The British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) held its annual London expo over the weekend with panel discussions spotlighting sustainability and inclusivity, and exhibitors showcasing the newest technology in cinematography, lighting and grip equipment for film and TV production.
BSC Expo visitors were able to watch a packed programme of presentations from leading creatives and industry thought leaders who gave insight into working relationships on set, providing valuable knowledge for younger cinematographers breaking into the industry.
NetZero Goals
In one panel discussion, Cinematographer Nicola Daley, emphasised “the importance of collaboration and empowering people on set,” whilst in another on the hot topic of decarbonising the film and TV industry, Mattias Nyberg, Cinematographer and BSC Sustainability Committee Co-Chair asserted that now it is imperative that the industry “pulls all the levers.”
The panel was joined by Victoria Stokes, Sustainable Productions Manager at BAFTA’s albert, who advised that to reach the 2050 goal of NetZero, all productions must “get your sustainability people in early,” and “make sure everyone is on board.”
The way forward includes using hydrogen generators which can save 80% of carbon emissions through, effecting real change by plugging hybrid power and showcasing when this is working on big productions. The panel exemplified this through the production of Paddington 3, where using sustainable generators in a modular way saved £20K and 20 tonnes of carbon.
Karl Liegis, Head of Production, 60Forty Films suggested that to change the course of productions towards a more sustainable future, it’s all about education: “The broadcasters want to ‘do sustainability’ and all it takes is proposals to go to them. They’re open to anything at the moment.”
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Laurence Johnson, Sustainability Manager, Film London, added that it’s also about “showing what’s possible for the industry to take up,” noting the initiative, The Fuel Project which works with suppliers, “we need the suppliers to have the tech to decarbonise, the question is, how do we support them, to get on a collective path.”
New Talent
With a much younger crowd than in previous years, it is clear that production and studio production is an attractive and growing industry for new talent. Mike Eley, Cinematographer and President of the BSC from 2017 – 2021 talked to 365 on how the society aims to cultivate this through the expo.
He told 365 that the event has multiple purposes, from giving space for interactive displays, to bringing in “a lot of younger people who are aspiring to enter the industry, (who are) new to the industry; it puts them into an environment where they come into contact with cutting edge technology and also the people behind it.
He added: “Seminars are conducted to be educational for a younger audience, to show what to expect, instructional conversations, which draws in a big audience of young people who are here to hear experienced people talk about personal accounts - what I did wrong when I entered the industry. Inclusive, open and wide-ranging conversations.”
Exhibitor Highlights:
Holdan
European trade supplier Holdan, part of the Midwich Group, showcased a plethora of the latest video and broadcasting tech from leading suppliers, including Atomos and Mark Roberts Motion Control, among others.
Helping filmmakers, live streaming producers and video content creators to make the most of connected workflows, Atomos demonstrated its web portal - Atomos Cloud Studio 2.0 - providing camera-to-cloud integration, online editing, remote collaboration, live production and video streaming services.
Mark Roberts Motion Control, a manufacturer and supplier of solutions for motion control, automation, broadcast robotics, volumetric and remote image capture, demonstrated a selection of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) enablement solutions that offer both versatility and dynamic shooting style. The main focus was on the company’s Slidekamera motion robotics range for broadcast, with off-the-shelf solutions and custom designs for both individual filmmakers and large studios.
Panavision
Panavision and Panalux shared a booth that incorporated a train-carriage set where visitors could see a range of lenses and lights in action. Celebrating 70 years, Panavision showcased the breadth of its proprietary optics, including Panaspeed spherical primes and Ultra Panatar II 1.3x-squeeze anamorphic lenses. The booth also featured a variety of camera systems from Panavision’s rental inventory, including a Panaflex Millennium XL2 for 35mm film origination and a System 65 camera for 65mm film acquisition. Panalux illuminated the set with Panalux Allegra and Panalux Sonara LED heads. Outside the venue, Panalux also displayed a large soft box comprising Creamsource Vortex8 fixtures diffused through textiles made in-house at Panalux.
CVP
Video solutions provider and reseller CVP not only provided a selection of fully rigged cameras from Sony, ARRI, RED and Canon to test at its booth, but also hosted technical workshops, discussions and presentations from industry experts and CVP specialists, including ‘mastering high-end cinematography in an era of content creation’ with cinematographer Ian Murray; and a camera operating Q&A with Daniel Bishop.
Disguise
Participating as part of the Canon Booth, Disguise demonstrated its real-time end-to-end ecosystem for delivering immersive visual experiences, combining 3D-visualisation software and cloud solutions with a platform, hardware, and services.
Atomos
As video production technology continues to migrate to the cloud, Atomos brings all the advantages of connected workflows to filmmakers, live streaming producers and video content creators at BSC Expo 2024. Atomos Cloud Studio 2.0 is a web portal with camera-to-cloud integration, online editing, remote collaboration, live production and video streaming services.
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