Wolfgang Lempp, CEO of FilmLight, explains the driving force and inspiration behind the launch of the new FilmLight Colour Awards 2021
At FilmLight, we have been serving colourists for close to 20 years, and our success is totally dependent upon their creative skills. They drive our developments, make us strive for better, faster, more responsive technology, and delight us with the results of our work.
Despite all that, the role of the colourist is still perhaps less recognised than it should be. This role has moved far beyond the colour timer of the film era, responsible primarily for matching and balancing shots with the limited tools they had available.
Today the colourist has a powerful, creative role. When things go right, the colourist, the cinematographer and the director work together to create the look of the production. Subtly, subliminally, this look creates the atmosphere of every shot. Done well, the colour grading underlines the plot and positively contributes to the storytelling.
I mentioned collaboration, and that is a really important part of what we are trying to recognise through the Colour Awards. It is all too easy to create a mythical war between the DP and the colourist, with one fighting to undo the work of the other. Such situations rarely if ever exist, and every director, cinematographer and colourist will tell you that the happiest of projects and most successful outcomes are the result of everyone sharing ideas and vision.
The lack of recognition, and the power of the collaboration, are the reasons we have chosen to create a new set of awards. The FilmLight Colour Awards will recognise and celebrate the best work, wherever it is done and whatever technology is used.
This is certainly not a competition between technologies. At FilmLight we freely acknowledge that there are other systems in the market. Those systems, too, have their powerful advocates and highly successful outcomes. So, whatever lies underneath your grading panel, if the work is good then we want to see it.
These awards are about people. They are about building recognition and offering accolades within the grading community, within the post-production community, and within the wider world of all those who love movies and premium productions.
We also want these awards to be truly global. The latest work in London or Hollywood may be grabbing the headlines, but that does not mean that ground-breaking, creative work is not being done in any of the thousands of facilities across the world. If our awards can shine a light on a previously neglected market, so much the better.
Why is today the right time to launch these awards? My view is that the role of the colourist is evolving and growing ever faster, and there has never been a better time to honour them. The days where a colourist would see the material for a commercial at the start of a one-day grade, or would have a locked edit for a movie grade, have long gone.
Today, a central part of that collaboration sees the colourist involved from the very beginning to the very end of a project. Their voice will be heard in camera and lens tests, and will have an opinion on shooting and lighting, without of course getting in the way of the cinematographer's skills.
They might need to work with the CGI team on an effects-heavy project, ensuring that everything sits together smoothly. They may take responsibility for compositing. With today's trend for shooting live pixels in LED volumes, with virtual reality appearing in real time, then the colourist has to ensure foreground and background sit seamlessly together, while masking the technical problems that the LED screens may present.
And when the material is shot and the master grade is complete, the colourist has yet one more task: to create all the different deliverables now expected. There will be high dynamic range and standard theatrical releases - and maybe even film prints for some markets - plus HDR and standard video formats, and many more. The colourist is one of the few that can be involved from the first task to the last.
Our aim is that the FilmLight Colour Awards will become a highly anticipated annual event, and we foresee organic growth in the programme and its scope. For the first year, there are awards in four categories:
theatrical features
non-theatrical and television series
commercials and music videos
most innovative use of technology
Our plan is to have a jury of noted cinematographers and other industry creatives to judge the colourist's work. They will bring their understanding of how an image is made, and how its light and shade creates a mood and a dynamic.
We are working with leading organisations of cinematographers and existing and highly prestigious festivals on the Colour Awards programme and we plan to announce the winners at EnergaCAMERIMAGE in Poland in November 2021.
Finally, I wanted to address what has driven us, FilmLight - a developer and vendor of grading and colour management technology - to create and sustain a programme of awards. Especially as it is a fundamental tenet of the awards that we welcome entries prepared on our rivals' technology.
We see every day the incredible work that colourists are creating around the world. We want more people to see what they do, and how they contribute to the process, whether it is a blockbuster movie or a 30 second television spot.
Winners - and all entrants - will receive the recognition they deserve, for their highly skilled and imaginative work. We hope that will promote their careers, ensuring they have a continual round of new challenges and new collaborations.
I am delighted to invite colourists the world over - seasoned professionals or those newly developing their skills - to submit their best work. Good luck to all that enter the awards!
Entries open on 16 June 2021, and will b
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
Wolfgang Lempp, CEO of FilmLight, explains the driving force and inspiration behind the launch of the new FilmLight Colour Awards 2021
