Technicolor Uses Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve for Color Grading on “The Fighter”

Blackmagic Design today announced that colorist Tony Dustin of Hollywood-based Technicolor used the DaVinci Resolve Linux non-linear color correction system for color grading work done on Paramount Pictures/Relativity Media’s critically acclaimed feature film “The Fighter,” directed by David O. Russell. The film stars actor/producer Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, and recent Golden Globe^® winners Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, and is currently in theaters nationwide.

Using the DaVinci Resolve system to give the film a rich, realistic look, Dustin worked alongside Russell, post production supervisor Christopher Kulikowski and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. Together, they created an atmosphere to illustrate the grittiness of the boxing gym and the authenticity of the Boston-area working class against the backdrop of Lowell, Massachusetts, while also capturing the intensity of the professional ring. “Russell wanted ‘The Fighter’ to feel as genuine and powerful as the original story, Dustin explained, “so we needed to make every shot look human, not processed.”

“The grading of this project had to be subtle, and the beauty of Resolve is that it can be as powerful or as delicate as you need it to be. I was able to use it as a surgical tool to bring the filmmakers’ vision to life.”

The Fighter:

Dicky Eklund (CHRISTIAN BALE) is a former boxing hero that squandered his talents and threw away his shot at greatness. Micky Ward (MARK WAHLBERG), his half brother, is the struggling journeyman boxer who spent his life living in his big brother’s shadow.

“The Fighter” is inspired by the true story of two brothers who, against all the odds, come together to train for a historic title bout that will unite their fractured family, redeem their pasts and, at last, give their hard-luck town what it’s been waiting for: pride. The story unfolds on the gritty, blue-collar streets of Lowell, Massachusetts, where Dicky was once known as “The Pride of Lowell” having gone the distance with the world champion Sugar Ray Leonard. However, after losing that fight, like the town of Lowell, Dicky’s fallen on hard times. His boxing days are behind him and his life has become shattered by drug abuse.

Younger brother Micky, meanwhile, has become the family’s fighter and fading hope for a champion. But despite all of his work, Micky’s career is failing and he loses fight after punishing fight. Dicky and Micky’s tougher-than-nails mother, Alice (MELISSA LEO), manages his career and Dicky serves as his highly unreliable trainer. When Micky’s latest fight nearly kills him, it looks like it could all be over – until his iron-willed new girlfriend, Charlene (AMY ADAMS), convinces him to do the unthinkable: split with his family, pursue his own interests and train without his increasingly volatile and criminal brother.

Now Micky has the chance of a lifetime as he earns a shot at the World Championship. But when his brother and dysfunctional family reenter his life, they must all reconcile their pasts and become more than just a family in name. With Micky and Dicky reunited, this becomes more than just a fight – it’s an all-out comeback for these brothers, their family, and their city. When it’s over, Micky will have become a champion, a hometown legend, and the new “Pride of Lowell”.

The Fighter is a moving and often humorous drama about fighting for the people you love.