Chris Layhe(I)
- Editorial Department
- Editor
- Sound Department
I've been in the film and video business for over three decades now - initially in London, UK and then in the USA. For the past 13 years my home and studio have been in Santa Cruz, in the South San Francisco Bay. I work as a Director and DP, a Producer and Editor, and a Colorist and specialize in digital cinema documentary production and post production, with a strong emphasis on building and telling stories. I also head up the full production company CLAi, lecture on the production elements of digital film making and consult on feature film post-production.
Technically I have a reputation as a good guy to talk to about RED and Arri production and post. Nine years ago, when I bought my first RED camera, Charley Ward (my DIT) and myself were forced to create a post-production workflow from scratch as one didn't exist. This led to the discovery of RED digital film colorist work, which led on to Arri work, and film color grading has become as big a part of my project vocabulary as editing now...
I seem to have a natural talent for fine film color grading and creating looks, and so color correction is an area which grows in importance each year for me (along with finished or online editing, audio finishing and mastering - all of which are part of our post-production finishing package). 2016 saw my election into the very select Colorist Society International for film and entertainment industry colorists - an amazing honor that I value as much or more than our many other awards.
About 35% of my work has been documentary based feature films and short or episodic pieces, 20% narrative pieces, and the other 45% split between corporate videos, no-profits and work for the Arts. But every year is a fresh start, and every year that company percentage changes - as does my personal split between producing and directing, DP and cinematographer work, and editing, color grading and the other parts of the post-production process. Life is good...
Technically I have a reputation as a good guy to talk to about RED and Arri production and post. Nine years ago, when I bought my first RED camera, Charley Ward (my DIT) and myself were forced to create a post-production workflow from scratch as one didn't exist. This led to the discovery of RED digital film colorist work, which led on to Arri work, and film color grading has become as big a part of my project vocabulary as editing now...
I seem to have a natural talent for fine film color grading and creating looks, and so color correction is an area which grows in importance each year for me (along with finished or online editing, audio finishing and mastering - all of which are part of our post-production finishing package). 2016 saw my election into the very select Colorist Society International for film and entertainment industry colorists - an amazing honor that I value as much or more than our many other awards.
About 35% of my work has been documentary based feature films and short or episodic pieces, 20% narrative pieces, and the other 45% split between corporate videos, no-profits and work for the Arts. But every year is a fresh start, and every year that company percentage changes - as does my personal split between producing and directing, DP and cinematographer work, and editing, color grading and the other parts of the post-production process. Life is good...
