Code of Conduct

Effective Date: September 28, 2026

Color Grading Academy works like a grading room: people show unfinished work, get honest notes, and get better together. That only works when everyone feels safe putting their work on the panel. This Code of Conduct applies everywhere CGA meets: live sessions, critiques, the learning platform, the Art of Color Discord, events, and any other CGA space.

1. Critique the work, not the person

• Be specific and useful. Talk about intent, technique, and shot-to-shot logic, the way a good supervising colorist gives notes.
• Be honest without being harsh. "The skin is drifting magenta in shots 4–6" helps; "this looks bad" does not.
• Take notes gracefully. Everyone's grade gets picked apart here, including the best in the cohort.
• Respect every level. Beginners and senior colorists learn side by side.

2. Respect everyone

We do not tolerate harassment, discrimination, threats, or personal attacks based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, appearance, or experience level. This includes unwelcome sexual attention, stalking, repeated unwanted contact, and deliberately excluding people. Keep language professional; you are among future colleagues and clients.

3. Protect footage and each other's work

• Course videos, live session recordings, project footage, reference grades, and assignment materials are for enrolled students only. Do not share, upload, or redistribute them outside CGA.
• Other students' submissions and critiques stay inside CGA. Do not repost someone else's work, screenshots, or feedback without their permission.
• Do not record live sessions yourself. We record them and share them with the cohort.
• Do not share pirated software, cracked plugins, or LUTs, DCTLs, and presets you do not have the right to distribute.

4. Do your own work

• Assignments, capstones, and theses must be your own work. Copying another student's grade or submitting someone else's work as yours is not allowed.
• Credit your sources in theses and written work.
• AI tools are part of how we teach. When an assignment asks you to explain your process, be open about which AI tools you used and how.

5. Keep the community useful

• Post in the right channel and stay on topic.
• No spam, and no unsolicited advertising or recruiting. Self-promotion belongs only in channels set up for it.
• Respect privacy. Do not share anyone's personal information, including your own sensitive details, in public channels.
• Do not impersonate CGA staff or claim to speak for CGA.

6. Reporting a problem

If something makes you uncomfortable or breaks this Code, tell us. Email students@colorgradingacademy.com or message a CGA moderator privately on Discord. Include what happened, where, and when, plus links or screenshots if you have them. We treat reports confidentially and will not tolerate retaliation against anyone who reports in good faith.

7. What happens when the Code is broken

Depending on how serious it is, we may give a private reminder or a formal warning, remove content, temporarily mute or suspend someone, or permanently remove them from the community and the Services. Serious harassment or threats can lead to immediate removal. Removal from a paid course or program is handled under our Terms of Service.

8. Platforms we use

Our Discord community is also subject to Discord's Terms of Service and Community Guidelines, and live sessions to Zoom's terms. Where those rules are stricter than this Code, they apply too.

Questions about this Code? Email hello@colorgradingacademy.com.