At the heart of every global feature film is a complex post-production workflow, and Lefter—a major Netflix feature film produced by Ark Productions and TAFF Pictures was no exception. I’m proud to have personally delivered the colour grade and finishing for this ambitious project.

Lefter was a remarkable collaboration between Türkiye and Australia, showcasing the power of remote post-production and the creative flexibility required for a modern, high-VFX workflow.

As the Senior Colourist (Hootan Haghshenas CSI), I led the colour and finishing effort for Lefter. The film was a VFX-heavy feature with more than 900 visual effects shots, making precision, consistency, and a robust colour management pipeline absolutely critical throughout the entire process.

A Global Workflow Built for Creative Control

The film’s post-production was executed through a fully remote pipeline designed for both artistic control and technical accuracy.

I personally oversaw the HDR Dolby Vision master grade and SDR trim pass, ensuring perfect tone mapping across multiple delivery formats and devices—a non-negotiable step for a global streaming release.

The workflow integrated the industry’s best tools:

• DaVinci Resolve Studio as the primary grading and finishing platform.

• Colorfront’s advanced colour management tools for metadata handling, reference review, and calibration accuracy.

• Netflix Content Hub as the secure online cloud storage and delivery backbone.

• Collaboration with Imaj Post Production (Istanbul) for final IMF assembly and QC delivery.

This cross-continental effort demonstrated the efficiency of combining my personal expertise with a global infrastructure, providing the creative freedom the director needed while meeting Netflix’s stringent delivery specifications.

The Look: Designing the Visual Identity of Lefter

From the start, the creative brief demanded a cinematic realism grounded in emotion, blending stylized lighting with natural textures.

Working closely with the DOP Jean Paul Seresin, I developed a custom show LUT and look pipeline early in the process. My goal was to preserve the original on-set intent while enhancing the film’s visual atmosphere.

My look development process included:

• ACEScct workflow for consistent scene-referred grading and precise VFX integration.

• Dynamic contrast mapping to retain detail across HDR highlights and deep shadows.

• Targeted colour separation to differentiate environments and emotional tones.

• Custom grain and halation passes to introduce subtle filmic depth, particularly in dramatic sequences.

Each sequence was graded with careful attention to skin tone integrity, highlight texture, and environmental continuity—ensuring that despite extensive compositing and CG augmentation, the final image remained organic and immersive.

Managing 900+ VFX Shots

With over 900 VFX shots, maintaining a seamless visual flow between live-action and composited scenes was essential.

My team and I used versioned EXRs and graded references to keep communication fluid between colour, VFX, and finishing teams across time zones.

We established regular HDR/SDR review sessions held via calibrated remote monitors, allowing the director and cinematographer to sign off on key sequences in near real-time. This agile workflow was crucial in reducing review cycles and maintaining visual consistency across all delivery formats.

Final Delivery and Dolby Vision Pass

The master grade was completed in HDR Dolby Vision, utilizing Netflix’s internal QC parameters and metadata mapping standards.

Following HDR approval, I executed an SDR trim pass to ensure the same emotional impact and luminance balance would translate perfectly to standard dynamic range displays.

The final IMF package was assembled and quality-checked at Imaj Post Production in Istanbul, marking the culmination of a truly international post-production effort.

My Reflection on the Project

“Lefter was one of those projects that truly tested every aspect of remote collaboration—from VFX integration to HDR delivery. What made it profoundly rewarding was the synergy between creative teams across different countries. The look of the film evolved through constant visual dialogue, and that’s a testament to the power of a globally connected post-production approach.”

— Hootan Haghshenas CSI