Daria Fissoun's Journey: From Writing the DaVinci Resolve Manual to AI Upscaling for SD Film Restoration

Color & Coffee Podcast

Introduction and Background [0:00]

• Daria Fissoun, a colorist, compositor, and certified DaVinci Resolve trainer, shares her professional journey.
• The host, Jason Bowdach, highlights Daria's extensive work, particularly on the DaVinci Resolve colorist guides, which he frequently references.
• Daria discusses her beverage choice, instant coffee, and her late start to drinking coffee, only beginning during her first visit to the US while working on the Blackmagic colorist guide.

Writing the DaVinci Resolve Manual [3:21]

• Unconventional Entry Point: Daria's involvement began unexpectedly after she started creating short DaVinci Resolve tutorials for her media college students due to a lack of existing online resources.
  • These YouTube tutorials gained traction, leading Blackmagic Design to invite her to a beta workshop.
  • She was initially asked to contribute just one chapter to the beginner's guide, then an intro chapter for the specialist color book, and gradually more sections, realizing four chapters in that she was writing the entire manual.
• "Scope Creep" and Restructuring: She identifies this progressive expansion of work as "scope creep," which, in this unique context, was beneficial as it allowed her to approach the project organically.
  • The full book took two years to complete, with Daria going back to restructure it for cohesiveness once she understood its full scope.
• Audience Considerations: A major challenge was accommodating a diverse audience, from absolute beginners to experienced professionals transitioning from other platforms.
  • The manual was structured into parts, each serving as a different professional starting point.
  • Part one, for instance, focuses on an archived, display-referred project, suitable for beginners uploading phone footage.
  • Later parts delve into more advanced concepts like XML workflows and image optics.
• Autonomy in Content Creation: Blackmagic Design provided authors with significant freedom, allowing Daria to determine the book's content, which she found surprising and empowering.
  • This approach is based on the philosophy that the trainers are the experts who should shape the curriculum.

YouTube Channel Evolution [9:47]

• "Goat's Eye View": Daria's original YouTube channel name was a playful combination of two film references:
  • Goats have horizontal pupils, giving them a wide field of vision, humorously likened to Cinemascope.
  • It's a play on "bird's eye view" and "worm's eye view," suggesting a mid-level perspective.
• Renaming to "DaVinci Master Key": The channel was rebranded for clarity, directly indicating its focus on DaVinci Resolve tutorials.

Blackmagic Training Philosophy [11:53]

• Live-Only Training: Blackmagic's official training classes are not recorded and are only available live.
  • This policy is partly due to the rapid development cycle of DaVinci Resolve, with new builds released approximately every 21 days, rendering recorded content quickly obsolete.
  • There's also an assumption that avoiding recorded content prevents potential miscommunication or misquotation regarding corporate marketing.
• Benefits of Live Training: The live format allows trainers to be fluid and adapt to software changes in real-time, even discovering new tool placements during a class.
• Challenges for Remote Learners: While this approach keeps content current, it poses difficulties for individuals living outside major post-production hubs like LA or London, who rely heavily on recorded resources.
  • Blackmagic, however, is praised for consistently updating its training alongside its software, unlike many companies that push updates without corresponding educational materials.

Professional Projects and Consulting [15:30]

• Balanced Workload: Daria splits her time evenly between training and practical client work, occasionally leaning more towards training when updating the manual.
• Consultation Work: She often consults with studios on pipeline setup and project workflow, advising on formats and processes based on client shooting and vendor software.
• Disney+ Feature Films (Post-Tech Engineer): Daria worked on two Disney+ biopics, "Safety" and "Rise," produced by Doug Jones.
  • "Safety" (Proof of Concept): The goal was to establish an entirely DaVinci Resolve workflow, from dailies and ingestion to editing, temp VFX, audio, and final deliverables.
    • This project was a proof of concept for large-scale DaVinci Resolve integration, coinciding with the introduction of collaborative server-level mode.
    • Daria was deeply involved, reporting daily to Blackmagic in Singapore, helping to identify and resolve bottlenecks.
    • Her work significantly contributed to changes seen in DaVinci Resolve 17 and current cloud workflows.
  • "Rise" (Full Blackmagic Production): Building on "Safety," "Rise" also used an end-to-end DaVinci Resolve workflow.
    • Additionally, the director chose Blackmagic cameras based on a blind test, making it a fully Blackmagic production.
    • This second feature, however, faced internal resistance from an assistant editor, leading to the project eventually being finished in Avid, despite much of it being done in Resolve.
  • Team Buy-in: Daria emphasizes the critical need for complete buy-in from all team members when transitioning to a new application like DaVinci Resolve on a large production.

AI Upscaling and Film Restoration [21:47]

• "Anaha" Project: Daria undertook a restoration project for a director's early 90s broadcast film ("Anaha"), originally shot in SD interlaced (likely BetaCam digitized to DV Cam).
  • The director wanted to upscale the film to 4K for archiving at the Hawaiian University.
• Learning Topaz AI: Daria initially declined due to lack of AI experience, but the client offered to buy the software (Topaz Video AI) and provide ample time for her to learn and experiment, which she considered ideal for a creative professional.
• Restoration Process:
  • Initial Color Correction: She used the baked-in color bars from the original tape to establish a display-referred color management, matching what 90s audiences would have seen on their TVs.
  • AI Upscaling: Topaz Video AI was used for de-interlacing and upscaling the footage to 4K, significantly enhancing detail.
  • Client Feedback Challenge: The director was initially surprised by the extreme detail, especially facial wrinkles, and requested a softer look more akin to the original footage.
  • Hybrid Approach: Daria created two AI presets in Topaz for different shot types (fast motion vs. human faces).
    • She then created two AI-upscaled versions of each clip.
    • Finally, she combined the best AI version with the original footage (super-scaled to 4K in DaVinci Resolve) to achieve a 50/50 blend, satisfying the client's desire for both detail and a familiar feel.
  • Artist Intervention: This process was not automated; it required extensive artistic intervention and shot-by-shot decision-making, highlighting the necessity of human skill in wielding AI tools.

AI's Role in Creative Industries [27:23]

• AI Utility vs. Replacement: Daria distinguishes between AI as utility tools that assist artists (e.g., DaVinci Resolve's Ultra NR, IntellyTrack, Magic Mask) and AI designed to replace human jobs.
• Human Control: She is optimistic about utility AI, emphasizing that these tools still require human expertise for proper implementation, quality control, and artistic direction.
• Wielding the Tool: AI is simply a tool that can be used effectively or ineffectively, underscoring that human skill and judgment remain paramount.

Future Endeavors [30:26]

• Daria is considering running her own workshops, focusing on film analysis and the historical etymology of film terms like "lift, gamma, gain."
• She plans to share details via a mailing list and remains active on Facebook and Instagram.