Kevin Shaw, CSI

As we begin 2026, I’m proud to note that this year marks the Colorist Society’s 10th anniversary—and it follows a year of remarkable achievements for our organization. Our membership continues to grow steadily, both overall and through our chapters across Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Australia/New Zealand, reinforcing our truly global community of colorists.

In 2025, we further consolidated our popular Colorist Mixers, held in tandem with four major industry events—NAB in Las Vegas, BIRTV in Beijing, IBC in Amsterdam, and Camerimage in Toruń. Produced with iColorist and the generous support of our sponsors, these well-attended gatherings continue a tradition that dates back to the Telecine Internet Group of the 1990s. We look forward to seeing many of you again at the 2026 Colorist Mixers.

Our visibility and engagement also expanded through growing communities on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and our active Discord group. Colorist Society Hollywood remained especially active, with members contributing to seminars, workshops, and panel discussions at trade shows and through partner organizations including SMPTE and HPA.

We were also pleased to welcome new sponsors—Sony, Dehancer, and Conform Tools—alongside our valued existing sponsors: ACES, ASUS, Barco, Blackmagic Design, Calman, Dolby Laboratories, Flanders Scientific, LucidLink, and UWA.

Without doubt our most notable accomplishment of 2025 was working with IMDb and IMDbPro to introduce a new Color Department credit category on name and title pages, a significant step forward in how colorists are recognized across the film and television industry.

As we look ahead, the Colorist Society board is setting priorities for 2026 and expects to make a major announcement soon. We’d also like to hear from you—please share your thoughts and ideas for the year ahead via email or through Discord. On behalf of the board, I wish all our members a strong market and a prosperous year.

Colorist Society is pleased to announce four new corporate sponsors, Conform Tools, Dehancer, HAL Picture and Sony. We sincerely appreciate their support for our organization and our Colorist Mixers. We also have high regard for the excellent tools they offer for color professionals. We look forward to working with them in the year ahead.

We value all our sponsors who also include ACES, ASUS, Barco, Blackmagic Design, Calman, Dolby, Flanders Scientific, LucidLink and UHD World Association.

Colorist Society corporate sponsors benefit from valuable exposure through our website, member newsletter and public relations outreach. Sponsors also gain access to our growing social community, including our more than 5,300 followers on Facebook, and over 105,000 Instagram followers. Our daily social posts reach on average more than 9,000 community members.

About Our New Sponsors

Conform Tools  

conform.tools helps editors, colorists, and conform artists move faster and finish stronger. Convert timelines between Premiere, Resolve, and other NLEs. Transfer massive files to collaborators at a fraction of the size, in minutes instead of hours.  We handle the tedious, so you can be more creative.

conform.tools

Dehancer

A True Film Experience

Dehancer is a film emulation software created by enthusiasts and scientists just for everyone. Thirty years of analogue experience allowed us to develop an amazing toolset which gives your digital videos and photos a truly cinematic look. You can change the game in one click with over 60 photographic and movie films. Complete the look and apply realistic film effects: Film Grain, Halation, Bloom, Film Breath and Damage, Overscan.

dehancerr

HAL Picture

HAL picture is the R&D division of Poly Son Post-Produc;on, a leading French post facility, and the developers of two look development OpenFX plugins (compatible with DaVinci Resolve and Baselight). Diachromie allows colorists to work on the chromatic structure of their look, while Diaphanie focuses on texture. These parametric tools enable greater control, predictability, and modularity than the typical LUTs and film emulation solutions, empowering visual innova;on and a collaborative, non-destructive workflow across every stage of the pipeline–from look development to final grading. For colorists, this translates to an ability to express their crea;ve intent quickly, and to start sessions with a robust, fully editable look while always having access to a wide range of ways to fine-tune its color and texture. At its core, HAL Picture is driven by a deep commitment to helping creators harness the power of color science.

HAL Picture 

Sony Electronics

Sony Electronics is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America and an affiliate of Sony Group Corporation, one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world, with a portfolio that encompasses electronics, music, motion pictures, mobile, gaming, robotics and financial services. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Sony Electronics is a leader in electronics for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, engineering, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Sony Electronics creates products that innovate and inspire generations, such as the award-winning Alpha Interchangeable Lens Cameras and revolutionary high-resolution audio products. Sony is also a leading manufacturer of end-to-end solutions from 4K professional broadcast and A/V equipment to industry leading 4K and 8K Ultra HD TVs.

