The Brutalist Stands Tall Among Award Contenders

The Brutalist Stands Tall Among Award Contenders

Brie Clayton March 4, 2025

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DaVinci Resolve Studio used for dailies color, grading, online and finishing.

Few films in recent memory have captured the imagination quite like Brady Corbet's The Brutalist. With ten Academy Award nominations and multiple BAFTA nods, including Best Cinematography and Best Production Design, the film stands as a testament to collaborative filmmaking, defined by the partnership between director Corbet, cinematographer Lol Crawley, and colorist M t Ternyik.

DaVinci Resolve Studio was central to the film's picture pipeline, from dailies color through to the final DI grade. Ternyik's involvement began with dailies color, but it quickly became apparent to both Corbet and Crawley that his understanding of their vision extended beyond technical execution.

I was initially just there for dailies, Ternyik recalled. But from the first camera tests, we realized we spoke the same visual language. Brady and Lol already had a world in mind, and I was helping to shape it from the ground up.

That early collaboration proved pivotal. Ternyik graded rushes daily, helping refine the film's aesthetic while shooting was still underway. Lol and Brady often came by after wrapping to review footage. It wasn't just about checking exposure; it was about building atmosphere, finding the right balance between texture and clarity, he noted.

Shooting on VistaVision, a format synonymous with mid century epics, gave the film its signature grandeur but introduced challenges. Flicker from the cameras required correction. We had to decide, frame by frame, when to fix it and when to embrace it, Ternyik explained. Sometimes, we even added flicker back into the 35mm shots to maintain visual consistency.

The texture was central to the film's aesthetic, with prominent grain lending a tactile quality. Brady wanted the film to feel like an artifact, something discovered rather than created. We leaned into that by embracing imperfections. Soft highlights, rich blacks, and a beat up' texture all added authenticity, he noted.

One defining moment came during the twilight dinner party scene led by Guy Pearce's character. Inspired by an earlier shot of lanterns glowing in the park, Ternyik experimented with channel mixing to redistribute blue values, recovering richer shadow detail. Brady and Lol saw it the next day and immediately knew it was right. That back and forth became our rhythm. I'd explore solo, they'd review, and together we'd refine, he said.

DaVinci Resolve's denoising tools were invaluable, Ternyik explained. I used them in several ways, sometimes globally, other times on individual channels, to reduce grain without compromising detail. The channel mixer was another go to, especially for cleaning up colors in the shadows while keeping the image rich and natural.

Beyond the creative tools, stability was one of DaVinci Resolve Studio's greatest strengths. Both Lol and Brady mentioned how, compared to previous projects finished on other platforms, Resolve stood out for its reliability. There were almost no interruptions, which meant we could stay focused on the creative process without technical setbacks, Ternyik noted.

Ternyik's involvement extended beyond the grading suite. Visiting sets and studying locations firsthand gave him insight into how the light, texture, and architecture interacted onscreen. It's rare for a colorist to be that embedded during production, but it changed everything, he said. By the time we reached the final grade, we weren't problem solving, we were polishing something that already felt whole.

For Ternyik, the experience was about discovering what's possible when roles overlap. We didn't just lock in a look, he reflected. We built one, layer by layer, moment by moment. And that's the part that remains with you long after the credits roll.

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