LEGACY: A Colorist Course

by Daria Fissoun

Discover modern approaches to color best practices, based on understanding the historical development of our craft.

Sales Are Closed for This Course

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Sales Are Closed for This Course

• Get Notified about Future Workshops

Why Legacy?

Daria Teaching Color for Blackmagic Design at NAB, 2026

A few years ago, a student asked me why lift, gamma, and gain were called that. I took a deep breath, ready to answer, before realising I had no idea. I’d never been asked this question before, and I hadn’t thought to ask back when I was learning either. I promised I’d get back to him, but found no immediate resources that defined the terms during our short workshop break. Later that evening, I spent hours going down a rabbit hole, researching the long, intertwining histories of all three terms, the origins of which were as surprising as they were gratifying.Over a year later, I had an opportunity to write a dissertation on any post production topic of my choice. I picked color grading etymology. This allowed me to spend months (and now years) reading every primary and secondary resource I could find on the tools and workflows I’d been using for over 15 years.Beyond just understanding the meanings of these terms, I developed a deeper appreciation for their original intended usage, allowing me to more effectively utilize them in my workflows, as well as recognizing which practices were obsolete holdovers from times past.

Workshop Principles

But this workshop is not just a history lesson! It’s an exercise-driven, practical course that will take you through the process setting up, analyzing and color grading real projects, with greater intention and certainty than ever before. You won’t just be going through the motions - every step will be justified, giving you the insight and tools you need to develop your own grading workflow and style.You will discover:- Historical context is fundamental for understanding contemporary practices. Using primary sources and case studies, where possible, leads to greater knowledge of our creative field and more certainty in our workflows.
- Technical deep-dives lead to more intuitive grading operations. Understanding how our tools are built - both the analogue and digital - allows us to more effectively yield them. It’s not enough to know the how, you need to know the why.
- Creative color grading should be studied and practiced when developing a personal style. Coupled with a strong technical foundation, this type of analysis allows you to more confidently build your own grading workflow that feels intuitive and intentional.
- Practical lessons allow you to see all these principles in action, verifying when and how tools should be employed in real-life grading. The LEGACY workshop features 4 unique projects with 10+ timelines featuring short form, documentary and feature film scenes.

Developed and presented by Daria FissounSupported by Patrick Inhofer and Gedaly Guberek

While a deeper understanding of how and why to employ modern grading tools and practices is important, first-hand experience is another essential component in becoming a more effective colorist.This workshop is developed and presented by colorist and post production trainer, Daria Fissoun, and supported live by active industry practitioners Patrick Inhofer and Gedaly Guberek. As well as the contents of the curriculum, you will receive practical advice based on the trainers’ own industry experiences - in what circumstances are certain workflows ideal? When do certain tools fail? You’ll be able to harness their collective 65 years of industry experience to get a running start in your own grading career.

Workshop Breakdown

You can attend live or watch the recordings later!

Each day of the workshop will focus on a core concept, and cover a range of analogous topics. Subjects will flow naturally from one to the next, creating a strong understanding of their development over time, interconnection and application in current digital media industries. There will be many more items covered throughout the day than appear in these lists - such as film case studies, technical breakdowns, learning resources, and general tips and tricks.

Day 1 - Painting with LightThe first day will focus predominantly on understanding luminance and its many classifications, treatments and configurations. This will offer a strong foundation for correctly setting up media at the start of a project, creating dynamic contrast, and enhancing detail. Correct luminance handling leads to objectively better-looking and performing images, whether working in black-and-white or color.- Understanding Dynamic Range
- Color Management
- Transfer functions and DRTs
- Utilizing Waveforms
- Middle Grey
- Film Exposure
- Adding Contrast with Intention
- Creating Motivated Lighting
- Silver Retention
- Correcting Over / Under Exposure

Day 2 - The Golden AgeThe second day incorporates color into the principles covered on the first day and expands on them. By understanding early color film capture and display processes, you can ensure project colors are correctly mapped, shots are balanced and matched for scene continuity, and saturation satisfies both aesthetic and technical limits. With this foundation, you can start creating a blueprint for your own creative workflows.- History of Film Development
- Printer Lights
- Primaries Tools
- Color Correction and Balancing
- Advanced Matching
- CIE 1931 Chromaticity Diagram
- Correlated Color Temperature
- Saturation Considerations
- Photometric Behaviour in Digital Film
- Filmic Density
- Color Separation

Day 3 - Shaping RealityThe third day turns its attention to one of the most critical roles of the colorist - as a creative realizer of the cinematographer’s vision. By reading the frame and understanding its subject, you can employ a series of increasingly advanced secondary techniques to reveal, accentuate, or hide elements of a scene. It’s an opportunity to enhance the project’s core visual identity while guiding the audience’s eye.- Memory Colors
- Building Vector Nodes
- Vectorscopes
- Grading Skin
- Beauty Work
- Secondary Grading Methods
- Advanced Qualification
- Key Mixer
- Image Depth Mapping
- Working with Unconventional Lighting

Day 4 - Cinéma VéritéIn the final day, you will develop more dynamic looks while looking back at what made celluloid film so compelling. By understanding film’s physical and chemical properties, you are able to more accurately recreate it digitally, opening up another aesthetic dimension in visual storytelling. The session will also cover how looks can be retained for on-set and collaborative use, and how grading can be optimized for speed and visual quality.- Film Emulation
- Film Stock Properties
- Halation
- Bloom
- Grain
- Split Tone Looks
- Chromatic Aberration
- Creating Look Up Tables
- HALD Patterns
- Improving Grading Turnaround

