5 Minutes with… Stefan Sonnenfeld

Stefan Sonnenfeld is the co-founder and CEO, as well as an acting colourist, of the global pillar of post production that is Company 3. Under the FC3 Group banner, alongside sister company Framestore, Company 3 comprises SDFX Studios, and Powerhouse VFX.

Stefan has worked on an astonishing number of projects over the last three decades, ranging from feature films to ads, TV shows and more. His credits can be found alongside some of cinema’s most notable and well-regarded directing talent - Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, Gore Verbinski, J.J Abrams, Patty Jenkins, Michael Mann and Zack Snyder, to name just a few.

In 2024 alone, he worked on commercials for Coca-Cola and the NFL, films like DC’s upcoming ‘Superman’, music videos for Travis Scott and Usher, and TV shows like ‘Dune Prophecy’. And despite holding a position at the helm of Company 3, this passion for his craft as a colourist has never subsided.

LBB’s Ben Conway sat down with Stefan to hear more about his approach to leading from within, the misunderstood elements of the job, and why he’s never doubted his skill.

LBB> What keeps you so hungry to be this hands-on, while you're also CEO at Company 3?

Stefan> [While] starting Company 3, running it and growing it, colour grading was always what I did. I actually don't know what a CEO does on their own, in our business, because I can do both. I'm not saying one's better than the other, I just don't understand how you can't [do both], because that's all I've ever done and I think they go hand in hand.

It's very efficient and better for the organisation, sort of like a sports player who's played a sport and then becomes a coach… They've been embedded in the business for a long time. I'm always in the thick of it, and I understand the issues that we face as artists, managers and everything in between, because I've just been living and breathing that for so long.

I started in the vault and driving, and worked my way up through every job in the business… I don't know what I would do if I just did one or the other.

LBB> Since founding Company 3, you’ve seen a lot of changes. It was part of Four Media, then Liberty Media, then Deluxe, and now it’s under the FC3 Group umbrella. You’re the one co-founder still there after the best part of 30 years - what’s kept it ‘Company 3’?

Stefan> What defines 'Company 3' is our dedication to artistic excellence, pushing the boundaries of creative technology, and prioritising our clients. We consistently deliver exceptional, unique service, innovative workflows, and cutting-edge technology. This commitment to pushing creative boundaries and achieving outstanding results has remained steadfast throughout our journey, even as the company has grown and adapted under various ownership structures.

It's tricky because the bigger you get, the more locations you have, the harder it is. And like you said, we've been through different iterations of ownership and strife within the ownership groups, so it's been tricky to maintain. But it's really important to be immersed in the business in every way, and I think that's the only way to do it -- which is why I think other companies have suffered.

LBB> You’ve said before that you prefer to produce work that’s a slightly weird take, or a heightened version of reality, as opposed to pure realism - why is that?

Stefan> I like both styles – I don't just do one or the other, but I am good at the funky stuff, which is a tricky thing to be good at. It's hard to be unique and different, but it's also a skill in and of itself to be cinematic and real.

What I meant when I said that was that I'm not the kind of guy who would spend five hours meticulously analysing the colour of a can or a box for a commercial. That's not my forte. While I appreciate the attention to detail that some have, my strengths lie elsewhere. I thrive on pushing boundaries, exploring the surreal, and finding unique ways to express ideas.

This is why I don't choose my projects, I’m not like that. I feel fortunate when anybody wants to work with me, so I try to do as many projects as I can for those people. I might be a little different from others in that regard, which is one of the reasons why I work so much.

LBB> Is there a desire to work with new people all the time?

Stefan> It’s not just new people. I love working with the same people, clients I've had forever. I like all kinds of different projects, clients and challenges. I try to make sure I can put all my effort into the project, whatever I do, so I never get into a situation where I can't spend the time. But I certainly make sure that I have the creative flexibility to do these jobs that I love – whether it's super cinematic or crazy funky.

LBB> What are some examples of these longer-term relationships that have been the most fruitful or exciting for you?

Stefan> DoPs, for instance, like Robert Elswit, Dan Mindel or John Schwartzman, who I’ve been working with forever. Or directors like Michael Bay, J. J. Abrams, Tony Scott and Michael Mann. Or new clients like Bradley Cooper and George Clooney – I've done a few movies with them both. In general, you typically tend to work with people you get along with and gravitate creatively towards. That's usually the bulk of the work I do.

But sometimes you work on new projects – I recently worked on the ‘Dune: Prophecy’ TV series and everybody's new [to me] except the post supervisor. I've worked on like 30 projects with [HBO post producer] Brian Carroll, and it's been fantastic every time we get in a room. We get along great and it's super fun. It's tricky and really amazing creative work, and it’s also with brand new people, but it's been great.

LBB> From an outsider's perspective, colour grading first appears a technical discipline, then reveals to be deceptively creative. But another aspect of the job is that sociability factor - connecting and collaborating with people. Do you feel that's often misunderstood?

Stefan> People don't realise how important it is to get along with your group of creatives. There are creative aspects and technical aspects, then there's interpreting what people say and putting it on the screen, and then there's the social interaction. Do you get along with a person? Can you sit in the room for hours, days or months with somebody? All of those things are really relevant, and if you don't have one or two of those, you're in trouble.

