Shane Burrell

Artist in the Spotlight – Shane Burrell

Shane Burrell, Senior Colorist and Managing Director at Final Post, has been producing dazzling color grades for nearly two decades, all whilst establishing Australia’s first regional based feature film finishing facility. With national hits like Chasing Comets (2018) and Don’t Read This On a Plane (2020), Burrell also goes global, shooting a poignant and deeply moving documentary about the impacts of the war in Ukraine on children…

Don't Read This on a Plane (2020)
Don’t Read This on a Plane (2020)

CARVING YOUR OWN PATH

Burrell has always been a post-production guy: from editing with 2 VHS machines, to starting a business after finishing high school since there were no employment opportunities in the small country town he lived in, Burrell always ensured he was experimenting with film. ‘I guess telling stories through this craft was in my blood.’ 

This meant his career went a little backwards, skipping the usual building networks and relationships through film-school or working your way through the ranks of a post house by establishing a business straight out of education. But the first moment he experienced a full DaVinci suite – ‘with all the lights and whirring sounds and the Y-Front scanner – he was sold… ‘I had to pursue color’.

Faith Runs Deep (2022)
Faith Runs Deep (2022)

‘Color grading for me was the perfect nexus bringing together both art and storytelling, it was the meeting point of post-production and cinematography: my two passions.’

When Burrell saw RED cinema cameras were becoming popular within the indie filmmaker circles, he wanted to provide a service that would allow those film-makers access to a facility that could make use of their RAW files without the traditional costs or overheads associated with it. He went to NAB to investigate options but was quickly convinced Nucoda was the best option to help build this dream; ‘Nucoda was so intuitive and powerful from the first moment we tested it’.

WHY CHOOSE NUCODA?

‘For us as a smaller facility, the attraction was the fact that it was PC-based and something we’d be able to manage ourselves technically, without needing engineers and support.’

Burrell says that, with Nucoda, ‘there was a natural flow to the way the tools function and took away the concern about “how” you were going to achieve something, and more importantly, getting into creating. Of course, the DVO tools are one of the best things about Nucoda, but the speed and reliability can’t be ignored.’

Chasing Comets (2018)
Chasing Comets (2018)

Burrell confesses he doesn’t even know where to start when faced with answering what it is about Filmworkz’s packages that sets us apart…

‘The heritage and depth of tools and workflows in Nucoda are incomparable. It’s one of those things you don’t miss if you never had it. Overarching is the intuitiveness and simplicity of coloring and building up complex secondaries if needed. It’s fast and you’ve got complete control (if you want) on how the system works, from back-room caching through to isolating different tools.’

Considering a lot of Burrell’s work is documentary-based and indie feature films, his team tend to lean heavily on restoration and clean-up tools often. ‘I’m constantly amazed at the speed, the playout or render out is blazing fast and I can only smile when I’m seeing other colorists remarking on the crashing or waiting time for their deliverables to be made’. When testing out other systems, Burrell always comes up with a list of tools that are missing.

And for those who might be starting out with Nucoda? ‘Have fun! Don’t watch YouTube tutorials and follow your instinct.’

TELLING THE STORIES OF WAR

When Burrell isn’t busy tweaking the perfect grade for an indie film, he’s out there on the front line documenting the most human of stories. Having volunteered for some not-for-profits and travelling to weird corners of the world to film stories, it was Burrell’s chance to flex his passion for cinematography and was a ticket “out of the dark room” for periods of time. 

Faith Runs Deep (2022)
Faith Runs Deep (2022)

‘I’ve always had a keen interest in creating beautiful images, lenses and trying to achieve it with as little equipment as possible. It provides some great discussion in the DI Theatre and a real respect between me as a colourist and cinematographer. More importantly, my wife and I also shared many of these experiences (she’s a photographer) and we dreamed of doing more of this kind of work over time.’

Burrell’s draw to documentaries is principally based in the direct connection with real characters and people who are experiencing something in their lives. ‘When you’re on the field and you’re sharing these moments, it’s an extraordinary experience and one that you can never forget.’

