{"id":1186797,"date":"2026-01-27T13:46:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T18:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/?p=1186797"},"modified":"2026-01-28T14:43:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:43:51","slug":"how-a24s-eternity-uses-color-to-make-love-feel-alive-and-why-colorist-david-tomiaks-work-is-the-films-secret-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/erinwhitten\/2026\/01\/how-a24s-eternity-uses-color-to-make-love-feel-alive-and-why-colorist-david-tomiaks-work-is-the-films-secret-weapon\/","title":{"rendered":"How A24\u2019s ‘Eternity’ Uses Color To Make Love Feel Alive (And Why Colorist David Tomiak\u2019s Work Is The Film\u2019s Secret Weapon)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From its opening moments, Eternity <\/em>announces itself with confidence, charm, and an almost mischievous sense of control. The film does not ease the audience in. It invites them fully, immediately, and without apology. As I said after watching it, \u201cThere\u2019s not many movies that hit me off the bat like, wow\u2026 within the first ten minutes. Really setting the tone. Chef\u2019s kiss.\u201d That tone, whimsical, emotionally precise, and visually intentional never wavers. What makes Eternity <\/em>feel so refreshing is its refusal to treat love, death, or the afterlife as heavy-handed concepts. Instead, the film leans into lightness without losing depth. Color becomes a language all its own, guiding emotion long before dialogue does<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Tomiak is the colorist on Eternity<\/em> and the co-creator of Elemental Post, a boutique post-production studio based in Vancouver, Canada. Elemental Post specializes in high-end color grading, sound, finishing, and editorial support for award-winning auteur films, with projects premiering at major festivals including Sundance, TIFF, and Cannes. It\u2019s the kind of studio built around intention rather than volume – which becomes obvious the moment Tomiak talks about his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Headshot Courtesy Of David Tomiak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on Eternity<\/em>, Tomiak described the project as the kind of experience creatives hope for but don\u2019t always get. \u201cIt was so fun when we were doing it,\u201d he told me, explaining that there was a shared excitement leading up to the film\u2019s release. \u201cIt feels like a classic rom com in that way\u2026 and to be able to be a part of that, it\u2019s just a breath of fresh air.\u201d What stood out to him most was that the film never treated love or connection as something ironic. \u201cWhen a film doesn\u2019t take itself too seriously,\u201d he said, \u201cthere\u2019s a joy that\u2019s involved in that as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sense of joy is embedded in the film from the opening sequence. I told David that the color language immediately felt curated, almost emotionally instructional before the plot even had time to unfold. There\u2019s a moment early on, during the opening drive, where the framing and the classic tone are so precise they almost make you pause. It\u2019s the kind of visual balance that feels deliberate in a way that\u2019s hard to ignore, like you’ve seen it before. David spoke about the comparison with appreciation rather than resistance. \u201cThere was no kind of talk throughout the whole thing about one director necessarily,\u201d he explained, but he understands why people see it. \u201cYou have that car shot and it\u2019s perfectly framed and it\u2019s a classic blue, and it makes it feel like that in that way.\u201d What people are responding to, he suggested, isn\u2019t imitation, it\u2019s intention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything was so thought about,\u201d David said. He was brought on early in prep so the team could \u201clook at different textures and tones in the color room\u201d and build a visual foundation before production even began. That preparation allowed the filmmakers to keep making creative decisions on set without losing cohesion. Instead of locking the look down too early, the process encouraged momentum – if we like this idea, let\u2019s try it; let\u2019s keep going further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than anchoring the film to a single modern reference, the visual language drew from classic filmmaking more broadly. David described pulling inspiration from films like The Graduate <\/em>and The Apartment,<\/em> not to replicate their look, but to echo their emotional clarity and restraint. Even though The Apartment<\/em> is black and white, its tone and feeling were a major reference point. \u201cWe kind of tried to pull from all these different elements of classic filmmaking,\u201d he said. With that North Star in place, the team kept adding and refining, allowing the film\u2019s beauty to emerge naturally rather than be imposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That philosophy becomes especially important in moments where the story could have turned visually harsh -particularly around Larry\u2019s death. I told Tomiak how struck I was by the softness of the gender reveal scene, even though it contains such an abrupt loss. He explained that Eternity<\/em> was never interested in visual trauma. \u201cWe always knew that the film wanted to stay bright,\u201d he said. Even when referencing heavier moments, the goal was to maintain lightness rather than shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed to a distinctly 1990s influence, where primary colors were allowed to pop while the surrounding atmosphere stayed restrained. \u201cThe reds pop and the pinks pop,\u201d he said, \u201cbut the atmosphere doesn\u2019t necessarily have the same vibrancy.