Digital Colour w/ Dirk Meier, Colourist of 'Secret Agent'

If any modern colourist has seen it all, it’s Dirk Meier. From the long-take trenches of the early digital masterpiece Russian Ark and the boundary-pushing slow-motion of Antichrist, to emulating distinct formats in Happy as Lazzaro and Romeria, Meier has witnessed many of the key inflection points in digital cinema. Now, he joins Film Formally to share his war stories, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and his philosophy for look-development and aesthetic frameworks in the digital era.

We discuss how to conceive and define visual language through an analytical lens, breaking down images into variables of color, texture, and motion. We also dive into insights from Meier’s collaborations with directors like Roy Andersson and Lars von Trier and cinematographers like Hélène Louvart, explore the nuances of celluloid and MiniDV emulation, and the ways in which digital workflows allow for nonlinear image design.

Edited by Griffin Sheel

Works Cited:

Dirk Meier's website:
https://digital-film-services.com/
Devan's LetterBoxd list on Digital Cinema: https://letterboxd.com/devanagscott/list/digital-cinema/
Steve Yedlin's Display Prep Demo:
https://www.yedlin.net/DisplayPrepDemo/
'The Fog of Log':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IugTH2VwDk
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Digital Colour:
https://hg2dc.com/

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

03:14 - Russian Ark and Dirk's Early Projects

12:45 - The Evolution from Film to Digital Workflows

21:03 - Antichrist and late-'00s digital workflows.

36:26 - Defining "Look Development", and working with Roy Andersson

49:13 - Working with Hélène Louvart on Happy as Lazarro and Romeria and emulating MiniDV

01:01:43 - Working on THE PIMP, HDR grading, and using color references.

01:05:44 - Image Attributes, Steve Yedlin's Display Prep Demo, and Demystifying Digital Imagery

01:21:12 - Colour Grading Secret Agent