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ESV Sponsor BECTU Post Festival

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A few months ago we were approached by Stephen Little; Supervising Dialogue & ADR Editor to ask whether we would be interested in sponsoring the upcoming BECTU Festival by loaning some of our equipment to use on the day; of course, we jumped at the chance to be part of what is becoming a key festival amongst the post-production community.

BECTU Post Fest 2019

“Representation is having a voice to empower you in your career. If you love working in this industry and want to continue, it’s imperative that your voice be heard and BECTU is the way to make that happen.” – Rab Wilson, London Production Division rep from Post Production & Facilities


For those of you who may not have heard of this particular festival, BECTU Post Fest, held in 01-ZeroOne in Soho, came about as a celebration of the picture, sound and VFX post production industries in the UK. Programmed by leading representatives of BECTU’s Post Production and Facilities and VFX branches, the event looks to help the post production community connect and to celebrate the contribution of Post and VFX to the British Film and TV industries.

Now in its second year, once again, over 130 people came together to learn, discuss and to enjoy the day. Whether just starting out, or more experienced, in a group or on their own there was something for everyone. Topical masterclasses, panel discussions and a social to end the day, BECTU Post Fest delivered real benefit to all those who attended.


“The thing about documentary editing is you have to look at ALL the material” – Samuel R. Santana (2017 RTS Winner) on Storytelling Without a Script


ESV were extremely proud to sponsor the Bohemian Rhapsody: The Sound of the Queen panel; with high profile panelists including John Warhurst – Supervising Sound Editor, Nina Hartstone – Supervising Dialogue & ADR Editor and Jens Petersen – Dialogue & ADR Editor, its no wonder the audience thoroughly enjoyed it.

Bohemian Rhapsody Panel

Also included in this years itinerary:

  • Changing the Narrative: Cutting Drama – Featuring panelists from some of this years most gripping dramas including ‘The Crown’, ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘Big Little Lies’, ‘Funny Cow’ and ‘Criminal Justice.’
  • Sara Putt – The Deal Hunter – Agent to many of the UK’s leading HoDs shared her negotiating plan and checklist. She taught the listeners how to treat their employers, how to take control of conversations, negotiating skills, how to work with your colleagues and more.
  • Documentary Editing: Storytelling Without a Script – With guest panelists including Will Gilbey, 2019 BAFTA Winner and screenwriter for ‘BROS: After the Screaming Stops,’ and 2018 BAFTA Winner, Will Grayburn, editor of Chris Packham: Asperger’s and Me.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Demise of VFX or its New Best Friend? – Ian Murphy and Marcus Ottosson both with 13 years experience in VFX alongside Ricardo Musch – Compositing Supervisor and BECTU VFX Branch Secretary and others, explored the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and VFX; discussing whether with sophisticated new technologies is it the beginning of the end for VFX, or will it be its new best friend?
  • Edit Collective Presents: ‘Fighting to Flourish’: A Round Table Discussion on Cultivating an Ethical Workplace Culture – facilitated by some of the hottest names in the industry, Harley Young Kurylowski – award winning director and editor, Riaz Meer – Grierson award winning and BAFTA nominated producer and film director, Katherine Janes – award winning editor and edit collective co-founder and Nia Hughes – BECTU Post Production Organiser and co-developer of Post Fest.
  • Tax with Tony Lennon – Attendees were able to find out all there was to know about tax for freelancers in the creative sectors.

“One of the difficult things with Louis Theroux documentaries is making the flow natural” – Anna Price (2018 BAFTA Nominee) on Storytelling Without a Script


Of course the biggest talk of the day was ultimately, ‘For the Throne: Celebrating the Final Season of Game of Thrones.’

Its no surprise this one was a packed event as audience members were able to speak to those directly in the know with all of the panelists having worked on the show; Crispin Green – Picture Editor, Steph McCutcheon – First Assistant Editor, Ide O’Rourke – Associate Producer and Tim Hands – ADR Supervisor. With huge Game of Thrones fans amongst the ESV team we were really proud to have our equipment used for this talk also.


Where to cut in the scene can really add to the emotion. More dramatic scenes go up and down or have a faster pace but they are equally as hard to do in a different way.” – Game of Thrones Panelists


With such a great line up for the day and with some huge names in the industry available for discussion and to answer any questions, its no wonder all the tickets were sold out days before the doors even opened.

So with next years event set to be even bigger and better than this one, be sure to keep your eyes peeled when tickets come available. With insider knowledge on Oscar winning films, from the logistics behind getting the clean claps on Bohemiam Rhapsody to the importance of ‘focus’ during documentary editing from a whole host of speakers, makes for a very interesting and great day and certainly the place to be for all those in or coming into the industry.

BECTU Post Fest 2019

“There is an expectation to do longer hours especially with younger editors and this is wrong. You have to tell them ‘listen, you have scheduled this wrong.” – Wise words from the BECTU Panelists


Check out the BECTU website for dates on next years event.

ESV’s way of sponsorship was to loan a pair of Genelec 8050‘s plus mixer and audio cables to be used during the panel discussions.


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