The DPs on “Empire” and “Chicago PD” will be among the top production, equipment and tech professionals who will help celebrate the grand opening of AbelCine’s Chicago Learning Point, at an Open House, Saturday, Nov. 7.
The Open House, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. features displays of new capture gear, panel discussions, silent auction, giveaways, raffle prizes, filming yourself in 4K, food and drink all day and networking.
Guests will be greeted by AbelCine cofounders Pete Abel, president/CEO and his brother CEO Rich Abel and training manger Jeff Lee from New York; chief technology officer Andy Shipsides from Los Angeles, along with the Chicago Learning Center’s eight staff members.
Occupying 8,000-sq. ft. on the fourth floor at 2602 W. 16th St., on the Cinespace campus, the new facility which had its soft launch last August, combines a fully-appointed, interactive sales showroom of camera, audio and lighting gear, with classroom and community space — the first of its kind in the region.
“Since we opened our first office here in 2008,” says Pete Abel, “we’ve received so much support and enthusiasm from our Chicago clients, which really shaped the distinctive amenities we feature at this location.”
The Open House starts at 10 a.m. with a silent auction on packages of overstock, demo and pre-owned gear and a raffle of prizes donated by AbelCine’s manufacturers – complimentary tickets provided to all attendees.
The first of three panel discussions, at 11:30 a.m. is on the possibilities of camera movement, with panel of expert camera operators familiar with new boundary-pushing stabilization devices and UAVs, discussing the advantages, disadvantages and artistic implications of these new ways of camera movement.
At 1:30 p.m. crew members who worked on “Sense8,” the Wachowskis original Netflix series will talk about the growth and change of Chicago production. At 3 p.m. “Empire” DP Paul Sommers and “Chicago PD” Rohn Schmidt tell how they navigate the dynamic and ever-changing tech climate while staying try to their vision.
“We hope the local production industry will join us Saturday and see the unique sales, educational and community opportunities we offer here,” Abel says.
Available all day are displays of the newest equipment and their experts on hand to answer questions, the Phantom Photo Booth where guests can take photos of themselves with the Phantom Flex4K and footage replayed immediately, and refreshments. Here’s the complete schedule of events.
Networking 4-6 p.m.; raffle and silent auction winners announced at 5 p.m. To RSVP to the Open House, click here.
