gary coates .:. color grader
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 at San Francisco telecine houses including Varitel Modern VideoFilm, American Zoetrope, Retina, and 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.
Please visit my Recent Work page for a list of projects color finished.
I am now available as an independent contractor for hire on location or in studio at Colorflow Post, Zaentz Media Center, Berkeley, CA on Final Cut Pro/Color. I also color finish on AVID Adrenalin and Symphony Nitris and DaVinci 2K Plus.
See my complete resume.