SCENE 01 / LOOK DEVELOPMENT
Look Development
Creative visual style development and LUT creation for distinctive cinematic aesthetics that define your production's unique identity.
Look development establishes the visual style and color aesthetic of a production before principal photography begins. Through testing with cameras, lenses, lighting, and LUTs, look development creates reference images and technical specifications that guide the entire production toward a unified visual identity.
We support look development by coordinating camera tests, LUT creation, and collaboration between your cinematographer and colorist. Our team arranges testing facilities and technical resources to ensure your production's visual look is defined, documented, and ready to guide consistent image capture from day one.
Capabilities
Visual Style Development Excellence
Create distinctive visual aesthetics through comprehensive look development, custom LUT design, and detailed style guides.
01
Creative Design
Unique visual aesthetics that define your production's identity and enhance storytelling.
Distinctive
02
LUT Creation
Custom look-up tables for on-set monitoring and post-production workflows.
Technical
03
Style Guides
Comprehensive documentation ensuring consistent implementation across all phases.
Consistent
04
Workflow Integration
Seamless look management from production through final delivery.
Seamless
Creative Services
Technical Deliverables
Our Look Development Process
We follow a collaborative creative process that ensures your visual vision is fully realized and documented for consistent implementation.
Creative Discovery
We discuss your vision, gather references, and analyze your footage to understand the aesthetic goals.
Look Exploration
We develop multiple look options on key scenes, presenting variations for your review and feedback.
Refinement
We refine the chosen direction, perfecting the look and creating all technical deliverables.
Implementation
We deliver LUTs, style guides, and documentation for seamless production and post integration.
Why Us
Why Choose Our Look Development
01.
Creative Vision
Innovative aesthetic design that elevates visual storytelling.
02.
Color Science
Advanced technical expertise in color workflow design.
03.
Collaborative Process
Close partnership with filmmakers throughout development.
04.
Complete Solutions
End-to-end look management from concept to delivery.
On Location
Look development on ARRI ALEXA Look Library + Resolve and Baselight
Here is how this works in practice. Our look-development workflow operates on ARRI's proprietary tooling alongside the global colorist standard. ARRI Media Munich (the wholly-owned post operation) keeps the ARRI ALEXA Look Library, ALF (ARRI Look File) format, and LogC color science used on every ARRIRAW-shot production worldwide. Look creators build show LUTs in DaVinci Resolve Studio (Black Magic Design) and Baselight (FilmLight) at top houses. This includes pomfort Silverstack Munich (the German DIT software now standard worldwide) ingesting daily ARRIRAW or RED R3D mezzanines from Codex Capture Drives.
Here is the short of it. ACES color pipelines anchor global co-productions. Reference monitoring runs on Sony BVM-HX310 or Flanders Scientific XM310K mastered to DCI-P3 cinema gamut for theatrical-target shows and Rec.2020 HDR for streaming-first masters (Dolby Vision for Apple TV+ DE and Netflix DE, HDR10+ for Amazon Prime Video DE, HLG for ARD/ZDF broadcast). We pair show LUTs with on-set monitoring LUTs delivered to DITs and DPs via Pomfort LiveGrade, supporting Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Köln (MMC Studios), Frankfurt, and Bavarian Alps shoots. Contracting follows D-A-CH market norms at 19% MwSt VAT with the standard 40-hour Monday-to-Friday week and KSK Künstlersozialkasse coverage where applicable.
Here is the breakdown. Look-development heritage in Germany runs directly through ARRI's century-long camera-and-lens dominance (ARRI was founded 1917 in Munich) and the cinematographer bench it has cultivated — James Friend BSC won Best Cinematography 2022 for All Quiet on the Western Front (Berger 2022 — four Academy Awards including Best Global Feature), Florian Hoffmeister DP earned a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination 2023 for Tár (Todd Field 2022 — Berlin Philharmonic centerpiece), and Hagen Bogdanski shot The Lives of Others (Donnersmarck 2006 Best Foreign Language Oscar).
Here is what that looks like on the ground. The signature Studio Babelsberg Potsdam (UFA founding studio since 1912 — Lang's Metropolis 1927 UNESCO Memory of the World, M 1931) has hosted Inglourious Basterds (Tarantino 2009), Cloud Atlas (Tykwer + Wachowskis 2012), Bridge of Spies (Spielberg 2015), and Queen's Gambit (Netflix 2020 — each with distinct, deliberately developed looks). Streaming flagships Babylon Berlin (Tykwer 2017+ — Germany's most expensive TV series ever) and Dark (Netflix 2017-2020) developed deep show-LUT bibles. Festival exhibition targets Berlinale (one of the Big Three festivals worldwide, 500K+ admissions), Filmfest München, DOK Leipzig (oldest documentary festival, founded 1955), and the German Film Awards (Lola statuette since 1951).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
When should we start look development?
Ideally during pre-production. Early look development allows you to use monitoring LUTs on set, ensure consistent dailies, and align all departments on the visual direction. However, we can also develop looks during post-production if needed.
What do you need to create a look?
We work best with sample footage from your camera tests or early production, visual references (films, photographs, artwork), mood boards, and a discussion of your creative goals. The more context we have about your story and vision, the better we can serve your project.
How do LUTs work in production?
We create monitoring LUTs that can be applied to camera feeds and dailies, giving everyone on set a preview of the intended look. These technical LUTs are optimized for different display types and viewing conditions while preserving full dynamic range in your RAW footage.
Can you match a specific film or reference look?
We can analyze and recreate aesthetic qualities from references, though we develop unique interpretations rather than exact copies. Our goal is to understand what you respond to in references and create a distinctive look that serves your specific story and footage.
Related Services
Productions in Germany that need this often pair it with Color Correction Services, Color Grading Services, and Online Conform & QC Services for full coverage. Most projects also draw on Narrative & Documentary Editing and Foley Recording Services.
On Set
Ready to Define Your Visual Style?
Let's create distinctive looks that make your production unforgettable.