
Peacock's Twisted Metal Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton November 20, 2023
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that the first season of streaming service Peacock's Twisted Metal was graded by Senior Colorist Charles Bunnag at post production house Light Iron, part of the Panavision group of companies. Bunnag used DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, grading, visual effects (VFX) and audio post production software, as well as DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel, for the final color grade of the show.
Twisted Metal is a high octane action comedy based on an original take by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool, Zombieland) and written by Michael Jonathan Smith (Cobra Kai). The series is about John Doe (Anthony Mackie), a motor mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post apocalyptic wasteland. Based on the classic video game, it also stars Stephanie Beatriz, Samoa Joe, with Will Arnett and Thomas Haden Church.
Always interested in as much background as possible as he begins a new project, Bunnag wasn't familiar with the video game series, but immediately began his research. I haven't played video games since I was a kid, so I wasn't familiar with the IP, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that many of my friends, colleagues, even my sister in law, were fans of the series, said Bunnag. I learned more about the game, and as I started looking at some of the dailies, I saw that Anthony Mackie was giving a surprisingly humorous performance. At this point, I decided to just go on instinct as I began to grade. In my first session with MJ [showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith] I came to understand that the idea for the show was simply to have a good time.
MJ wanted a world full of contrast, saturation, color separation, and anything we could do to make the images more fun, while helping us focus on the characters and do some world building, continued Bunnag, who found the OFX plugins in DaVinci Resolve Studio to be instrumental in creating the look. Glow, Aperture Diffraction, Light Rays and Lens Flares all became useful when we had to find solutions for shots that didn't match because of constantly changing weather conditions in New Orleans. Frame Replacer and Optical Flow were used to get rid of light flickers, fog, haze, and even some rain. I also used Texture Pop to help make some of the nastier characters more unpleasant.
Bunnag enjoyed the challenges of the show, both in the sheer volume of shots that comprise the action storyline, but also in the ever changing conditions under which some sequences were shot. The opening of episode 110, which really begins at the end of episode 109, has a mix of shots with cloudy skies, overcast skies, flat lighting, harsh, directional lighting, skies with big fluffy clouds, and skies with no clouds at all, continued Bunnag. This confetti of weather and lighting conditions concludes with a final confrontation between Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz) and Agent Stone (Thomas Haden Church). This scene, unlike all the preceding action, is made up of mostly medium and close up shots with the two actors exchanging dialogue, all under consistent, direct sunlight.
November 21, 2023Fontys Guides Future Journalists with a Live Production Workflow from Blackmagic DesignBlackmagic Design today announced that the MindLabs research facility in the Netherlands
November 17, 2023Hit Amazon Film Totally Killer Shot Using URSA Mini Pro 12K OLPF and Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2Blackmagic Design today announced that the Amazon Prime original hit new film
Bunnag felt he could anchor the scene here, using the natural and consistent lighting to inform the earlier action, and help manage the visual nature of the changing conditions. My thought was to grade the beginning of the scene at the end of 109 to feel like early ish morning, and then use the chaos of the battle in the beginning of 110 to allow us to transition the look to late morning/bright midday during the final confrontation between Quiet and Agent Stone, he said. The slow transition helped smooth the sequence, bringing a visual focus to the final confrontation.
Though he had early conversations with cinematographer James McMillan about the look of the show, Bunnag was given free rein to do a first episode pass based on his own instincts. But despite the free rein, he also understood he needed to create a look that worked for all of the creatives. As much as I have my own sensibilities, I don't think it's my place to enforce a look or style on anyone. I think I can use my experience to help guide or suggest ideas, but that is always done in the spirit of helping our fellow creatives achieve the best version of their vision, Bunnag concluded.
Twisted Metal is now streaming on Peacock.
Enjoying the news? Sign up for the Creative COW Newsletter! Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industry news, forum highlights, jobs, inspirational tutorials, tips, burning questions, and more! Receive bulletins from the largest, longest-running community dedicated to supporting professionals working in film, video, and audio.
Enter your email address, and your first and last name below!
-- Sign up: * indicates required
Email Address *
Name
--
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...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
28/09/2026
In addition to rolling out a new mobile unit for ESPN's Monday Night Countd...
