Picture Shop and colorist Mitch Paulson have collaborated with Sony to develop the Signature LUT for the Venice 2 camera. Released in Version 5.00 or later, the new preset provides a balanced, neutral alternative to the s709 LUT, allowing cinematographers to utilize full sensor dynamic range during on-set monitoring.
Collaborating on the Signature LUT for Sony Venice 2
Picture Shop supervising colorist Mitch Paulson, an American Society of Cinematographers associate member whose credits include Blade Runner 2049, Skyfall, and 1923, joined forces with Sony’s cinema team to construct a versatile on-set monitoring preset. The development introduces an alternative look for professionals operating high-end digital equipment in testing and production environments.
They wanted to create an additional in-camera LUT that allowed filmmakers to leverage the sensor’s full dynamic range,
Paulson explained, noting that the resulting preset gives digital operators a reliable filmic alternative on set.
Balancing Contrast and Color Accuracy
Digital cinematographers relying on Sony professional cinema hardware turned to the pre-installed s709 look. While widely adopted, that legacy profile leans warm and carries heavier highlight contrast.
The newly engineered Signature LUT steps in as a neutral counterpart. It distributes balanced contrast and saturation across the frame, keeping color reproduction faithful while preserving edge details in deep shadows and bright highlights. Industry professionals transitioning from competing camera ecosystems often find standard manufacturer looks restrictive; this project aims to ease that friction by offering familiar, balanced color science straight out of the box.
The tool is integrated directly into the system firmware, requiring Venice 2 Version 5.00 or later to access the pre-installed preset during active shooting days.
Honoring Excellence at the 40th Annual ASC Awards
The technical rollout coincides with the broader industry celebrations managed by the honorary society. At the 40th annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards held in Los Angeles, top honors in the feature film category went to Michael Bauman for his work on One Battle After Another
(Warner Bros.).
The event, hosted at The Beverly Hilton and emceed by Kerri Kenney-Silver, brought together leading figures in visual storytelling just weeks before the Academy Awards. The feature film lineup aligned precisely with the Oscar cinematography nominees, featuring Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein (Netflix), Darius Khondji for Marty Supreme (A24), Michael Bauman for One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.), Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Sinners (Warner Bros.), and Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams (Netflix).
Guillermo del Toro Receives the Board of Governors Award
Director Guillermo del Toro accepted the prestigious Board of Governors Award during the ceremony, presented by Jason Reitman. The honor recognizes collaborators who champion directors of photography and elevate the visual craft at the heart of cinema.
Mandy Walker, the 48th president of the American Society of Cinematographers and the first woman to lead the century-old organization founded in 1919, praised the honoree’s distinct visual philosophy. Guillermo del Toro has reshaped modern cinema by treating the screen as a living canvas, painting worlds where beauty and terror share the same heartbeat,
Walker noted ahead of the event.
Accepting the honor, del Toro emphasized the deep professional bond between directors and camera operators while issuing a sharp critique of automated image generation tools.
“We live in a very, very dangerous moment in which we are being told that image is something you can get on an app that anyone can create, and I say fuck no.”
Guillermo del Toro, Director, via Variety
Television Triumphs and Industry Milestones
Television and streaming categories also saw heavy recognition during the evening. Adam Newport-Berra secured the half-hour series prize for The Studio (“The Oner”), while a tie occurred in the one-hour regular series episode category, with Alex Disenhof winning for Task (“Crossings”) and Christophe Nuyens taking home honors for Andor (“I Have Friends Everywhere”). Rodrigo Prieto secured his first ASC trophy in the music video category for Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.”
Lifetime achievement awards celebrated veteran talents across the guild. Robert Yeoman received the Lifetime Achievement Award, M. David Mullen earned the Career Achievement in Television Award, and American Cinematographer editor-in-chief Stephen Pizzello received the ASC Award of Distinction. Cynthia Pusheck was presented with the Presidents Award, using her speech to highlight the expanding representation of women across cinematography boards and active production sets worldwide.
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