POST EXAMINATION AT THE PRODUCTION SHOW

THE post-production and facilities community in the UK has experienced massive structural and management shifts in the last year.
As a result, The Production Show 2001, March 13-15, 2001, will hold a set of sessions that analyse the current issues in the industry and the implications from a business, technological and practical perspective.
The potential business opportunities in post production have certainly been recognised by large foreign-based facilities, most markedly with the takeover of several Soho key players by US outfit Liberty Media.
The ‘Post Independent’ session studies whether multinational conglomerates will dominate the market and squeeze medium and small players out and the effects of this on profitability and margins. Cultural changes are expected with the arrival of the big new entrants, but to what extent will this affect price-cutting and fixing, the loss of creative resources and the delivery of service. In this environment, how attractive is it for an independent start up to establish a traditional business and ultimately how does this affect the producers themselves - the spend decision makers. Answering these questions, The Production Show has confirmed representative speakers from each of these areas.
Within this new business environment with the industry facing its biggest restructuring since the introduction of video, fragmentation, increased competition and new market opportunities will affect how facilities houses market themselves, grow, or survive. ‘Adopt or Die’ will take on more of a workshop and advice format rather than a controversial debate aimed at providing practical solutions to strategically market post and facilities businesses.
Innovations in technology are also having a dramatic effect on the post landscape, ‘How Fat is Your Pipe?’ explores the ramifications for post on the move towards content management and streaming, broadband, rich media, content and media asset management.
Equally, one other major technological debate centres on whether hi-definition is the future of high-end post-production. ‘Redefinition’ examines the pros and cons of HD post production, and speaks to some of the leading manufacturers and facilities to find out just how viable it is and if the investment is really worth it. (GB)