But the impact that this work can have socially and culturally is always the most meaningful: ‘we hope to do good through our work’. Whilst he might be out of the suite, the post production hat still stays on too: ‘technically, I’m also drawn to the challenge of trying to capture these stories with minimal impact (very small kit) while keeping the production value as high as possible’.

Not long after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Burrell and his wife ended up following a group into Ukraine to help and be available to document stories. Little did they know that on their final day they would stumble upon something that would later compel them both to return to tell a unique story that spoke to larger global issues. 

The project – currently titled We Are Waiting – is still in development and explores war’s echoes through three intersecting lives, unveiling the lasting damage on children. 

We Are Waiting
We Are Waiting

‘It’ll be a deeply empathetic and hopeful story about the effect war and armed conflict have on children. After the experiences and extraordinary terror these children have faced, we explore if these images can ever be erased and what life will look like in the future.

‘The imagery and stories that we’ve been able to capture are incredibly moving and we cannot wait to bring it all together and release it to the world.’

WORKING ON CHASING COMETS (2018)

This Aussie comedy drama follows the life of rugby player Chase (played by Dan Ewing) on and off the field as he pursues his dream of playing in the National Rugby League in a town that is divided by the NRL and the Australian Football League.

Chasing Comets (2018)
Chasing Comets (2018)

Burrell explains that one of the biggest challenges when working with Australian films is exterior lighting. As many indie films are on tight budgets, often the cinematographers are working with available light.

‘With a combination of lensing and developing a look in the grade, we tried to soften the images as much as possible. We worked with the production design team as they worked towards re-creating a 90’s vibe on-set, which we then enhanced further through the DI process.’

Burrell’s favourite scene to work on with this were the shots at the nightclub and on the rooftops – ‘I’m drawn to the dark and crazy lighting and colors within the scene’ which work well with DVO Clarity.

Chasing Comets (2018)
Chasing Comets (2018)

HOW TO GRADE DIFFERENT GENRES

Burrell says that one of the great things about color grading is how flexible it is when approaching different genres – and also one of the most challenging…

‘It is an infinite tool of possibilities. Each film has its personality, style and vibe, so you must be able to adapt and work with the director and cinematographer’s intent to get the most out of their vision and enhance the story. I feel like my approach is much more sympathetic to the cinematographer’s approach and not trying to “fix” things in the DI, but rather build on the blocks that have already been constructed in the image.’

Don't Read This on a Plane (2020)
Don’t Read This on a Plane (2020)

Don’t Read This On A Plane (2020) is a drama-comedy about a novelist hitchhiking across Europe to complete her book tour after her publisher goes bankrupt, and is an incredibly tonal movie. This was largely due to the various locations and the way each city our protagonist visits has its own personality, Burrell explains. ‘This is inherent in the images naturally and we just built upon that’ with tools like DVO Clarity, DVO Grain, DVO Steady and DVO Twister.

FINDING A WAY IN TO COLOR GRADING 

With the democratization of post production that was once considered a niche, colour grading has become much more available – you don’t necessarily have to access larger facilities and post houses to use the tool.

Having the software available at your fingertips has meant it’s never been easier to dip your toes into the post production world. For those starting out, Burrell insists you have to ‘chase the dream, work as hard as possible, and get involved in as many projects and opportunities as possible’. He reassures anyone that shows ‘good character, skill and talent’ will be quickly picked up and find themselves busy.

Boy Saviour (2017)
Boy Saviour (2017)

Burrell also says he likens it to photography and the advent of DSLR’s becoming available to everyone. ‘Yes, you’ve got a pro camera, but do you know how to exploit it fully and produce images of a professional?’

He believes that the most important attribute to being a good colorist is ‘a balanced appreciation for both the art and the theory of what is happening within the frame. Tools are constantly evolving and the learning curve is endless. Like most things, put the time in, follow your gut and carve your path.