We lock a compact palette early and map it to backgrounds, FX, and UI so compositing does not drift into muddy mid-tones.
LUTs and reference stills travel with the cut so vendors see the same intent you signed off in the room.
Each sequence gets a one-page color spine: hero frames, forbidden hues, and two acceptable "night" treatments. Directors initial it once; production enforces it everywhere.
If a grade starts fighting the boards, we revert to the spine before chasing shot-by-shot fixes — it keeps the show feeling like one author, not six colorists.