SCENE 01 / LOOK DEVELOPMENT
Look Development
Creative visual style development and LUT creation for distinctive cinematic aesthetics that define your production's unique identity.
Look development establishes the visual style and color aesthetic of a production before principal photography begins. Through testing with cameras, lenses, lighting, and LUTs, look development creates reference images and technical specifications that guide the entire production toward a unified visual identity.
We support look development by coordinating camera tests, LUT creation, and collaboration between your cinematographer and colorist. Our team arranges testing facilities and technical resources to ensure your production's visual look is defined, documented, and ready to guide consistent image capture from day one.
Capabilities
Visual Style Development Excellence
Create distinctive visual aesthetics through comprehensive look development, custom LUT design, and detailed style guides.
01
Creative Design
Unique visual aesthetics that define your production's identity and enhance storytelling.
Distinctive
02
LUT Creation
Custom look-up tables for on-set monitoring and post-production workflows.
Technical
03
Style Guides
Comprehensive documentation ensuring consistent implementation across all phases.
Consistent
04
Workflow Integration
Seamless look management from production through final delivery.
Seamless
Creative Services
Technical Deliverables
Our Look Development Process
We follow a collaborative creative process that ensures your visual vision is fully realized and documented for consistent implementation.
Creative Discovery
We discuss your vision, gather references, and analyze your footage to understand the aesthetic goals.
Look Exploration
We develop multiple look options on key scenes, presenting variations for your review and feedback.
Refinement
We refine the chosen direction, perfecting the look and creating all technical deliverables.
Implementation
We deliver LUTs, style guides, and documentation for seamless production and post integration.
Why Us
Why Choose Our Look Development
01.
Creative Vision
Innovative aesthetic design that elevates visual storytelling.
02.
Color Science
Advanced technical expertise in color workflow design.
03.
Collaborative Process
Close partnership with filmmakers throughout development.
04.
Complete Solutions
End-to-end look management from concept to delivery.
On Location
Look Development Tied to Australian DP Aesthetics
Here is how this works in practice. Look development in Australia ties directly to the DP roster shaping each shoot — Mandy Walker ACS ASC on the Elvis and Australia hot-amber heritage palette, John Seale ACS ASC on Mad Max: Fury Road's saturation-pushed orange-and-teal that won 6 Oscars in 2015, Greig Fraser ACS ASC on the cool desaturated naturalism of Lion (Davis 2016 — 6 Oscar noms) and the silver halide tones of Dune, and Ari Wegner ACS on the muted high-country palette of The Power of the Dog (2022).
Here is the short of it. LUT and CDL pipelines live in DaVinci Resolve Studio (Black Magic Design, Auckland-founded) and Baselight at Cutting Edge, Range Films, Disney Studios Australia, Heckler, and Rising Sun Pictures Adelaide. Show LUTs ship as .cube monitor LUTs for SmallHD and Atomos onset, with parallel ACES IDT and ODT chains so the look survives camera RAW (ARRIRAW, REDCODE, X-OCN, Cinema RAW Light, BRAW) into the final grade without colour-science drift.
Here is the breakdown. Development sessions usually open with reference reels — Master and Commander (Boyd 2003 Oscar), Moulin Rouge! (Luhrmann 2001 — Best Production Design and Best Costume Oscars), Lion, Animal Kingdom (Michôd 2010), Snowtown (Kurzel 2011), True History of the Kelly Gang (Kurzel 2019), The Babadook (Kent 2014), and Fury Road — then move to camera tests at Cameraquip, Lemac, or Panavision Sydney/Melbourne/Gold Coast against actual location plates.
The deliverable is a documented look package: monitor LUT, show LUT, ACES config, white-balance and ISO recommendations, plus a graded shot package the DI suite ingests cleanly.
Here is what that looks like on the ground. Downstream deliveries reach Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR masters for streaming on Stan, Binge, Netflix AU, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ AU, and Disney+ AU; HLG broadcast for ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, Ten; and DCI-P3 DCP for AACTA, Sydney Film Festival, and MIFF.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
When should we start look development?
Ideally during pre-production. Early look development allows you to use monitoring LUTs on set, ensure consistent dailies, and align all departments on the visual direction. However, we can also develop looks during post-production if needed.
What do you need to create a look?
We work best with sample footage from your camera tests or early production, visual references (films, photographs, artwork), mood boards, and a discussion of your creative goals. The more context we have about your story and vision, the better we can serve your project.
How do LUTs work in production?
We create monitoring LUTs that can be applied to camera feeds and dailies, giving everyone on set a preview of the intended look. These technical LUTs are optimized for different display types and viewing conditions while preserving full dynamic range in your RAW footage.
Can you match a specific film or reference look?
We can analyze and recreate aesthetic qualities from references, though we develop unique interpretations rather than exact copies. Our goal is to understand what you respond to in references and create a distinctive look that serves your specific story and footage.
Related Services
Productions in Australia that need this often pair it with Color Correction Services, Color Grading Services, and Online Conform & QC Services for full coverage. Most projects also draw on Narrative & Documentary Editing and Foley Recording Services.
On Set
Ready to Define Your Visual Style?
Let's create distinctive looks that make your production unforgettable.