Color Assistant

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions**):

Responsibilities:

We are looking for a skilled Color Assistant to support our finishing team on the swing shift. This role is critical to ensuring a seamless workflow between colorists, editorial, and operations during afternoon and evening hours, including theatrical finishing sessions. Unlike an apprentice role tied to a single colorist, this position serves the entire color team, assisting across multiple projects—including theatrical releases—and ensuring that work moves efficiently through the post-production pipeline.

This is a flexible-location role—some days will be spent in Burbank, others in Hollywood, based on project needs.

Key Responsibilities:

Project preparation & media management

• Set up and organize projects for color sessions.
• Ingest, conform, and manage media, ensuring all assets are ready before grading sessions.
• Track and apply editorial updates as they come in.
• Perform color tracing across timelines and projects to verify accuracy, and flag any assets delivered in an incorrect color space for correction with production.
• Prepare color suites ahead of scheduled session start (typically 15+ minutes prior) and verify project integrity and playback performance before client arrival.

Rendering & quality control (QC/QA)

• Render final graded content and review outputs against the colorist’s timeline for accuracy and consistency.
• Check for technical or visual errors, ensuring deliverables meet quality standards.
• Set up fixes for any issues flagged in QC, as coordinated by production or the client.
• Label and organize all rendered elements according to project naming conventions.
• Alert production immediately if delivery timelines or cutoffs are at risk.

Technical setup & support

• Route video signals and set up calibrated monitors for accurate color reproduction.
• Ensure all technical systems are functioning properly before color sessions.
• Report machine downtime or technical issues to production and engineering immediately, logging tickets through Freshdesk as needed.
• Liaise with engineering when technical troubleshooting is needed.

Theatrical finishing support

• Support theatrical finishing sessions with working knowledge of DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) specifications and theatrical EDR (Extended Dynamic Range) workflows.
• Assist with shooting and calibrating theaters using CR (colorimeter) and/or PR (photometer/spectroradiometer) probes.
• Help prepare and QC theatrical deliverables, including DCP-related color and technical checks.
• Support sessions with high-end filmmakers and director clients, maintaining a professional, detail-oriented presence in the theater and on the client-facing side of the workflow.

Collaboration & workflow management

• Collaborate with the workflow department and imaging science team to determine proper color pipelines for each project.
• Work with clients as needed to ensure workflow paths align with final deliverable requirements.
• Protect and prepare final assets for studio archives to ensure long-term preservation.
• Work closely with online editors, operations, deliverables, and producers to ensure a smooth workflow from edit to color and back.
• Send out streaming session invites and coordinate with clients as needed.
• Monitor and maintain workflow efficiency to avoid bottlenecks.
• Log completed tasks accurately and submit them promptly to support billing and project tracking.

Session handoff & communication

• Capture and maintain hero stills across timelines.
• Provide clear handoff notes to the incoming shift and production team for any ongoing projects at the end of each shift.
• Keep production informed of prep status, session progress, and any issues that could impact sessions, schedules, or deliveries.

Light color work & VFX integration

• Perform basic color correction when checking VFX drop-ins, color tracing, and QC fixes.
• Ensure VFX elements are properly integrated within the final color timeline.

Required Skills:

• 2+ years of experience in a post-production color or editorial support role.
• Strong understanding of color workflows, video formats, and deliverables.
• Knowledge of color spaces, color-managed workflows, and LUT/CDL application is a must.
• Knowledge of DCI specifications and theatrical EDR mastering workflows.
• Experience shooting theaters with CR and/or PR probes for theatrical calibration and QC.
• Comfortable working with high-end filmmaker clients in a theatrical finishing environment.
• Experience with color grading software (e.g., DaVinci Resolve, Baselight, or similar).
• Familiarity with editorial workflows and conforming techniques, including offline editing and file-based workflows.
• Basic knowledge of HDR and Dolby Vision workflows.
• Knowledge of digital capture cameras and camera files.
• Familiarity with mobile storage devices and formats.
• Avid and/or Final Cut Pro experience a plus.
• Experience with a task-based or work-order system.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong organizational and communication skills, with an ability to teach and support others.

Preferred Skills:

• Must be flexible with scheduling based on production deadlines, including theatrical delivery timelines.
• Must be able to work occasional overtime, weekends, and variable shifts as needed.

Qualifications:

Education: 

• High School education or equivalent required.
• BA/BS in applicable field preferred.

Picture Shop is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

$32 to $36 hourly