Colorist /Editor

Project Case Study: Caronte (2021)
Roles: Lead Editor & Senior Colorist (as well as Director)
Format: Documentary Film (80 minutes) Project Overview

Caronte is an 80-minute documentary film that explores the complex reality and atmosphere of the Strait of Messina. Developed and shot over the course of nearly five years, the project required a rigorous approach during post-production to transform a vast amount of observational footage into a cohesive and visually powerful cinematic narrative. On this project, I personally oversaw the entire post-production workflow, from offline editing to the final color grading. The Art of Editing: Synthesis and Narrative RhythmThe main challenge in editing Caronte was to craft 80 minutes of fluid storytelling from nearly five years of field footage. Narrative Structure: I worked to capture the intrinsic rhythm of the Strait of Messina, alternating moments of high emotional intensity with reflective pauses, allowing the landscape and the silences to “speak” just as much as the protagonists. Invisible Editing: I adopted an invisible approach to editing, favoring the strategic use of J-cuts and L-cuts to make the transitions organic, ensuring that the viewer remained immersed in the film’s atmosphere at all times without ever perceiving the temporal fragmentation of the footage.

Color Grading: Unifying Time and Space. From a visual standpoint, filming over five years means dealing with an endless variety of lighting conditions, sensors, and lenses. My goal in the color suite, working entirely in DaVinci Resolve Studio, was to create a strong and unmistakable visual identity. Look Development & Cinematic Feel: I developed a look capable of highlighting the raw beauty of the seascape, while maintaining deep contrast and a faithful, natural rendering of skin tones. The aesthetic had to support the emotional weight of the story, without ever veering into an “artificial” or overly filtered look. Shot Matching and Continuity: I devoted extreme care to shot-by-shot balancing (shot matching). Despite the time jumps between shots, color grading acted as the glue, ensuring flawless visual continuity throughout the entire 80 minutes. Technical Precision: The entire post-production process was carried out in a rigorously calibrated environment using Eizo reference monitors, ensuring full compliance with the Rec.709 color space for perfect rendering on any projection or broadcasting platform.