Sony

Colorist Society hosted a Colorist Mixer in tandem with Camerimage and the FilmLight Colour Awards on 16 November 2025 in Toruń Poland. It was a momentous and happy occasion as it was our first event since IMDb  and IMDbPro announced its new Color Department. The event included an open panel discussion with FilmLight Colour Awards winners, nominees and jurists on the topic "The Importance of Recognition"

A huge thank you to our sponsors: BlackMagic Design, Dolby, FSI, SmallHD, Sony and UWA.

Here are photos from the event:

Colour Experience Research Group of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, is inviting Colorist Society members to take part in a scientific study exploring how people perceive color and the impact of color on emotions. You can take part by completing a 20-minute survey via one of the links below.

The authors describe the survey this way: “We will ask you to imagine coloured spaces and report on emotions.” The data will be collected anonymously and used in scientific

English: https://unil.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1NEJAnjsf97OSFM

German: https://unil.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HZmotr37LLDEs6

French: https://unil.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cNOkhK13QTvDnUO

Spanish: https://unil.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_elflmfW1ae31tMa

Celebrated color timer Dale Grahn, CSI, helped shape the look of modern cinema through his work with directors including Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, and cinematographers Janusz Kamiński, Michael Ballhaus and John Mathieson. A Colorist Society Fellow, Grahn also helped to inspire the formation of the organization through his belief that there could be no recognition for color professionals without representation.

A defining project in Grahn’s remarkable career was Saving Private Ryan, the 1998 feature from Steven Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński. The film’s stark, desaturated aesthetic has since become synonymous with its depiction of the Normandy invasion. But for Grahn, the path to achieving that look was anything but routine.

Grahn, who previously graded Spielberg’s Amistad, received the initial reference for Saving Private Ryan without explanation. It was a short clip of Tom Hanks’ character, dazed in the surf during the Omaha Beach landing. Sent from Technicolor’s UK lab, the shot conveyed the high-contrast, aggressively desaturated palette Spielberg and Kamiński wanted—but carried no technical details.

At Technicolor Hollywood, Grahn was running a 60 IR developer configuration for the ENR process, which he believed was the upper limit. The UK clip, however, had been processed at 100 IR. “That made it impossible to match the desaturated look,” he says. After checking with Technicolor’s control department, he learned the IR could be pushed to 100. Once implemented, the very next print matched the reference perfectly. “I was on my way to a victory,” he notes, “only problem is that 100 IR is so desaturated that it’s very hard to work with. It doesn’t accept color the same way normally developed film does. It moves very slowly, then jumps if pushed too far.”

With Kamiński away on another project, Grahn timed the film directly with Spielberg and editor Michael Kahn, running the work print and answer print side by side, shot by shot. Grahn made timing corrections in real time, allowing a fresh printer tape to be pulled immediately afterward. The approach saved hours of hand-winding on a still projector—critical, because each 100 IR setup required draining, refilling, and rebalancing an entire developer, a process that could take a full day or more.

The success of the team’s achievement came during the screening of the finished production negative. It was late afternoon and Spielberg ordered In-N-Out burgers for the group, which they ate while watching the completed film. “The way the look of the film captured the time, place and emotions of D Day and its harrowing aftermath confirmed that the four of us—Steven, Janusz, Michael, and me—formed a potent team for color,” Grahn says.

Grahn color timed seven Spielberg films, most recently Munich, but Saving Private Ryan remains a career touchstone—not only for its technical challenges, but for its emotional weight and the creative trust shared among the filmmakers. “I knew that this film would be a forever film,” he says. “Everyone who saw it would be truly moved by it—as I was.”

Colorist Society is thrilled to share some important and long-awaited news for our community. IMDb and IMDbPro have added a new Color Department credit category to its name and title pages. This marks a significant milestone in how colorists are recognized across the film and television industry. We applaud this landmark change.

Under the new system, existing colorist credits for films, television, documentaries and other media will be moved to the new Color Department section, and future credits will also appear there. As you know, colorist credits were previously scattered among various production and post-production categories, making it difficult to locate and properly acknowledge our essential creative work.

With this change, colorists’ contributions will now be displayed in a consistent and coherent manner, making it easier to connect with other professionals, promote work, and pursue new opportunities. IMDb has already migrated existing credits, and colorists can now update their professional listings to reflect their experience more accurately.

“This is a major step forward in the recognition of colorists as an essential part of the creative process,” said Kevin Shaw, President of the Colorist Society. “We’ve worked for years to help the industry understand the creative and technical importance of colorists. This update from IMDb and IMDbPro gives our craft the visibility it deserves. We’re deeply grateful to everyone at IMDb for listening and making this happen, and to our members and supporters for standing with us—especially during this challenging period for the post-production community.”

