“I like the new evolving relationship between DP and colorist. It’s such a collaboration—ya got to take care of each other. There are so many options now for them that you got to have a good relationship. Steve’s awesome. The guys an amazing colorist. You both have to support your best skills.”
Zach Zamboni on working with colorist Steve Beganyi on Parts Unknown
While today Parts Unknown is shot on a Sony F5, and used a Sony F3 before that, they have been known to mix things up for various reasons. Like in the episode shot in Libya where they included footage shot on camera phones.
“The phone footage gave the whole show a desaturated look and those sections were overstylized, which we pulled through the whole show. The people that he talked to just made that show so memorable. He’s basically hanging out with rebels who overthrew the government!”
Steve Beganyi
Studio Daily interview with Beth Marchant
December 2, 2013
As of that 2013 Parts Unknown was edited on AVID, but colorist Steve Beganyi did his work on Blackmagic Designs DaVinci Resolve. Here’s how Beganyi spoke about Blackmagic in that StudioDaily interview, “It’s really amazing to be able to track through the scenes, especially when you’re trying to pull out the flattened details in the S-log footage and just protect the skin tones or just project the sky. The qualifiers and tracking tools together are so helpful. When you’re trying to break down an image, the more subtle control you have over it, the more unique look you can give to it.”
And this is a good time as any to say that Parts Unknown doesn’t always go overseas to find it’s exotic locations.
“For me, personally grading the Detroit episode was the most meaningful. I’m from Cleveland, and this was a very powerful show about the Midwest’s most infamous city trying to pretty much come back from nothing. It was really uplifting.”
Steve Beganyi
Studio Daily interview with Beth Marchant
December 2, 2013
P.S. I was in at the Blackmagic booth yesterday at Infocomm in Orlando and look forward to working more with their tools this year.
Scott W. Smith is the author of Screenwriting with Brass Knuckles