BVE Exhibition 2019, London

Paul R Johnson · April 26th, 2019, 01:20 AM

Did anyone go to this annual show this year? I went and left very early. The usual interesting manufacturers (cameras, in particular) absent, along with associated production products, and the seminars so dull and uninteresting.

Today they sent an excited link to their site where you can watch the seminars, and read mostly understandable transcripts of what was said. I get left with the idea the video production is now the province of marketing speak MBA holding dullards. They talk with buzzwords and often used meaningless phrases. The only emerging feature seems to be IT and IP. For me, with a pocketful of cash to buy some new products to make videos, it was deeply disappointing. Only JVC had cameras on display - Sony, Panasonic, Blackmagic and Canon missing. Camera supports - another thing for me nowhere to be seen.

even worse were the display stages where we watched video of dancers with so much distribution latency that made you feel nauseous seeing real limbs move and then all the monitors move half a second later. Embarrassing. A lighting discussion of how to do it (verbal, not practical) conducted in a murky half light.

God it was boring. My last. Have a look at their videos and see if any of these talks would have interested you? Some have enough in the first few lines of transcript to make even pressing play pointless.

https://www.bvexpo.com/highlight-vid...ZYYjE0QXBtNyJ9

Andy Wilkinson · April 26th, 2019, 06:51 AM

I made last year's BVE my last. I too thought it was heading in a direction that was not of interest (to me personally).

However, last year (and this) I went to the BSC (British Society Cinematographers) Expo at Battersea. I found that much more interesting, not least because we bumped into the Director of Top Gear and had a long chat with him!

BSC Expo run a free shuttle bus from Sloane Square (near Tube station) and a mate and I enjoyed some great ale (and then a lovely Korean meal) in that neighbourhood/Victoria Station way after the show. Hopefully, they will revise the cloakroom arrangements before next year's BSC Expo as that was chaotic/had huge long queues - but apart from that it was an excellent event, really good range of exhibitors and with some good seminars too. CVP also ran a free bar :-)...it was PACKED!

It's free if you pre-register. Look out for it, it's on early February - assuming similar format to this year.

Steve Game · April 27th, 2019, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Wilkinson

I made last year's BVE my last. I too thought it was heading in a direction that was not of interest (to me personally).

However, last year (and this) I went to the BSC (British Society Cinematographers) Expo at Battersea. I found that much more interesting, not least because we bumped into the Director of Top Gear and had a long chat with him!

BSC Expo run a free shuttle bus from Sloane Square (near Tube station) and a mate and I enjoyed some great ale (and then a lovely Korean meal) in that neighbourhood/Victoria Station way after the show. Hopefully, they will revise the cloakroom arrangements before next year's BSC Expo as that was chaotic/had huge long queues - but apart from that it was an excellent event, really good range of exhibitors and with some good seminars too. CVP also ran a free bar :-)...it was PACKED!

It's free if you pre-register. Look out for it, it's on early February - assuming similar format to this year.

I agree with all of the above. BVE has in the last 5 years moved from a reasonable video product expo to a gathering of local development bodies baiting producers with promises of grants to make films. Gone are the halcyon days of Bob Crabtree's Video Forum, which started at Wembley as a real hardware and software showcase.
I went to BSC for the second time this year and although some of it is decidedly for big cinema production, (I don't have much call for Cooke and Angineux lens), companies like Canon and Blackmagic had a presence, either directly or through their distributors.
Also of increasing interest is the
Photography Show at the NEC, which is slowly moving from a pure stills show to showcasing video for serious use. And, there's three competing sellers of all things cameras giving good show deals, (if you can get near enough to the counter to be served!

Mike Paterson · April 29th, 2019, 04:30 AM

100% agree. I went this year specifically to look at some new lights and other production equipment and had exactly the same experience - there was literally nothing for me. I left after an hour.

April 26th, 2019, 01:20 AM	#1
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	BVE Exhibition 2019, London - looking back Did anyone go to this annual show this year? I went and left very early. The usual interesting manufacturers (cameras, in particular) absent, along with associated production products, and the seminars so dull and uninteresting. Today they sent an excited link to their site where you can watch the seminars, and read mostly understandable transcripts of what was said. I get left with the idea the video production is now the province of marketing speak MBA holding dullards. They talk with buzzwords and often used meaningless phrases. The only emerging feature seems to be IT and IP. For me, with a pocketful of cash to buy some new products to make videos, it was deeply disappointing. Only JVC had cameras on display - Sony, Panasonic, Blackmagic and Canon missing. Camera supports - another thing for me nowhere to be seen. even worse were the display stages where we watched video of dancers with so much distribution latency that made you feel nauseous seeing real limbs move and then all the monitors move half a second later. Embarrassing. A lighting discussion of how to do it (verbal, not practical) conducted in a murky half light. God it was boring. My last. Have a look at their videos and see if any of these talks would have interested you? Some have enough in the first few lines of transcript to make even pressing play pointless. https://www.bvexpo.com/highlight-vid...ZYYjE0QXBtNyJ9

April 26th, 2019, 06:51 AM	#2
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Re: BVE Exhibition 2019, London - looking back I made last year's BVE my last. I too thought it was heading in a direction that was not of interest (to me personally). However, last year (and this) I went to the BSC (British Society Cinematographers) Expo at Battersea. I found that much more interesting, not least because we bumped into the Director of Top Gear and had a long chat with him! BSC Expo run a free shuttle bus from Sloane Square (near Tube station) and a mate and I enjoyed some great ale (and then a lovely Korean meal) in that neighbourhood/Victoria Station way after the show. Hopefully, they will revise the cloakroom arrangements before next year's BSC Expo as that was chaotic/had huge long queues - but apart from that it was an excellent event, really good range of exhibitors and with some good seminars too. CVP also ran a free bar :-)...it was PACKED! It's free if you pre-register. Look out for it, it's on early February - assuming similar format to this year. __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

April 29th, 2019, 04:30 AM	#4
Mike Paterson Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 99	Re: BVE Exhibition 2019, London - looking back 100% agree. I went this year specifically to look at some new lights and other production equipment and had exactly the same experience - there was literally nothing for me. I left after an hour. __________________ www.pfilm.co.uk