Claudio Del Bravo, colourist, Frame by Frame

05/11/2024

Claudio Del Bravo, colourist, Frame by Frame

Caroline Shawley November 5, 2024

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Claudio Del Bravo is a senior colourist and head of long format at Frame by Frame in Rome, Italy. He has years of experience grading a variety of formats, including commercials, indie, film and TV.

Del Bravo has an ongoing and strong collaboration with talented Italian film director, Luca Guadagnino, having worked together on Challengers as well as his latest project, Queer (2024). Other projects include Amazon original by director Arnaldo Catinari, Citadel:Diana , Amanda , Aston Martin and Indivisibili (2016).

Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a successful colourist? My journey as a colourist began with a deep passion for the visual arts and cinema. I studied arts and entertainment at university, which gave me a solid foundation in the theory and history of moving cinema.

After finishing my studies, I started working at a post-production lab in Rome, initially as a conformer. It was during this time that I discovered my passion for colour grading. I experienced the industry transition from analogue to digital, which was a fascinating period, working with some of the earliest DI software. This period really shaped my understanding of both technologies, analogue and digital workflows, which has been invaluable throughout my career.

About 12 years ago, I joined Frame by Frame when the post-production department was newly formed. It was an exciting challenge to help build something from the ground up. My goal was to make it grow into a major player in the Italian film industry and compete on an international level. Over time, by focusing on quality and surrounding myself with talented professionals, I helped the company progress from working on commercials and smaller films to handling major international projects.

What sort of content do you work on at Frame by Frame? These days, I mostly work on long-form content like feature films and TV series, but I started out with commercials and indie films. The variety is part of what makes this job so exciting - the diversity keeps me on my toes and allows me to continuously grow as a person.

How long have you been grading on Baselight? And why Baselight?

I've been using Baselight for about nine years now. In Italy, Baselight isn't as widespread as in other countries, but I knew from the beginning that it was the right tool for us. Baselight has allowed us to distinguish ourselves with complex workflows and complete creative freedom.

The Base Grade feature is particularly brilliant as it provides incredible control, especially to touch highlight. I am also a huge fan of new tools such as Texture Equaliser (combined with paint, for example) and Texture Highlight.

Have you tried Baselight 6.0? If so, what are your thoughts?

Yes, I'm currently using Baselight 6.0 on Queer, Luca Guadagnino's latest film.

The new Chromogen tool has already become one of my favourites. It offers a new way to control the image and create unique looks.

Face Warp within the new Face Track feature is also remarkable - it's incredible how fast and accurate it is! What used to take hours can now be done in minutes - tasks like making shapes around the eyes for hundreds of shots.

Both these tools are impressive leaps forward in efficiency and creativity.

What's your career highlight to-date?

My career has grown alongside Italian cinema. I've had the privilege to work on some fantastic projects, which have received significant recognition here, like films by Edoardo De Angelis, Mario Martone and Riccardo Milani.

I have also had the opportunity to work on international projects like My Brilliant Friend , an HBO series, which allowed me to challenge myself with global standards and audiences. This series was also one of the first projects in Italy to be graded in HDR, which made it even more special.

That said, the highlight of my career has been my ongoing collaboration with film director, Luca Guadagnino. Starting with Bones and All , and now Queer (2024), these projects have taken me to new creative heights. Collaborating with Guadagnino has been a dream come true, and Challengers is probably the most important project I've worked on so far.

How would you describe your grading style?

I'd say my style is deeply respectful of the cinematographer's work. I usually choose a naturalistic and gentle style, gradually creating the desired result.

I approach each project with the belief that everything in the frame-the lighting, set design, costumes-is part of the cinematography. My job as a colourist is to bring all these elements together and help them serve the narrative. My goal is to serve the film's story and communicate its message through elegant colour choices.

How do you use colour to communicate with an audience? Can you provide an example?

Colour plays a vital role in enhancing the audience's emotional experience. For instance, in Bones and All, I had the pleasure of working with the talented DoP, Arseni Khachaturan, to create a contrast between the expansive, warm American landscapes and the darker, more intimate moments. Despite the gruesome theme of cannibalism, it's ultimately a love story, so the challenge was to balance horror with a sense of tenderness and poetry. Colour played a huge role in achieving that balance. The result was a mix of unsettling, beautiful visuals.

On Challengers, I took a different approach. The goal was to reflect the elegance of the tennis world while maintaining a sense of joy and vibrancy. The colours had to feel elegant, but also light-hearted, and that was a fun challenge. DoP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom's colour choices on set were the key in creating that sense of beauty.

Do you prefer to get involved with look development before/during the shoot of a m

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