Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Meet the colourist and online editor

03/10/2023

By Jenny Priestley

Published: October 3, 2023 Updated: October 4, 2023

Laura Hewett, colourist and on-line editor, Bumblebee part of Zinc Media Group, tells TVBEurope how curiosity about film and television led to a career in post production. Talk us through an average day in your role An average day for me can vary quite dramatically depending on the requirements of the project I am [ ]

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

Laura Hewett, colourist and on-line editor, Bumblebee part of Zinc Media Group, tells TVBEurope how curiosity about film and television led to a career in post production.

Talk us through an average day in your role An average day for me can vary quite dramatically depending on the requirements of the project I am working on. Every project has different budgets, different content, different talent involved and therefore a varied task load. I work within the time given and the tasks applicable for each project.

As someone who often works to tight deadlines mainly on broadcast long-form content in the factual and entertainment genre, I tend to have to be meticulous in prioritising and time to task allocation. Working with Bumblebee Post has been excellent for this as I am given a lot more freedom on how I allocate time to a programme. For instance a typical day one on a new programme would be a grade day for me and I would start by preparing my session to streamline my workflow, then aim to complete the colour grade to be rendered ready for the next morning's on-line. This means I am able to get the work done, watch through and tech checks done before the client review on day two or three depending on the scheduled time. If a project needs more time spent on the on-line (perhaps it is blur-heavy), I am able to manage this within the time as I see fit and perhaps the grade might be slightly less involved to accommodate this, or if the on-line looks not to be too taxing, then I am able to spend longer on the grade.

It is a lot of mentally taxing work, that is made speedier only by experience and knowledge of the various products I use to complete the work. I prefer to use FilmLight's Baselight products for grading, the team at FilmLight are incredible minds who develop industry-leading products that I have consistently been impressed with throughout my career. I use Avid for the main on-line, so having BaseLight products directly available within Avid is very useful. For most offline edits, Avid is the go to product, so being able to keep everything contained helps the workflow for the types of projects I work on. For any more in depth graphic needs I will use Adobe products alongside too, so a typical day for me is quite diverse.

How did you get started in the media industry? I started out by writing my dissertation at University on post production techniques. It was a broad topic and allowed me to really look in depth at what post production means and the many stages involved. I took an interest and focus on colour grading and editing. When showcasing my work to industry professionals, I won second prize in my category and was invited to do work experience at ENVY Post Production. This is where I began my career and subsequently moved through the ranks, training with some of the broadcast industry's best creative and technical people.

What training did you have before entering the industry? I studied a Bachelor of Science degree in Film Production Technology, which was fitting for where I envisioned myself going career-wise. It was a very technical course that had been designed specifically to train students for easy transfer into the industry, especially into post production. Staffordshire University at the time worked closely with industry names to tailor the degree for this purpose.

Why do you enjoy working in the industry? I have always enjoyed film and television as a consumer, I had always been very curious about the process. The industry is so saturated with talented people, technical and creative alike. It's always very interesting to meet and work with people who love to tell stories and love to work hard bringing their ideas to life; or creating new and exciting technologies to enhance consumer experience. It is a good feeling to know that we are bringing joy to people in the work that we do.

What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a role similar to yours? I would say that in this role, there really isn't a shortcut, because your work is reflected directly on the screen, which can sometimes be a little daunting! Some people take to it much more easily than others, just like anything in life. So do the research and get the experience where you can. Never be afraid to ask questions, it's a much more direct line to success than trial and error.
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/people/meet-the-colourist-and-onlin...
See more stories from tvb

Europe Stories

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

15/04/2026

Spotify Podcast Awards Return to Celebrate Latin America's Most Influential Voices

From immersive storytelling to laugh-out-loud comedies, podcasts are booming in ...

15/04/2026

Spotify Expands Audiobook Features, and Printed Book Sales Go Live in the US and UK

Books have always moved with us, whether tucked in our bags or humming in our he...

15/04/2026

Spotify and NIVA Partner to Support Independent Venues Across the US

For many artists, independent venues are where music careers begin and fan communities take shape. Independent venue operators work hard every day to keep local...

15/04/2026

Spotify Editors Reveal Their Picks for Best Book of the Century (So Far)

From gripping thrillers to poignant memoirs, the 21st century has had no shortage of unforgettable books. To celebrate the standout storytelling of our modern e...

15/04/2026

SonicWorld introduce Telsie T

Vintage broadcast experts release second plug-in Telsie T is the second plug-in to be released by SonicWorld, a German audio company who specialise in servi...

15/04/2026

UAD Explore Free from Universal Audio

Includes eight free UAD plug-ins Universal Audio's latest bundle brings together a selection of their renowned plug-ins and virtual instruments, and is ...

15/04/2026

Maximum uptime for broadcasters: Rohde & Schwarz launches R&SBroadcastShield at NAB 2026

Maximum uptime for broadcasters: Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S BroadcastShield at...

15/04/2026

aconnic launches ACCEED 4430 10 Gigabit system for high volume enterprise and business service aggregation

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, announces the market launch of the ACCE...

15/04/2026

Introducing Smart Home from Sky, a simple way to stay connected to home, for less

Wednesday 15 April 2026 Introducing Smart Home from Sky, a simple way to stay c...

15/04/2026

The Burbs confirmed to return to Sky and NOW for a second season

Wednesday 15 April 2026 The Burbs confirmed to return to Sky and NOW for a second season Mystery-comedy series, The Burbs, will continue its exclusive resid...

