Adding Effects & Color Grading

Enhancing the Visual Style of Shaam

After completing the main edits, I moved on to the final layer of visual refinement, effects and color grading. This stage was essential in bringing Shaam to life, enhancing the mood, and ensuring the film looked as cinematic as possible.

The Importance of Color in Shaam

Since Shaam is a psychological drama, I knew that color grading would play a crucial role in setting the tone. The right contrast, saturation, and lighting adjustments could subtly reinforce themes of guilt, memory, and isolation. But, there was a challenge. Some night shots had exposure issues due to lighting problems during filming, making them grainy and less sharp. Color grading became not just an artistic choice but a technical necessity to fix these problems while keeping the film’s raw, gritty aesthetic.

Step 1: Color Correction & Achieving a Cinematic Look

Before diving into stylistic choices, I had to correct the footage to achieve a balanced and cinematic base.

What I Adjusted:

Contrast – Increased slightly to create depth in the shots.

Saturation – Kept muted but not too desaturated, maintaining a moody yet realistic feel.

Shadows & Highlights – Adjusted to ensure key details were visible, especially in dimly lit scenes.

The goal was to make the film feel cohesive, so every shot blended seamlessly into the next without drastic color variations.

Step 2: Fixing Exposure Issues in the Night Shots

During filming, I faced major challenges with night scenes, the lack of proper lighting led to grainy footage and poorly exposed details.

To fix this problem I first started by using the noise reduction tool in Adobe Premiere Pro to remove the graininess caused by lack of light, it helped but it still didn't look too promising. So I then brightened the shadows without overexposing highlights and also adjusted the color temperature to give the night shots a slightly cooler tone, msking them look more intentional and not badly lit.

The goal was to make the darkness feel eerie, not just underexposed. Instead of struggling to see details, the audience should feel immersed in the unsettling stillness of the night. (but as I'm not a pro at editing, you might still have to struggle to see the details)

Adding effects and color correction completely transformed the film’s atmosphere. It wasn’t just about making the shots look good, it was about making sure the visuals reflected the emotions, themes, and psychological tension of the story.

With these adjustments, Shaam now feels like the film I envisioned. haunting, immersive, and emotionally raw.