I've travelled a lot and done many things in my life, which brought a lot to the table, even when I was younger. Many directors in this industry are well-travelled, working across various countries, collaborating with diverse individuals, and exploring a wide range of stories and creative concepts. And so the more experienced you are, that helps in every way to bring something more to the job.

LBB> Coming through, were there any people – colourists or otherwise – who helped shape your approach to being in that room together?

Stefan> I have to say no. It was a very competitive market back in the day -- way different than it is today. This is why at Company 3, we are super supportive and we help new and younger people grow into their roles. But back in the day, nobody really wanted to help, so I felt very much alone. Which was fine, it just wasn't the same climate.

LBB> Why was it like that? Did it change on an industry level when DI came in?

Stefan> It was an inflection point in the business back then. There were lab colourists, who just dealt with lab stuff, and then there were these mostly engineering-type people who were dealing with colour grading from a technical standpoint, not necessarily an artistic standpoint. So everybody was sort of, ‘Hey, don't tell me how to do stuff!’ or [they] would just conform to the norm. Post supervisors and studios were also very set in their ways and set with the people that they traditionally worked with. So it was hard to break into.

[When DI came in] people weren't very receptive to that at all. People like Tony Scott and Zack Snyder were big proponents of it – I think I’ve worked on almost everything Zack has ever done – and with [other proponents] Michael Bay and J. J. [Abrams]. People like Tony would fight the studios to say, ‘No, I'm not working at this traditional place. I want to work with this dude’. Sometimes the studios didn't even know who we were, and they'd come to see if we were even a real shop. So it took a lot of effort, with a lot of pain and gain in the process.

I love that the industry is much more receptive to mentoring and training and stuff now, that's really cool. We try to play a large part in that.

LBB> What do those resources and programmes look like at Company 3 today?

Stefan> We have all sorts of training programmes, courses and internships. All of which are much more robust than ever before, and are being marketed to different, diverse groups now – not just the traditional pathways that used to be the norm.

We also grow from within and encourage people to train with us. And on my movies and projects, I’m always working in collaboration with somebody, because I'm trying to help them get more credits and work. They learn from me; I learn from them – it's a collaborative process, a team sport. You’ve got to have a great team and great coaches, and you’ve got to work together. When you don't, you can have the best people in the world and things can still go south.

LBB> What do you feel is impacting the craft of colour grading right now? Obviously, AI is the topic on everyone’s tongues – is that the driving force?

Stefan> Listen, AI is a tool that will probably, maybe, make us a little more efficient. But I think people have this misunderstanding. AI doesn't replace the high-end creativity in anything. It replaces repetitive tasks and things that are more mundane or mediocre, not the super creative stuff that people do. So you’ve got to remember that's what we do, that's our business. And there's such [room for] interpretation between what somebody says in the room and what we do, which can never be replaced. So I'm not afraid of that.

As a matter of fact, we’ve done a really deep dive into our business, just to make sure we're looking at it correctly. And I think we are. It's just going to be an enhancement at some point, and that’s it. But technology has enhanced greatly in everything we do, from day one, so this is just another part of it. I'm excited for what's to come and what has come already, and how we dealt with that, and how we’re dealing with this now. It's all exciting stuff.

LBB> With such a collaborative process, I’m always intrigued by how you know when a grade is done - is there an instinct to keep tweaking things?

Stefan> There are some people who do keep tweaking and are notorious for that. I think most of the time, it doesn't make it better - and that's with any trade; editing, sound, whatever. Sometimes having some space in between the job is also helpful. If you come back and you like it, that's a good indicator. But you don't always have the time to do that.

That's part of our job, too. People need to trust in your opinion and your judgment, and we help people with that. It's almost like hand-holding sometimes, and when somebody has what I call ‘separation anxiety’, everybody suffers from that. You’ve just got to help people through it.

LBB> Do many suffer with a drive for perfection?

Stefan> I don't think it's a drive for perfection, necessarily. Because what's perfect? Red, green, blue… Who’s to say it's perfect? They can think it's perfect, but that doesn't mean it's perfect – it's subjective. In this particular instance, it's more ‘separation anxiety’, or sometimes the [lack of] time is an issue too. But that's no fault of ours. You’ve just got to work with it.

LBB> Do you sometimes like the pressure, the constraints of that?

Stefan> I don't prefer that at all, no. I don't have any reason to get a client out of the room. I like having the time to do what we need to do. Sometimes, if you don't have the time, the client thinks it's you, as opposed to the real reason. You can get egg on your face when it's really not your fault. That’s frustrating. And again, when that happens, people get squirrely and they start blaming other people. It doesn't usually end well.

A lot of [the job] is your skill set in the room. Communication is key. But that's life in general – it's a big part of everything.

LBB> Do you remember the first project where you felt fully confident as a colourist?

Stefan> It was very early on. I'm very fortunate that I found something I'm good at. Luckily, I found it – I didn't think it would be this, so it's rare that that happens. I felt very comfortable very early on – not immediately – but I took a liking to it and within a couple of years of doing it, I felt pretty good.

LBB> Has that ever wavered since?

Stefan> No.

LBB> Never?

Stefan> No. I don't have any anxiety about my competency or creative skill set. Like I said, it's very subjective and you’re not always going to please everybody. I think I do a really good job and provide the best solutions, and I try to make the company react that way at all times too – to believe in what we do and say, and the artistry that we exhibit.

You can’t have too much insecurity about that stuff. Just do your best and then good things will happen, that’s how I look at it.