WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.—I remember the moment well—I was color restoring a classic motion picture when I paused to get a cup of coffee. My junior colorist, who was new to the business, asked me, “what if there was a fire and you could only grab one thing in your color suite. What would you save?”
No hesitation. I pointed to my Flanders CM250 grading monitor. “Why that?” he asked. “Why not something else, like the control surface?” “Because,” I answered, “my grading monitor is the heart of what I do. And this one is gold.”
The CM250 is a 24.5-inch multiformat OLED grading monitorPROVEN TRACK RECORD
For years I have only worked on, and with, Flanders Scientific grading monitors. My long association with Flanders began when I apprenticed as a colorist in a shop that used a Flanders LM-2461W. The senior colorist who taught me the craft explained that he trusted Flanders because of its color critical evaluation. It had great uniformity for virtually any signal format and also had a wide gamut 10-bit panel and the best white uniformity and off-axis performance.
The senior taught me to grade using scopes, then reference the grade with the grading monitor, and finally, confirm with my eyes. If any of those three is out of sync, he used to tell me, your color will be off. That’s how critical a grading monitor is to any color suite.
We colorists are a breed apart. We love what we do because it’s our passion. And of course, we enjoy our toys: the software apps, control panels, scopes, and so on. It’s all necessary to help us make the projects we work on look the best they can be.
But the grading monitor? For me, it’s mission critical.
When I finally became senior colorist I had an opportunity to recommend the LM-2461W to my new employer. In fact, I helped build the color suite around the monitor.
NEXT GENERATION
The LM-2461W is no longer in production, so when we built a second color suite I called a few of my fellow colorists who suggested I take a look at the Flanders CM240. It has many of the broadcast basics we have come to depend on: a Blue Only mode, monochrome mode, markers, safety areas, H/V delay, and tally lights. But it was the Flanders tradition of color accuracy that sold me; my eyes were convinced.
When it came time to start my own color grading business I talked at length with the Flanders team. There was only one choice. The CM250, the flagship monitor in the CM series, is a 24.5-inch multiformat OLED with lots of advanced features including 16 selectable scopes, focus assist, timecode display, and more. The monitor’s live side-by-side viewing is killer and is accessible from any input and across mixed formats.
It is stated quite prominently on my Website why I trust Flanders Scientific: nothing but the best will do.
My business motto is six words: color correction, color grading, color perfect. That might as well describe the quality, dependability, and tradition of Flanders Scientific.
Flanders is a name I trust. And have for years.
Jim Wicks is a recognized and well-respected colorist. His work is seen in movies, on Blu-ray, television, and the web. Jim can be contacted atjim@jimwicks.com.
For more information, visitwww.flandersscientific.comor call 678-835-4934.
