Paul Hanrahan, CSI has been appointed as an Officer of the Colorist Society’s China Chapter. A senior colorist and educator with more than three decades of experience, Hanrahan brings a global perspective and a deep commitment to artistic and technical excellence to his new role. Fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese, he will help guide Colorist Society’s efforts to expand membership in China, support professional development through education and networking, and raise awareness of the craft of color.

Based in Taiwan since 2009, Paul has credits spanning commercials, features, documentaries, music videos, and episodic television. He is Dolby Vision certified, a member of the International Colorist Academy (ICA), and an active instructor for ICA training programs, teaching both in-person and online in Mandarin and English.

Paul has long been passionate about building community among color professionals and recognizes the unique challenges facing freelancers and specialists in today’s segmented media landscape. “I’ve been part of many efforts to organize different sectors of the film industry, starting in South Africa and continuing in Taiwan,” he says. “Whether it’s formal groups like the Colorist Society or informal communities on Discord or WhatsApp, I’ve found that sharing ideas and offering support—technical, creative, or even emotional—has been invaluable. As more people go freelance, the sense of isolation grows. That’s why community-building is more important than ever. We need it to share knowledge, uphold standards and best practices, and to ensure our work as colorists, DITs, and color scientists is properly recognized.”

Paul recently attended Colorist Society’s first ever Mixer in China, held in conjunction with BIRTV 2025 in Beijing. “The Mixer was a lot of fun and showed that there is a large pool of young colorists in China with a passion for filmmaking,” he notes.

Before relocating to Taiwan, Paul lived and worked in South Africa, where he gained broad experience as an in-house facility colorist, post-production supervisor, and owner of a small production company. He holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and considers himself an engineer by training but an artist at heart. In addition to his work in film and television, he creates visual art in a range of forms, including photography, sculpture, VR, and projection mapping. He has been interviewed by Nikon Taiwan and collaborates with technology brands such as ASUS.

Reflecting on the future of color grading in China, Hanrahan is optimistic. “Over the past 15 years, I’ve watched the Chinese film industry grow at an extraordinary pace. Both skills and capacity have advanced significantly. Now that basic training is widely available online, I see a need for deeper refinement—for artists who want to take their craft to the next level. I look forward to helping the next generation of Chinese colorists develop these skills and push the medium forward.”

industry moguls, raffle prizes, and surprise elements!

On July 24, 2025, the First Colorist Society China Mixer lit up the summer night in Beijing. The event reached a great success among joy and laughter. Hosted by the Colorist Society, and co-organized by the China Chapter and zunzheng, the First Colorist Society China Mixer brought together nearly 100 top-tier colorists, film & TV industry veterans, and sponsors’ representatives. Soaked in a relaxing, diverse, and open atmosphere, the attendees shared their insights and ideas about the development of the industry.

Originally planned for 100 attendees, the event received unexpected popularity—some people who missed the registration still arrived at the venue regardless of the wind and rain at the time. 

The First Colorist Society China Mixer, What For? A Huge Hit, A Full House

This industry social gathering event followed the Colorist Mixer tradition on NAB/Camerimage of "no speeches, only connections". There were no presentations. It simply offered an offline platform of socializing for the film & TV professionals. Either newcomers or veterans, we gathered here to chill with a cup of drink, becoming closer in the chats and games.

We strived to provide colorists from China and Eastern Asia with more opportunities to showcase their work and connect, helping them search for more opportunities and partners. The event also aimed to build a resource pool for color management, promote HDR technology, build a platform for resource sharing and mutual success in the industry, as well as advance the development of the filmmaking industry and display technologies in China…… With these shared aspirations, we came together. As the saying goes, "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." We look forward to reuniting with old acquaintances and welcoming new ones at the next Mixer.

“Big Guns” from Around the World! An All-Star Lineup, Surprising Encounters

The event became a "highlight of the industry" thanks to the impressive roster of guests:

Renowned Colorists:

Kevin Shaw, President of the Colorist Society (CSI), together with:

Joey D'Anna, colorist/Dolby expert/founder of MixingLight/founder of DC Color;

Robbie Carman, colorist/post-production expert/founder of MixingLight/founder of DC Color;

Gao Ming, renowned Chinese colorist/CSI China Chapter Officer;

Paul Hanrahan, internationally acclaimed colorist/CSI member.

