Darin has worked on some of the biggest blockbuster movies such as The Revenant, Fifty Shades of Grey, Guardians of the Galaxy and many more.
 

Who is Darin Wooldridge you and what is your story?

My name is Darin Wooldridge, husband to my amazing wife, father of three wonderful kids. To afford all that, I’m professional finishing colorist. Not a hair color guy. A digital colorist for the entertainment industry. With the help of practical photography and very powerful computers the colorist helps keep you, the viewer, in the story.  On occasion, we help drive it with color.
 
I help by adding and/or controlling the light on every frame of a feature film, trailer, TV show, music video I have the pleasure of working on. With the guidance and vision of the creative team, I give each scene special care to induce the mood intended by the director and or studio. Adding or removing, color, contrast, saturation, and light to the whole image and when needed on specific areas of the frame.

By doing this I can bring the eye to an intended focal point for the story, or help hide something or someone in the shot that was not intended to be seen, a boom mic, shadow, crew member. etc. I am a finishing colorist, bringing the final touches to the movies and TV shows. 

I began my career in 1989 at Laser Edit Spectra Image in the tape vault. I was promoted from the tape vault to manager then tape operator and Laser Disk Mastering. I continued to climb from there holding various positions including, Digital Duplication, Standards Conversions, Feature Mastering Assistant, Dailies Colorist, and HD Mastering Colorist.    

For the last 20 years, I’ve been a Finishing Colorist, working on Feature Color Finishing, Feature HD Mastering, Broadcast Color finishing, Music Videos, Commercials, Trailers.    

I still love my job.

What is your relationship to shortcuts?

Shortcuts, very important in my field. We repeat tasks to the point we wear out specific keys. It is imperative for efficiency to have shortcuts in your toolbox. 

What do you think about the keyboard?

Working in a dark room, I need a backlit keyboard. This one is loaded with info for my tool of choice, DaVinci Resolve. So far, I’m loving it. Great feeling, and it evens comes with a washable protection cover to keep it looking fresh.   

How did the keyboard help your workflow – and did it speed up your work?

The Astra resolve keyboard has helped me discover shortcuts I had yet to use, or didn’t think I would benefit from.  One example is the printer lights. I am using this function more recently, just because it's laid out on the keyboard. I still prefer panels but now have a simple tool when a dp calls out printer point adjustments. Once you gain the memory and speed you won’t need to look at the keyboard, until then I’m finding it’s a huge help.

What are you working on now, and what projects are you most proud of?

I’m currently working on two independant features, a psychological thriller “You’re not alone”. Directed by Eduardo Rodriguez. And a Drama "Snap Shots" Directed by Melanie Myron. Remastering of “The Hunt for Red October" in HDR.  

I love working on independent films, I’m most proud of a one I did last year. A low budget film, “Kicks” directed by Justin Tipping's. Cinematographer Michael Ragen. It won best cinematography and the Tribeca film festival in 2016. 

I did another feature recently worth mentioning. A feature called “Nathan's Kingdom” Cinematographer, Pete Villani. Directed by Olicer J. Muñoz. A very talented upcoming director, touching a topic close to my heart.
I also enjoyed the marvel films, when we finish them… lol.  Avengers, Captain American, Thor, Ant Man, Guardians of the galaxy 1 & 2...

Would you recommend your keyboard to your colleagues?

I recommend it for the seasoned pro or the home resolve user. Great tool, great feeling keyboard loaded with all the required features to get the job done.