gary coates
motion picture color grader
for film, video, and digital intermediates
Telephone | 415.673.1617
EMAIL | Garycoates@aol.com
BIOGRAPHICAL
The craft of color grading motion pictures began in the photo-chemical era of the film laboratory. In the United States the practice was called timing and elsewhere grading. That's where I got my start, too, as a timer at W.A.Palmer Films, San Francisco's premier film laboratory, in 1975.
Color grading advanced into the electronic era with the development of telecines and computerized color correction.
I jumped to the telecine trade in 1984, first at Diner+Allied and then over to Western Images in 1991 where I worked on television commercials, Lucasfilm's ABC television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and other broadcast long-form titles.
I have worked as a free lance telecine colorist since 2001 as the national trainer for SONY's VIALTA high definition telecine program and at San Francisco telecine houses including Varitel Modern VideoFilm, American Zoetrope, Retina, and now with Spy Post.
The digital era of color grading has ushered in the enormous creative potential of the digital intermediate.
I participated on PIXAR's digital intermediate color grading team on Brad Bird's The Incredibles using the discreet lustre station in 2004. That year I also worked on the restoration via HD Digital intermediate of the 1974 film The Grateful Dead in collaboration with David O.Weissman of Video Arts.
In 2005, I helped Monaco Digital Film Laboratories inaugurate their digital intermediate department using Assimilate's SCRATCH station to color grade Finn Taylor's feature film The Darwin Awards.
Since 2005, I have explored the use of Spy Post's Spirit HD telecine and DaVinci 2K Plus color enhancement station on HD digital intermediates for Tim Boxell's Valley of the Heart's Delight, Robert Zagone's Read You Like a Book, Cam Archer's Sundance Film Festival 2006 entry Wild Tigers I Have Known and Girls Rock, a wonderful new documentary feature directed by Arne Johnson and Shane King.
I am now available as an independent contractor for hire on location or in my home office on Final Cut Pro/Color.
See my complete resume.