Runaway production, digital cinema, and the future of high-definition are just a few of the subjects that will be addressed at the 19th Annual ShowBiz Expo conference. This year's show, which is sponsored by Film & Video Magazine, will be held June 1-3 in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center, and will feature a keynote address by DP Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC. More than 300 exhibitors are expected on the show floor, including lighting and film/video camera companies, set, prop, and costume vendors, and visual effects providers, including a number of digital companies.
Saturday, June 1, the emphasis of the ShowBiz Expo panels will be on business, starting with a 9am-10am keynote panel on runaway production, moderated by International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) executive Bruce Doering. ICG also presents a live webcast with Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, from the show floor's new Demo Stage from 10am to noon. Other Saturday sessions look at the move to digital projection in theatres, the impact of HD on production and post, and a panel on production design, featuring Blade Runner designer Lawrence Paull.
The Sunday, June 2 focus is creativity, and includes lots of goodies: Deakins' keynote address from 9-10am; a panel on the interaction of cinematography and visual effects in Stuart Little 2, featuring DP Steven Poster, ASC, director Rob Minkoff, and digital effects supervisor Jerome Chin, among others; a session titled "The Art of Lighting," moderated by ICG president George Spiro Dibie, and including DPs Daniel Pearl, Bill Bennett, David Darby, Brian Reynolds, Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, and Michael Ballhaus, ASC; and panels devoted to film restoration, visual effects, and HD acquisition. The keynote panel Monday, June 3 will cover the future of entertainment, including the role of digital.
Exhibitors that will be presenting their products on the Demo Stage include Airstar Space Lighting, Bogen Photo, Chimera, LTM Corporation, GAM Products, GE Energy, K5600, Sky Cannon, and Dazian Fabric. Among other exhibitors, Panavision will introduce its Super Techno 50 crane, and the Strada 100, advertised as the world's largest and tallest camera crane. At the ASC Island, adjacent to the American Society of Cinematographers booth, Victor Kemper, ASC, Bob Primes, ASC, and Steve Gainer will hold scheduled meetings 3-4pm Saturday and 3-5pm Sunday to discuss plans for the new ASC campus. (Call 323-969-4333, ext. 103, or email Patty@theASC.com for more information.)
A screening room on the show floor is the venue for a series called "Dreams," comprising features shot digitally on Sony 24P equipment and projected in HD; "The Art and Craft of the American Television Commercial," featuring award-winning spots; and the ICG Short Film Showcase, highlighting the work of new cinematographers.
Further registration, conference, and exhibit information can be obtained at www.showbizexpo.com.