Film & Editing Trade Shows in the UK

Trade shows – are they worth going to, particularly if you work as an editor? This year we travelled to two trade shows in the UK. Let me tell you about our experience, and hopefully it’ll help you decide if you’d like to visit one.

Which one should I go to?

Lots of trade shows tend to follow a similar pattern. For example, in the US, they host the world’s biggest filmmaking trade show, NAB, that’s held annually in Las Vegas. It deals broadly with all aspects of media production.

Additionally Cine Gear Expo, typically held in Los Angeles, focuses more on production related hardware and services. It’s not as big, but it doesn’t need to be because it’s not trying to cover as much stuff.

In Europe, it’s a similar story – the equivalent of NAB is IBC, which (again) covers all aspects of filmmaking. And then there’s the more production focused Euro semi-expo. In London, there’s MPT – that’s a show that generally covers media production, but also BSC Expo, which focuses more on the production side of the industry.

Of course, there’s other trade shows in different parts of the world, these are just the ones that we’re familiar with. This year we visited both MPT and BSC.

British Society of Cinematographers

First up is BSC, that’s the British Society of Cinematographers. The focus on production is evident as soon as you walk through the doors. Exhibitors range from small companies bringing innovative products to market all the way up to big giant companies like Arri, Sony and Canon.

As one of Europe’s biggest media production retailers, CVP had an awesome wall filled with production monitors all playing the same image. Video monitoring is very important for editors and colorists, so if you are looking to buy a monitor, being able to compare all of those monitors side by side is very helpful.

We love getting hands on with cameras. Now whether that’s within the budget or not, it’s still beneficial. You could be renting or working with footage from that camera one day.

We spoke to a handful of exhibitors with products and services that are relevant to editors, such as Pro AV, Sony, Codex, SmallHD, and Aperture. Kudos to everyone we talked to because it must be tiring to set up these stands, and then talk to guests for three days straight all while keeping a smile on their face, and everyone was genuinely helpful.

There’s more people we could have spoken with, but there’s only so much time in the day. While you’re there, it’s not just the exhibitors that you’ll want to talk to though, it’s the attendees as well.

Everyone attending the show is somehow involved in filmmaking – there’s producers, directors, cinematographers, grips, colorists, and of course editors. Everyone is very conversational and happy to make new friends. It’s an opportunity to build relationships that could potentially lead to work.

Media Production and Technology Show

Next, we visited the media production technology show MPTs. As you can see, it’s bigger and as mentioned covers media production in general. There were some big names like Sony that were missing, but instead we had huge stands from companies like Blackmagic and Avid. There’s also more storage companies, more audio vendors and more post-production services.

Blackmagic’s stall was excellent. Not only did they have their latest products on hand for you to play with, but they had a giant classroom with lessons running every hour. Rock up, sit down and enjoy a 40 minute lesson covering color grading, and the latest features added to Resolve. There’s a reason in itself to attend,  just for the free high quality training.

There were several lecture theatres set up throughout the venue, each specialized in a different topic such as audio, editing, or production. They had some top-notch speakers. Overall, it was a very informative day.

Should you go?

Here’s some reasons why you might want to go to a trade show:

1. They’re free! You’ve got nothing to lose and it’s a fun day out.
2. Equipment. If you are researching a purchase, this is a great place to get hands-on and have your questions answered by the manufacturer.
3. Networking. They are an opportunity for you to advertise your services and meet people who might one day want to hire you.
4. To learn. Whether it’s free classes, lectures, or getting your questions answered by an expert, it’s a great opportunity to continue your education as an editor and filmmaker.
5. Inspiration. Filmmaking is a complex process. As an editor, you’re just a small cog in a big machine, but the better you understand the other cogs around you, the better you’ll be at your job.

Trade shows are a fantastic opportunity, not just to learn more about how other editors are working, but to learn about other parts of the filmmaking process. In short, these events are a fantastic resource for aspiring and experienced editors alike.

Wrap Up

If you’d like to learn about the filmmaking process online, head over to our Free Training page to get started with some sample lessons on any topic that you like, from general creative editing, to working with music, cutting action scenes, trailers, promos, and a bunch more.