Colour special: Celebrating the craft of colourists
Posted on Jul 28, 2025 by Admin
As the FilmLight Colour Awards return, we speak to this year’s judging panel to find out what makes the initiative so important – and what they’ll be looking for in entries
Top image Maciek Zielinski Fotografia
Now in its fifth year, the FilmLight Colour Awards – presented annually at EnergaCAMERIMAGE – recognise the work of colourists across the filmmaking landscape. With six categories, spanning theatrical features, TV series/episodic, commercials, music videos, spotlight on lower-budget features and emerging talent, the awards aim to elevate a craft that can be overlooked and underappreciated, highlighting the creative and technical value colourists bring to the film industry.
For Raúl Lavado Verdú, a previous award winner and member of this year’s judging panel, the awards provide essential recognition: “The work of colourists has been in the background for a long time, and these awards help us show how much we contribute to films, series and commercials,” he explains. “Colour is such a powerful storytelling tool. Recognising it not only honours our profession, but also helps educate people about the importance of what we do.”
“It means a lot to be recognised by your peers” adds Greg Fisher, another member of this year’s jury. “It’s such a specific job, even within the industry, that most people don’t really understand what we do. Your peers do.” His perspective raises a common challenge for colourists; their work is critical to the final result, yet too often is invisible.
The awards are assessed by practitioners who understand exactly what goes on in the grading suite, and Fisher is clear about what catches his eye: “Sensitivity to the piece; a look born of it. It has to match, or not match, for a reason. I don’t care if you needed one layer or node, or 100, it’s the result that’s important. We all work within a context (time and budget), so that will also be one of the considerations.”
Douglas Dutton, last year’s winner in the emerging talent category, is also drawn to grading that feels truly integrated: “I’ll be looking for work where the grade feels essential; where the colour doesn’t just look good but feels right for the story. I’m interested in entries where the grading elevates the emotion and the project,” he sums up.
Meanwhile, for Lavado Verdú, it’s all about emotional resonance. “What I really look for is work that has soul… beyond technical perfection, I’m looking for entries that move me – that use colour as a tool to further the narrative, and not just as a finishing touch.”
Manuel Portschy, who picked up multiple nominations last year and took home the trophy in the TV series/episodic category, takes a holistic view of the process: “I’m very much into the intent, instinct and feel behind a project – how much the story or characters were able to directly influence the look… even how the colourist felt while grading and how that might have influenced the moods they came up with.” He also values gaining insight into how the colourist worked with other departments. “Probably most important is how they communicated, discussed and implemented these ideas with their teams,” he elaborates.
Opening the competition to every grading platform keeps the awards as accessible as possible, and for colourist and three-time commercial winner Tim Masick, the initiative is a unique opportunity to celebrate the art of the grade in all formats. “The FilmLight Colour Awards are a fantastic spotlight on the work of colourists from all around the world. Colour surrounds us, and it affects how we process and react to storytelling. Featuring colour work is important to not only recognise, but to continue to evolve how storytelling is presented,” he says.
Winning – or even being shortlisted – can be transformative for a career. “It was incredibly meaningful. Personally, it felt like validation of years spent refining a craft that often lives in the shadows,” says Dutton. “Professionally, it opened doors to connect with inspiring creatives and pushed me to elevate my standards.”
Lavado Verdú experienced something similar: “It also helped me link up with other colourists I truly admire and gave me confidence to keep focusing on projects that genuinely move me, instead of just following the technical path.”
For Portschy, winning provided a helpful confidence boost. “For my personal life, the nominees or winners’ statues very much shine a bright light into the dark suite!” he shares. “In modern-day life, many of us are second guessing on a regular basis or aren’t sure if the path we’re taking is the right way to do it. In moments like these, having a glance at those statues can be reassuring, for chances are that we’re not too far off the right track with whatever we’re doing.”
Every juror we spoke to urged colourists considering entering to just go for it, and not to second guess themselves. “If you’ve worked on any kind of project you’re proud of, enter it!” says Fisher. “There are plenty of categories. At worst, your work will simply be seen by many of your industry peers who otherwise might not have seen it.”
Masick echoes that sentiment: “If you feel confident in work you’ve done, don’t hesitate to enter. As an artist, it’s important to show your work for critical evaluation. Just the process of entering draws you to a different way of considering your craft, as well as others’, and helps you develop your own style.”
Dutton’s guidance is to trust your instincts: “Go with a piece during which you felt something while grading. Choose the project when you knew your work made a difference. Where your instincts, and not just your tools, shaped the image. Trust your gut.”
Beyond the trophies themselves, the awards help to foster a global network that comes together each year at EnergaCAMERIMAGE. Portschy says he relishes the chance to swap ideas in person. “Seeing and cheering for the work of my colleagues is incredible, and hearing from them in person, about how they came up with certain ideas and approaches, is an amazing opportunity to learn and find inspiration, but also strengthen a spirit of togetherness.”
Portschy urges colourists to attend the festival even if they aren’t nominated: “Please submit your work and don’t overthink it… and last but not least, it doesn’t matter whether you’re nominated or not, please come to CAMERIMAGE! It’s a wonderfully inspiring festival for meeting industry peers, talking colour and enjoying a few days outside the dark.”
If you’re feeling inspired, get your submission in before 31 July and then keep your fingers crossed for the shortlist announcement in mid-October. Whether your latest grade is a blockbuster feature or a small budget piece with big impact, the message from past winners is clear: share it! As Lavado Verdú says, “There’s room for all kinds of approaches… submit a project where you really felt you made a creative contribution through colour.”
Find out more about colour control in our deep dive into moving a picture from lens to TV.
This article appears in the July/August 2025 issue of Definition
