Sydney-based colorist Ferg Rotherham used
Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve Studio to grade
Dangerous Animals, a terrifying look at a serial killer who uses sharks as weapons. To help capture the right look and feel for the mixed genre film, Rotherham relied on a number of DaVinci Resolve Studio’s AI features, including InteliTrack and Magic Mask.
Dangerous Animals is a 2025 survival horror film directed by Sean Byrne and starring Jai Courtney, Hassie Harrison and Ella Newton. Focusing on a shark obsessed serial killer and a surfer that he kidnaps, the film brings together two of the great horror film genres: shark attacks and serial killers.
While both film genres share much of the same energy and dark visuals, Dangerous Animals needed to look and feel unique, not only because of the mix of genres, but also because much of the action and horror takes place on the beautiful sunny ocean near Australia’s Gold Coast.
Rotherham explained how he approached preparing to work on the film: “We approached the grade to mirror the psychological tension and tonal shifts of the film’s narrative, starting with a deceptive calm, moving into unease and ultimately descending into chaos. Each look was driven by narrative purpose, designed to support the tension, stakes and shifting power dynamics.
“We began by establishing the look for the below deck environment where Jai Courtney's character holds his captives. The creative vision was intentionally grungy, dirty, oppressive and designed to evoke an immediate sense of unease. To achieve this, we enhanced the natural shape and shadows in the on set lighting and introduced a green cyan tint in the grade. This resulted in a moody, desaturated palette that reinforced the gritty, claustrophobic and imprisoned atmosphere of the setting.”
With nighttime scenes requiring the separation between below deck and the moonlit ocean, Rotherham used DaVinci Resolve Studio to add a classic teal and orange palette. Daytime scenes were created with a crisp and bright look to lull the audience into a false sense of security.
Throughout the grade, Rotherham relied on DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Magic Mask to recognize and track the movement of unique objects and IntelliTrack to analyze and track motion. Both are part of the software’s extensive set of AI features.
“Whether it was tracking faces for nuanced exposure shifts, isolating skin tones or handling complicated lighting transitions, these AI driven tools offered a level of precision and speed that really elevated the grading process. I’ve come to value IntelliTrack. It consistently delivered smooth, efficient results, allowing us to isolate elements cleanly without breaking the flow of the session,” he noted.
Rotherham explained how he used DaVinci Resolve Studio to create a flexible and efficient workflow throughout post: “Technically, we began grading in HDR and later finalized in P3. From the outset, we designed a workflow within DaVinci Resolve that allowed us to seamlessly move between HDR and P3 deliverables. This ensured the integrity of the grade remained consistent across formats, with the same creative intent preserved whether viewed in high dynamic range or theatrical projection.
“This Resolve based workflow meant we could focus on the finer creative details without being bogged down by technical constraints, whether it was pushing contrast in the underwater sequences, preserving natural highlights in the daytime scenes, or finessing the color separation during night shoots on deck. We could do quick turnarounds on feedback, had a smooth iterative process and could maintain momentum throughout the grade. And we also used Resolve to complete VFX shots in the final stages of the grade by better integrating elements so the completed shots settled nicely into the scenes.”
About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984.
Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia.