APT., the collaboration between ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, has been a global hit, topping the Billboard Global 200 and streaming charts. The music video co-directed by Daniel Ramos and Bruno Mars, was graded by Picture Shop’s Senior Colorist Walter Volpatto in Los Angeles using Da Vinci Resolve .
The music video features ROSÉ and Bruno Mars in a garage-band inspired setting, alternately taking the lead on vocals and drums, both dressed in matching black leather jackets against a notable pink backdrop.
In the initial stages, Volpatto and Cinematographer Todd Banhazl ASC, explored using a "scan-back" process to capture the authentic characteristics of film, inspired by the vibrant tone of APT. However, due to tight timelines, it was no longer possible. Instead, Volpatto and Banhazl drew on their prior experience with film emulation to recreate those film qualities, harmonizing the visuals with the energy of the song.
Volpatto collaborated with Banhazl throughout the grading process and worked on aligning the grade with the lighting. “Todd (Banhazl) brought fun lighting to the set and that was for the most part the intent, on my side the main goal was to ensure that the two stars (ROSÉ and Bruno Mars) where always in the pristine light and that their skin tone was consistent during changes of light due to dancing and movements.” said Volpatto.
Volpatto also focused on maintaining color consistency for the costumes and their textures, ensuring the artists stood out during their interactions in scenes.
Overall, for Volpatto, the most rewarding part of grading the chart-topping music video was recreating the film-like aesthetic. “Achieving the film look match is always fun to do,” said Volpatto. “The final grade added a cinematic feel that matched the lively tone of the video and global appeal of the song.” Picture Shop provides global expertise in color grading, delivering industry-leading post production for music videos and advertising, in addition to features, episodic, and unscripted.