28/09/2026
Bleacher Report and WWE have announced a multi-year content partnership giving Bleacher Report global highlight rights across WWE's programming slate, inclu...
28/09/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
28/09/2026
FuboTV has announced a multi-year distribution agreement with the NHL to carry four regional sports networks covering the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jac...
28/09/2026
Program Productions (PPI) has announced the appointment of Alan Ostfield as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 28, 2026. Ostfield succee...
28/09/2026
Director Josef Kubota Wladyka attends the premiere of Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! with the film's cast and crew at Eccles Theatre on January 22, 2026, in P...
28/09/2026
EQ plug-in can now be played via MIDI
Scaler Music have recently released a new and improved version of their patented musical EQ plug-in, kitting it out wi...
28/09/2026
New synth developed in collaboration with philterSoup
Boutique effects pedal and Eurorack manufacturer Animal Factory Amps have announced that the new compa...
28/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz adds an integrated multi-channel pulse analysis option to its FS...
28/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/09/2026
Autoscript, the leading global provider of professional teleprompting solutions, today announced Voice Controller for WinPlus-IP, a new voice-controlled prompti...
28/09/2026
IBC 2026 Technical Conference Highlights
David Kirk September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy Deposit Photos
David Kirk reports from the 11-1...
28/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/09/2026
Nakadi, a global streaming technology innovator dedicated to engineering a new era of digital media delivery, today announced its Live to Theater service based ...
28/09/2026
Monday 28 September 2026
Sky launches Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps for millions of homes
Sky has launched a new Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps product, rolling out from today, gi...
28/09/2026
Arvato Systems Highlights It's Role for Automotive Manufacturers and Suppliers
TISAX
Arvato Systems has successfully completed the TISAX Level 3 assess...
28/09/2026
Crimecall, presented by Carla O'Brien, returns tonight for a brand new series at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player.
In tonight's episode, alongside appe...
28/09/2026
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS AT THE HEART OF NEW IRISH WRITING
LIVE FROM POETRY IRELAND, DUBLIN AND ON RT RADIO 1 FROM 7PM
DETAILS: www.rte.ie/writing | FOLLOW: #r...
27/09/2026
New compact pedal packs in 120 effects
The latest multi-effects pedal from Boss is a compact unit that promises to give any pedalboard a massive boost in s...
26/09/2026
With short turnaround between game selections, ESPN's operations team is pla...
26/09/2026
Prime Video will use GCV's Bird and Magic mobile units for its inaugural WNB...
26/09/2026
Studio show moves on-site as network models playoff coverage on its NBA flagship...
26/09/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
26/09/2026
Douglas Keeve attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival screening of Unzipped at the Egyptian Theatre. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock for Sundance Film...
26/09/2026
Launched alongside three new expansion packs
In celebration of their 30th anniversary, Native Instruments have released a major update for their Maschine 3 ...
26/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/09/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
25/09/2026
Infront has named Ronald den Hollander as CEO of its Host Broadcast Services (HBS) subsidiary, effective 1 October 2026. The appointment follows the previously ...
25/09/2026
The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) will hold Cyber University 2.0, a full-day cybersecurity summit for the broadcast and media industries, on Tu...
25/09/2026
Alpha Networks and Ateme have delivered a joint video platform for the digital d...
25/09/2026
Encompass Digital Media has announced the migration of multiple Viaplay free-to-air channels - TV3, TV6, TV8, and TV10 - to its Altitude Scheduling platform. Al...
25/09/2026
NAB Show New York 2026 will take place October 21-22 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Registration is open at nabshow.com/newyork.
Th...
25/09/2026
NHL Network has announced its studio programming lineup for the 2026-27 regular ...
25/09/2026
Clear-Com has announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom system as part of a sanctuary technolo...
25/09/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has deployed EVS XT-VIA live video production s...
25/09/2026
BBright, a Hexaglobe Group company, has announced that dotCentral has joined as a sales and support partner in the United States.
BBright's portfolio cover...
25/09/2026
MeyerPro delivered audio, video, broadcast, and LED production for the Acumatica Summit 2026 at the Seattle Convention Center's Summit Building, January 25-...