Tech highlights of the Media Production Show
With just a few weeks to go until the Media Production Show in London, held in London on 9 and 10 June, we wanted to bring you some highlights of the sessions that focus on the technical aspects of working behind the camera in today’s film and TV industry, from sound and software to colourists, kit and beyond.
What kit to buy?
Dan Wheeler of PEC Video, which has been serving the film industry for over 70 years, will be talking about how to source the best kit – including cameras, lighting and accessories – when you’re on a budget, a situation that the majority of filmmakers will encounter during their careers. (Day One, 9 June, 11am)
The art of post-production sound
An expert panel will be discussing the art and technique of post-production sound and its importance to the post process generally. Howard Bargroff, Cristina Aragon, Chris Domaille and Chris Roberts will be sharing their expertise on working on projects with big budgets but tight deadlines. (Day One, 9 June, 12pm)
A masterclass in film editing will see some of the UK’s top film editors discuss their work and techniques (Day One, 9 June, 5pm), and there will also be a TV editing masterclass with Ben Lester and Paul Tovee (Day Two, 10 June, 1pm).
A session called the Art of Restoration will explore the task of removing all types of defects including warping, dust and scratches from archive material (Day Two, 10 June, 2pm).
Production design
Production designer Morgan Kennedy, who has recently finished working on Sean Ellis’ Anthropoid starring Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan, has a plethora of credits to his name including the big screen remake of The Sweeney.
He will be part of a panel of production designers talking about the different aspects of their crucial role, working closely with the director on achieving the look and feel of a film and the logistics of making the director’s vision a reality. (Day Two, 10 June, 11am)
Sound recording on location
Production sound mixers Christopher Ashworth (War and Peace) and David Lascelles (Endeavour, Rev) will be talking about the importance of sound recording on set during production, covering details such as the choice and deployment of microphones and recording media, and the mixing of audio signals in real-time (Day Two, 10 June, 1pm).
VFX magic
VFX makes a very strong showing at the event, with a dedicated venue to cover all things involving colourists and VFX. Some of the sessions here include a seminar from Simon Hall, DaVinci Resolve specialist at Blackmagic Design about simplifying your colour correction and VFX pipeline (Day One, 9 June, 11.30am).
Other VFX slots include Invisible VFX, with Paul Hannaford and Brian Carbin of Rushes Postproduction (Day One, 9 June, 12.30pm) plus the session Virtual Reality: The 360-Degree Challenge, with the BBC’s Christopher Nundy and Richard Wormwell of Dock10 (Day One, 9 June, 1.30pm).
A panel of expert colourists will debate the new creative opportunities of UHD, High Dynamic Range and Wide Colour Gamut. Neil Hatton, CEO of UK Screen will chair the discussion, with speakers including Jet Omoshebi of Encore, Molinare’s Chris Rodgers and colourist Alex Gascoigne (Day One, 9 June, 3.30pm).
Making The Grade: Colourists’ Panel is chaired by Kevin Shaw, colourist and consultant at Finalcolor. Speakers at this session include Molinare’s Andrew Daniel, The Look’s Thomas Urbye and Greg Fisher of Company 3 (Day Two, 10 June, 11am).
Other VFX sessions include: VFX in Games Cinematics with Hugo Guerra (Day One, 9 June, 2.30pm); VFX Masterclass: TV with Mark Knapton and Helen Brunsdon (Day One, 9 June, 4.30pm); VR in the Real World: What Makes Great Content with Andrew Daffy and Dr John Starck (Day Two, 10 June, 12pm) and HDR: What You Need to Know with Lewis Brown (Day Two, 10 June, 2pm).
These are just a handful of the seminars, sessions and panel discussions on offer at this free two-day event. Click here for the full programme, and register for free here.
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