Distinguished Guests from the Chinese Society of Cinematographers (CNSC):

Hou Yong, President of the CNSC;

Yuan Jiaping, renowned cinematographer/professor at Beijing Film Academy;

Zhao Xiaoshi, respected cinematographer;

Zhang Xigui, respected cinematographer;

Wang Shiqing, respected cinematographer;

These industry icons shared the same stage.

Tech Experts and Veterans:

Ma Ping, Vice President of the CNSC/Dean of the AI Research Institute of the China Film Technology Co.,Ltd. He is also known as the first colorist in China;

Guo Gang, member of the China Cinema Editors Association (CCEA)/Head of the Sound and Image Center of the China Film Technology Co.,Ltd;

Cui Wei, co-founder of About CG;

Bram Desmet, CEO of Flanders Scientific, the global partner of zunzheng;

Bo Hakala, ICG Local 600 cinematographer;

Noah Kadner, virtual production editor of American Cinematographer Magazine……

From creative works to technical topics, these experts mingled with great relaxation.

Producers, directors, cinematographers, digital imaging technicians, supervising colorists, supervising editors, and representatives from equipment manufacturers gathered together. The buffet turned into a “resource exchange” networking session.

Prizes & Laughter All Around Who Was the Winner of the Ultimate Prize?

We were honored to have Paul Hanrahan as the host of the BIRTV Mixer. An internationally renowned colorist and CSI member, he is a seasoned expert in post-production, particularly in color grading and visual effects (VFX)

For the quiz part, the winning teams happened to be the Red Team, Green Team, and Blue Team! Thunderous applause raised from the audience. After all, these were the RGB primaries which every colorist worked with every day!

The surprises didn’t stop there! The most thrilling moment was the raffle. The attendees walked away with useful gear like: power banks, color grading panels, monitors, certifications, cameras, lighting equipment, and calibration software—all handed out by our special guests. The first Colorist Society China Mixer wouldn’t be a success without everyone’s support. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all attendees, sponsors, and guests!

Special Thanks to all Our Sponsors:

Zunzheng, Flanders Scientific, Aputure, Blackmagic Design, Dolby, ASUS, Calman, Nanlux, SanDisk, SmallHD, Panasonic Lumix, Tangent, UWA, Modern Cinema Laboratory (Taiwan), iFootage, Accsoon……

In addition to the XMP series vouchers sponsored by zunzheng, the most exciting moment would be the reveal of the ultimate prize—the Zunzheng V270 video monitor, which was won by a lucky CSI member Chen Yijiang!

The event also enjoyed a sweet surprise moment: it happened that the date of the event coincided with the birthday of the CEO of Flanders Scientific, Bram Desmet. The party became more special and precious with these heart-warming moments. Beyond the interest in technology, we also valued the connection between people!

This Is Not the End Next Gathering is On the Way

When the final raffle prize was handed out, this 4-hour party came to an end. However, this was not the end, but rather a beginning of another story: some attendees encountered their old acquaintances on the event and started a new page; some became WeChat friends with their favorite colorists; some received their favorite prizes; some were getting ready for the next cooperation project.

The 2025 BIRTV Mixer, which was such a great hit that the venue seemed too small, was more than just the raffle and socializing. It offered a platform of communication with zero threshold for the film & TV color grading industry of China. Those who truly loved this industry gathered here because of their genuine passion for the profession.

If you couldn't make it to the Mixer this time, don’t be upset. Please subscribe to GaiaDaily, the public WeChat account of zunzheng, for future activities. Looking forward to meeting you next time!

FilmLight has announced the first set of creatives lined up to judge the 2025 FilmLight Colour Awards, including South Korean film director, screenwriter and producer, Park Chan-wook, who has been named the 2025 Guest of Honour; Company 3 founder and CEO, Stefan Sonnenfeld; Apple+’s, The Studio cinematographer, Adam Newport; and many more.

Now in its fifth year, the FilmLight Colour Awards have quickly become an international platform for recognising excellence and artistry in colour grading. The 2025 edition will once again culminate in a ceremony held at EnergaCAMERIMAGE in November, celebrating the work of colourists across  six categories: Theatrical Feature, Television Series/Episodic, Commercial, Music Video, Emerging Talent, and Spotlight. Submissions close on 31 July.

Read the full announcement on FilmLight’s website.

