Stephen - Film Colorist

For the past 12 years or more I’ve had a front row seat into what it takes to win two Academy Awards (with three nominations) and well, to use a hoary cliche, there is no secret. Everyone @breakwaterstudios works incredibly hard and in nimble ways; at the bleeding edge of what’s technically possible with just a small crew and the will to make something special over and over again. @thelastrepairshop is a testament to music’s ability to heal, the importance of free public music education (he types as he glances with renewed zeal at his dusty tenor sax🙄) and a demonstration of the power of the short form doc medium itself! I saw many people wiping away tears at the screenings. There’s a lot more I could write, about the 4 year journey of this particular film, or the role of independent color correction in bringing it about🙃, or the extensive camera testing we did with the @arri #alexa35 prior to its maiden voyage. But I have nigh the space on this instagram post! Thank you @bgproudfoot @krisbowersmusic for including me in your vision and to everyone at @breakwaterstudios . Congrats! You’ve more than earned it. Спасибо всем ❤️ !

I have over 10 feature length projects locked up on the festival circuit, so whenever one comes out its a cause for celebration! @samnowmovie is on @criterioncollection channel now to stream! This is a really special film in so many ways: aesthetically, morally and socially. Here’s the pitch: A young camera-obsessed super 8 filmmaker (director @reedharkness ) is living an idyllic childhood in the suburbs of the PNW when one day his brother Sam’s mother suddenly disappears from the family - Without a note, without a trace. This film bears witness to the fallout and psychological turmoil in the most interesting way possible, spanning decades on various media: self processed super 8, stop motion, super 16mm, stan brakhage style experimental film, hi8, dvcam, betacam, canon, @arri alexa and more. I love this film for its dedication to craft, its patience, its restraint, its vulnerability and most of all for its ability to sit compassionately with really difficult (and I would say intractable) problems, without resorting to pat solutions. I can’t remember a film about mental health being so real… well, hardly ever. Working on this was a dream! The further I get in my career the more I want to be involved in vital cinema like this. Films you can live by! It’s truly a filmmaker’s film and I can’t recommend it more highly. This film will be playing at @losfeliz3 on November 28 with director in person. See ya there! ❤️

A good half of the work I do is sadly tied up in the festival circuit and distribution, if not more 🥲, but today is a happy day because “The Alleys” a Jordanian Arabic crime thriller I colored is out in everywhere on @netflix ! Nothing gets me going more than working on vital, interesting cinema and this is a nuanced, complicated film! I did a write up on it on sderlug.com if you want to read about the lensing and the process of color a bit. written and directed by @bghandour Producer: @yousef_abedalnabi Dp: @justinphamilton #color #colorcorrection #narrativefeature #featurefilm #jordan #arabic #davinciresolve #thealleysfilm #colors #colorgrading #filmlook #film #alexa #cookelook #cooke

When I was in college, one of my classes had us bring in one short every class so that we could all talk about what we liked about it. This is where I found a lot of the shorts that I still use as references today. Stuff from the Op-Docs, Staff Picks (@charlietyrell I’m here whenever you want to talk about Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes) and, like you’d expect, shorts from @breakwaterstudios . That’s how I found Stephen Derluguian’s work. His name was on everything and I just couldn’t understand how he was able to get the looks he was getting out of the films he worked on. Now, years later, here I am trying to play it cool in Stephen’s office in the middle of Breakwater Studios while chatting about vintage posters, the film industry and why color is one of the unsung heroes of the film post production pipeline. Me oh my, how time flies! - Chris Host - Chris Ocana @c_ocana_ Producers - Daniel Lombroso @dlumbo // Kerry Mack @misskerrymack // Rebecca Shaid @rebsshaid1 // Luisa Barone @baroneluisa_ Special thank you to @sderlug , the color connoisseur!

