The Art of Grading – Meet Karol Cybulski
Karol Cybulski began grading films when she was studying at the Bournemouth Film School back in 2014. Her interest in this specialism was first sparked by a love of editing and photography – a combination of ‘aesthetic and narrative considerations’ that allowed her to exercise ‘immense creative power over projects’. Fast forward to 2021 – Karol now works for CHEAT, an innovative post-production studio that specialises in colour grading and finishing work for motion pictures. Boasting a versatile portfolio, her passion has led her to work on impressive pieces, like Netflix hit End of the F****** World Season 2 as lead assistant,which was the first HDR show graded at CHEAT, as well as grading commercials for world class designers like Hugo Boss and Chloé. I caught up with Karol to discuss what a typical workday looks like, her proactivity as a self-starter, and the importance of accessibility within the film industry.
What does a typical day as a professional colourist look like?
Even though my day-to-day rhythm might be similar, no two days are ever the same, which is something I love about the role. For instance, I might be doing an eight-hour session for a TVC on Tuesday, and then working on two projects on Wednesday, splitting that day into two. Whether it’s an ad or a long form project, I love moving between all these different formats. I believe that a good colourist adapts to each piece and builds the appropriate world for whatever it is that they’re working on at the time. Having said that, in terms of the actual bread and butter of the role, I essentially start every session by touching base with my clients. It’s their project after all, which may have been years in the making - something I’m always conscious of. It’s important that I respect their vision and stay on their wavelength at all stages of the process.
So you’d say that grading is a deeply collaborative effort?
Absolutely. I like to start by experimenting together and finding the overall look of the piece, as well as discussing the clients’ aspirations for the grade. I ask questions, like what we both like and what we don’t like. Even if they’re not so sure from the beginning and they don’t have a particularly specific vision, I can learn a lot from the process of elimination. Sometimes it falls into place incredibly quickly and other times there is a longer experimentation period, but it’s important that we thoroughly talk through all the possible directions of the piece.
What happens next?
After that, I match up the film and polish in layers of feedback until we’re all happy! There are so many technical details on the way to that point, but I’m always keeping an eye on the bigger picture. I like to go in broad brush strokes and not get too bogged down in the details to start with. Let’s say you’re painting a landscape and there are some trees in the corner, you can’t spend all of your time perfecting those trees when the rest of the picture is missing. So, I like to get the bigger picture flowing first and then work on those details nearer the end.
Besides the creative and conceptual aspect of grading, the job sounds incredibly technical. Did you find this challenging in the early days?
Yes, I definitely found it challenging in the beginning, especially because I come from a totally creative background, so I didn’t really have a strong technical foundation. The craft is so specific and when I was learning in the early stages, because I was doing it on my own. Unlike other departments, I don’t work in a team and it’s a little too niche for a university degree, so I was doing a lot of online learning and talking to friends who were interested in those spaces. I realised that I needed to delve deeper into that, which came at a good time, because I was craving to get a feel for working in a grading facility. I was really lucky and managed to get an introduction at The Mill working on a short film, before moving to Berlin to study Colour Science and Grading at UP.GRADE at the DFFB. This definitely checked my box of getting a good sense of the internal workings of these types of companies and it gave me a profound insight into the technical demands of the job.
I can imagine working at The Mill was a vital part of your learning process. Generally speaking, did you find entry into the film industry accessible?
The BFI Academy really help people like me who had no link to the industry in terms of family connections etc. I come from Leicester and wasn’t in the film space at all. Many people don’t have this career path remotely on their radar, so something like the BFI Academy shouldn’t be underestimated. They hosted courses across the country, which was cool because it meant that I was involved in spaces with a lot of passionate young people who were in the same boat as me. We had mentors and it was a wonderful place to learn about film. Even though I went on to study film at Bournemouth, my experience at the BFI taught me that you don’t need a degree to pursue a career in the film industry, which is something I would say to young people; you can absolutely get started without one. Courses that are cheap and accessible definitely break down those barriers to entry. They give you the basics, so you can then explore from that starting point. We’ve even been discussing mentoring people in the community from diverse backgrounds at CHEAT, to create an opportunity for initial exposure.
Besides BFI, what else helped lay the groundwork of your career?
I vividly remember the first few freelance gigs I graded from my bedroom. I’d built a whole setup in my tiny little uni room – all of my housemates thought I was absolutely insane because I’d locked myself away in there and just got to work! The process of building that machine and setting up a workflow was a fundamental part of my learning process at the start. I said yes to so many different freelance projects and student films at that point, which is so important when you’re first starting out. It takes time to build up a thorough understanding of all the moving parts of grading, or any specialism for that matter, but the volume of work I was doing really helped set me in good stead.
Do you have any other advice for young people thinking about entering the film industry?
I think attitude is really important – if you’re passionate and determined, opportunities will always crop up, however small, and it’s important to remember there won’t be just one that breaks down the door. As soon as you’ve had one experience, you’ve now met a couple of people and that web will continue to grow. It might feel slow at first, but before you know it, you’re there and didn’t even realise you’d broken through the barriers. Work really hard and soak everything up – you’ll start to learn by transmission from those around you and figure it out along the way. Trust in yourself and know that you belong in that space. People will soon see that you’re willing to learn and will be keen to help.
Finally, do you think the past year will impact the future of the industry?
On a practical level, in grading, it seems like it’s business as usual, which is great because we haven’t had many major changes. The main thing is how people have embraced working from home - it will be interesting to see how many people are going to take advantage of the fact that they can get more done. Being in the suite together is wonderful, but remote working can make things more convenient for some clients and it has made us truly connected worldwide. On a personal level, I hope everyone will remember how to look after themselves and how to breathe. I’ve gotten to know myself a lot better and can catch myself when I’m going too fast. Slowing down was probably difficult for all of us at first but it’s definitely taught us all a lesson that I hope we don’t forget too quickly, if ever.
Browse Karol’s full portfolio and follow her on Instagram. For more information about the BFI film academy, click here.
Cover Photo: Courtesy of Karol Cybulski
Screengrabs: from Karol’s portfolio via CHEAT.IT
