LET THE SHOW BEGIN

Back in its normal February slot for the first time post-pandemic, this year’s BSC Expo promises to kick off another bumper year in the film world with a bang. Find out what to expect from another jam-packed edition with BSC President Chris Ross. 

For many people there’s often little joy to be found in February, with its irksome combination of short days, oft-gloomy weather, and chilly temperatures. But for the filmmaking community, a few special days in South London at the end of the month mark a high point of the industry calendar.  

The 2023 BSC Expo – the UK’s premier meeting place for cinematographers, brands, and the wider industry – returns to Battersea Evolution from 25-26 February. This year’s event heralds 30 years full of artistic and technological innovation since the first edition of the show – then known as the BSC Equipment Show and held at Shepperton Studios – and excitement is as great as ever.   

“The show is a red-letter, must-see exhibition of filmmaking technology and that’s the ethos we try to carry forward today,” says Chris Ross BSC who, along with the diligent BSC Board of Governors, is organising this year’s Expo. “We’re very privileged to bring our attendees the absolute cream of innovative equipment.”  

Ross is speaking to us ahead of the BSC Awards on 11 February, being held at a new venue, London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel. The expanded space will allow the Society to welcome more guests to toast a year of cinematographic achievements, including the coveted BSC Best Cinematography gongs.  

Space for the Expo at Battersea Evolution has also been upped, with an extra five percent of room to ensure as many attendees as possible can enjoy the show. This news will please exhibitors, with around 130 brands across cameras, lighting, grip equipment, post-production and more confirmed to be present. “What we hope in organising this exhibition is that equipment that you find there will, within a few months to a year, become a standard device on everybody’s film set,” says Ross. “We hope that at the Expo, we get to introduce you to this equipment for the first time. You can familiarise yourself with it and our exhibitors get to show their market-leading technology to the market-leading cinematographers, camera assistants, gaffers, grips and more. The whole filmmaking world comes to BSC Expo.”  

Evolution of the Expo 

This year marks Ross’ second Expo as BSC president, but he remembers his first visit, back in 2000 when he worked for Panavision, with fondness. In those days, the show was run by its “indefatigable, unflappable” stalwarts, Frances Russell of the BSC and Joe Dunton MBE BSC, and Ross, who was helping to man Panavision’s stand, couldn’t believe the scale of the event. “I was in awe,” he says. “I’d never seen so much film equipment all in one place. At that time, I was a newbie in the industry, so I didn’t know a single person, but there were about 1,000 people in the George Lucas soundstage at Elstree talking about the latest innovations in crane technology and celluloid.”  

After its beginnings at Shepperton, the show moved from various studios including Pinewood, Mister Lighting and Grip House, Dukes Island, Leavesden and Elstree before settling in its current home Battersea Evolution in 2016. (The nature of setting up shop in a studio made it tricky for organisers to plan ahead by more than a few weeks.) Battersea now provides a pleasing familiarity for long-time attendees. “Being based in Battersea has made it the kind of exhibition that you can now familiarise yourself with so if you come back two or three years running, you have a fairly good idea about the floorplan so you can navigate yourself,” Ross adds. 

The venue may have changed over the years, but the Expo’s ethos remains the same. “The exhibition set out to fulfil that curiosity and desire of cinematographers and the filmmaking community of the UK,” Ross explains. “That curiosity is fuelled by: What are the new things that are out there? What can we do to make things better? How can we improve our craft in a million different ways? Despite expanding over the years and increasing our number of exhibitors and increasing the number of seminars we hold, what stays true all these years later is that the BSC and the filmmaking community of the UK and globally stays curious and wants you to know, wants to communicate, wants to talk about all this amazing equipment.” 

Visitors to last year’s Expo – the first since the COVID pandemic – will remember the measures the organisers took to ensure a safe show, including wider aisles and increased airflow. They succeeded in putting on three BSC seminar panels and a further eight seminars from exhibitors, patrons and connected organisations. Ross remembers how the team had had two years of conversations about the Expo’s comeback year and how to facilitate such a large gathering while making attendees feel safe. “It was a massive challenge to deliver it because the restrictions would change so frequently,” he recalls. “But what was great about the 2022 Expo was that nothing had really changed – everybody came together in a room and the atmosphere was identical to previous versions. Everyone was energised to be together.” 

