
Creating not just a whole new fantasy adventure world but one fantasy adventure world per episode was the herculean task set by Taika Waititi, Iain Morris and Jemaine Clement for AppleTV+ series Time Bandits and not least for colorist Damian McDonnell who graded all ten episodes.
His standout work on the pilot won the HPA award for Outstanding Color Grading [Live Action Episode or Non Theatrical Feature] at the 2024 HPA Awards in November. It was incredibly creative in many ways and I was given a lot of latitude to put my stamp on it, McDonnell says. What is notable about this show is that it is very look orientated. Every time the characters jump through a time portal the new story world had to look distinct from the previous scene and we kept that up for ten episodes. The grade was pretty much active the whole time to maintain consistency through the whole series.
A reimagining of the 1981 classic by Terry Gilliam, Time Bandits tells the tale of an eleven-year-old history nerd who falls in with a ragtag bunch of time-travelling thieves as they plunder treasure from various episodes in history. The incredible world-building involves episodes set among the Mayans, the Neanderthals, mediaeval villages and Prohibition era America, which required around two million frames to be pulled for VFX plates.
We set the main character's hometown to be dull and all the other locations to be strong looks. It really was a creative endeavor. I feel like I had a lot of creative input in the show which is such a treat.
Adding to the technical challenge were the inevitable logistical speed bumps: multiple clients, different time zones, multiple shoot locations, a changing team of crew members and the need to work at a distance. While the main shoot was at studios and locations in and around Wellington, NZ, the show's postproduction services team, The Rebel Fleet (TRF) is based 600km away in Auckland. The production team included LA-based DoP Mike Berlucchi, co-producer Jake Rice and VFX supervisor Tobias Wolters, while the writing and directing team of Waititi, Morris and Clement are about as internationally mobile as you can get.
There were a lot of moving parts, says the New Zealand native who has a Resolve suite at his home in Wellington in addition to the facility in Auckland. My main point of contact was Mike but there were two other cinematographers and different producers were involved. It was VFX-heavy. There was a lot of remote grading but it all worked exceptionally well.
TRF provided on-set DIT, Video Assist and Dailies services across main and second units. This helped with collaboration on the shoots and keeping consistency on track. TRF incorporated an ACES 1.3 color pipeline that went right through to picture finishing. This meant everyone from dailies to VFX, grading, delivery and mastering whatever their location could be confident that what they were seeing was completely accurate and consistent.
Working on Time Bandits was a real privilege for us at The Rebel Fleet. It was a creatively ambitious show, and we loved being part of a team that brought such a bold vision to life. Our goal was to provide an end-to-end workflow that gave the creative team confidence-no matter where they were in the world-that what they were seeing was accurate, consistent, and creatively flexible. From on-set support through to dailies, onto VFX pulls and into Post, we focused on building a system that supported collaboration and helped maintain a clear visual through-line across every episode.
- Mike Urban, CEO, The Rebel Fleet
It was my first time working with ACES color management but it actually simplified the process quite a lot, particularly when handling so many VFX, because the output transforms were all standardized. The best thing is when you can really trust the workflow. I could just concentrate on the grade.
He continues, I've done Dailies grading before but for me it's mostly just a reference. People employ me for my creative input, to apply a fresh look. One reason being that once it comes from the edit, things are in a different order than what they were shot and originally viewed. But it has to be collaborative. Fundamentally, these aren't my images, these are someone else's. I'm only helping to get the best look.
Here the relationship between colorist and cinematographer is crucial. Mike and I developed a shorthand pretty quickly. One thing I really appreciated was his minimalistic approach. He wouldn't over light a scene and he'd always be open to creative discussion. He would embrace ideas and give me some ideas in return.
I'm a big believer in pushing things beyond what you feel comfortable with and then pulling it back, because if you don't go beyond that point, you don't know that you've reached it. Mike was open to this approach and that's how we developed the looks of the show together.
TRF also organized deliverables including HDR and SDR finishes. That's a lot of work to do on the back end. As a colorist, I always appreciate all the people who can take off the technical delivery. Pete Harrow [The Rebel Fleet CTO] was great with doing all the colour science. Apple was really happy too, which was great.
McDonnell graded all ten hours of the show. It's not really about control. It's just that with a show this complicated, it was easier for me to simply do everything. I had to keep all the information in my head because it was always changing.
He started out his career twenty years ago as assistant colorist on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King and assistant editor on King Kong, moving to LA in 2008 as a colorist at Laser Pacific then Technicolor on features such as Life of Pi, Iron Man 3 and Captain America: A Winters Soldier.
On his r
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
15/09/2026
At IBC2026, Pixitmedia by DataCore will showcase its latest capabilities designe...
