Taking Things to the Next Level with OkayStudio’s Fraser Twitchett

Fraser Twitchett has been an vital part of the growth of OkayStudio’s colour department over the last few years.

After honing his skills as a colour assistant, Fraser has now stepped up as junior colourist, bringing his expertise to campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, North Face, Cerave and Zalando and collaborating with companies such as Academy Films, Somesuch and Newland.

Alongside his commercial work, Fraser is known for his work on all of the ever popular YouTube series, 'Chicken Shop Date', where guests include Billie Eilish, Andrew Garfield and Paul Mescal.

LBB> What was your first experience with the world of colour grading – and when did you decide that being a colourist was a role that you wanted to pursue?

Fraser> It was at university studying editing that a friend of mine approached me asking me to grade a behind the scenes video he had shot. We worked through the night, albeit on Premiere as I couldn’t figure out how to conform it!

It was fascinating to be able to compare the grade I had done to the grade of the main film done by a professional colourist, and realise how much there was to learn, but from then on I had caught the bug and began to grade whatever I could get my hands on.

LBB> What was the project that you felt really changed your career?

Fraser> I’ve been very lucky to be able to work with some incredibly talented people so far, but a project that stands out to me was the music video for ‘New Sport’ by Rizzle Kicks, with Peter Famosa and Toby Leary. Shot beautifully on 16mm film, it gave me the freedom to push both colour and black-and-white looks, experimenting in a way that felt truly creative. It was a real team effort collaborating with Jacob, a junior editor at OkayStudio and a great way to round off last year.

LBB> Where did you hone your craft and did you have any particular mentors?

Fraser> I would say most of my learning came from practicing in down time, playing around with different techniques, and sitting in with colourists and observing their approach.

I learnt a lot from Ruth Wardell in the early stages of my career, whose approach to grading had a big positive impact on my creative development.

More recently, I’ve been soaking up as much wisdom as I can from Katie, Alex, Ana and Marina. I find it fascinating how everyone approaches grading slightly differently, picking up tips from each person and applying it to my own process. I’m incredibly fortunate that OkayStudio has never been short of helpful, talented mentors in the colour department.

LBB> Tell us more about your creative process - (e.g.when you get a project, how do you go about developing a look?)

Fraser> I like to have a bit of time before the session starts to get to know the footage, figuring out what works and what doesn’t, so we can hit the ground running when the creative team joins. I think it’s important to remain versatile in your approach, as each project often requires different tools and skills, so being open and malleable goes a long way.

LBB> How do you ensure that each colourist-director partnership is a success?

Fraser> I think building a mutual understanding as early on as possible in the process always helps. Colour is an incredibly subjective thing, so having visual references to accompany any verbal brief helps to decipher what’s being asked for. I enjoy sessions where I feel like I am able to suggest new ideas and play an active role in the creative direction of the look.

I think back to jobs where this was applicable, like the 'Craft Of Movement' series with Will Cornelius, where I was afforded the freedom to try things out and push the footage in a new direction. I believe it’s so important to create a relaxed environment in the suite where we can explore ideas together and not be afraid to experiment.

LBB> From experience, we’ve found that colourists often love art and photography - when you’re out of the studio, what inspires you?

Fraser> Like most, I gain a lot of inspiration from watching films and music videos. A big inspiration growing up was Lyrical Lemonade and Cole Bennett. For me, they played a huge part in a shift in the music video industry, showing what can be achieved on more modest budgets with up and coming artists at the time, to now; working with some of the biggest names of this era. Also, immersing myself in cinema is really inspiring and provides some escapism. From one dark room to another!

LBB> Colour grading is largely a digital affair, but there’s also been a resurgence of film over the past few years in commercials and music videos. What are your thoughts about working on film versus digital formats like 4K? And what are your favourite techniques for capturing a vintage or tactile feel?

Fraser> I think both mediums serve their purpose. In most cases, digital can be pushed further and moulded in different directions to suit the demands of a project. We’re often asked to emulate film with digital footage, which I think we can get pretty close with, but it takes some finessing. For me though, you really can’t beat working on the real thing. I think there’s something beautiful about leaning into the characteristics of a certain film stock, and not being too heavy handed so the image can speak for itself.

LBB> What advice would you give to budding colourists?

Fraser> There’s a lot of great colourists out there who are very generous with their time and knowledge, so don’t be afraid to reach out to people whose work you admire. I was lucky enough to have access to some great mentors and a real variety of projects to practice on while assisting, and could show my grades to them for feedback and advice, which I think really helped when it came to working on my own projects.

LBB> In your opinion, what's the difference between a good grade and a great grade?

Fraser> For me, a good grade is something that is consistent throughout and appropriate to the genre of the film. However, a great grade is something that heightens the impact of the piece, while remaining subtle and ideally unnoticeable.

LBB> What are your goals for the year ahead?

Fraser> Recently, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some incredibly talented creatives, at companies such as Somesuch, Iconoclast, and Blinkink. It feels like an exciting and busy period for myself at OkayStudio, so I’d love to keep up the momentum and take things to the next level. I hope to continue to collaborate with new directors and DOPs, as well as some familiar faces, on more meaningful and visually striking projects and see where it takes me.