Hamil Bros Studios' Colorful World
At Hamil Bros Studios, color grading isn’t just an afterthought—it’s the final brushstroke that gives your video production its emotional power and visual polish. Whether you’re producing a commercial, short film, music video, or narrative feature, professional color grading can elevate your project from good to unforgettable.
But what is color grading, exactly?
While often lumped in with color correction, the two serve different purposes. Color correction ensures that everything looks natural—skin tones, whites, blacks, and grays all appear as they should. Color grading, on the other hand, enhances and stylizes those natural colors to support the tone and emotion of each scene.
Done right, grading can make a shot feel cold and sterile or warm and inviting. It can subtly suggest sadness or joy. In short, color grading gives your footage emotional depth and cinematic character—tying everything together visually and thematically, like the rug that really ties the room together.
Hamil Bros Studios' Color Grading Process At-A-Glance
Initial Consultation
At Hamil Bros Studios, we believe that exceptional color grading is not an afterthought, but an integral part of the filmmaking journey. Our meticulous approach ensures that every project receives the dedicated attention it deserves, with a process that often commences long before production even begins.
Footage Analysis
First, we review the locked edit—this means all the editing is complete, and the project is ready for finishing. For commercial projects, we typically receive footage via download. For larger narrative or promotional work, we prefer a physical hard drive to ensure data integrity.
Execution
Once we have the footage, we begin with a thorough color correction pass, making sure that every camera angle matches and that nothing looks out of place.
Then the creative work begins. Using advanced tools and techniques, we begin the color grading process. Often, we collaborate directly with the director or director of photography to ensure the grade aligns with the original vision. Whether the project demands realism or stylization, our grading process ensures a beautiful and cohesive final product.
Final Review and Delivery
We provide a Frame.io review link to ensure satisfaction, making any necessary adjustments before delivering the final product.
Pre-Production Consultation and Strategic Planning:
At Hamil Bros Studios, we don’t just “dive right in.” Instead, we initiate a collaborative dialogue, understanding your creative aspirations and technical requirements from the outset. This pre-production phase is crucial for laying a solid foundation, allowing us to make informed recommendations on various tools and techniques that can be leveraged on-set. Our aim is to foster faster and more efficient color grading in the post-production phase, streamlining workflows and maximizing creative potential. This might include advising on specific camera settings, lighting setups, or even on-set monitoring solutions that contribute to a cleaner, more pliable image for color manipulation later for your video production.
Crafting Show LUTs (Look Up Tables):
A key element of our pre-production involvement is the creation of custom show LUTs. These “look up tables” are more than just technical specifications; they are a visual roadmap for your project. By developing these early, we establish a consistent aesthetic and emotional tone that guides both production and post-production. This ensures that the captured footage inherently carries the intended visual language, minimizing surprises and maximizing efficiency during the final grading stages. Our expertise in crafting these LUTs guarantees that the on-set visual representation closely aligns with the final desired look.
Seamless Integration and Collaborative Vision:
Hamil Bros Studios’ commitment to your video production extends beyond technical expertise. We actively work to integrate our color grading process seamlessly with your existing production pipeline. We understand that every project is unique, and our flexibility allows us to adapt to your specific needs and preferences. Ultimately, our core philosophy is centered on collaboration: We want to make sure that our vision enhances yours. We see ourselves as partners in your creative endeavor, utilizing our skills to elevate your narrative and bring your artistic vision to life through the powerful medium of color.
Our Trusted Tools
At the heart of our color grading workflow lies DaVinci Resolve by Blackmagic Design, a powerful and versatile industry-standard platform. Trusted by professional colorists worldwide, DaVinci Resolve offers an unparalleled suite of tools for everything from subtle artistic enhancements to complex technical corrections. Its comprehensive features, including advanced primary and secondary color wheels, curves, qualifiers, and tracking capabilities, allow us to precisely manipulate every aspect of an image. This robust software empowers us to achieve stunning visual results, ensuring that every project we work on possesses a distinct and impactful aesthetic, consistently meeting the highest standards of professional color fidelity.
