Diego Yhama, CSI is a Colombian colorist and founder of Bogota post-production boutique, Estudio Roco. The company provides color grading and other services for film, television and advertising, including projects for NatGeo, Discovery Channel, Discovery Home and Health, and The Fox Channel. It has also post-produced several music videos for Colombian pop star Carlos Vives.
Estudio Roco’s mission is to provide high quality color service to Colombia’s small but growing production industry. “We work on content that we enjoy and needs a little love,” Yhama explains. “We combine art and technology to deliver projects that look great and tell great stories.”
Yhama, who is also a DaVinci Resolve Master Trainer, recently launched Coloristas Hispanos, a podcast focused on colorists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has conducted entertaining and insightful interviews with colorists from Argentina, Mexico and Spain. In a new episode scheduled for March 23, Yhama’s guest will be Argentinean colorist Luisa Cavanagh, whose credits include Argentina, 1985, a 2023 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film.
The purpose of the podcast is to garner recognition for talented Spanish-speaking colorists and to inspire others who would like to follow in their footsteps. “We all need heroes,” Yhama insists. “In South America, we’re familiar with top colorists in the United States, but what about local heroes? I think it’s also important to have a podcast focused on colorists in Spanish, because many people don’t speak English. We’re making it possible for aspiring artists to communicate with role models in their own language.”
Yhama produces Coloristas Hispanos in conjunction with Intek TV, a reseller of Blackmagic Design broadcast and film technologies in South America. Bi-monthly episodes are streamed live allowing viewers to submit questions directly to the participants. Past episodes can be viewed on the Intek TV YouTube channel.
Yhama hopes that Colorista Hispanos can contribute in a small way to the growth of the post-production industry in South America, and especially Colombia. Traditionally, his country has imported much of its film and television content from the United States and Mexico, but that is slowly changing. “Not so long ago, a monitor suitable for color grading cost $10,000 or more, now you can get a very good reference monitor for $2,000 or even $1,000,” he says. “One good thing that came out of the pandemic was that it encouraged people to communicate remotely. We attended virtual events and learned about new technologies. We began to realize, hey, we can be a part of this. We’re not so far away.”
About the Colorist Society
Colorist Society (CSI) is the first professional society devoted exclusively to furthering and honoring the professional achievements of colorists. It is an educational and cultural resource to the colorist community, the entertainment industry and the public. Membership is open to professional colorists, DITs, telecine operators, color timers, finishers, restoration artists and color scientists. CSI hosts regular meetings as chapters worldwide. It also is a regular participant in industry trade shows and other events. The organization is currently planning an awards competition to honor outstanding achievement to the art and science of color grading.
