Blazing Griffin Opens Scotland’s First 4K Grading Theatre

Glasgow’s Blazing Griffin has officially opened Scotland’s only DCI-compliant 4K theatrical grading theatre, a landmark moment for the country’s screen industry. The cinema-standard suite breaks London’s long-held grip on top-tier film finishing. It also lets directors finally view their work exactly as audiences will see it on the big screen. The story behind the build is just as exciting.

Inside Scotland’s First DCI-Compliant Grading Theatre

The new suite has been built to full DCI specifications, the strictest global standard for digital cinema delivery. It stands as the only dedicated DCI-compliant theatrical film grading facility anywhere in Scotland today.

The room is far more than just a colour bay. It supports DCP playback, final quality control, and confident client sign-off in one calibrated, theatre-grade space.

Here is what powers the new theatre:

• 4K Christie CP4420-Xe cinema projector
• Bespoke cinema-grade screen
• FilmLight Baselight grading system
• Calibrated Genelec audio monitoring
• Q-SYS audio control for theatrical playback

The audio chain has been tuned to match the picture chain. That means filmmakers can lock visuals and sound together with the same confidence they would expect inside a commercial cinema.

Charlotte Walsh, head of post production at Blazing Griffin, said colour grading carries a huge responsibility in bringing a director’s vision to life. She called the new theatre a natural next step that has raised the creative service offering across Scotland.

The Brick + Mortar Deal That Made It Possible

The launch builds directly on Blazing Griffin’s November 2025 takeover of boutique post house Brick + Mortar. The acquisition pulled two of Scotland’s most respected creative teams under a single roof.

Brick + Mortar was founded in 2024 by senior colourist Tom Cairns and creative director Jack Lang. They set it up in partnership with Simon Mallinson, who also founded production firms MTP and Randan.

Their high-end finishing kit, including the Christie projector and Baselight platform, now sits at the heart of the new theatre. Brick + Mortar continues to operate under its own name from its base at Trinity Towers.

“Combining forces allows us to take another big step towards our shared vision: establishing Scotland as a home for truly world-class post production.” Naysun Alae-Carew, Managing Director and Executive Producer, Blazing Griffin

Tom Cairns said Brick + Mortar was born to offer a premiere theatrical grade option that did not have to live in central London. Jack Lang added that Scotland now punches far above its weight in the global film world.

Big Films and the Award-Winning Team Behind the Suite

The theatre will be used daily by Blazing Griffin’s in-house Picture Finishing team. It is a lineup packed with feature credits and festival pedigree.

Senior colourists Gareth Bishop and Tom Cairns lead the colour side. They work alongside colourist Taryn Calverey, colourist and online editor Lewis Carmichael, and online editor Stephen Beavis.

In 2025 alone, the team delivered grading and finishing on a string of high-profile feature films. Here is a snapshot of those headline projects:

Gareth Bishop, senior colourist at Blazing Griffin, said the team is exceptional on both creative and technical sides. He joked that “having great coffee in the room doesn’t hurt either.”

That mix of indie sensibility and high-end feature muscle is exactly what international clients look for. The new suite now centralises that talent inside a true theatrical pipeline.

Scottish Enterprise and Screen Scotland Fuel the Vision

The grading theatre was made possible in part through grant and investment funding from Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s national economic development agency. The support paid for key parts of the build needed to hit cinema-grade technical standards.

The opening also lines up with Screen Scotland’s Project Post Fund, a £1 million incentive scheme to bring large-scale post work into Scotland. The fund offers a 20% rebate on qualifying Scottish spend and up to £100,000 in grant funding per project.

Scotland’s wider screen ambitions are equally bold. The Scottish Government wants the sector to add £1 billion in Gross Value Added to the national economy by 2030.

Together, these moves position Scotland to keep more post-production spend at home. They also create a real chance to win larger international features that would have otherwise headed straight to London.

What This Means for the Future of Scottish Cinema

The arrival of a cinema-standard finishing suite in Glasgow is a signal to producers everywhere. Scotland is no longer just a place to shoot stunning locations and then send the footage south.

Directors, cinematographers, and producers can now make final artistic calls inside a calibrated theatrical space without ever leaving the country. That saves time, money, and creative energy on every project.

It also lifts pressure on London’s busy post houses, which have long been the default for big-screen finishing in the UK. With Glasgow now in the mix, the country gains a real second hub for cinema-grade craft.

For Scottish filmmakers and the wider creative community, this is more than just a new room with a big screen. It is a quiet promise that world-class storytelling can live, breathe, and finish entirely on home soil, giving Scotland’s film industry the technical muscle to match its creative heart. Share your thoughts on what this milestone means for Scottish cinema in the comments below, and tag a filmmaker who needs to know about it.