A Storyteller First
Vincent is a Los Angeles based professional colourist for film and television. He has an award winning background as a cinematographer working in music videos, commercials, documentaries and film, so we got in touch to find out why he chose to work in colour:
Fabrik: So you majored as a Director of Photography and you’re an award winning cinematographer, why did you make the move to professional colourist?
Vincent Taylor: "I'd been working as a cinematographer for a number of years when I decided I needed to take a break and work out what it was that I really wanted to do. In the midst of that searching an opportunity came up at a post house that I'd worked with for years and they were interested in the idea of training a colourist who had come from a cinematography background. It was a match made in heaven and I never looked back!"
Fabrik: How would you describe your style?
Vincent Taylor: "My style is simple in so far as it stems from that of a storyteller first and foremost. That is a crafty way of saying that my style is not fixed and will always adapt to what the story needs."
Fabrik: As a colourist you've worked on some major projects - how much of your work is your own style, and how much of it is dictated by others?
Vincent Taylor: "That is a fantastic question and the answer varies hugely depending on the type of project and who is involved. If it is a dramatic piece such as a film or a TV series then the filmmakers will certainly have a direction in mind in terms of the look but then it becomes very collaborative from that point onward which is incredibly satisfying. Commercials can be a little less of that approach because more often than not I will be given exact references that I am asked to subscribe to - there is wiggle room in that of course and, hopefully, that collaboration can still be there but you need to be prepared to let that go if the client wants you to be more of a button pusher than an artist. Either way of working results in giving what the client needs for the given project."
Fabrik: For the more tech conscious out there, what’s your set-up? Do you have a go to software/hardware?
Vincent Taylor: "The project will often dictate the broad brushstrokes of this, is the project HDR? Is it projected? There are constantly numerous variables in my industry but the constant needs to be what you're looking at. Is the monitor broadcast quality, is it calibrated, and has the projector's white point been read and calibrated? I've worked with a great deal of different software and hardware options for colour over the years from the days of lacing up the film for telecine on an Ursa, C-reality, or Spirit telecine chain and operating early Resolve 2K panels, Lustre, Pogle and Baselight panels. Currently, I am back in the seat of a freelancer life so I'm blowing out the cobwebs in my brain and getting back into using Davinci Resolve which, for a freelancer, seems to be the weapon of choice."
Fabrik: Is there a particular milestone in your career that you feel most proud of?
Vincent Taylor: "Not specifically but I am grateful to have come from film days and to had the experience of working in a linear grading suite. Don't get me wrong, the toolsets of today are incredible but I feel that to have had the foundations of training that I had in working with film has taught me so much and continues to serve as a backbone for what I am doing today. "
Fabrik: What are your plans for the future? Can you give us insight on any projects you’re working on or have coming up?
Vincent Taylor: "It's a touchy subject at the moment as I'm still licking my wounds after being motivated to move on from my last company due to downscaling. As a result, I am throwing myself into the fires of a freelancing lifestyle and having to get my head around the tax and legal challenges of running a business. So, as far as projects coming up I've got nothing locked in just yet and am counting down the days until the writer's strike, and potentially actors' strike, has come to an end."
Fabrik: Final question. What do you like most about Fabrik? Why did you choose us?
Vincent Taylor: "It's easy. I hope this isn't read as a negative thing but I just don't have the time or the patience to fumble with a way to build a website. In addition to that, I found (very quickly) that the result with Fabrik didn't just give me a website, it actually gave me a website that looks really beautiful and represents who I am and what I do. On top of that, if I need to update things - which I do constantly - I can do it with very little effort and next to zero downtime. One last thing I wanted to add; the communication and support from Fabrik has been wonderful, it's the icing on the cake that I am so grateful for."
Vincent uses Loden, a theme that prioritises image and video size over all else. This is a theme for creatives who like to let the imagery do the talking.