CSI sponsor ASUS is offering German members an exclusive 15% discount on select ProArt monitors. Eligible models include PA32UCDM, PA32UCXR, PA279CRV, PA278CFRV, and PA248CRV. Purchases can be made through this dedicated landing page. Enter promo code CSIPA15 when checking out. The offer is limited to two units per user account and ends December 31, 2025.

Entries open from 1 May - 31 July to colourists on any grading platform

The FilmLight Colour Awards are returning for their fifth year, with colourists, production companies and facilities invited to put forward their submissions from 1 May – 31 July 2025. The awards are open to colourists working on any grading system and are independently evaluated by a panel of distinguished cinematographers, fellow colourists, media experts and industry figures.

Once again this year, colourists can submit their favourite projects across six categories: Theatrical Feature; Television Series/Episodic (including documentary/non-fiction); Commercial; Music Video; Emerging Talent (open to colourists age 18-35, for commercial or music video projects); and Spotlight, which recognises colourists who have contributed to the creative impact of a film with a total budget of less than $3 million USD.

Since starting in 2021, the FilmLight Colour Awards have gone from strength to strength, with more than 500 entries in 2024, from over 48 countries.

“I was inspired enormously by the quality of work,” said George Miller, Jury Guest of Honor, from the 2024 ceremony. “There are many things that allow enthusiasm for the moving image, and two of them are key: the evolution of the tools we have to work with, and the artists whose brilliance we acknowledge here.”

Last year FilmLight added the Emerging Talent category, to promote the work of a new generation of colourists. It was won by freelance colourist Douglas Dutton for his work on the ‘Baltic, Harmonical Diffraction’ commercial.

“It’s an immense honour to be selected as a winner in the Emerging Talent category,” said Dutton. “Getting recognition from people I look up to in the industry feels phenomenal. Thank you FilmLight for organising this incredible event.”

The 2025 winners will be announced at a dedicated ceremony at EnergaCAMERIMAGE on Sunday 16 November 2025, where their projects will be showcased to the global community of cinematographers, colourists and creatives attending the festival. In recognition of their achievement, all 2025 winners will also receive a one year licence for Baselight M, the new macOS version of FilmLight’s Baselight grading system.

You can watch highlights from the 2024 ceremony in the new teaser video, here, and see the full list of 2024 nominees and winners here.

The awards are led and organised by FilmLight, in conjunction with EnergaCAMERIMAGE. It’s also supported by the AFC (French Society of Cinematographers), AMC (Mexican Society of Cinematographers), ASC (American Society of Cinematographers), BSC (British Society of Cinematographers), BVK (German Society of Cinematographers), CNSC (Chinese Society of Cinematographers), CSI (Colorist Society International), ISC (Indian Society of Cinematographers), ShotDeck (fully-searchable cinematic image library), and more.

Tickets are now on sale for April 6 at Carlos ‘n Charlie’s in the Flamingo Hotel

iColorist and Colorist Society will host their hugely popular Colorist Mixer at NAB 2025 in Las Vegas. Open to colorists and other industry professionals, the event offers a unique opportunity to network and celebrate with peers. Attendees will have a chance to win prizes from Colorist Society sponsors and test their expertise in color in the Color Quiz.

The Colorist Mixer at NAB 2025 will take place on Sunday, April 6 from 7 – 11 pm at Carlos ‘n Charlie’s in Las Vegas. Tickets are available here.

“We look forward to welcoming our friends and colleagues back to Las Vegas as the Colorist Mixer enters its second decade,” says Colorist Society president Kevin Shaw. “We expect an evening of good times, great conversation, new connections and fabulous prizes.”

This year’s event includes two ticketing options. Dinner tickets have a 7 pm admission with a buffet style meal, unlimited soft drinks, and two drinks tickets for house margaritas, daiquiris, and draft and imported beers. General entry tickets offer admission after 9 pm. The Color Quiz is open to holders of dinner tickets only. The Mixer Raffle is open to all attendees – be there before 0930 to win. The raffle will include prizes from Academy ACES, Adobe, ASUS, Blackmagic Design, Colourlab, Dolby, Flanders Scientific Inc (FSI), MediaLight, Professional Video Association (PVA), SmallHD, UHD World Association (UWA) and others.