Initially designed by Stu Maschwitz, a renowned visual effects artist and filmmaker known for his innovative approaches to digital filmmaking, Red Giant is a comprehensive suite of professional plugins widely utilized in the post-production industry. This powerful collection of tools provides us with profound control over various visual elements, including but not limited to contrast manipulation, sophisticated lighting effects, realistic film grain simulation, and a plethora of other creative enhancements. The plugins are celebrated for their ability to streamline complex tasks, enabling users to achieve high-quality, cinematic results with efficiency and precision. Red Giant’s intuitive interface and robust capabilities make it an indispensable asset for us when you are seeking to elevate your visual storytelling to a professional standard.
Founded by the highly experienced and respected post-production professional Jason Bowdach, PixelTools represents a groundbreaking suite of custom tools meticulously crafted for precision color grading. Designed by a team of working post-production experts, PixelTools was developed to address the specific needs and challenges faced by professionals in the field, ensuring a practical and highly effective solution for achieving unparalleled visual fidelity and creative control in every project.
Cutting Edge Hardware
At Hamil Bros. Studios, we understand that exceptional software is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to delivering stunning visual content. That’s why we’ve made significant investments in top-tier hardware to complement our advanced software solutions. Our commitment to accuracy and efficiency is reflected in our choice of professional-grade color grading monitors, such as the Konvision KVM-2450W. This monitor is renowned for its high accuracy, ensuring that the colors you see on screen are a true representation of the final output.
To further streamline our workflow and maintain precise control over the color grading process, we utilize industry-standard control panels like the Davinci Resolve Micro Color Panel. This dedicated hardware interface allows our colorists to make intricate adjustments with tactile precision, fostering a more intuitive and efficient creative process. By combining cutting-edge software with meticulously selected, high-performance hardware, we ensure that every project moves forward seamlessly, with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency, delivering results that consistently exceed expectations.
Our workflow is built for speed and efficiency, powered by state-of-the-art technology. We utilize top-of-the-line, maxed-out Mac Studio Ultras, each equipped with the formidable M2 Ultra chipset and an impressive 192GB of integrated memory. This robust computing power is complemented by an 80TB QNAP NAS, ensuring that data access and transfer are never a bottleneck. For us, speed is not just a feature, but a fundamental priority in every aspect of our operations.
Color Grading Process
The Importance of Order
Our color grading process is not rocket science, and the following description is anything but comprehensive. The art of color grading could fill an entire book (which, in fact, it has—we recommend The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction by Steve Hullfish) or an entire website (which we highly recommend: mixinglight.com). Regardless, if you are looking to hire Hamil Bros Studios for your color grading, we want to give you an idea of what to expect.
Conforming and Color Correction
Before we can start grading, we bring footage from all cameras into a shared visual baseline. For example, a HorrorWeb project used Sony, Blackmagic, Canon, and DJI cameras. We used DaVinci Resolve’s color management to normalize the footage and then matched color using scopes—not just our eyes. Lighting, lens variation, and angle differences all influence color perception, so we rely on precision corrections to make every shot cohesive.
Color Grading
Color grading is the artistic process where visual storytelling truly takes shape. We meticulously adjust contrast, saturation, and color palettes, ensuring each choice perfectly aligns with the intended tone and emotional resonance of every scene. Our approach is bespoke; we don’t rely on pre-made LUTs. Instead, we build the grade with purpose, crafting unique looks that range from warm, cinematic aesthetics to stylized sci-fi vibes. This granular control allows us to achieve precise visual narratives.
One of our most challenging and rewarding moments involved transforming a brightly lit day scene into a convincingly realistic night scene. This was achieved through a masterful combination of advanced color grading techniques and sophisticated VFX compositing. We began by creating a detailed depth matte, which we then attached to the vehicle within the scene. This depth matte was crucial for simulating the realistic interaction of light.
By accurately mapping the vehicle’s position and the surrounding environment, we were able to precisely render how the car’s headlights would interact with the foreground elements, such as trees and bushes. The depth matte allowed us to simulate the natural obscuring and scattering of light by these elements, resulting in an exceptionally realistic depiction of nighttime driving. The interplay of light and shadow, the subtle attenuation of light as it passed through foliage, and the overall atmospheric effect were all carefully crafted to create a truly immersive and believable nocturnal environment, showcasing our dedication to both technical precision and artistic vision.
