Who is John Daro?
I'm John Daro, a seasoned Lead Digital Intermediate (DI) colorist with years of experience working at Warner Post Production Creative Services. I've had the privilege of bringing my color expertise to major feature films, television shows, commercials, and music videos. My passion lies in helping fellow artists unlock the power of color to elevate their visual storytelling.
John Daro is a local 700 colorist who has helped create and polish the look of over a hundred feature films over the last two decades. "Space Jam: A New Legacy," "P!nk: All I Know So Far," "Contagion," and the “Sea Beast” are some good examples that showcase the range of talents that he can bring to a project. His home base is on the lot in Burbank at Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Daro was born in Los Angeles in 1982, the best year for cinema in his opinion. He began his career at Fotokem’s film lab in 2001 and worked his way up to become a senior colorist in 2005. He has worked on a wide variety of films and television shows, including Laika’s "The Boxtrolls," Steven Soderbergh’s "Behind the Candelabra," and Allen Hughes’ "Dear Mama"
Daro is known for his work on both live-action and animated films. He has a keen eye for color, and he is able to create stunning visuals that enhance the storytelling. He is also a skilled technician, and he is able to use the latest technology to create the perfect look for each project.
John is a respected member of the post-production community, and he has been nominated for several awards. He is a talented colorist who has made significant contributions to the film industry.
In 2013, Daro was recognized for his work with an HPA nomination for Outstanding Color Grading on Behind the Candelabra .
In 2015, he was again awarded an HPA Outstanding Color Grading nomination for his work on The Boxtrolls.
John became a member of the Visual Effects Society in May of 2016.
After 17 years with the FotoKem team, Daro transitioned to Warner Bros where he continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in post-production.
In 2018, John joined the Motion Picture Editors Guild and was the first “Finishing Colorist” to do so.
In 2019, Daro created a technique using machine vision to auto-segment images into mattes that can be used for color grading or stereoscopic conversion.
In 2020, building on his AI model, John invented MatchGrader, a process where an image is artistically color-graded based on a given reference image.
Created in 2021, Daro was a founding member and officer of the Colorists Society Hollywood.
In late 2021, the inaugural FilmLight Color Awards recognized his work with a nomination for Tom and Jerry.
After successfully leveraging his AI uprez tech on many features and special venue projects, in 2023 John refreshed his code and renamed the process SamurAI. The software adds the right amount of detail back to the image based on the quality of the input.
He continues to push the boundaries of where creativity and technology overlap with the use of Filmlight's Baselight and BMD's DaVinci Resolve platforms. Available in Burbank, New York, and London or remotely worldwide.
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Happy to discuss your upcoming projects.