A specialist who handles the colour grading of the video in post-production, applying the final visual look and ensuring consistency across all shots.

The colorist is where the visual tone of the video is locked in. They work closely with the director and DP to achieve a look that matches the original creative vision, using tools like DaVinci Resolve.

Colorist in the real world

The desaturated, slightly bleached look of many early 2000s indie and alternative videos was a specific colour grade choice, not an accident of filming. Directors like Anton Corbijn working with Depeche Mode and U2 developed a distinctive cold, muted palette that became inseparable from those artists’ visual identities across multiple videos and album campaigns.

Related terms

Colour correction, Colour grade, Director of Photography (DP), Picture lock, Online edit