The Finish(ing) Line
Finishing, often referred to as the final polish or mastering, is the crucial last visual pass in the post-production workflow. This comprehensive stage is where we meticulously review and refine every frame, ensuring seamless continuity across all sequences. Our expert team diligently checks for any inconsistencies, color shifts, or technical anomalies that might have slipped through previous stages.
A key aspect of finishing involves the strategic application of grain or sharpening. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach; rather, it’s a nuanced process where we analyze the footage and determine the optimal level to enhance detail, add texture, or achieve a specific aesthetic, without introducing unwanted artifacts. This meticulous attention to detail ensures the visual integrity and artistic intent of the project are fully realized.
Beyond aesthetic refinement, finishing is also about preparing the footage for its diverse delivery destinations. This often entails precise color space conversions, ensuring that the visual presentation remains consistent and accurate whether viewed on a cinema screen, a broadcast television, or a mobile device. Furthermore, we handle critical sizing and aspect ratio adjustments for different platforms, guaranteeing that the content looks its best across various distribution channels.
Ultimately, finishing is the culmination of all the creative and technical efforts, where every element is brought together, polished, and meticulously prepared for public consumption. It’s the stage where the raw footage transforms into a broadcast-ready, theatrical-release quality, or web-optimized final product, ensuring it’s not just ready to publish, but truly ready to impress.
Our experience spans genres and formats. We’ve graded:
Award-winning short films (including projects for the HorrorWeb)
Public service announcements for programs like Safely Surrender in Bakersfield, CA
High-impact commercials and brand videos
Music videos that demand emotional tone and dynamic visuals
With each project, we tailor the color to match the story, tone, and target audience. We’re not just technicians—we’re visual storytellers.
Meet Our Expert Team
Our Color Grading Credentials
Our experience spans genres and formats. We’ve graded:
Award-winning short films (including projects for the HorrorWeb)
Public service announcements for programs like Safely Surrender in Bakersfield, CA
High-impact commercials and brand videos
Music videos that demand emotional tone and dynamic visuals
With each project, we tailor the color to match the story, tone, and target audience. We’re not just technicians—we’re visual storytellers.
Dobbs Law Firm: Here to Stay
The “Dobbs Law Firm: Here to Stay” project by Hamil Bros Studios presents a strong example of how effective color grading can enhance the emotional and visual quality of a commercial.
Emotional Resonance
The central message of the ad was one of reassurance and permanence—conveying that the Dobbs Law Firm remains steadfast during uncertain times. The color grading warm, inviting tones to evoke a sense of comfort and trust, helping viewers emotionally connect with the firm’s message.
Professional Polish
For a law firm, maintaining a sense of professionalism on-screen is crucial. The grading approach probably emphasized clean contrast, subtle saturation, and well-balanced highlights to give the footage a refined, high-end feel. This polished aesthetic reinforces the credibility and reliability of the brand.
Visual Consistency
With multiple scenes and many aeraial visuals at different times of day, color grading was have been essential in unifying the footage. Whether indoors or outdoors, consistent tones and mood ensure that each shot feels like part of a cohesive narrative, enhancing both story and style.
The Curse of the Were-Pa
Atmosphere & Stylish Contrast
Curse of the Were‑Pa presents a playful yet eerie concept that blends horror and humor. The color grading leans into rich shadows, elevated contrast, and a monochromatic color palette to underscore the spooky vibe while still allowing moments of levity to shine through. This kind of grading enhances the story’s tone and helps balance suspense with comedic timing. The film was a style parody of a 1930s Ed Wood style film and really takes on a harsh, old film look.
Narrative Cohesion & Visual Clarity
The piece was created for Tokina, and the visuals alone carry the narrative. Color grading played a crucial role in bringing clarity to the story’s emotional beats and transitions, guiding the viewer’s attention and ensuring consistency from scene to scene.
Effective Post Techniques
For a genre piece like this, grading isn’t just technical—it’s storytelling. The visual polish from grading adds a layer of professionalism and cinematic weight that turns a fun concept into a compelling viewing experience. Subtle highlight control, and dynamic range management helped reinforce the dual tones of horror and humor.
