Image Credit: Chris Milbourne / Heart Shaped Films

When people think about the beautiful visuals in movies, wedding films, and other videos, they often assume it's all down to the camera, lighting, and lenses—a bit of "movie magic." While these elements are certainly crucial, the final, polished look you see on screen isn't actually achieved until much later in the filmmaking process: during color grading.

From Flat to Fantastic: The Power of Post-Production

Take the image of a bright Scottish summer day. What you see is a vibrant, captivating scene. But the original footage likely started out looking much flatter and, as you put it, "muddy." This is precisely where color grading comes in.

At Heart Shaped Films, we pride ourselves on a meticulous, step-by-step color grading process. We never rely on off-the-shelf, pre-made looks. This ensures that every wedding film or project we create in-house has a truly unique and distinctive aesthetic. It's also one of the key reasons we carefully select the cameras we use; they provide us with the flexibility needed to truly shape the image, not just when we shoot, but crucially when we return to the editing suite. This flexibility allows us to fine-tune everything from saturation and contrast to intricate adjustments of specific color values, like blues and reds, helping your film stand out and tell its story in a visually compelling way.

The process of color grading can be challenging, but it's a part of filmmaking we genuinely love. While we may not claim to be "true masters," we take a simple yet effective approach: often, less is more, and even small adjustments can make a significant impact.

We use DaVinci Resolve, an industry-standard platform renowned for its robust and cutting-edge features in film editing and video capture. Once the footage is in the editing bay, we select one or two key frames from the shoot and grade them. These graded clips then serve as a base, giving us a clear vision for the final film's overall look. We then return to the comprehensive grading process once the film is otherwise finished.

Image Credit: Barry Makariou. / DMR - Graded by Chris Milbourne

We don't get bogged down in strictly "technically correct" ways of grading. Instead, we lean into what feels and looks right, pushing and prodding in different directions until we discover a look that perfectly suits the project we're working on.

If you'd like to delve deeper into our processes or discuss how we can bring a unique visual style to your own wedding or project, please don't hesitate to get in touch via email at chris@heartshapedfilms.com. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

The Magic of Colour Grading: More Than Just "Movie Magic"

HEART SHAPED FILMS.