Flame suite.”
