BroadcastShow Tour - a visitors view

Connor Pearce

Author: Connor Pearce

Published 1st December 2013

by Connor Pearce
Issue 83 - November 2013 Suitably set on the backdrop of Britains birthplace for iconic television, the last leg of the BroadcastShow Tour saw Philip Bloom host a day of seminars at Pinewood Studios. Alongside this, internationally leading companies in film and television technology flocked to share their latest and greatest broadcast tools for us professionals, consumers and fanatics to enjoy.
Trying my hand at freelance work, whilst playing a big part in Student Television during my time at Loughborough Universitys LSUTV, it was great to be able to chat one-to-one to the various producers and manufacturers whose products have helped our media centre to thrive.
Having recently graduated, I havent yet had much need for trade shows, mainly because the jealously at not being able to afford the array of incredible equipment wouldve overshadowed my enjoyment. However, TV-Bays show certainly made me excited to see more.
I found out about the BroadcastShow Tour through a friend who is currently in the thick of student media, and so he couldnt wait to get acquainted with the technology that would help his station in the competitively progressive arm of the industry. Both of us, alongside other media-crazed graduates, have recently kickstarted our own website (www.themediaeclectic.co.uk) giving first-hand advice to people trying to break into the industry. We knew by attending the BroadcastShow Tour wed have plenty to report back to our readers about, not least the knowledge gained from Philip Bloom whose own blog has helped us on our journey into the industry.
Other than getting the chance to try out Gearhouse Broadcasts display of mammoth broadcast cameras, a few products really grabbed my attention. As a self-professed nerd for camera restoration and renovation, it was great to see the work that TLS Optics are doing on rehousing the definitive Cooke Panchros lens. Although the company proved their ability in lens and film repair amongst other things, it was this innovative niche that caught my eye.
We were also attracted to Atomos corner where, taking pride of place, was their very accomplished Samurai Blade, for the gadget loving broadcaster. Imagine a lightweight monitor that sits on your camera, records up to a terabyte of footage straight from your sensor, considers your encoding needs for post-production, requires hardly any battery life, and is touchscreen - and youve got a mild summary of what this powerful little machine can do. I can only imagine its name was inspired by its ability to cut through a filmmakers workflow with steely precision. Lastly, the display we were possibly looking forward to the most - Blackmagic Design. The masses seemed to flock to get a closer look at Blackmagics slick new, originally designed cinema camera, and rightly so. However, it was the all-powerful, relatively moderately priced, new 4k ATEM Production Studio that had our pulse racing. Whilst at LSUTV we invested in the ATEM broadcast panel, and alongside their SDI/HDMI convertors, we had all we wanted for a live broadcast thanks to Blackmagic and their competitive prices. So the possibility of 4k soon penetrating student media is a very exciting prospect.
TV-Bay promised that 4k would be at centre stage for the tour, and this was certainly true. Whilst the various displays of equipment were obviously impressive to those who attended, you could feel an air of anticipation amongst cynics and optimists alike. Everybody was waiting for the moment respected filmmaker, and tour headliner, Philip Bloom would take to the stage to reiterate his renowned verdict.
The first part of Philip Blooms seminar had the room divided, some leaving still unsure, over 4k and the main question on everyones lips was: is it worth it? Blooms argument was simple; right now its for the producers to enjoy, but it will soon be for the consumer, just as HD was. Besides, films like Rush deserve to be shot in 4k. I have to say, I concur. Make no mistake, 4k isnt some over hyped cash cow like 3D is, although talks over what lies beyond 4k may come under this scrutiny. As long as producers are on board (which by the look of the inspiring technology on display at the trade show they are), then the consumer will soon follow. A very good point was made about future-proofing ensuring the longevity of our productions once 4k takes over. Ok, so the masses may not be able to appreciate it right now, but theyll still be getting top-notch HD whilst the 4k productions are still being scaled down.
The second half of Blooms talks was far less up for debate, but invaluable nonetheless.
PB taught us a well groomed lesson on the art and importance of storytelling. Its something I think filmmakers appreciate being reminded of, especially from somebody who built his very successful career on doing just that, across several formats.
I came away from the day at Pinewood with a smile on my face and an overload of food for thought, still pretty shocked that was all for free. Although the industry is evolving daily, trade shows and seminars like this by TV-Bay, are important in bringing together the innovators and showing us where we can go from here.

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