15/09/2026
Quantum Corp. today announced the release of Quantum Autonomous Data Management ...
15/09/2026
Former Wyndham Hotels & Resorts technology executive will focus on fan engagemen...
15/09/2026
Creator Sports Network (CSN) and FAN.live have announced a partnership giving CSN's network of more than 2,000 vetted creators access to live 3D NFL broadca...
15/09/2026
SVG and SVG Europewere all over the IBC 2026 show floor out in Amsterdam, bringi...
15/09/2026
Rise WIB has announced the shortlist for the Rise Awards 2026, returning to Troxy in London on Tuesday, November 17. The awards recognize outstanding women, adv...
15/09/2026
Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) has announced its media distribution lineup for the 2026-27 season, beginning September 11. Every match will stream live on the...
15/09/2026
Willow Sports has announced it will serve as the exclusive U.S. and Canadian hom...
15/09/2026
Gravity Media has announced it will provide outside broadcast production and technical services for the MXGP of Australia, the finale of the 2026 FIM World Moto...
15/09/2026
Co-founders Scott Coker and Peter Y. Levin have unveiled Ki MMA, a new global mixed martial arts promotion launching in the first quarter of 2027. The announcem...
15/09/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new G Master super-telephoto prime lenses for...
15/09/2026
GlobeCast provides facility for AI-power automated production core...
15/09/2026
Gravity Media, a leading global provider of production and content, and media services and facilities, is empowering Tourism and Events Northern Territory (NT) ...
15/09/2026
New Thunderbolt audio interfaces aimed at pro studios
Audient's latest announcement sees the company introduce three new high-end audio interfaces desig...
15/09/2026
Completes core wireless system line-up
The latest addition to Sennheiser's Spectera range is now shipping, completing the core elements of the company...
15/09/2026
High-frequency dynamics plug-in upgraded
Schwabe Digital have just released a major free update for their acclaimed high-frequency dynamics processing plug-...
15/09/2026
DAW update launched alongside all-in-one subscription bundle
The latest version of Universal Audio's DAW software has just arrived, and has been release...
15/09/2026
Three popular hardware units go virtual
Rupert Neve Designs are entering the software market in style, with not one, but three of their sought-after hardwar...
15/09/2026
When longstanding OB specialist Cloudbass made the decision to expand its fleet to accommodate remote production facilities for a leading UK sports broadcaster&...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Six Berklee Alumni Win at 2026 Emmy Awards The recipients were recognized for their contributions to Widow's Bay, Beef, South Park, and Bad Bunny's Su...
15/09/2026
OWC Announces Acquisition of OpenDrives, Expanding Software-Defined Video and Ri...
15/09/2026
Podcast The Vertical Buzz Shot with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
Brie Clayton September 14, 2026
0 Comments
Production team builds premium p...
15/09/2026
Grass Valley Launches AVORA at IBC2026
Brie Clayton September 14, 2026
0 Comments
New standalone solution gives production teams everything they need ...
15/09/2026
Brandon Woody Joins Berklee Student Ensemble for Signature Series Concert The acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and bandleader will lead a Berklee student ensemb...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/09/2026
Applications open for Future Leaders Delegation to BitSummit 2027 15 September 2026
Applications are open for Screen Australia's annual Future Leaders Dele...
15/09/2026
Red Seat Ventures' Supercast Launches Live Streaming, Bringing Real-Time Vid...
15/09/2026
Arqiva recognised with Armed Forces Covenant Silver AwardPresented to organisations that demonstrate outstanding support for the Armed Forces community
--
Sh...
14/09/2026
Lil Baby's Dead Fresh kicks off ESPN's Week 1 Monday Night Football, ...
14/09/2026
With Super Bowl LXI waiting in Los Angeles, ESPN will use the regular season to ...
14/09/2026
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. ...
14/09/2026
Three new models introduced
Sony have just announced the launch of three new pairs of headphones that span their premium, mid-range and entry-level line-ups...
14/09/2026
New flagship Thunderbolt units aimed at pro studios
Audient's latest announcement sees the company introduce three new high-end audio interfaces designe...
14/09/2026
Cobalt Digital IBC Stand 8.F90 // Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Highlights...
14/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/09/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, has announced that Australia's largest media company, Nine Entertainment (Nine), has deployed Bit...
14/09/2026
Creativepool Annual 2026 Winners Announced
Brie Clayton September 13, 2026
0 Comments
The creative industry's Most' awards celebrates another...
14/09/2026
At IBC2026, Ren M rch explains how the N-Series combines DPA's renowned microphone technology with a high-performance wireless platform, offering a wide tu...