Blazing Griffin opens purpose built cinema-standard Grading Theatre

Now the only one in Scotland, Blazing Griffin has this week announced the opening of their dedicated DCI-compliant theatrical film grading suite, marking an important milestone for the company and for cinema-standard finishing outside of London.

The new grading theatre builds on Blazing Griffin's November 2025 acquisition of boutique post-production facility Brick + Mortar, bringing Co-Founders Tom Cairns (Senior Colourist) and Jack Lang (Creative Director & Editor) into the team.

The build forms part of the company’s growing post-production offering, which spans editorial, grading, sound, VFX and finishing under one roof. The theatre will be used by Blazing Griffin’s in-house Picture Finishing team - Senior Colourist Gareth Bishop, Senior Colourist Tom Cairns, Colourist Taryn Calverey, Colourist & Online Editor Lewis Carmichael, and Online Editor Stephen Beavis. Between them, the team has worked across a wide range of critically-acclaimed and award-winning projects spanning commercials, television, and feature films.

In 2025, the team delivered colour grading and other post production services on a range of high-profile feature films, including California Schemin’ (James McAvoy’s directorial debut, which had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival), Glenrothan (Brian Cox’s directorial debut, which also premiered at TIFF), Grow (directed by John McPhail, premiering at Edinburgh International Film Festival), and Sundance Film Festival selections Extra Geography (directed by Molly Manners), and Lady (Olive Nwosu’s directorial debut).

Built to full DCI specifications and equipped with a 4K Christie CP4420-Xe cinema projector, a bespoke cinema screen, and a Baselight grading system, the space delivers a fully colour-managed theatrical pipeline allowing for accurate projection, final QC, and confident sign-off for cinema release.

Beyond grading, the theatre has been designed as a complete theatrical review environment, supporting DCP playback, final QC and client sign-off, with calibrated Genelec monitoring and Q-SYS control ensuring the audio experience matches the quality and confidence of the 4K projection chain.

Directors, cinematographers, and producers can now experience their work at Blazing Griffin exactly as audiences will see it on the big screen. The space is designed not only as a technical facility, but as a creative environment where final artistic decisions can be made with absolute confidence.

Charlotte Walsh, Head of Post Production at Blazing Griffin: “Post production carries the responsibility of bringing to life the vision and craft that has come before us on every project, and colour grading is a vital part of that journey. Investing in a theatrical grade suite was a natural next step for us, and to have elevated the creative service offering in Scotland for both our local and international clients is something we’re very proud of.”

Gareth Bishop, Senior Colourist at Blazing Griffin: “We’ve built a really exceptional team across both the creative and technical side. Our own dedicated theatrical grading suite is an exciting step for us and helps to grow Blazing Griffin’s reputation as a post production destination. Having great coffee in the room doesn’t hurt either.”

Scottish Enterprise

The development of the grading theatre was made possible in part through grant and investment funding from Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s national economic development agency. Funding contributed to key elements of the build enabling Blazing Griffin to deliver a facility that meets the full technical demands of cinema-standard finishing. This assistance aims to help Blazing Griffin achieve its ambition to strengthen Scotland's screen infrastructure and ensure world-class post-production capability exists here.

Screen Scotland Post Fund

The launch also aligns with Scotland’s expanding screen infrastructure, supported by initiatives such as the Screen Scotland Project Post Fund, which offers a 20% rebate on qualifying Scottish spend and up to £100,000 in grant funding per project. Combined with the opening of this cinema-standard finishing facility, Scotland is increasingly positioned to retain post-production spend and attract larger-scale international projects.

Technical Overview:

Full DCI-compliant theatrical grading environment

4K Christie CP4420-Xe cinema projector

Cinema projection screen

Dual Resolve + Baselight colour grading system

DCP playback and theatrical review capability

Calibrated Genelec monitoring system

Genelec 9401A digital audio integration

Notes to editors

Blazing Griffin’s new grading theatre is currently the only dedicated DCI-compliant theatrical film grading facility in Scotland.

Blazing Griffin’s Engineering Lead David Sidebottom and Senior Colourist Tom Cairns will take part in panel talk Creating a Sonic Reference for Scotland's Only Digital Cinema Package Certified Room on MPTS 2026 on Thursday 14th May.

About Blazing Griffin

Blazing Griffin is an award-winning studio made up of an exceptional team: almost 100 people working across game development, feature film production, and high-end post-production. Its BAFTA-winning Games team creates narrative-driven, story-rich experiences across PC, console, mobile, and XR, while the Pictures team brings ambitious films to life, including James McAvoy’s California Schemin’, Brian Cox’s Glenrothan, and John McPhail’s Grow in 2025. The studio’s post-production division provides craft-led, technically complex work from initial concept to final delivery. Trusted with original and iconic IP, Blazing Griffin partners with clients across the UK and internationally to deliver bold, cross-platform storytelling.

For further information or to arrange interviews with the team involved, please contact:
Ellis McCusker-Thompson, Head of Marketing, Blazing Griffin
ellis.mccusker@blazinggriffin.com