We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrew Såulf, CSI a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Andrew, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
I have Bipolar disorder and ADHD. This makes it difficult to finish projects, stay focused enough to be efficient during the day and to deal with clients regularly who make critiques on my creative work. Number one, you have to accept the reality of this disorder and find the correct medication mixture that works for you and to stick to taking it religiously. Being inconsistent or stopping the meds does more harm than good. I often hear the retort from people who should be on medication, “I don’t feel myself on them” or “I can’t be creative on them”. My reply to that would be, “What makes you think “yourself” was a person without the medication and how effective, kind or productive are you without them?” Finding yourself after being fully medicated and on the other end of therapy is the most rewarding and empowering feeling. Through trial and error, once my physiatrist and I found the perfect mixture of meds, we went through some psychotherapy that helped be unlearn bad habits that developed as a result of untreated mental health. This is also a really important component. For me, I thought the way I thought, felt and conducted myself before even knowing I was bi-polar was a reflection of my character and as soon as I learned that all of that was because of a disorder out of my control, I felt so relieved and empowered. I no-longer felt like a slave to my emotions and that is what has empowered me to persist despite my mental health diagnosis: knowledge. Equipping yourself with objective, scientific facts is incredibly empowering and when you take it as seriously and as pragmatically as you would a broken bone, your life can really improve.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Colorists are involved in the very final phases of post-production. After a film’s edit is locked, the final cut is sent to the Colorist. Colorists use coloring software to manipulate the chroma (color) and luminescence (brightness) of footage in order to create the specific look and palette the director and DP have decided on. We are specialists in color design and the manipulation of motion pictures in post-production. We can connect with storylines and have a sense for dramaturgy. We also know about film production workflows and the processes of the departments involved, e.g. production design, costume and makeup.
Film and TV dramas are usually shot on digital cameras in a raw format, which means the information about the color is captured in the data but can’t be seen until the color is applied. When colorists receive the files in the edit, they stylize the color in line with the vision of the director and director of photography. We match the shots, balancing color saturation and luminance so no one shot stands out in the sequence and we also offer creative solutions to picture-related problems. For example, under or over exposed images, or provide day for night corrections.
My company, Seawolf Post, handles color and finishing for films, tv and streaming shows and commercials. On top of coloring a film I often will be doing some VFX compositing or CGI work as well as creating deliverables for theaters and streaming services. We are currently in the middle of construction of our screening room facility in the heart of the downtown LA Arts District and should be open later this fall. It will welcome clients to test their films for theatrical distribution, color their projects and enjoy a laid back and secure environment to be creative during the last moments of production.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Balance. It is really easy for me to hyperfocus towards work or play and to enjoy longevity in every aspect of my life I have had to make myself take breaks and segment my day more to different activities rather than 19 hours of work, then sleep.
2. Vigilance. Never assume you are in a position professionally where you no longer have to look for new clients or opportunities. I make bids for new projects every single day and even though I stay busy, that can change at any moment; case in point, the current strikes in Hollywood.
3. Empathy, Being able to pause and put yourself in someone else’s shoes is tantamount to success in anything. It is so easy to react to criticism with self-defense but it doesn’t lead to growth.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
My favorite book is Les Misérables. One of the central themes is of selflessness and empathy. After being treated with immense kindness, Jean Valjean goes on to make many selfless sacrifices and those who encounter him are empowered to do the same. In repeatedly risking his life for others, he becomes increasingly free and aware of his own dignity. At the end he no longer defines himself by the past but instead builds an identity that prevents him from succumbing to lies and from becoming the monster Javert accuses him of being. Ultimately, it saves Jean and it saves his community. From that I learned that true humanity at its core is innately good and that the most powerful and important traits are empathy and kindness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.seawolfpost.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seawolfpost/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seawolfpost/
