As the build-up to this September’s IBC continues, the latest in the event’s series of pre-show webinars focused on all things production and post.
Three production technology specialists joined the discussion, hosted by IBC’s Keran Boyd: Robin Cramp, head of business development at Production Park for XPLOR; Wesley Dodd, CEO of Celebro Studios; and Tomasz Witkowski, co-founder of Soho Media Club.
As IBC’s last physical show was pre-pandemic, in 2019, one of the key talking points for the session was the technological innovations catalysed by COVID. Naturally, the rise of virtual production was high on the agenda.
“A lot of the developments in real-time virtual production have been driven by the fact that we’ve needed to do new things in new ways very quickly,” said Cramp. Production Park, based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, has a background in live events, hosting artists like The Killers and Muse. As the complex has extended, the Production Park team has introduced virtual production studios that help broaden their reach to include film and television opportunities.
“From 2019 to now, the industry has moved on so much and a lot of this wouldn’t maybe be where it is now if we hadn’t had the pandemic,” he added.
Dodd noted how clients’ needs have evolved during the pandemic, as he and his team at Celebro Studios have discovered first-hand. “We found ourselves moving a lot more from predominantly TV and broadcast to the B2B space,” he explained. “The needs are changing; we’re finding ourselves doing more small broadcasting or webcasting.”
IBC, he noted, will be an ideal opportunity for the industry to reconnect and share ideas after a few years of physical distance. “I’m looking forward to IBC because we had all these technical and production challenges during COVID and had to find new solutions, and now we’re all going to come together and compare notes. We’re going to see the mistakes people have made and the incredible solutions some people have found.”
Tomasz Witkowski, who was director of technology and engineering at Twickenham Film Studios until recently, cited the metaverse as the biggest change in the industry since 2019. “It opened new opportunities to democratise technology,” he added.
He also commented on the lack of money being put aside in film budgets to cover expensive post, saying: “The future of post is actually increasing the budgets, otherwise production can’t sustain – especially with inflation.”
Also on the panel’s radar were hot topics like the potential of 5G, transitioning to the cloud, the impact of sustainability, and the metaverse.
The session ended with each speaker sharing their top tips for making the most of a vast event like IBC. Everyone was in agreement that a trip to the Beach Bar was a must! “Definitely flat shoes,” said Witkowski, “a lot of water, because we need to be hydrated… and definitely have fun. This person you meet now – in five years’ time, they could be your boss or a potential client.”
