The traditional approach to filming chimpanzees in the rainforest is to use a relatively large camera and a very long lens, but Oscar-winning director James Reed (My Octopus Teacher) wanted to try something different.
Reed and director of photography Ben Sadd wanted to make a truly character-driven series and so needed to be able to track the chimps continuously and to immerse the viewer in the details of their lives.
They also wanted a cinematic look mastered in High Dynamic Range and turned to Blair Wallace, Head of Grading at Evolutions, the respected Bristol, UK post facility. The Evolutions Bristol team provided all picture finishing for the series, winning Wallace the HPA Award for Outstanding Color Grading - Documentary.
It was an exciting project and a pleasure working again with James who is a special storyteller, says Wallace, who has worked with Reed on projects including Jago: A Life Underwater. There's scope for creativity in the grade when I work with James, but there's also so much work the Bristol Evolutions team provide, under the hood', before we explore the films visual potential further.
Shot over 18 months in the forests of Ngogo, Uganda, Chimp Empire is a KEO Films and Underdog Films production which follows the fortunes of the largest group of chimpanzees ever discovered. The four-part series, narrated by Academy Award Winner Mahershala Ali, explores the chimp's complex society and how their ambition and that of neighboring rivals threaten to destabilise their empire.
The Ngogo forest can be dark at times, the light spilling through the tree canopy can be dappled, bright and difficult to control both whist shooting and then in post, Wallace describes. The subjects' themselves will not wait for any sort of set up or to be lit! And when they move, they move very fast.
That means Wallace's first job in post was to access and unite' the footage. He was involved in early camera tests and with the help of the Finishing and Mastering Team that supports the grading suites at Evos Bristol chose a selection of processes including noise reduction and texture refining tools. A principal job on every Natural History project is to consider the texture differences between cameras.
It's common to have a dozen different formats to blend together, says Wallace whose other credits include Queens (Disney+/NatGeo), the recent Emmy Winning Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory (Wildstar Films/Disney+/NatGeo) and Earth from Space (BBC Studios NHU).
Wildlife docs can be shot on everything from a GoPro to an 8K RED Digital Cinema camera. We almost have to switch our color perspective off with some of the shots to smooth the links between formats.
After the first technical pass I'll grade exposure, contrast, white balance and color to further match the rushes and provide an even playing field to then manipulate further in the direction of the story and look.
For Chimp Empire Wallace created a series of show LUTs by blending the look generators and style grades in Baselight and tested them over the rushes before fine tuning the look.
Because there was a risk of the forest environment becoming samey' throughout the series James wanted me to avoid a generic look. We achieved this by injecting some other color palettes into the grade to reflect the mood of the scenes and the narrative of the story.
In Natural History filmmaking quality over content is often a discussion during the finishing of process. We'll even consider shot changes in the color suite such as bringing out material that the director didn't think they could use at all from a technical point of view, Wallace says. We can do so much nowadays in the grading suite to bring problematic material to life. James is intimate with every second of his rushes and is able to revisit footage he though unusable or suggest alternate shots which might work from a different visual perspective.
The cast' of chimps were carefully selected during filming and it was vital that the viewer saw who was in frame however fleetingly during important moments of the story.
Often the light coming from above meant special attention was taken to create post fill light for the chimp's faces, Wallace says. We needed to see their eyes, understand their personalities and how they are communicating.
He used defocus, multiple tracked shapes for faces and relighting techniques to draw the audience's eye to the part of the frame intended by Reed.
The colorist was also contacted on several occasions by Sadd whilst on location in Uganda to discuss scenarios playing out in front of him.
Ben discussed ideas as how best to capture in current' conditions and what would suit further manipulation once in post.
Wallace says his long history of working on reality shows, drama documentary and factual entertainment like Top Gear prepared him for working with diverse camera formats and styles of shooting common to Natural History projects.
The biggest change over the last few years has been the gradual adoption of HDR mastering.
That's a move closer to opening a window and seeing the world closer to how we see it as far as light and contrast are concerned, he says. All our high-end projects are mastered, first, in HDR.
RAW footage is favorable in that regard, he says. The bigger the CCD and file format the better we can expect the translation of clean wide color and dynamic range images. However, it's not always possible in production and we know that camera teams can't always send large files from the field so, as a post house, we are realistic and aware of the differences in received rushes from the shoots.
The series was mastered in UHD HDR Dolby Vision with an ACES color pipeline working with IDT and meta adjustments to native where appropriate
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
12/05/2026
CVP, one of Europe's leading suppliers of professional video and broadcast solutions, has appointed Randy Koeman as Sales Manager, Netherlands, marking anot...
12/05/2026
Taiwan Television has expanded its HD content ingest workflow capabilities by investing in the PlayBox Neo Suite - a leading multi-channel multi-server UHD/HD/S...
12/05/2026
Jigsaw24 is strengthening its media team with the appointment of Tom Laker as Client Director and Ashish Chauhan as Project Manager. These strategic hires bring...
12/05/2026
Broadcast playout leader showcases hybrid IP infrastructure and workflow automation with Videoland deployment as regional benchmark...
12/05/2026
dzjinius, the all-in-one production management platform for the media and entertainment industry, will showcase its centralised approach to production workflows...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
NUGEN Audio will debut Version 1.1 of DialogCheck, its intelligent dialog intelligibility and compliance tool, at the 2026 Media Production & Technology Show (S...
12/05/2026
The reactive visuals can adapt to any stage or screen setup and comprise 50 layers of Notch content
Today, Disguise announced that its high performance GX 3 m...
12/05/2026
Snapgrid , Snapbag & Airglow Expand Creative Control for the ARRI Modular LED BarFollowing the launch of the ARRI Omnibar, DoPchoice introduces a dedicated li...
12/05/2026
Customer demand for data continues to grow in the first quarter of 2026 at Magya...
12/05/2026
The latest drama underscores Sky's continued investment in regional production and Welsh creative talent.Tuesday 12 May 2026
Wales takes the spotlight in S...
12/05/2026
Back to All News
Macarena Garc a and Carlos Cuevas star in El Acercamiento de l...
12/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils Documentary on Norway's 26-Year Journey to...
The traditional approach to filming chimpanzees in the rainforest is to use a relatively large camera and a very long lens, but Oscar-winning director James Reed (My Octopus Teacher) wanted to try something different.
