Reworking a film is not as simple as adjusting what has already been done, but about looking at the visual dialogue of the film and asking, "Is the story's emotional intention truly coming through?"

During the revision-phase of his recent collaboration on the award-winning South African short-film, Variations on a Theme, Colourist Abdul-Ghakeem Samaai faced a unique challenge: combining technical correction with narrative reinterpretation. The goal was not to simply rework the film, but to transform the story from how it was told into how it was intended to be experienced by the viewer.

When approaching the re-edit of a story that prioritised authenticity — using the unconventional style of visual repetition by filming a single location from the same angle and position over a five-day period — Samaai's colour-grading techniques had to preserve the film's original intentions whilst refining and strengthening its visual and emotional impact.

In Part Two of this Q&A, Samaai further elaborates on the process of balancing storytelling with technicality, while  emphasising the importance of collaboration and communication when working on a story that requires both authenticity and creativity.

 

The contrast between the smoother and grittier textures feels almost like a shift in perspective. Was that a deliberate storytelling device?

When the film was graded for the second time, it was done in a more aggressive manner to be something that grabs your attention. The grade broke all the usual rules — blowing the highlights, crushing the blacks — allowing those artistic thoughts to flourish.

Sometimes as Colourists we get so caught up in the technical that we forget we are artists. With Variations, it was about having the film look contrasty, punchy, and it was all deliberate in supporting the narrative from a visual point of view.


Colour grading often acts as a subtle guide for the audience's emotional experience. How consciously do you shape that through your work?

Understanding the story that is trying to be told is important and how and why things were lit and framed in a specific way. From a grading point of view, it's vitally important to emphasise the important parts of the narrative visually — whether that's a character, an object, or a moment.

With Variations, audience engagement is key because it's the same structure over five days. It's very easy for someone to lose focus. So it's about making those important moments stand out, pushing the narrative forward, and keeping the audience engaged. But it goes far beyond just the grade — it starts on set, with how things are lit and framed. The grade is part of that bigger system.


When revisiting the film for the new grade, were you refining what was already there, or rethinking how the story should be felt?

Initially, the idea was to refine a couple of scenes but what ended up happening is that we regraded the film from scratch. It became a total restart — a more creative, more confrontational look that would help the narrative. Because the film was told in quite a subtle way, it was important for it to become more visually striking.

We did the regrade in five days which is very fast for a feature but with a fresh approach, new perspective, and more intent and purpose. And, I think that's what helped get the film to where it is today.


The role of the Colourist is evolving beyond technical finishing. How early do you think colour should enter the creative process?

With any artistic form in post, the earlier the better. There are usually discussions between the director and DOP before shooting even starts — talking about the look, doing camera tests, building a visual direction.

Sometimes we create LUTs for sets — which are essentially colour presets used for monitoring — so everyone has an idea of what the film could look like. By the time it reaches the grade, it's more refined, but that foundation has already been laid much earlier in the process.


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Curious about what else Abdul-Ghakeem has to say about the world of colour grading? Check out Realism is the New Black: A Q&A With Abdul-Ghakeem Samaai —Part One.

*Image courtesy of contributor and Canva