SCENE 01 / LOOK DEVELOPMENT
Look Development in Saudi Arabia
Creative visual style development and LUT creation for distinctive cinematic aesthetics that define your production's unique identity.
Look development sets the visual style and color of a production. It happens before principal photography starts. We test cameras, lenses, lighting, and LUTs. From these tests, look development builds reference images and tech specs. These guide the whole production toward one unified look.
We support look development from the start. We set up camera tests and LUT creation. We bring your cinematographer and colorist together. Our team books testing spaces and tech gear. This makes sure your visual look is set, logged, and ready. It guides steady image capture from day one.
Capabilities
Visual Style Development Excellence
Create distinctive visual aesthetics through comprehensive look development, custom LUT design, and detailed style guides.
01
Creative Design
Unique visuals that give your production its identity and lift your storytelling.
Distinctive
02
LUT Creation
Custom look-up tables for on-set monitoring and post-production workflows.
Technical
03
Style Guides
Full style guides that keep the look the same across all phases.
Consistent
04
Workflow Integration
Seamless look management from production through final delivery.
Seamless
Creative Services
Technical Deliverables
Our Look Development Process
We follow a collaborative creative process that ensures your visual vision is fully realized and documented for consistent implementation.
Creative Discovery
We talk through your vision. We gather references. We study your footage to learn the look goals.
Look Exploration
We build many look options on key scenes. We show the variants for your review and notes.
Refinement
We refine the chosen direction. We perfect the look and build all the tech files.
Implementation
We hand over LUTs, style guides, and records. They drop right into production and post.
Why Us
Why Choose Our Look Development
01.
Creative Vision
Fresh look design that lifts your visual storytelling.
02.
Color Science
Deep tech know-how in color workflow design.
03.
Collaborative Process
Close teamwork with filmmakers at each step.
04.
Complete Solutions
We manage the look from first idea to final delivery.
On Location
On-set LUT design and look development across AlUla, NEOM, Riyadh, and Jeddah — ACES IDT/ODT setup, DIT cart integration with Pomfort Livegrade, monitoring LUTs for Cooke and Zeiss anamorphic packages, finishing partnerships with ARRI Rental.
We pair shoots with senior colorists for pre-production look development sessions. These run at MBC Studios Riyadh, Pixomondo Riyadh's LED Volume facility, and Image Production House Dubai for Saudi-Emirati cross-border work. Look dev starts with reference grading on plate stills or pre-light footage. From there we build a project LUT and ASC CDL packs. These ship to set with the DIT cart, running Pomfort Livegrade or Colorfront On-Set Dailies. For AlUla and NEOM features, look dev mostly plans for three looks. We cover magic-hour sandstone gold, midday high-contrast desert sun with heavy ND ratings, and blue-hour cool rim light from the AlUla cliffs. We build a separate LUT for each lighting setup. This lets DPs dial coverage with ease across long shoot days. ACES color management is standard. Each camera gets its own IDT, covering Alexa LogC4, RED IPP2, Sony S-Log3, and Canon Cinema RAW Light. We apply a creative LMT as the project look. We then build ODT outputs for Rec.709 client review, P3 D65 theatrical, and Rec.2020 PQ Dolby Vision when streaming HDR is the target.
Saudi Arabia's look-development heritage tracks the fast post-2018 rise of global features wrapping at AlUla and NEOM. Kandahar (2023, Gerard Butler), Desert Warrior (2024, Anthony Mackie), Cherry (Apple TV+, partial AlUla), and Hellraiser 2022 plates all needed look dev. Each one planned for global finishing at ARRI Rental London, Goldcrest, or Firm 3. We hand off CDL data, project LUTs, and reference frames in a clean ACES Common Lookup Format pack. Domestic narrative work has shaped a distinctive Saudi look. It blends warm Riyadh courtyard tones with calm skin-tone palettes. You see it in Telfaz11's Sattar (2022), Haifaa al-Mansour's Wadjda (2012) and The Perfect Candidate (2019), and Shahad Ameen's Scales. NEOM XR Lab Unreal Engine 5 shoots need LED Volume look dev of their own. The ICVFX color science accounts for Sony Crystal LED panel gamut and DCI-P3 reproduction inside Unreal. We deliver final look LUTs in 33-cube DCI-compatible .cube format. Each one bakes in Dolby Vision LMT, HDR10+ trim metadata, and a Rec.709 fallback at finishing. We bill in SAR, add 15% VAT, and work a Sunday-Thursday week.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
When should we start look development?
Ideally during pre-production. Early look development lets you use tracking LUTs on set. It keeps your dailies steady. It aligns all departments on the visual direction. However, we can also build looks during post-prod if needed.
What do you need to create a look?
We work best with a few things. Send sample footage from your camera tests or early production. Add visual references such as films, photographs, and artwork. Share mood boards and your creative goals. The more we know about your story and vision, the better we serve your project.
How do LUTs work in production?
We create tracking LUTs for camera feeds and dailies. These give all on set a preview of the planned look. We tune the tech LUTs for each display type and viewing setup. They keep the full dynamic range in your RAW footage.
Can you match a specific film or reference look?
We can study and rebuild the look traits from your references. We craft our own take rather than exact copies. Our goal is to learn what draws you to those references. Then we build a distinctive look for your own story and footage.
Related Services
Productions in Saudi Arabia that need this often pair it with Color Correction Services, Color Grading Services, and Online Conform & QC Services for full coverage. Most projects also draw on Narrative & Documentary Editing and Foley Recording Services.
On Set
Ready to Define Your Visual Style?
Let's create distinctive looks that make your production unforgettable.