Colorist Mixer at NAB 2025

When: April 6, 2025, 7 – 11 pm

Where: Carlos ‘n Charlie’s Restaurant, 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89109

Agenda:

• ·       7:00 pm: Buffet dinner
• ·       8:30 pm: The Color Quiz (dinner ticket holders only)
• ·       9:00 pm: General entry
• ·       9:30 pm: The World Famous Mixer Raffle

Tickets: here

A new Colorist Society sponsor, LucidLink will unveil its latest storage collaboration platform innovations at NAB 2025, including new web browsing, a new iOS app, updates for the Android app, filespace role settings and an entirely new SSO implementation, all backed by AWS S3 storage and available soon on the AWS Marketplace.

LucidLink knows that time is money. Time is creativity. When it comes to what matters most, the creation time is everything. Every transfer, every conversation, it all counts. Good thing we’re counting. Because LucidLink has transformed the way teams create, collaborate, and manage data-intensive workflows, our impact is measurable.

Come meet us at our NAB booth: SL2705.

LucidLink at NAB:

AWS Theater

Monday, April 7 | 2 – 2:30 pm

Speaker: Alex Ferris

See LucidLink’s latest innovations, time savers and workflow game changers all designed to make creative collaboration smoother than ever. From mobile access to web browsing and seamless enterprise security, discover how we remove workflow friction so you can spend less time managing files and more time creating.

Creator Labs: Stage Session

Tuesday, April 8 | 10 – 10:30 am

Speakers: Shira Re’em, Kelsey Brennan (Premiere Gal), Brian Sanford (Versus), Every second counts winner

In today’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it content creation landscape, every second counts. Whether you're a solo creator, a post-production house or working on high-profile projects, your workflow needs to move at the speed you create. This panel will dive into real-world strategies for optimizing your workflows — without sacrificing quality. Hear how top creators maintain speed, efficiency and flexibility, plus how tools like LucidLink help them work smarter, not harder.

NAB Creator Labs Workshop

Tuesday, April 8 | 11:10 -11:40 am

Host: Kelsey Brennan (Premiere Gal): video editing expert and YouTube educator helping creators work smarter.

Join Premiere Gal for a hands-on session packed with time-saving editing tips and workflow hacks. Learn how to streamline post-production, collaborate seamlessly and get content out faster — without the headaches.

Colorist Society’s New York Chapter Has a New Officer

Evan Anthony, CSI recently assumed the role of Officer of Colorist Society’s New York Chapter. A fixture of the city’s post-production community for two decades, Anthony has more than 100 credits as colorist on documentaries, episodic television, shorts and other media. His recent work includes the upcoming documentary Pets for Disney and Imagine Documentaries, as well as the recent releases I Am Celine Dion, Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend and Harlem Ice.

Currently based at Goldcrest Post, Anthony is more than a talented artist. He’s also a teacher, mentor and ardent proponent of the art of color. He taught color grading for several years at New York’s Tisch School of the Arts and continues to speak at industry events and lead workshops for prospective artists. “I’m a big believer in paying it forward,” he insists. “I recently conducted a workshop for students through Post New York Alliance. I talked about workflows and technology, but I also answered their questions about the industry and how I got here. I think it’s important to be honest and explain what it takes to be successful.”

As an officer of Colorist Society’s New York Chapter, Anthony hopes to promote another issue he is passionate about: gaining proper credit for colorists. “I don’t understand why IMDb does not have a separate credit for colorists,” he states. “Color is a subcategory of editorial…but it’s a separate art. You wouldn’t put video editors and sound editors in the same category. Color should be a separate line item to better reflect our craft and contributions.”

Anthony is assuming a larger role in Colorist Society at a critical time for colorists and the post industry generally. “Many people are concerned about the future, but I remain optimistic. I think things will improve,” he says. “I’ve been part of the industry for 30 years and it’s always changing. Artists constantly need to adapt. Some worry that AI is going to take our jobs, but I disagree. Over the years, many technologies have come along that were predicted to replace colorists, but it hasn’t happened. We still need artists.”

Independent senior colorist Shaley Brooks, CSI leverages DigitalFilm Tree’s GEOpost® Network (GPN) services to grade “High Potential” for ABC and “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” for Paramount +.

For senior colorists seeking more autonomy and greater control over their projects and career, productions like 'High Potential' and 'NCIS: Tony & Ziva' showcase how they can achieve independence and compete with industry leaders.

