Liu Mo, the lead colorist at Mogo Film Labs, utilized Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve Studio for grading the Chinese science fiction television series “Three-Body.” The show, directed by Yang Lei and starring Zhang Luyi, Yu Hewei, Chen Jin, Wang Ziwen, and Li Xiaoran, is based on Liu Cixin’s novel “The Three-Body Problem.”
Challenges in Achieving the Director's Vision
The series spans modern times and the 1970s, requiring distinct color grading for each era. Liu collaborated closely with director Yang Lei from pre-production to ensure the visual style aligned with Yang’s creative vision. “Yang Lei has a clear idea of what he wants for his work before shooting,” said Liu. “He is also knowledgeable about technical details and knows which scenes can be shot on site, which scenes will get different results with the help of color grading, and which ones cannot be achieved with color grading.”
Techniques for Era-Specific Looks
Liu focused on creating a modern, digital feel for contemporary scenes while aiming for a nostalgic, filmic look for 1970s sequences. For the Red Coast base, Liu worked with director Yang to design special lighting that contributed to the dreamy atmosphere of the location.
Character and Scene Grading
The colorist highlighted the importance of understanding characters and scenes to achieve the right mood. “You have to delve into the story and each character,” Liu explained. “It’s easy to make an image look good visually, but it would be meaningless if you didn’t consider the mood the story needs.”
For example, in Shen Yufei’s home scene, adjustments were made to the environment, characters, and natural colors to set the tone. In scenes from the Three-Body Game, Liu converted EXR files provided by the VFX team to gamma 2.4 in DaVinci Resolve Studio for grading.
Handling Visual Effects
The “Operation Guzheng” scene, filmed in China but set in the Panama Canal, required enhancing visual credibility. Liu used high contrast to emphasize direct sunlight and applied a yellowish green look with Resolve’s RGB Mixer to reflect tropical vegetation.
Tools Utilized
Liu praised DaVinci Resolve Studio for its ACES color management, which facilitated consistent grading across the series’ numerous shots. He also appreciated features like Colorspace Transform and curves for greater control over contrast and tonality.