Remo Pini wrote:If I have an XML/EDL that I ingest, once I relink the footage, I can start grading. So far, so good. The color checker is usually at the clapper stage of the footage, which is to say in the first few frames of the clips. These frames are never in the edit, so I can't see or access them on the ingested timeline.
If the original camera files are used for the final color correction, in theory the final colorist could check the color chart on the unedited camera files and use them as a general guide. In truth, it's not necessary if the colorist understands what camera was used and knows from the filmmakers what the shots are supposed to look like.
It's for this reason that I always ask for an edited reference file of the locked picture edit so I know what the editor and director have been staring at for the past few weeks or months. If I see a ballpark of what they expect, I can get there in the final. If this is a sophisticated production with specific LUTs and complex looks, that will take more time but can still be done provided the post sups have done all their homework and coordinated the CDLs.