Just popping in to share some more good news before i go dark for the new year. It’s been a surreal year and continues to be… I have the honor to have colored 2 films on the Academy Shortlist for 2026. 1. “Come See Me in the Good Light” Feature documentary from Tripod Media dir @white815 and prod @jessicalhargrave and shot by local legend (and not just local) @brandsomer ! Available on @appletv Please see my detailed post! What a special film about poet @andreagibson and their partner @meganfalley from ep @therealfluffnotaro 2. “Cashing Out” Short Doc By @mattnadel . An at parts touching and equally harrowing film about the AIDS crisis and insurance insurance biz. Its an honor to work with all of my collaborators who trust me to do best by their films. See you then 🤞❤️

Im in the middle of just about the most hectic finishing season of all time for me haha 😮‍💨nearly there! Just poppin in to share the good news though🚀 Two films im involved with will be screening at @sundanceorg in 2026! 1. “The Baddest Speechwriter of All” from @breakwaterstudios Dirs @bgproudfoot and @stephencurry30 
“Now 93, Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement.” fantastic animations by @danielbruson This is a real editor’s film so congrats @15timjohnson and @itsnickwright Cinematography from @brandsomer @lauracarlz @jeffrey.pdl @rachgdub 2. “Some Kind of Refuge” @refugedoc Dir: @alexandrakern rising star! Prod: old friend @colincadarette !! Congrats man wow. We’ve come so far. Dp: @veraeric “On the shifting edge of the Mississippi River in New Orleans, the spirit of a fading outsider community endures through its two oldest residents.”
 Cant wait for y’all to see this meditative, poised doc about New Orleans Battures community!

“Come See Me in the Good Light” is out today on @appletv !!! Dir @white815 Prod @jessicalhargrave @therealfluffnotaro @meganfalley After a successful festival run, winning the audience fav at @sundanceorg we can finally share this special feature doc with you. This film chronicles the life of poet @andreagibson after being diagnosed with cancer. The subject matter may sound heavy, and, well…it is, but i cannot emphasize enough how much joy there is in this film despite that. I think it’s the primary role of the poet to help us grasp our way through the big problems in life and that definitely is on display here. they will be missed! Was an honor to color this film with @brandsomer and @dominiquehessert footage! Editor @bnicexvz legend! Steve White was instrumental with the @dolbylabs dolby vision finish! Thanks 🙏 And many others @the.groat brett blake @dillonbrown.89 and many more! Was an honor to play my small part!

@impossibletown from @storiesforgood is out on @pbs !! @the.meggriffiths @dsf1224 🚀 I colored this years ago and it’s finally made it’s way through the festival gauntlet and into your living rooms 🥳 Impossible Town is a verite feature documentary portrait of the town of Minden, West Virginia and the fallout this town experienced (and continues to experience) after a mining operation closes nearby. The film also follows Dr. Ayne Amjad who undertakes an ambitous project to move the entire town to a new location. Amazing edit from @dm.roman and help from @chernolyasov.color on drop ins while i was on on a silent meditation retreat without a phone lol. This film has some lush WV vistas and incredible access. Cinematographer @dsf1224 told me he wanted it to feel like a Bela Tarr film but sadder somehow but with some Gaspar Noe thrown in as well, just also set in appalachia. Jk, we just made it look nice 👍 I love to color verite even though it is by far some of the hardest coloring i get to do. It’s immensely gratifying to see a film which really otherwise would be so difficult to watch, come to life right before your eyes. Especially when there are so many times you just have to keep rolling! Maybe the subject is having an emotional breakdown in a car with polarized windows during covid and you have no lights? Keep shooting. Or the gymnasium youre in has terrible sickly green house lights. Try to make it part of your look and move on. Etc. Its like a little rubix cube every setup. Verite is so hard to make and the realest deal as far as I’m concerned when it comes to vital boots on the ground style social impact filmmaking. Hopefully this film makes you think and more films like this continue to be made. This shot this on the @reddigitalcinema Gemini and mastered in 4k. We colored it in about a week 🏃🏻💨 I’ve included some before and afters as well towards the end and you can see how we did 👍

Our film “Come See Me In The Good Light” from Tripod Media’s @jessicalhargrave @white815 just won the “Audience Favorite” award @sundanceorg for 2025!! This is a very touching film about poet @andreagibson and their partner @meganfalley as they navigate life after a very difficult cancer diagnosis. @brandsomer mostly shot this film(with @dominiquehessert ) over the course of years in the verite style on @canonusa cameras, but also @apple iphone and @sonycine fx3. Whatever the situation called for! He is a legend in the cinema world now for working in difficult conditions and getting amazing results! I look forward to writing more about this later bur for now just wanted to share the good news!! It was an honor to color this film 🫡❤️

