Meet Ollie, Colourist.
This month we’re talking with one of our most popular colourists, Ollie, who shares his story from starting out in audio before finding his true home in the wonderful world of colour.
How did you enter the world of post-production?
Whilst at University I spent a couple of weeks doing work placement as a runner in a few different Post Houses. It opened my eyes to the well hidden world of Post Production and I absolutely loved it. There was such a buzz around London and the work was so exciting that I knew straight away I had to be part of it. There’s a great mix between creativity and science that suited me really well.
Did you s
tudy a course that enabled you to get into your field?
I studied Music Technology at Leeds Metropolitan University. My original goal was to get a job as an audio mixer however after working as a runner I was spending more time learning with the video assistants in their MCR. From there I got my first Colourist Assistant role and stuck with it, the rest is history as they say.
For young aspiring artists what’s the best advice you can give them to get into the industry and be successful?
It’s important in any job you do to get a vague understanding of how the industry you’re in works. I would suggest getting your hands dirty and starting out as front of house or a runner as a post house. It’s tough and sometimes unrewarding however if you stick at it and apply yourself you will be noticed, learn a huge amount about how the industry runs and start to move up to an assistant role. After a few years of experience, you can then become an operator. Couple more years under your belt and you’ll be able to confidentially make a move to a freelance career which opens so many more doors and opportunities for you and your career.
How has the industry changed in your field over the years? For better or for worse?
I would say COVID massively changed my field. Before 2020 a majority of clients, producers and directors would feel the only way to colour grade a commercial was to be in the grading suite with the Colourist. The move to everyone working remotely has helped clients to trust more in a Colourist to provide a high end finish whilst working remotely. There are certainly some benefits to working in-house however they also come with a cost. Being remote has meant I personally have been able to work on many more and exciting jobs that often wouldn’t make it to a Post House.
What are the key elements that contribute to creating exceptional work and getting to the top of your profession?
Being a successful Colourist is about understanding the client brief and being able to communicate well with them. They have to be able to trust you’re going to do a good job before you have even started on the first shot. It’s then about having the technical knowledge and background to pull from to provide them with a high-end finish within the timeframe you’ve got whilst enhancing their original brief.
Do you have a project or client that you are most proud of working on / with?
I am really happy with the work I’ve done with ewanme for Peroni. I’ve worked on several projects for them but both the Back to Zero and Nessun Dorma TVC’s are up there with some of my favourites. They were also accompanied by some lovely clients which made the whole thing so much more enjoyable.
What made you want to join the ewanme collective and is working remotely a positive move?
I had spent a long time at a Post House, which I loved, but after COVID had disappeared around 2021 and the industry had picked up again I thought it was a great time to jump in and I haven’t looked back since. I know plenty of other artists who feel the same as me.
Working together with ewanme has given me the opportunities to work with clients I would never normally get a chance to.
