I was dreading going to the BSC Expo, so to have imposter syndrome the day before on top of my shyness and autism wasn’t the best combination. If anyone by slim odds does have that eclectic mix of worries, I’m sorry I brought this up, and secondly take it as your sign to prepare as much as you can. In reality you shouldn’t be that worried, because everyone is there to network and be involved with one another. In this sense if you have touchpoints with the exhibitors, or with other visitors, it makes it much easier to start up conversations. Even if you say to people online that you want to meet up if you bump into them, and you don’t, to do that action put me in the mindset to be sociable. Putting yourself in that space mentally is half the battle, the other half is making sure the people you talk to remember you. Business cards help with this greatly, your introduction more so. In most of the conversations I had I noticed the first thing the other did was to look down at the pass I had around my neck, so it’s great to use it as a starting off point. A conversation could last 5 or 15 minutes, so just follow the flow and enjoy it.
In between all the networking though, the next reason people are there is to obviously play with some new toys. Being an expo mainly based around cinema equipment a majority of the stands there were camera, grip or lighting centric. CVP by far had the biggest stand, they had the biggest range of cameras to examine, the most eclectic collection of lenses to look at, the biggest wall of monitors and a mini virtual production demo running all day. More so there were opportunities to learn about rental house equipment used for servicing and opportunities to speak with some great people. If you found that too crowded though (it often was) ARRI, Sony and Aputure were also fantastic stands to visit. At ARRI you could get hands on with their three flagship cameras (Alexa 35, Mini LF and Alexa LF), an ARRI trinity and their newly released Impression V filters for the Signature Prime Lenses; a filter system designed to give that line of lenses vintage-like characteristics. Sony had a Rialto 2 (a popular part of their modular cinealta camera system that fits on the Sony Venice 2) on a jib for visitors to try, which was fun to control, and had their own virtual production element as well thanks to their partnership with LUX Machina. Finally while Aputure’s stand might have been small, compared to those previously mentioned, it was still a good and efficient showcase of their products; one of those being their new Infinibars lighting system which looks to be a dream for commercial and music video DPs. For next time though I want to be more pragmatic if I’m going as a freelance creative. Given that it had so many stands with lighting, cameras and lenses I want to take more time to take reference photos; whether that be just how a light shines on a face, how a lens looks through a viewfinder or how a certain specialist grip equipment feels to control. I saw many people doing this, and coming away from the expo I can understand why. It was easy to get caught up in the moments the event has to offer, so my most valuable learning is that I need to make sure I retain the best memory possible for what I see.
You could cover all the stands in a day by just walking around, but that was obviously not the point when speaking with other visitors. In reflection I ultimately felt like I took a whistle stop tour. I planned a list of stands to go to and a seminar I wanted to go to. In reality, time was spent at more stands than others because of the friends I had, I had some conversations in between that resulted in a lot of business cards being given out to exhibitors and panel speakers, rather than visitors, I missed that seminar because it was full and just wandered around being amazed by everything. While I got immediate value and confidence out of my visit, I had FOMO the next day and regret that I didn’t give my time to more visitors. BSC Expo should ultimately be thought of as a networking event first, so its to the best of your benefit to go for two days, not just for one so you don’t feel rushed and not under as much pressure to feel you have to get the best out of that day either. I’d strategise my networking differently if I had two days; as I’d try to visit and network with exhibitors one day and visitors for the next.
Either way, your preparation should start when you register for your pass. As I discovered from being there its no good if you just put “Freelance” on your pass; it makes it harder to introduce yourself and hinders you in how others make a first impression of you. Psychologically it’s easy for you to just put “Freelance” or the name of your company and know what you mean by that, but what will others think you mean by that? They won’t stop to think if you put “Freelance” but might ask if you’re a company. In contrast if you say you’re a “cinematographer”, “camera operator” etc., roles that are inherently known as freelance roles, it makes your introduction much easier and your end to the conversation much stronger. This same fact stretches to the business card (or any other form of contact) you may give to them afterward. A common problem I had when talking to rental houses was that I was introducing myself as a camera trainee, but talked about how I might like to be a trainee in the rental house system, as I wanted to keep it relevant to them and it was an area I was generally interested in; or how I might want to be a trainee in virtual production when talking to someone in virtual production. If I give them a card that says “camera department trainee” on the front it contrasts the whole conversation we would’ve just had, meaning you’re not ending with a strong impression. Its not necessarily a big problem, and if you converse like that where you’re still open to other areas in the industry, but it might be good to consider not putting a job title on your business card or pass at all. At the end of the day it depends on personal preference, but the point is that you need to be aware and consistent in how you present yourself. If you present yourself in being interested in loads of different areas, maybe buy business cards you can write a job position on so they and you know what you talked about in the weeks after if you get in contact again.
The great thing about being a trainee at this level of event is that you don’t feel like you have to know everything. You can go there, enjoy all the technology and ask questions about everything you need to; and thats whether you’re talking to exhibitors or visitors. It’s a learning experience for everyone, and that certainly made for a good and open atmosphere. Overall, I can see why it is so essential to the British Film and Creative Industry; would I say it’s important to attend for trainees? I would say so. Especially when all the equipment there relates to things you want to train rather than buy? While at that level you’d be unable to buy nearly anything on show, to be able to be around things like a Steadicam, a technocrane and various kinds of cameras and lighting with the ability to ask questions about those products and businesses is invaluable. This also doesn’t mean to say it’s full of those sorts of businesses, as guilds like BETCU, the GTC and the GBCT and businesses like Film and TV Charity and KAYS were also there for you to converse with and network with. While it is a prestigious event, it’s guaranteed there will be something there to capture your interest; and that there will be someone there to talk about it with.
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