Digital Colorist - Alice Syrakvash | Etienne de Crecy “Smile”
Digital colorist based in Paris, specializing in color grading for film, video, and digital content. Bringing stories to life through precise color correction and creative grading techniques tailored to your vision.
digital сolorist, digital сolorist Paris,
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Etienne de Crecy “Smile”

About This Project

Director : Etienne de Crecy
Production : Kiss & Kill
VFX : Maël Gaumont

Tasks and Artistic Solutions in Color Grading  – “Smile”
Colorist: Alice Syrokvash.

Key Objectives

The color grading work aimed to achieve the following:

  • seamlessly integrate VFX compositing (by Maël Gaumont) with live‑action footage;
  • establish a cohesive color narrative that captures the essence of urban environments;
  • maintain exposure balance between dynamic scenes and Asher Roth’s rap segments;
  • reinforce the track’s positive, «smile‑driven» concept through vibrant, uplifting color grading.

Artistic Concept: The City as a Rhythm

The urban imagery is conceived as a gentle musical pulse — a postmodern mosaic of city life, subtly referencing the aesthetic of Pulp Fiction. Despite this energetic undercurrent, the color palette remains restrained: pastel tones serve as the foundation.

Why Pastels: Semantic and Psychological Emphases

Pastel hues are not chosen arbitrarily — they shape the entire narrative on multiple levels.

Emotional Tone

  • evoke a sense of calm and relaxation;
  • reduce visual stress — low color saturation gently stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (unlike bright tones, which trigger the «fight‑or‑flight» response);
  • foster an atmosphere of trust and lightness, resonating with the track’s mood.

 

Cultural Associations

echo the Japanese wabi‑sabi aesthetic: soft sakura hues evoke the fleeting nature of moments and the beauty of imperfection;

allude to the universal symbol of spring — a time of renewal and gentle beginnings.

Minimalist Aesthetic

in an age of information overload, the pastel palette acts as «eye anesthesia» — it clears the frame, leaving room to breathe;

emphasizes clean lines and compositional clarity without overwhelming the viewer;

embodies the idea of returning to basics: simplicity of form paired with depth of meaning.

Final Vision: Balance and Harmony

The selected tones embody a delicate balance:
-between softness and depth;

-between simplicity and sophistication;

-between the raw reality of the street and the artistic abstraction of VFX.

Through color grading, Alice Syrokvash communicates:

a quest for harmony and tranquility;

a sense of naturalness and openness;

space for the viewer’s personal associations, while preserving a unified stylistic code.

Thus, color becomes not merely a design tool but an autonomous narrative — a quiet yet expressive voice within the video.

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Category
Feature film, Music video

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