FILMCASTLive!: AT THE SHOWBIZ EXPO 2010 LOS ANGELES

The past weekend I visited the ShowBiz Expo in downtown Los Angeles and I was bit surprised that they were sharing the Convention Center with the Cannabis Expo...it shows we are in Lalaland...and I do not have anything against it.. just that the landscape was bit "exotic" to me.

The CinePed, a panoramic 360° camera

support system, with a dolly hydraulic pedestal

Syd Wilder operates the rig

A couple years ago, I visited the ShowBiz Expo in New York City and I found there a very busy floor, but it was mostly geared to the acting, performance and theatrical industries. Here in Los Angeles, I was anticipating for the expo to be rather a meeting place for the production and post industries, but then again I found here a mixed bag of vendors mostly addressing the acting, modeling and performance industry and other few production related companies

The American Cinematographer booth offered their

flagship magazine and other educational publications.

It was a crowded stop for the attendees at the ShowBiz Expo.

The American Society of Cinematographers also conducted a

morning session focusing in the relationship between the

cinematographer and the performer. Pictured above is

publisher Martha Winterhalter and staff.

But nonetheless, it became evident that the attending public was also a mixed bag, a crowd of non-production , actors, performers and production people eager for information from the different vendors and workshops. The only session I was able to visit was the RED workshop "All want you want to know about the RED" and the panel provided a comprehensive session about the RED camera as they related their experience about production and work-flow to the attending public.

Michelle Danner, Executive Artistic Director of

EdgeMar Center for the Arts on Main, Santa Monica

Overall, The ShowBiz Expo it is a potential networking place not just for the uninitiated, but also for the professional looking for information, connections and orientation about the in-and-outs of acting, the performing arts and the different aspects of production, serving thus a good purpose to the industry as a whole in a town where these type of shows are commonplace.