\u201d That balance allows the scene to remain peaceful instead of punishing. The transition into the afterlife reinforces that same idea. When Larry enters the tunnel, the world doesn\u2019t turn dark or ominous -it becomes overwhelmingly white. When I asked whether that moment was meant to represent death or rebirth, Tomiak paused. \u201cI didn\u2019t really think of it in either of those contexts,\u201d he admitted. For him, the moment was about surprise. \u201cThe music actually speaks to it more,\u201d he said, noting how the score immediately signals something light and casual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of his first priorities in that sequence was Larry\u2019s skin tone. \u201cWe wanted it to pop,\u201d he explained. \u201cAll of a sudden his skin tone has a lot more saturation\u2026 it comes alive.\u201d Any feeling of rebirth, he said, emerged naturally from those choices rather than symbolic intent. As the film opens up into the Junction, color becomes more expressive -but never chaotic. Tomiak explained that the decision to prioritize contrast over realism was made immediately. \u201cWe knew right out the gate we wanted a high-contrast palette,\u201d he said. \u201cThe question was always: have we gone far enough?\u201d While many reference films were shot on celluloid, Eternity<\/em> was shot digitally, making those contrast decisions even more deliberate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That discipline carries through every environment in the film. Each booth, bar, and world has its own palette, down to the pamphlets and signage, yet nothing ever feels overwhelming. Tomiak credited production designer Zazou Meyers for building a world that already understood color before it reached post. In the grade, his focus was finding \u201cthat threshold that didn\u2019t feel gimmicky.\u201d \u201cWe didn\u2019t want a hundred colors fighting each other,\u201d he said. Anchoring whites became essential -giving the audience a reference point that allowed saturated colors to shine without chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowhere is that restraint more effective than in the archive tunnel. The sequence is darker than most of the film, but not threatening. Tomiak described shaping the silhouettes of Joan and Larry as they hold hands, pulling the image down so warm bulbs could glow against the darkness. \u201cIt didn\u2019t add fear,\u201d he said. \u201cIt added warmth\u2026 like a hugging quality.\u201d The darkness isn\u2019t there to obscure -it\u2019s there to focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Throughout our conversation, Tomiak emphasized how collaborative the grading process was. The director, cinematographer, editor, and colorist were often in the room together, watching scenes repeatedly with sound. \u201cIt feels unconscious because you\u2019re just operating,\u201d he said -but that instinct was built on months of preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One detail that stayed with me was how much attention went into eyes. Making sure Joan\u2019s eye color carried emotion without explanation. \u201cAre we feeling her emotion through her eyes?\u201d Tomiak asked. That question guided some of the film\u2019s most intimate moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I asked which visual moment best captured what Eternity<\/em> means to him, Tomiak didn\u2019t hesitate. His favorite sequence is when Joan and Karen move through the booths, intercut with the boys in the bar. He loved the contrast between saturated blues and reds and the warmth of the bar scenes. \u201cEverything worked in conjunction with each other,\u201d he said. \u201cThe color sells the comedy, but it also sells the intimacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a film about love, choice, and what comes next, David Tomiak transformed the afterlife into something textured, playful, and emotionally alive. Every fabric, reflective surface, and color choice works together to create a world that feels nostalgic without being precious -and joyful without being shallow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From its opening moments, Eternity announces itself with confidence, charm, and an almost mischievous sense of control. The film does not ease the audience in. It invites them fully, immediately, and without apology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186664079,"featured_media":1186801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"thoughtcatalog_call_to_action":"","tc_post_redirect":"","thoughtcatalog_is_sponsored_content":"0","footnotes":""},"categories":[603203627],"tags":[603230368,603230369,603230370,603230671],"anchortext":[],"posttemplate":[],"adcampaign":[],"coauthors":[603229555],"class_list":["post-1186797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv-movies","tag-a24","tag-rom-coms","tag-romantic-comedies","tag-tv-movies"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1.1_1.1.7-1.jpg","author_meta":null,"photo_credit":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186664079"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1186797"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1187014,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186797\/revisions\/1187014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1186801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1186797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1186797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1186797"},{"taxonomy":"anchortext","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/anchortext?post=1186797"},{"taxonomy":"posttemplate","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posttemplate?post=1186797"},{"taxonomy":"adcampaign","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adcampaign?post=1186797"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1186797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}