“Robert Arnold is that rare collaborator: a technical wizard with the sensibility of an artist.”
— Jeffrey Friedman
Director - Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Pop
“Robert Arnold has colored nearly all of my films, including my short films like Hotel 22 and Mother's Day, and my first feature-length documentary, Stray. I love working with him. He's always been fast, efficient, and responsive. But more importantly, he's artful and adventurous in color. He's open to experimenting with new palettes and drawing from diverse references and yet knows when to exercise restraint. I can't recommend working with Robert as a colorist strongly enough. He's talented, professional, and great to work with — in person or remotely.”
— Elizabeth Lo
Director - Stray
“I had the pleasure of working with Robert in 2019 on the color of THE SEER & THE UNSEEN. He was an absolute joy to work with every step of the way! I was impressed by how he not only brought out the beauty and vibrance of color to the Icelandic landscapes of the film but also how he kept a deep and layered sense of how these color choices related to our story and characters. He is an incredibly knowledgeable, fast and thorough worker, and also a ton of fun to chat with! He also saved the day with a number of tech challenges we faced, troubleshooting some truly baffling issues with expertise. I was thrilled with my experience with Robert and feel lucky to consider him a friend. I look forward to working with him again!”
— Sara Dosa
Director - The Seer and the Unseen
“As a team of women filmmakers on our first feature documentary, we chose to work with Robert because of his client relationship skills and his talent. We spoke to a lot of different post houses, but we understood our film needed to be supported by a person who could patiently work with our team. Our director was a first-time director and as a producer, throughout the project, I made sure that her experience and comfort allowed her to have agency and voice. We spoke to many houses, and people with whom I had personal relationships, but after talking to Robert, I knew he was a good fit for our team. Robert made the space welcoming and his expertise guided us. He helped us troubleshoot our mountains of archival footage. He helped us deliberate and kept us on task. What a delight to work with! ”
— June Nho
Producer - Since I Been Down
“Robert is an incredible colorist and filmmaker who approaches color with story in mind. On every project we have done together, his keen eye and thoughtful questions opened up new possibilities to elevate the narrative, add mood, build tone, and solve problems. He’s a joy to work with too.”
- Kate McLean
Director - Freeland
“After working on my feature doc for five years, collaborating with Robert for the color and online in the final weeks of post was both a transformative process for the film and an emotionally-rich and satisfying experience for me. Robert's artistic and technical skills brought scenes to life and gave my film a cohesion that I hadn't even realized it needed. But his work exceeds that: Robert's attention to detail and commitment to my film's themes and storyline helped create a feeling that is hard to articulate - he "got the film" of course, but then took his understanding of the film and infused that into his painstaking, thorough work. Suffice to say, my film wouldn't have had the power it has today without his contribution.”
— Catharine Axley
Director - Attla
“Robert is a delight to work with! He’s colored two of our feature films, and many short films. He’s a talented colorist who elevates every scene he touches. Robert is also a magician—he has resurrected countless shots that we presumed were too blown out or underexposed. His treatment of archival is better than expensive post houses that offer overpriced solutions to making degraded 8mm or family VHS look like high art. A true friend to the indie filmmaker— Would highly recommend!”
— Jason Sussberg
Director - We Are As Gods
“I have worked with Robert on multiple projects and consider him to be one of my most treasured creative collaborators. This is not only because his technical skills are so outstanding and his work is so meticulous, but also because he brings a deeply empathetic and intuitive filmmaker’s sensibility to the work. Robert doesn’t just want to make the material look amazing - which he does - but he also wants the visuals to convey their fullest emotional and thematic resonance. There is deep artistry to what Robert does, and I don’t consider my work finished until I get to collaborate with him.”
— Jennifer Maytorena Taylor
Director - For the Love of Rutland
“There are several reasons why I chose Robert Arnold as the colorist on many of my documentary films. First and foremost, his knowledge of all matters technical is as strong as his highly attuned aesthetic sensibility. At the same time, he is open and curious about my thoughts and approaches to the material. Our discussions always feel collaborative and generative. Finally, he is cognizant of budgetary restraints and eager to help the project meet deadlines. Oh, and he always is patient when I need to go back in and make changes, and then more changes, followed by a few more “small tweaks.”
— Vivian Kleiman
Director - No Straight Lines