How to Color Grade with Vision in Mind

As a storyteller you have a final vision for your film. For example, let’s take a story branded film that focuses on a company and how they originated. You prepare for the interviews, the know what broll you want to capture, and you know how the film should take form. Another great idea to think about the is the mood you are trying to convey within the film. What color is the film? When I say color, I mean mood. Is it a dark and lonely film, is it happy, is it vintage? Depending on what the film is about will dictate the mood and with the mood in mind you should also be thinking about how you should be color grading the film. What colors represent the feeling you get when watching the film? There are several components that set great branded films apart from others; one of them being the overall color tone of the film.
What is your vision for the outcome? There are so many ways you can create moods by color grading your film. The sky is the limit and if you don’t know how to color grade you can always use luts (look up tables) than can assist you in creating a mood. If the story is vibrant and exciting, you wouldn’t want to use dreary colors such as blues and greys. A better choice would be to use bright colors such as reds, yellows, etc. This is where your creativity comes in. It’s up to you and you can choose any colors you wish as long as you have a reason. I wouldn’t recommend you creating a color scheme out of the blue there should be reasons behind your decision.
I have attached a video below that shows several different looks from the same scene. Some you may like and some you may not like. The point is to show you how you can manipulate the same scene by choosing different ways to color grade. By no means is this the best color grade, I just wanted to show that the possibilities are there if you choose to color grade.
So, with the best music selected, the interviews edited, broll that captures what the interviewees are talking about and with a great color grade you are on your way to creating a well thought out film. Much of your success will come from pre-production. It is a wise idea to think about what your film is trying to achieve before you press the record button and understanding the color of your film is part of that pre-production process. I hope this helps individuals who are looking to better their filmmaking craft. Is color grading important in your films? 

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