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FAQs

Who is this workshop for?- Beginner/Intermediate colorists who want to feel more empowered in their grading decisions
- Cinematographer and editors looking for a firmer handle on the technical foundations of color
- Seasoned pros who want to rekindle what drew them to this work in the first place.The LEGACY workshop assumes you are familiar with DaVinci Resolve’s interface and have used it for at least 6 months.The course topics will range from the fundamentals of image processing to more advanced workflows and technical know-how. No knowledge will be assumed, making it an ideal course for beginner and intermediate user alike. Advanced practitioners are likely to learn a few new tricks and gain a deeper understanding of their established practices.What if I can't make it live or need to miss a day?That's ok! A recording of each day will be available that you can watch later.The training is designed to be experienced live, with the ability getting your questions answered by Daria or one of the other trainers. But we understand that you're busy so we'll make the recordings available shortly after each session.Do I need a Mixing Light Account or Membership?No, no membership is required. If you don't have an account, one will be created. With purchase, you will get access to LEGACY Spring 2026 as a stand-alone course on the Mixing Light platform. From that course, you'll find your Zoom join links and Asset download links, and you'll have ongoing access to the replays via the Mixing Light website.What if have a Mixing Light account but no active membership?If you have a Mixing Light account, sign in before purchase and this course will be attached to your existing account. If you've previously purchased any other Mixing Light course, the LEGACY course will be listed on the /my-courses/ page. You will have on-going, on-demand access form that point onward. An active membership is not required.What is the workshop duration?The workshop is delivered live over 2 weekends, with each day’s session spanning 4 hours. This amounts to 4 days (16 hours) of training.Will I need to follow along with the exercises?The pace and presentation of the curriculum is designed for you to be able to follow along in real time and learn through practical application. Ideally, you’ll have two screens for this - one for the workshop feed and another for the software.However, there is also much to be gained from treating the session as a watch-and-learn. This will allow you to more closely pay attention to the actions being performed in the UI, and to engage with the panelists and your fellow peers in the chat windows.You will have access to the recordings and practice media, so you can always follow along with that later too.Do I need specific software?This workshop is designed to build transferable skills, meaning you will be able to apply what you learned across different editing and grading applications. However, the grading structure will be heavily node-based and the accompanying project files will be DaVinci Resolve Archives (.dra), so DaVinci Resolve 21 is recommended.Though the Studio version is preferable, the free version of the software will also work. The LEGACY workshop does not heavily rely on Studio-only tools and will not require you to purchase plug-ins.How long will I have access to the workshop recordings?Forever! Attend live if you can, and then review and follow along with the practice projects whenever you'd like a refresher.Can I buy access to the recordings of this workshop after it is over?No. Recordings will only be available to those who purchase the tickets prior to the live workshop dates. Students will not be required to attend the live broadcasts, but they will have access to the recordings indefinitely.The reason we are not selling the workshop for later viewing is because this will be a ‘living’ course. Every iteration will be updated to reflect latest practices and software versions. If you are unable to purchase tickets for this course, we encourage you to sign up to our mailing list in order to be informed of upcoming cohorts.How Many Tickets Are Available?Seats will be limited 125 participants. This will allow for a more involved learning experience, where everyone can get their questions answered. Attendees will be able to chat with each other, the panelists, and reach Daria Fissoun directly if they have questions.Will there be a certificate?Yes, you will receive a certification upon course completion.

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What Daria's Students Say

Messages received from attendees of previous workshops run by Daria Fissoun:"Lots of info in there and I must say, one of the best presenters I've had the experience of learning from."Alex“A quick note to say how extraordinary Daria Fissoun is as an instructor. I've been in many certification classes (in addition to business and law school), and she has aplomb, engagement, and wit that make me look forward to the next day's webinar. Many people have subject matter expertise, but few can make very technical content as rewarding an adventure as she can.”Anonymous“If she was on a setting menu, she went through all the options and why you would choose them… her knowledge was limitless. You could tell she wasn't a boffin just running through a standard procedural training. She ACTUALLY knows how to expertly edit and color grade... I was very, very lucky to have completed three weeks of her training.”Johnny B“I really enjoyed the workshop with Daria Fissoun… she’s brilliant. I love her mix of academic insight and a “take my hand and learn with me” approach. She has a special gift for teaching complex technical concepts in a way that’s practical and clear. Everything she shared was immediately useful… I look forward to future workshops with her.”Maurice S“Her ability to answer complex questions from other students on the fly with immediate, correct solutions is an amazing show of proficiency. She is also in the top echelon of instructors because she shows how to solve problems together. Some can describe every button but Daria provides context for when to use what and she shows how to get out of difficult situations.”Terry K"As we reach this final session, I feel a genuine sense of regret that this journey is ending. Daria is an exceptional instructor. In an era of superficial tutorials, her profound, almost academic approach to the subject is truly inspiring. Her ability to explain complex technical concepts in such an accessible way is remarkable. As a non-native English speaker, I especially value her clear articulation and precise phrasing. Beyond her immense professionalism, Daria’s sense of humour and positive energy made every session a highlight of my week."Ruslan P“Daria, I just want to say that you’re by far the best at delivering sessions, explaining things clearly, keeping it interesting and relevant, and preparing materials. Thank you!”Rodrigo L