I have been shooting weddings on Sony for a long time. A7S, A7S II, A7 III, A7R II: cameras that gave me hundreds of weddings, always in Cine2, always 8 bit 4:2:0. For the color in Final Cut Pro X I used FilmConvert, and it did the job for years.

Then I moved to the Sony A1 and the A7 IV. They record 4:2:2 10 bit, and that changes everything. Grading S-Log3 and S-Gamut3.Cine footage with a proper amount of color information is a completely different experience. The dynamic range of these cameras finally holds up when you push it.

To take advantage of it I needed a different workflow, and I found it in the Kolor plugin by Eric Lenz.

How it works

If you have used DaVinci Resolve, you already know the logic. I use Resolve too, on other projects, for example with my Nikon ZR. There, everything is built around a Color Space Transform, and you work in DaVinci Intermediate.

Kolor does the same thing inside FCPX. Eric Lenz gives you a single color science, called Kolor, and you bring cameras from different brands into it. Whatever you shot with, you start from the same neutral place.

Once you are in that neutral space, a second plugin, Basis, which costs only 50€, lets you control white balance, highlights, shadows, midtones and contrast very simply. Working on a neutral image makes these corrections feel predictable.

The look

For the look you have options. You can use the Kubik LUTs, also by Eric Lenz. If you bring everything to RedLog3G10, you can use the RED LUTs. And if you prefer to stay closer to the source, there are LUTs made for Sony.

Is it worth it?

For me, yes. It changes the way I work and lets me get the most out of my cameras. Hats off to Eric Lenz, and I will follow the next releases closely.

You can see this workflow in action on Valentin & Katja’s elopement in Ispra, where I used it for the color. More of my work is on alexsofoweddingfilms.com.