2024 was a kind year professionally: - 5 films @tribeca - 6 films @docnycfest - Premiere @theturnaround_doc Telluride - 5 films/docs at the @gettymuseum - feature narrative premiere: @anautumnsummerfilm @heartlandfilm - Many commercials - Oscar win for @thelastrepairshop with @breakwaterstudios @bgproudfoot @krisbowersmusic Many thanks to my collaborators who trust me with their work. Its an honor to work with you and i do not take it for granted and will always try to do best by you! ❤️ Im looking forward to 2025 where “Come See Me in the Good Light” a feature doc about @andreagibson by @jessicalhargrave @white815 dp @brandsomer will premiere at @sundanceorg I have more content (meaningful content lol not just marketing) planned for 2025. Stay tuned! 🚀 Be safe this New Years! Stephen D. 🫡

On a recent trip to the @gettymuseum I was walking around with a friend and noticed that every other room has videos that @mustafa.toby.eck @eitanalmagor_dp and I had worked on! This is the result of years of fruitful collabs! I had just kinda forgotten 🤯🥹 One of my favorite videos we’ve done is for an exhibit currently on display about Van Gogh’s “Irises.” This exhibit is about his famous stay in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in Arles in May 1889 (love to say that name arllll). Van Gogh was recovering from the famous self mutilation incident 👂and was very fragile. He found a gorgeous spot to recover! (If you ever visit the museum with me i will loudly insist to call him “van gock” and correct you on the pronunciation as well!) This is where he painted “starry night.” The Getty put together this amazing exhibit of his study of the Irises that grow on the grounds there. This includes restoration of the fading purple pigments. Fascinating to see! To set the look for the video we even put some of his paintings up with images that @eitanalmagor_dp framed up to match almost exactly with his @sonycine #venice. Amazing way to work!! What an honor 🫡 Of course you can never match them perfectly but it was fun just to inhabit the spirit of his famous palette. I also found in the exhibit a TON of fascinating info about Van Gogh’s approach to color. His approach was not just that of the visceral “impulsive artist” (as i had once thought) but apparently deeply researched and reasoned (photo attached). He was very lucid at the time (in between bouts of paranoia) and wrote some heart breaking letters to his brother Theo. For example, “What I am doing is not by any means an attempt to achieve anything real. It’s an attempt to reach some calm - a kind of religious awe.” I encourage you to read! They are 💔 No wonder he is the king of color 🎨 and so many people’s gateway drug into the art world. So this holiday grab your favorite person and a silicon ear, bandage and head on to the @gettymuseum . It will be so romantic when you gift it to them 😈

(Emerging from presumptive Sundance deadlines ☠️ tryin a new format!) “The Turnaround” @theturnaround_doc from @breakwaterstudios is out on @netflix ! Dirs: @kylethrash @bgproudfoot Dp: @davidbolendp Exec Prod: @barackobama @michelleobama @highergroundmedia Prod: @nickisruff (And many more❤️ forgive me) “The Turnaround” is one of the newest short docs from @breakwaterstudios . It follows Philly super fan Jon McCann as he navigates mental health issues when Trea Turner, the star of the team, starts inexplicably underperforming! It’s a touching film that means a lot to me as I am prettayyyy far from top of the heap mental health wise hah. Rather than just dump some stills I want to write about the color process because I don’t really see a lot of that on this esteemed portal, at least not for doc and not from people who don’t have bad lut packs to sell l8r🙄 So this was shot on a mix @arri alexa 35 and alexa classic with David’s lut that has quite a lot of contrast to it. A great starting point! (Towards the end of the images you can see a bit of this). Our first discussion about the film was on the nature of Philly - how were we going to depict it? I’ve never been to Philly but I’m told it’s a gritty, resilient sort of place. So we landed on this cool green palette. (Theres not room for this pass in my post but in my story “highlights” there is) Later it became apparent that although the green is objectively cool it didnt quite fit with Jon’s story, which is quite heartfelt. The green kind of imparted this sort of sinister quality maybe? So we dialed it back and leveled out some skin tones and basically made it flow, especially with the emotional beats. This is all just to say that grading doc imo is a little different than coloring narrative. You do have ideas but everything is ultra ultra provisional. Im trying to draw a best fit line between various situations, camera systems and number one of course always trying to support the story. It’s a constant balancing act ⚖️ experience helps 🤷🏻‍♂️ I think in the end we did 4 passes? Each time progressively peeling back green and uncovering something new things along the way! Hope you enjoy!