Last month, the team took a trip down to the London Olympia for the Media Production and Technology Show. After some initial train related delays we all managed to get to the event where we were met with a variety of stands displaying a plethora of cameras, lights, audio equipment and tech to keep the guys entertained for hours. Breaking up the tech heaven were a variety of different talks and panel discussions from industry leaders covering every stage of production – so something for everyone!
Alex and Tom started the day at The Gallows Pole, a talk with FilmLight and the Residence Pictures team where they learnt about how the team colour graded the show and the challenges of colour grading a period piece. They said that the main takeaway was that ACES was a massive part of the process as they had multiple deliverables, meaning the grade didn’t need to be done for each output. They also created mood boards with references to old painters for colour and look development. Alex also added that it was good for him to get an insight into how they were using Baselight as the software was new to him, they used it as a collaborative timeline, similarly to how we use Da Vinci Resolve.
Next up the boys headed to the Finding Your Story in the Edit talk – “We explore the editing process as a crucial storytelling tool and how the best stories emerge in the cut.” They found the talk really insightful, Alex found it really interesting how the editor did a lot of the sound design himself when constructing the edit and that all of the interviews were narrations which meant that he edited all of the sound and narrations before even looking at the footage and signed off the edit with the Director using only the audio. Tom added, “Ollie Cooper also revealed that its essential to have one person leading the decisions when multiple people are collaborating. This person is the person whose job it is to ensure the video hits the brief even when the team may have a more creative or different idea. In the end this person knows the audience and client etc so they have to be the person to make the decision as the single source for everyone to go to.”
The guys were busy zipping back and forth between talks when Lexy finally arrived and managed to make it to her first talk – Mastering the Art of Documentary Storytelling. This talk was an in-depth exploration of documentary storytelling, discussing how speakers navigated challenges, access and research. This was a really interesting look at the production side of getting documentaries to be picked up by networks and the work that goes into TV productions. Despite this not being especially useful for her job, she found it very interesting and insightful.
Whist we were all spread out across the various theatres, Craig had headed over to the Integrating VP into Traditional Filmmaking talk on the pros and cons of virtual production and how producers are integrating it in todays industry. He touched on some of the key takeaways from the talk, “The biggest take away was that it has its own unique workflow which is less traditional. They emphasised bringing the DP way earlier to meet with the tech team so when collaborating and working on the vision they could discuss it all in pre-production a lot sooner, rather than on set. Everything was set out beforehand so everyone knew what was happening and what the tech was going to do / built for the vision before hand. Providing more vision earlier in the production.”
Lexy headed over to the Wonder Women talk, hosted by Ria Hebden. This was a panel discussion with three of the industries leading female executives, where they discussed the difficulties they have faced working their way up in the industry, tips for anyone looking to break into the industry and touched on the impact having a female mentor in this industry can have. This was such an insightful talk and so refreshing to be surrounded by so many women in what is such a male dominated industry.
The boys also headed to the Editors Masterclass: Paul Machliss and Alex and Lexy managed to squeeze in time for the Royal Scoop talk where they heard from BBC Newsnight Booker Sam McCalister on her experience of the infamous Prince Andrew interview – how could we miss that!
The stands were definitely the highlight for Tom, our Head of Technical and resident Tech Wizard. Some of his top mentions include:
The overall feeling was that it was great to get out as a team and do something that reflected everyones roles and interests, as well as the opportunity to be around like-minded people. Events like this are such a good opportunity for the whole team to see the current industry landscape regardless of the impact it may have individually. Getting a chance to check out what new technology and systems are on the market and available up close and in person was also a fab reason to check it out.
Oh and don’t let me forget… we met Keanu Reeves.
Some thoughts from the team:
Alex: ‘MPTS was great, it allowed us to access key speaker events and gain useful insight from industry leading professionals. I specifically learned lots about various editing techniques from both the talks with Olly Cooper, and Paul Machliss. In addition to this, the event was a great opportunity to go out as a team and a chance for me to capture valuable social content.’
Tom: “I really enjoyed the MPTS show. It was great to meet the people behind the brands we love and use everyday and get hands-on with the kit. It was really enjoyable to be able to take a look around the stands with the team and even get involved in the speaker events throughout the day. Overall there was something for everyone and would recommend a visit.”
Lexy: “The show was great, it was really fun to get out of the office with the team and do something new. Being surrounded by other women who work in this industry was also really cool for me, this is such a male dominated industry and hearing from females who have worked their way updespite the difficulties and obstacles was really inspiring. The Wonder Women talk was a massive highlight for me for that reason.”
Check out our social media edit for more behind the scenes of the day:
Written by Lexy Condick