Interview with Sebastian Ziabka
We sat down with Movidiam Talent’s first signed colourist, Sebastian Ziabka, to learn more about his route into the industry and how he creates his incredible work.
Who is Sebastian Ziabka?
He is a very stubborn guy who doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. An ambitious dreamer who gets lost in space and comes back with more inspiration. Plus he likes a good steak, beer and a full-on gym session.
What drew you to a career as a colourist? Tell us about your career journey.
As a teenager I used to make rap and electronic music. I was completely obsessed with the quality of sound; its tone and texture. My passion led me to study Professional and Sound Video Technology at MediaCityUK in Manchester. This is where I first came across film production, and it quickly turned out that I’m hooked on crafting the perfect picture, same as I was on the sound production. One month after my graduation I moved to London to work in a post production house. I had a chance to get a good grasp of the grading process and technology and, frankly, I was completely blown away by this experience. After a while I got a position at the production company, where I could dive more deeply into cinematography too. As much as I enjoyed both disciplines, I realised I needed to focus on one thing. And it was colour grading. After a few years of working as a full-time colourist, I went freelance.
How do you navigate your relationships with the other crew on a project (e.g. collaboration, creative process, etc)?
Usually my work requires me to collaborate only with a few people: a producer, a director, and a DOP. First I like to hear the director and DOP’s vision, see some visual references, and try to understand what they’re after. If I can get a hold of footage earlier, I like to experiment with it at home before we go into the grading room, just to see what’s possible. Once in a grading room, we pick up a few key shots from the film and establish the look. Once we’re all happy with it, we move onto grading the rest of the film and matching shots. It’s very rewarding to arrive at the director and the DOP’s vision with my own creative input. And when the client is onboard with that, well — that’s a complete fulfilment!
How would you describe your style?
I like bold looks. I love to look at the screen and feel like something slapped me in the face. Usually I would bring the blacks all the way down and make sure there’s a good amount of saturation. I also like to have a very distinctive colour palette. And I love the details. I always keep an eye on the highlights, making sure nothing is lost. Last but not least, the texture. Adding film grain while working with digital, softening and sharpening certain elements; it all adds up to a more pleasing image. On the other hand, jobs with very subtle and natural looks are also extremely rewarding. They are often more difficult to achieve and require a slightly different approach.
Technology is moving fast, with brands like Apple coming out with new ranges aimed at making professional-quality work more accessible — how do you see this effecting the way that your job works (if at all)?
Are you asking about the new Apple XDR monitor? Technology is developing very fast and becomes cheaper and more accessible. When Blackmagic Design offered DaVinci Resolve for free I think it broke the dam and had had a huge impact on the whole grading industry. Today, one can build a good grading room for colour critical work for a very reasonable amount of money. And that’s great because more talented people have access to it and the quality of work constantly improves.
Tell us about your dream grading suite — what are your favourite pieces of kit?
I’m actually in the process of building my own grading room right now! (laugh) It will have everything that is necessary for critical color work. Starting from a very powerful workstation, scopes, broadcast reference monitor (most likely FSI DM240) and a small resolve panel. My dream grading suite would most likely have a 4K HDR grading monitor and Advanced Resolve panel. One step at the time.
What are your goals for 2020?
To build the grading room! Getting involved in loads and loads of creative collaborations. There are so many amazing filmmakers out there! I spend hours on Vimeo discovering directors, DOPs, editors, colourists, companies. It feels like the possibilities are endless. 2020 is about meeting as many of them as possible and turning these relationships into amazing work.