Creative Editing Synergy
Hamil Bros Studios also explored split-screen editing techniques for this project. In such cases, the color grade must do more than just beautify—it has to unify. Ensuring both sides of a split-screen match in tone and contrast is a nuanced task that requires careful grading to avoid jarring visual differences while maintaining creative intent.
Harperfest
Hamil Bros Studios has always attempted to make a place in our work for supporting nonprofit organizations. Harperfest fit right in.
This video production was executed for a prominent local nonprofit organization, deeply committed to supporting service workers within the intricate and often demanding realm of food and beverage services. The organization’s core mission revolves around connecting these essential workers with vital resources, offering a lifeline of assistance and guidance to navigate the multifaceted challenges inherent in their professions. From financial aid and mental health support to job placement and legal advocacy, their comprehensive services are tailored to uplift and empower individuals who form the backbone of the hospitality industry.
The chosen location for this project was instrumental in achieving the desired visual narrative. It presented a unique duality, offering environments that allowed for the necessary portrayal of somber or challenging moments, yet seamlessly integrated them within the inherent beauty and aesthetic appeal of the setting.
This juxtaposition enabled a nuanced storytelling approach, where the underlying struggles could be subtly woven into visually engaging backdrops. The lighting design played a pivotal role in shaping the emotional landscape of the scenes; festive and vibrant colors were strategically employed to infuse moments of hope and celebration, creating a compelling contrast. Furthermore, the color grading process was crucial in enhancing the thematic depth. It expertly manipulated hues and tones to imbue the heavier, more difficult scenes with a palpable sense of darkness and gravity, amplifying their emotional impact. Conversely, for the uplifting and inspiring segments, the color grading skillfully brightened and enriched the visuals, emphasizing their positive and empowering messages, thereby creating a dynamic and emotionally resonant visual experience.
Natelie Lane: Type (stripped down)
This particular project presented itself as a truly unexpected yet welcome opportunity. Our long-standing friend and esteemed colleague, Robert Deltour, a talented filmmaker, had recently completed filming a compelling music video production. Knowing our expertise, he reached out to us with a specific request: to handle the crucial post-production phase of color grading for his latest work.
Fortuitously, Robert is deeply embedded within the same vibrant Blackmagic camera and Davinci Resolve community that we at Hamil Bros Studios also inhabit. This shared professional ecosystem proved invaluable, transforming what could have been a complex undertaking into a remarkably quick and efficient project to execute. The synergy of our compatible workflows and equipment streamlined the entire process.
The raw visuals of the music video were already exceptionally strong, a testament to Robert’s skillful direction and cinematography. He had done a truly wonderful job capturing the essence of the song. What was even more empowering was that Robert granted us complete artistic freedom, trusting our judgment implicitly to make the creative decisions we felt would best serve the music video’s overall vision.
The underlying concept for this particular version of the song was its stripped-down, raw authenticity. With this in mind, and after several thorough viewings of the video, Hamil Bros Studios collectively decided to pursue a more organic, filmic aesthetic. Our process began with color correction and balancing of all the shots, ensuring a consistent and natural foundation. Following this, we strategically utilized an array of powerful tools from the Red Giant Suite. Our aim was to imbue the footage with a distinct visual texture, ultimately achieving an almost Super 16 film look. The result was precisely what we envisioned: a look that was gritty, undeniably raw, and felt profoundly honest – mirroring the very soul of the song it accompanied.
The Importance of Color Grading
Why Color Grading Matters
You’ve already invested time and energy into writing, filming, lighting, and editing your video production. Don’t let your visuals fall flat in the final step. Professional color grading can:
Create a consistent, polished visual aesthetic
Emphasize emotion and story through tone and contrast
Ensure your footage meets broadcast and streaming standards
Set your work apart from amateur productions
Without proper color grading, even the most well-shot footage can look unfinished or unprofessional. When you work with Hamil Bros Studios, you’re getting a team that understands how to push your visuals to their full potential.
Ready to Transform Your Footage?
Whether you’re in post on a local commercial or putting the final touches on your passion project, our color grading services can take your visuals to the next level.
Let’s talk about how we can bring cinematic polish and emotional impact to your next video production. Reach out today and discover what professional color grading can do for your story.