Independent senior colorist, Shaley Brooks, CSI, handles color grading for the two series, working primarily from his custom-built home studio. Designed to rival, and in some respects surpass, professional color bays in Los Angeles, Brooks' studio provides a high-caliber client experience. "With my engineering background, I've constructed numerous rooms for top post-production facilities," Brooks explains. "I wanted to ensure clients feel the same level of comfort and professionalism they'd expect in any leading facility."

Shaley Brooks

His studio mirrors a traditional color bay, featuring theater seating and a dedicated client monitor. Despite operating remotely, Brooks conducts live grading sessions, seamlessly accesses entire seasons' footage, collaborates with vendors, and incorporates real-time editorial changes, all while maintaining a close working relationship with DigitalFilm Tree's full-service headquarters. "My goal is to inspire other senior colorists to expand the infrastructure for global post-production services," Brooks states. “DigitalFilm Tree and I are committed to facilitating this evolution.”

Brooks is accomplishing all this through the support of Los Angeles post house DigitalFilm Tree and its GEOpost Network remote workflow service. GPN provides Brooks with an all-inclusive remote infrastructure encompassing file storage and management, data security, collaboration tools, and networking. Through GPN, Brooks enjoys seamless review and approval connection with the series’ showrunners, cinematographers and editors, as well as VFX and finishing vendors. Significantly, it streamlines managing camera RAW data and simplifies workflow technologies, allowing him to put all his effort into delivering great color.

Ramy Katrib

“My role is to support creative storytellers,” Brooks says. “In the past, there has always been a gap between storytellers and post-production artists due to infrastructure. It didn’t make sense for an independent artist like me to invest millions of dollars to build a color facility. But now, I can do high-end work for relatively little cost while moving a step closer to the show. I can focus completely on my clients and provide the service they expect, 24/7.”

DigitalFilm Tree has been developing remote services for well over a decade. During this time, DFT has refined a one-of-kind data center infrastructure designed specifically for production and post. This includes high volume private storage tiers, advanced networking capabilities, and best-in-class security services. 

“Traditionally, studios frowned on people working from home for security reasons,” notes DigitalFilm Tree founder and CEO, Ramy Katrib. “During the pandemic, when people were forced to work from home, GPN was ready to support artists, vendors, and storytellers, and drive the new normal of remote collaboration. For showrunners with multiple projects, it meant they no longer had to spend two or three hours each day on the road. They could monitor color and review VFX from home, the production office or both.”

Shaley Brooks set up a grading suite in a garage during the recent wildfires in Los Angeles.

Katrib draws a distinction between the GEOpost Network and broad-based cloud services like AWS and Google Cloud Platform. DigitalFilm Tree has applied its decades of experience in post-production to adapt its service to the unique requirements and working relationships of the production industry. “We come from a film ethic,” he says. “We built our system from a film production point of view. It was as simple as, ‘How do we get camera RAW data to Shaley’s office securely, reliably and routinely so he can keep pace with production? How do we move five to ten terabytes of data from productions worldwide onto our servers and make it available to multiple VFX houses?’ We’ve spent years cross-training our teams so that whether they are working the day, swing or night shift, they know how to provide color prep files, online reconforms, VFX  and promo pulls.”

With virtually limitless technical and creative resources, the GEOpost Network delivers services that would be difficult or impossible for traditional post houses to offer. “Productions sometimes take a while to lock edit,” Katrib explains. “All camera RAW files for his projects are sitting on GPN’s private online servers, all instantly available. We’ll routinely do an online with a lot of handles and send that to Shaley so he can start grading. When editorial changes, we reflect those changes instantly. He’s not only able to keep up with production…he’s ahead of it. That’s not only novel, it creates added value.”

Brooks says the value of a dispersed remote workflow proved itself during the recent wildfires that devastated Los Angeles when he was obliged to evacuate his home as a precautionary measure. “I loaded up my monitor and my computer and everything else and went to a family member’s house in Simi Valley,” he relates. “I was quickly back doing color notes for High Potential. GPN’s infrastructure was the glue that allowed me to continue to deliver services. In my experience, it’s the future of post.”

Senior colorists who want to know more about DigitalFilm Tree’s GEOpost Network services may contact Ramy Katrib at dftadmin@digitalfilmtree.com, or Shaley Brooks at shaley@irisdigitalpost.com.

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