Warm regards,
The Colorist Society
www.coloristsociety.com

What’s New:

Specialized Color Department credit category: Your work is now more accurately represented with dedicated sections for your craft.

Seamless integration: IMDb has automatically migrated existing credits to these new categories.

Expanded profession options: IMDbPro Premium members can choose from over 400 role types to feature on the top of your page - including Colorist - ensuring your expertise shines through.

What’s Next:

IMDbPro Premium members: Log in and update your listed professions to reflect your experience as a colorist, and help the industry discover your talent.

Not an IMDbPro member?

Join by 12/1 to get a 30-day free trial and save up to 50% - terms apply. As an IMDbPro Premium member you can highlight professional affiliations like your Colorists Society International membership, set your Known For credits, add your contact information, and more.

At this year’s SMPTE 2025 Media Technology Summit in Pasadena, Colorist Society board member Sarah Priestnall chaired an “Ask the Colorist” panel whose speakers included Natasha Leonnet (Picture Shop), Rory Gordon (FotoKem), John Daro (Warner Bros. Water Tower Color) and Gareth Cook (The Foundation).

Sarah, who is also Director of Market Development at RePro Stream, wrote a summary of the event for PostPerspective. You can read her article here.

By Abe Wynen, CSI, Senior Commercial Colourist, Red Lab, Toronto

In 2022, I moved to Canada from my home in Melbourne, Australia but it feels as if I have been part of the Canadian film industry for a small lifetime. In just three years, I have witnessed the ebbs and flows of a market impacted by strikes, tech and policy. It’s been a rollercoaster for us all, and in many ways, a new beginning.

While my perspective is limited to my experience, there’s no doubt that the film and media industry is changing rapidly. Nevertheless, while things change, if business is up or down, one thing remain the same, and that’s the community.  

I can say with a whole heart that I’ve never managed to achieve a good grade without the support of the artists around me. For starters, without a picture, there’s nothing to grade. Although it’s the post-production team who help solve those nasty tech problems, it’s the long nights, and hours from assistants, producers, and many others that make everything possible. Most importantly, it’s fellow colourists who inspire me, and the reason I want to bring us together.

Since launching the Canadian Chapter, we’ve had several catch-ups. Although it is still the early days, I’m grateful to have such a sweet group of colourists I can call mates, rely on when called upon, and nerd out over some good colour chats. We are currently building our Canadian Chapter page to feature the work of all our members and showcase the outstanding grades from around the country. So please send us your work so we can update our page.

And please join us for our next Colourist Catch-Up:
Date: Thursday, 2nd, October
Time: 7 pm - 12 am
Venue: Danu Social House - 1237 Queen St W, Toronto

Colorist Society’s Colorist Mixer returned to IBC on 13 September. The event was held at Arti et Amicitiae, Rokin, the historic former home of the Dutch artists colony founded in 1839 to promote friendship among artists and art lovers. It was a night to reconnect with friends and colleagues, make new connections and have a ball.

Many thanks to our sponsors for fantastic Raffle prizes. Winners included:

• ASUS: Roel Videler
• Blackmagic: Nhi Huynh
• Calman: Maarten Stappaerts
• Dolby Certification: Oliver Schumacher and Jochen Hermann
• Dolby License: Isabelle Barriere
• Flanders Scientific: Radoslav Markov
• PVA: Daria Fissoun
• SmallHD: Alex Matravers

Colorist Society president Kevin Shaw will be a featured speaker in ASUS’s ProArt Masters’ Talks to IBC2025. Kevin will lead a session titled “Everything You Need to Know About HDR” from 10:00 – 10:30 CEST on Saturday, 13 September at the ASUS booth (Hall 11 #B34). A Colorist Society sponsor, ASUS created the series to share the latest trends and cutting-edge technologies as well as practical workflow and tools in the field.

Kevin will cover topics including:

• Recognizing HDR, separating facts from opinions
• HDR technology is rapidly overtaking SDR, continuing the trend of display evolution
• The creative dilemma - are we making art or content?
• The advantages of a true HDR monitor for both SDR and HDR projects
• The future of motion pictures based on HDR and other technological advancements

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insight into HDR and its impact on color grading.

Kevin will also give a talk entitled “Colour Truth: Metamerism in Film” hosted by International Moving Image Society (IMIS). It happens 22 September at the Dolby Screening Room in London (Soho).

Register here.