Euro Cine Expo Trade Show : "Local but international", an interview with the organizers

Nowadays, creating such exhibition is a real challenge, so we were curious to understand the motivations and goals of the creators of this event.
With Aleksej Berkovic, RGC, ITC Co-Chair, we interviewed Rob and Claire Saunders (Event Directors, Euro Cine Expo), plus Ron Prince (Editor, Cinematography World) and Alan Lowne (Special Consultant, Cinematography World). The latter two are the seminar panel curators and the magazine is the official media partner for the Expo.

Ron and Alan have been internationally known for decades and are still passionate about filmmaking and cinematography. They were running the British Cinematographer before creating Cinematography World magazine. Starting a discussion with them can lead you into unknown territories. Thus, whether it’s a long take in a Korean film, the new president of an association of cinematographers, cinematography in Bhutan or a new stabilizer useful for young filmmakers, it’s always a great pleasure to talk to them.

A fresh approach with an international level
Of course, one of the first questions is why create a show in Munich, where the Cinec has been held since 1996, every other year at the end of September (Cinec announced that in 2022, there will be no show but a special congress at HFF - Munich Film School).

In fact, German and international manufacturers approached Rob and Claire in 2018 to design this Euro Cine Expo in Munich before the summer to avoid the proximity of the IBC show in mid-September. Rob and Claire have been successfully managing and organising the BSC Expo on behalf of the British Society of Cinematographers which gave them many assets for managing the Euro Cine Expo.
The manufacturers wanted a fresh approach with an international level. Rob & Claire launched the concept in 2020 but then the pandemic happened. This gave them time to meet with many willing associations (including Bavarians). They chose Cinematography World magazine as their official media partner as it offered a global outreach for the event. In addition, they also built strong partnerships with many other media partners in the USA, UK, Spain, and Germany.

Cottage industry and cinematography family
In the area of trade shows, the pandemic has highlighted several points, including the fact that there is a new opportunity in Germany to design a less expensive, more film and cinematography focused event. Rob thought that something was lost in IBC and NAB : they are strong international shows, but he said that cinematography is a family that deserves a different approach, that’s why the Micro Salons (France, Italy, Spain), BSC Expo and now Euro Cine Expo are successful and so well supported. It’s a niche to preserve.

Alan and Ron underlined the decisive role of this type of local shows in our community, they gather of course large groups but also cottage industries. All these shows have a common point : a good knowledge of the specificities of filmmaking and cinematography.
Of course, this event cannot be compared to the Micro Salons which are organized by non-profit associations.

Euro Cine Expo : First edition Year 2022

The show took place in the Zenith Hall of the Motorworld, north of Munich, a recently restructured space clearly dedicated for lovers of driving culture. In the hotel we were staying, as soon as you pushed the button in the elevator, you would hear the sound of … a Ford Mustang starting up.
But in the hall, there was as much of a friendly atmosphere as in BSC Expo and Micro Salons, a feeling shared by many exhibitors. Special rooms were dedicated to high end technical hands-on and discussions. This year, there were over than one hundred exhibitors, 1,950 attendees coming from all over the world with a large theater extremely well set up by our friend John Daly, BSC.

In this venue, seven different seminars took place including Cinegirl* International Cinematography Panel Discussion, DP Armin Franzen on shooting "Das Boot" S3 in 8K and our ITC seminar : “The power of knowledge and intuition in all the creative aspects of cinematography’’.
Rob and Claire, with the support of Cinematography World and John Daly, really intend to develop the quality of these seminars through all the associations, including of course, those of cinematographers.
What was extremely interesting about this show was the strong focus on associations and the quality of seminars.

At the end of the interview, Rob and Claire mentioned that it was a great basis for 2023.
They also informed us that with the pandemic affecting industry and restricting people from celebrating the art and craft of Cinematography that they will be creating an intimate 1 ½ day celebration of industry in Santa Monica : Cine Fest West. This is not an exhibition but more of a festival an opportunity for the industry to gather with their families at an open-air event and which should be a welcome addition to the global calendar. The dates for this celebration are confirmed as 16 th - 17 th September**.
And finally, the ITC made different proposals for future editions to strengthen the link between the committee, Euro Cine Expo, and Cinematography World magazine.
The ITC wants to thank Euro Cine Expo and Cinematography World for their precious help for organising this meeting and for the travel and accommodations.

I am not sure that we could have had this kind of discussion with the organizers of large events where the notions of family and associations would have been absent and replaced instead by networks and globalization.
Also : the title of this article, ’’Local but international’’, seemed to me to define well this show whose interest should be underlined.

* www.cinegirl.net/
(Cinegirl is an independent digital magazine featuring an expansive galaxy of topics that talent working within the Film & TV Industry cares about. Female focused, not exclusive)
** Cine Fest West : To find out more on how you can attend as either a visitor or founding supporter, e-mail info chez cinefestwest.com. The contact number is +44 1428609382.

Philippe Ros, AFC, is ITC Co-Chair.

Thumbnail image and photos in the porfolio below courtesy of Cinematography World.