Last Thursday I wrapped up warm, donned my woolly hat and trogged along to ExCel for the final day of BVE 2018. My journey was rapid and easy, an experience not shared by most of the country, so attendances were sparse, with a risk of engulfment from the tumbleweed rolling down the aisles, watched by mostly bored standholders. Some didn’t make it at all, and some presentations also had to be cancelled. So all in all quite a disappointment for the organisers, indeed for all involved.
I had already decided to spend most of my time at seminars rather than doing the rounds of exhibitors, and a couple of those were particularly interesting, “What I wish I knew before starting a production company” an impressive panel, ably chaired by Pippa Considine; and “The Spikey Idea”, presented by James Nestor. The latter examined comprehensive processes to create material that hit an important and often very current issue (e.g. Female Genital Mutilation or FGM) in a novel way, and getting a co-ordinated campaign out there using all manner of media to create not only mass interest but also to make a difference to policy and get essential funding flowing. If someone hasn’t already done it I will write these seminars up in detail with whatever links I can find. All in all a positive experience despite the weather. It was also good to reconnect with a few old friends at KitPlus and the GTC. Let’s hope the weather is kinder to BVE in 2019! Tony Manning, Chair, Institute of Videography