Company 3 Senior Colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld recently spoke with Blackmagic Design about refining the look of Guillermo del Toro’s latest Oscar-nominated film, Frankenstein, using DaVinci Resolve Studio. Sonnenfeld worked closely with del Toro and Cinematographer Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF, noting, “Dan is very much keyed into Guillermo’s aesthetic and exactly how to use lighting and framing to realize that vision.” Preserving continuity with what was captured in camera was essential throughout the film’s intricate Victorian-Gothic visual landscape.

DaVinci Resolve Studio enabled Sonnenfeld to closely analyze shot-to-shot and day-to-day variations using split-screen comparisons and stills. Much of the work involved “smoothing out the subtle differences that happen when shots for a single scene are shot days or weeks apart.”

Laustsen’s cinematography, established on set, was carefully honored in the final grade, balancing warm and cool palettes while maintaining the integrity of the lighting, costumes, and production design. As Sonnenfeld explained, there is a time and place when grading requires “elaborate techniques to completely alter what was captured in camera, but in a film like [Frankenstein], the final look should retain an untouched, organic quality.”

Read Blackmagic Design’s latest feature: Frankenstein Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio

Frankenstein is exclusively streaming on Netflix.