Studio — June 1, 2025 — By Haad Bakshi
From Story to Shoot: How Incolour Builds a Production
Originally published . Updated .
This article retains its original publication date. The current version includes references to later productions; the dates of those additions were not recorded.
How creative choices shape the crew, locations and logistics of a production, with examples from Chadar and Doha Debates Toronto.
Threadbare · Photography: Marcus Gordon
A production plan starts with understanding what needs to happen on screen. The locations, crew, equipment and schedule need to support that idea. The work changes with each project.
Two Incolour productions show how different those requirements can be.
Building a world for Chadar
Chadar needed Ontario to stand in for 1950s Punjab. Locations in Caledon, production design, wardrobe and controlled framing worked together to create that setting. Day and night scenes were brought together within a single shoot day.
The location was one part of the solution. What appeared in the frame, and what stayed outside it, mattered just as much.
Supporting an international team in Toronto
For Doha Debates Toronto, Incolour provided local crew, equipment, transportation, logistics and production management. The role was to build the local support around the visiting production's requirements.
Start with what your project needs
These projects called for different kinds of support. One depended on creating a specific period and place. The other needed a coordinated local operation for an international program.
Tell us what you are making, the creative team already involved, your proposed dates and where you need production support. That gives us a useful starting point for the conversation.