This year, the BSC’s line-up of seminars is looking as engaging as ever. Again, there will be three panels put on by the society, each featuring an experienced cinematographer as a moderator and four industry panellists keen to share their experiences. ‘TV Drama is King’ will be led by Stephen Murphy BSC ISC (Atlanta S3, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) which will see the art of the format go under the radar. Panellists will analyse what it’s like to shoot a pilot compared to shooting in the middle of the season and explore how cinematographers have to collaborate with a variety of other departments to achieve the best results on set.  

Education and inspiration 

The second seminar, planned to be led by Kate Reid BSC (The Baby, The Nevers), is tentatively titled ‘A Proper Conversation about Cinematography: Finding the Work-Life Balance’. “It’s about the sort of things you don’t learn about cinematography while at film school,” Ross explains. 

To round off the weekend, John de Borman BSC AFC (An Education, The Full Monty) will host a seminar called ‘The Power of the Image’. This deep dive into the artistry behind iconic frames is set to include Ellen Kuras ASC and Stuart Bentley BSC in its line-up.  

“The BSC show is a wonderful mixture of discovery of both new technology and equipment but also, most importantly, a gathering of our industry at its most passionate,” said de Borman. “It’s a meeting of the best and the most generous with their knowledge, combined with so many in-depth panel discussions on so many different subjects. It’s a must for any up-and-coming cinematographers, and others, to get involved and make connections in our industry. This show is warm and has the spirited heart of our industry that we love to share with you all.” 

Digital Orchard’s Talent Bar also makes a welcome return to the Expo, providing a safe space for new and established filmmakers to connect. Ross explains how the BSC’s training offering and the Digital Orchard Foundation have grown together over the last few years and in October 2022, they worked together to deliver an Introduction to Cinematography workshop (covered in this issue’s Train to Gain), cementing the BSC’s dedication to increase opportunity to underrepresented groups and to introduce young people who might not otherwise see film equipment to the industry. He adds, “It’s just another spoke in the wheel that is the journey the BSC and Digital Orchard are on together. The Talent Bar will provide opportunities to partner with cinematographers, camera operators and other members of the camera team, in terms of one-to-one, career-based sessions. It’s there as a place for everybody to meet up and interact with younger filmmakers.” 

Rick Joaquim SASC was one of the filmmakers who took advantage of the Talent Bar in 2022. “The BSC Expo is a really amazing event,” he enthuses. “Not only do you get to drool over some lovely pieces of kit and chat to the actual people behind it – but you get to possibly meet some amazing industry connections. I was fortunate enough to meet Angus Hudson BSC last year thanks to the Digital Orchard Talent Bar. So many DPs, including myself, dream of being part of the BSC one day, so to meet DPs that you look up to and that have walked this path before us is such a great opportunity – being able chat to them and get advice, insight and guidance.” 

After two decades of Expo-going, does Ross have any words of wisdom for Expo first-timers for making the most of what can seem a daunting two days? “Come for both days and immerse yourself in it,” he says. “Involve yourself in every possible conversation. The one thing that was my big takeaway from my early experiences was that there were times when I really wanted to talk to somebody about a piece of equipment, but I shied away from being the only person on that stand.”  

Eben Bolter BSC adds: “My quick tips for first-timers would be to use public transport, get there early to scope out the exhibits, then spend the rest of your time chatting. We have such a great community of filmmakers here in the UK and it’s rare we get to meet up en masse like the Expo facilitates. My favourite part of the show is catching-up with old colleagues and meeting new ones.” 

“There are so many great and interesting stands and talks, essential for cinematographers, and it can feel overwhelming,” says Nina Kellgren BSC. “Be selective and spend time exploring specific equipment and introducing yourself. The people behind the equipment – ARRI, Panavision etc. – are key collaborators for your future!” 

Ross sums the Expo experience up perfectly: “The BSC Expo is a unique opportunity to get first-hand experience with equipment. Most of the people that are on the stands are part of the team that innovated that equipment, so you’ll meet some of the most significant engineers and the lighting technology designers that work in the global technology industry and that’s super unique. That doesn’t happen every day – it happens once a year at the Battersea Evolution centre and we’re super proud of that interaction.”