The SMPTE Board of Governors has formally approved the creation of the SMPTE UK Region, with Dalet’s Bruce Devlin as its first Governor.
The UK Section of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) growth from 83 members in 2012 to more than 500 members in 2015 has made it eligible to petition the Board of Governors for creation of a Region, which will provide that Section with formal representation on the Board.
‘The widespread support for the SMPTE UK Section and its work, evident in rapidly increasing attendance at meetings across the UK, reflects the growth occurring across the Society as a whole,’ says SMPTE Membership Vice President, William C Miller. ‘SMPTE now has more than 6,400 members worldwide, and students represent the fastest-growing group of members. As we move into the Society’s centennial year, it is exciting to see that our work is relevant and important to the newest members of our industry.’
Devlin had previously been elected by the membership to serve as 2016-2017 Governor for the Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Central & South America Region. The SMPTE Board of Governors has now appointed Siegfried Foessel, head of the department of Moving Picture Technologies at Fraunhofer IIS, to assume that role while Devlin will represent the SMPTE UK Region on the board. ‘The growth and influence of the SMPTE UK Section are due solely to the dedicated involvement of our members,’ says SMPTE Membership Director and Secretary/Treasurer for the SMPTE UK Section, Peter Weitzel.
Re-established in 2012 and chaired by Chris Johns, chief engineer of broadcast strategy at Sky, SMPTE reports a high degree of interest and support in the UK Section, from individuals and companies across the creative, manufacturing, broadcasting and service organisations. The Section holds regular meetings across the UK and each month in London, and an annual one-day seminar in London and Salford.
Members of the SMPTE UK Section have a strong history of supporting students, new graduates, and new members of the industry, and the SMPTE UK Region already boasts its first student chapter. The inaugural meeting for the newly approved SMPTE Student Chapter at Southampton Solent University was held in November when the university celebrated the installation of Dolby Atmos in its 3D cinema. During the event, Richard Welsh, CEO at Sundog Media Toolkit and the current SMPTE Governor for the Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Central & South America Region, presented university student Louis Arrigoni with the award for Best Use of Creative Virtual Reality (VR) Technology in Storytelling. The award recognises Arrigoni’s short film ‘PhaseShift,’ presented at the SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival during the SMPTE 2015 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition.
‘SMPTE has seen a surge in student membership, thanks to the charitable work of members led by Bill Miller, who has donated funds to allow students to join SMPTE for free in their first year,’ Welsh said while speaking at his alma mater. ‘The SMPTE Student Membership Challenge is one of the most important initiatives in the Society, as these young people are the future of our industry and, of course, SMPTE itself.’
The Section programme schedule is available now.
More: www.SMPTE.org/UK
