Fine Vision showcases 'Tomorrow's Technology Today'

by Thulasi MUTTULINGAM

Fine Vision, showcased its latest equipment at an exhibition themed 'Tomorrow's Technology Today', last Wednesday.

According to Chairman of Fine Vision Rohan Welivita they have got down the latest technology available in the industry today from across the world.

'We decided to make good use of the duty free concession on film equipment given by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and invested Rs. 150 million to bring in some of the latest gadgets available in the market from 10 of the best brands across the globe," he said.

The company specialises in selling/leasing film production equipment to television stations and production companies. The exhibition was organised not only to show its clients what the company has to offer in terms of the latest technology but also for the sake of camera and film gadgetry enthusiasts who might never get to see such sophisticated equipment, outside of a catalogue.

According to Welivita, students of seven universities visited the exhibition. Even students of multimedia and electronic media studying the courses professionally do not get to see these equipment other than in pictures. In order to really learn something useful from their courses, they ought to have practical experience in handling equipment which are usually way too expensive for them. To do this bit for young professionals in the country in the electronic and film media, Welivita says he is willing to give his equipment to the universities and institutes that teach them, free of charge. "We charge private and government institutions to give these equipment but for the students sake I am willing to rent the equipment free to universities and other academic bodies that approach me. Practical knowledge for students in this field is vital."

The exhibition was a success both in terms of the enthusiasm it generated in the students as well as the custom it has generated for the company, said Welivita. "We have already received offers to buy/rent the equipment from several government and private media bodies. We offer some very sophisticated equipment at very economical prices. Our advantage is that we can even combine our equipment from different brands such as Panasonic and Blackmagic, to offer some very good packages for leasing."

As time was money it would be of benefit to production companies to have the latest, sophisticated equipment, to cut down on production and processing time.

To make a two hour film, production used to take sixty to ninety days. Now it can be done within 20 days or less. The ideal ratio of technology to man power in this field is 60 to 40 percent. Technology improves yet we need specialised and intelligent manpower too.