Film Career · Post-Production
Colorist
Post-Production · IATSE Local 700 (colorists)
- Union
- IATSE Local 700
- Day rate
- ~$800–$2,500/day
- Experience
- 0–2 yrs
What does a Colorist do?
The colorist grades the finished picture, balancing every shot and shaping the final look with the director of photography. Modern grading is powerful enough to relight scenes within limits, and the colorist's suite is where the movie gets its final visual polish. Editors Guild jurisdiction commonly covers the craft.
What does a Colorist make?
- About $3,000-$7,500 a week, or $800-$2,500 a day for senior feature colorists, roughly $100K-$300K+ a year.
- Top facility and name-talent colorists command the premium; facility staff versus freelance splits the range.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
Government wage data
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the closest federal occupation.
On the job
- Balance every shot for consistent exposure and color across scenes
- Build the final look with the DP and director, from naturalism to heavy stylization
- Manage color pipelines, LUTs, and deliverable standards across formats
- Execute fixes: skies, skin, mismatched cameras, and continuity errors
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You know color-grading tools and how image pipelines work
- You have a precise, trained eye for tone and contrast
Soft skills
- You have the patience to sit with a single shot for hours
- You collaborate calmly with directors and DPs
Career progression
The route runs through post facilities: media operator or color assistant, then junior colorist grading dailies, then senior colorist with commercial and feature clients. Dailies grading is the traditional proving ground because it builds speed and a relationship with the DP's intent.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Production Assistant· 0-2 yrs
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Coloristyou are here· craft peak
~$100K–$300K+/yr
How do you become a Colorist?
Learn DaVinci Resolve to a professional level; it is the industry standard and free to start. Then get into a post house in any operator role and volunteer for every color-adjacent task. A reel of graded work, even spec regrades, opens doors that certificates do not.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 700 (colorists) contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.