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Senior Colorist Vincent Taylor has brought his extensive experience in the grading suite, his background and training as a cinematographer and his far-flung cultural perspectives to the New York office of the Moving Picture Company

The move reunites Taylor with MPC, as he spent three years leading the color department in its studio in Shanghai prior to moving to New York.

Taylor’s introduction to the grading suite was part happenstance. After working behind the camera for a decade as a cinematographer in Australia, he pitched in to shoot a short film that was a personal project for some friends. When it came time to grade it, the post facility they were working out of asked him if he would consider crossing over from production to that of telecine and the art of color grading.

“I said yes and have never looked back. I love it,” he recalls of the experience. “It was the continued crafting of the image that drew me in, which is of course exactly what you do once you're in the color suite. I found that DPs and directors really appreciated my background; I’d been on set and had extensive lighting experience. So I fell into color quite naturally.

“First and foremost, I’m a storyteller,” he adds about his approach to color. “I studied to be a director, but it was lighting and cinematography that attracted me. And in that respect, people often don’t fully appreciate how color can be part of the storytelling, regardless of whether you’re working in comedy or drama or documentary. I’m always asking questions about the story, about what we’re trying to say. Needless to say, directors and DPs love the approach to color from this perspective.”

Currently Taylor’s color grading is on display in visually-stimulating commercials spanning genres, techniques, categories, and disciplines, from comedy to fashion to automotive to food and beverage. In Shanghai, for example, Taylor worked on Airbnb’s introductory TVC launch in China and led color for major campaigns including Bentley, BMW, Coca Cola, Sky TV, Mercedes, L’Oréal and Johnnie Walker. He’s also worked extensively in the music video space, recently grading clips for artists such as Lil Nas X. Most recently, he was Head of Color at Chimney in New York.

Commenting on his return to MPC, Taylor says he feels as though he never left: “I’ve continued to follow the work that’s being done there, and many of my friends are still with MPC around the globe,” he points out. “I think the quality of the work they’re doing is always attractive to an artist, especially if you’re looking to continually grow, and that’s certainly something I’ve always aimed to do.”

One of his reasons for rejoining MPC was a desire to work on high-end advertising assignments, but also to return to his love of long-form. He’s worked extensively in long-form genres in the past, including feature films, episodic TV series and movies, documentaries and music videos. At Chimney, his work was a mix of long-form and advertising assignments, both of which are areas of keen interest for him. Indeed, MPC New York’s increased amount of long-form work, coupled with its’ strong position in the advertising marketplace, made his move there all that more appealing.

“We’re excited to welcome Vincent back, and look forward to keeping him busy with a diverse range of projects,” says Angela Lupo, Managing Director of the New York studio. “As a senior colorist with a true creative voice and a passion for his craft, we’re eager to see the results of his collaboration with our artists, clients, and partners in all aspects of our business.”

For Taylor, being back in the Moving Picture Company fold offers a number of benefits. “The brand stands for reliability, experience, and dedication to the moving image,” he observes. “It also offers a backdrop of consistent research and development to support a rapidly expanding landscape of technology and media alternatives.

“I touched on professional growth before, and ultimately that’s a constant goal for me,” Taylor continues. “To be surrounded by the high caliber of staff at MPC, not just in New York but globally, is what brought me to this company in the first place. There’s so much great creative work being done at MPC in the US right now, in both commercials and long-form, and I really want to be a part of that.”

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