15/04/2026

Moving Next Generation Audio Production Workflows into the Cloud

With new broadcast standards evolving all over the world and OTT streaming striving for the pole position in media consumption, both next-gen video and audio co...

15/04/2026

CentralCast Delivers Breakthrough Efficiencies to Public Broadcasting Stations with Harmonic

Harmonic's XOS Media Processor Delivers Exceptional Video Quality to More th...

15/04/2026

Five Decades of Box Office Intelligence: Comscore Celebrates 50 Years of Movie Measurement

Five Decades of Box Office Intelligence: Comscore Celebrates 50 Years of Movie M...

15/04/2026

RT announces new crime drama The Yank starring Kate Mulgrew and Colm Meaney

Two Cities Television and Keeper Pictures to produce six-part series in association with Screen Ireland for RT and ITV Studios RT has commissioned Two Citie...

15/04/2026

RT unveils The Signal' a specially commissioned 60-second film to celebrate RT100

RT 100 RT unveils The Signal' a specially commissioned 60-second film ...

14/04/2026

ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 Playout and Live News Workflows

ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...

14/04/2026

AIR Music Tech release Fabric Vintage Synths Vol.1

Captures a trio of renowned polysynths The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...

14/04/2026

United Plugins introduce UnitedFreeBundle

Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...

14/04/2026

Celemony update Tonalic

Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...

14/04/2026

X-Rite Pantone Color Academy Grand Opening in Shanghai

X-Rite Pantone Color Academy Grand Opening in Shanghai On March 27, 2026, X-Rite Pantone, the global authority in color standards and color science, held the...

14/04/2026

VEON and JazzWorld Receive Competition Commission of Pakistan Approval for Acquisition of TPL Insurance

14 Apr 2026 VEON and JazzWorld Receive Competition Commission of Pakistan Appro...

14/04/2026

Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood to host next two episodes of Saturday Night Live UK

Tuesday 14 April 2026 Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood to host next two episo...

14/04/2026

p Drs leads Sky and AMC+ Original Gangs of London Series 4 as new players enter the fight for control of Londons underworld

Lead writer and executive producer Jack Lothian joins alongside lead director Je...

14/04/2026

Thomas Riedel Acquires Premium Manufacturer ARRI

Wuppertal April 14, 2026 Thomas Riedel Acquires Premium Manufacturer ARRIStrategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth Thomas Riedel, f...

14/04/2026

Harmonic Introduces Breakthrough AI Orchestration Service for Live Video Workflows

New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliabili...

14/04/2026

SES, Japan Airlines to Expand Multi-Orbit Inflight Connectivity to Long-Haul Fleet

Luxembourg, April 14, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, today annou...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Composition Builder 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Composition Builder 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Composition Builder 2026 application for macOS enables TV stations and Live Event broadcast...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr just:live pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr just:live pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:live pro 2026 is a Multi-Channel Live Production Playout solution for video and static or real-ti...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr just:play pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr just:play pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:play pro 2026 is a Multi-Channel automated 24/7 Master Control playout solution with SD, HD and U...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr live:cut 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr live:cut 2026 Boilerplate More Details: live:cut is an option to just:in mac pro 2025 and enables multicamera production workflows for up to 16 cam...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite NDI 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite NDI 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Just In Mac Lite NDI application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specific...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Just In Mac Lite application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specifically for...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir just:in mac pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir just:in mac pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:in mac pro is a macOS-based client-server multichannel capture solution to record SDI, HDMI, N...

13/04/2026

Musik Hack update SweetEQ

Intuitive EQ plug-in gets an upgrade Following its official launch back in February 2026, Musik Hack's intuitive EQ plug-in has been treated to its firs...

13/04/2026

Vintage Vault 5 from UVI

Flagship soft synth collection expanded The latest version of UVI's flagship vintage-inspired soft synth collection has just arrived, expanding the suit...

13/04/2026

Sonuscore launch Lux Orchestral Strings Elements

Free version of innovative string library arrives Released in October 2025, Lux Orchestral Strings was said to be Sonuscore's most ambitious library to ...

13/04/2026

Girls' Research Camp at SGL Carbon in Meitingen inspires young women to pursue STEM careers

The Girls' Research Camp is part of the Technology - Future in Bavaria edu...

13/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz transforms submarine communications for realtime underwater dominance at UDT 2026

Rohde & Schwarz transforms submarine communications for real time underwater dom...

13/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz enables Pulsar signal simulation to support next-generation navigation devices

Rohde & Schwarz enables Pulsar signal simulation to support next-generation navi...

13/04/2026

Paddy Treacy is the first act revealed to compete on The Late Late Show Opening Act

The search for Ireland's newest country music star is live on Friday 17 Apri...

13/04/2026

Global environmental action NGO WRAP brings recycling to life with Rescue Me TV campaign, backed by Sky Media

Monday 13 April 2026 Global environmental action NGO WRAP brings recycling to l...

13/04/2026

Jnger Audio Joins EBU ADM Integration Group as Founding Member to Help Advance ADM/S-ADM Integration

J nger Audio has joined the EBU ADM Implementers Group (ADM-IG) as a founding me...

13/04/2026

FOX Latin America Announces The Launch Of The FOX Channel In Central America And Strengthens Its Position In The Region

FOX Latin America Announces The Launch Of The FOX Channel In Central America And...