Team Deakins JAMES SLATTERY - Colourist
Jan 21, 2026
James Slattery, a skilled colourist known for his work on films like 1917 and Empire of Light, shares insights into the nuances of his craft. He explains the importance of collaboration with cinematographers and VFX teams as well as the complexities of dailies timing and finishing grades. James also discusses the dynamic relationship with on-set DITs and stresses the need for communication. Aspiring colourists will find valuable advice on essential skills and common pitfalls to avoid, all while navigating the evolving landscape of digital grading and AI tools.
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Hooked By A Dailies Timer
- James Slattery fell into colour work after watching a dailies timer transform footage and felt hooked instantly.
- That first hands-on exposure at Technicolor set his path from photography to grading and restoration.
Film Restoration Shaped His Eye
- James moved from QC and restoration into dailies and learned telecine, film handling, and basic timing hands-on.
- That film-heavy route trained his eye and technical fluency during the film-to-digital transition.
Keep Dailies Minimal And Transfer CDLs
- Keep dailies grades simple and use CDL (lift/gamma/gain/offset plus saturation) to avoid masking issues for the DI.
- Send CDLs and LUTs as sidecar files so the DI can reapply intent from camera raw rather than inherit baked changes.