BVE 2016 round up: Fingleton’s tips, Sony kit and Tate tech

Last week me and Jack were lucky enough to snag a couple of tickets to BVE – the UK’s biggest motion content event. The Excel centre was stuffed full of industry experts giving talks, manufacturers hawking their wares and creative types like us trying to grok as much about new developments as possible. Here are our highlights.

Stephen Fingleton on using shorts as proof-of-concept

Elliot Grove, founder of the Raindance Film Festival, talked to BAFTA nominated writer and director, Stephen Fingleton about his latest success, The Survivalist.

Fingleton proves that film school isn’t a prerequisite to success, citing his years as an UCL English Student, borrowing 16mm cameras from the film department as his point of entry.

When asked about his previous mistakes and whether he regrets not choosing to study film, Fingleton states “I’ve made loads, it’s only through those mistakes that you expose the potential to do something great”.

Fingleton quickly learned the power of shorts, using them to build his career, creating short films set within the world of potential features to act as pilots and proofs of concept. He discussed at length his desire for short films to be viewed this way not only by Hollywood studio execs but audiences as well, suggesting they provide much more entertainment, value and industry labour than a standard, chop-shop theatrical trailer.

When asked if he had any advice for fledgling filmmakers, Fingleton had much to say. He told the crowd not to let go of their passion, to become a master of influence, to find great actors that tell the story regardless of the lens that captures them and most importantly, to find a talented editor with a distinct style and taste, an editor more than willing to challenge their director … a piece of advice I can really believe in!

We had to be peeled off the Sony HDC 4300

A circle of Sony Cameras capture a grand piano as it continuously spins under heavy studio lights. The quality of pianist proves negligible given the overbearing sound of the expo, however the camera itself proved remarkable!

The quality of image was astounding, offering a clarity of picture that revealed every scratch and dust particle, previously invisible to the naked eye. Offering 4Kx2 and HDx8 slow motion, the Sony HDC 4300 certainly proves to be a fantastic piece of kit.

The Tate presents 3D projection mapping

Immediately apologising for using both the term ‘content’ and ‘engaging’, the AV manager from Tate galleries then went on to explain how they aim to inspire a new generation of young artists.

The Tate believes it has a responsibility to provide access to people that might not otherwise engage with art. They do this not simply by handing over a piece of finished art/tech and letting them get on with it, but by finding creative ways to use technology to get young people creating their own work.

The Circuit program was once such initiative, using the ease of access to cameras to create 3D projection mapped video installations with YouTubers and bloggers.

As you can see, there’s huge variety of stuff on offer at BVE – covering almost any angle you can think of across the whole of the motion content spectrum (check out Al’s post on virtual reality for example) – which is why we like to visit every year.