FilmLight Colour Awards 2024: Jury Insight with Élodie Ichter

Élodie Ichter combines an artist’s eye with a passion for creative collaboration and a deep technical understanding of post-production workflows. Born and raised in France, Élodie studied cinema at the École Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle (ESRA) in Paris and then began her career at post house Éclair in Paris, where she gained experience in photochemical finishing and film scanning. Her career path then took her to London and Los Angeles before New York, where she continues to reside. 

As a colourist, she has worked with such renowned filmmakers as directors Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Chloé Zhao, and Ben Affleck and cinematographers Robert Richardson, ASC, Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC, Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC, and Joshua James Richards.

Q> You are a judge for the 2024 FilmLight Colour Awards. What are you looking for in entries this year?

Élodie> Colour grading is a collaborative process. You work from the creation of another person’s work: the director, director of photography, set designer, costume designer and so on. 

While judging the FilmLight Colour Awards, I’ll be looking for the colourist’s grade to have an understanding of this initial work – the lighting choices and the narrative. It is not about making it ‘look good’, it’s about adding to the story that’s being told.

Q> Do you think it’s important for colourists to be recognised in awards like these?

Élodie> It is important to be recognised in awards, as it brings visibility to our work and the work of the colourist. It can also help with connections to other colourists as well as wider contacts in the industry. I think it is important, but it shouldn’t be a goal. 

Q> You’ve worked on many varied formats (feature, episodic, music video, commercials, etc.). What are the biggest changes you have seen in the world of colour grading recently?

Élodie> The biggest change, at least for me, was going from a theatrical P3 pass as the master, to a monitor pass with the HDR being the master. Your master pass is where you set the look and the way you review the master pass definitely has an influence.

Q> Any advice for aspiring young colourists?

Élodie> My advice would be to focus on truly understanding the image and the intentions. I like to think that there is no right or wrong, as long as it is intended and coherent with the project. 

The rest is a matter of taste. Technically, you could be right or wrong and you do have to understand a few things, but that is not what makes a good colourist.

Q> What’s your career highlight to date and why? 

Élodie> Probably working on Nomadland (2020). I say this because it’s kind of incredible to have been part of a movie that won the Oscar for the Best Motion Picture of the year, and so many more. The colour grading process was also fabulous and I learned a lot about how to approach an image.

Q> What are you working on now?

Élodie> I am working on an indie feature called Dreams in Nightmares directed by Shatara Michelle Ford and shot by Ludovica Isidori. Also, I prepped and supervised the dailies for a TV show called Grostesquerie, which is currently shooting. It’s directed by Max Winkler, Alexis Woodall and Ryan Murphy. It’s shot by Carolina Costa and Blake McClure. I will do the finishing this summer. It is all very exciting for me.