AV News 223 August 2021

AV Group

Chairman's Chatter

Edgar Gibbs FRPS, MPAGB, AV-AFIAP

As you may have already seen in Festival News, (www.rps.org/groups/ audio-visual/iafv/) the AV Group Committee has decided that there will not be a face to face International Audio Visual Festival in 2021, there will however be an online Festival. The many uncertainties that we cannot foresee plus the responsibilities of organising the event have led to this decision. Should you wish to read more, please go to www.rps.org/av and look for Festival News and the latest edition. Although disappointing we can look forward to an online event.

In this edition of AV News you will see my article about Photo Harmony which I not only hope you nd stimulating, but will generate further discussion on the AV News Facebook page. Richard Brown mentioned to me some aspects about the history element which prompted me to do some further research. I have set out below some extracts from the book “SLIDE TAPE and Dual Projection” by Ray Beaumont-Craggs published in 1975.

By way of background Ray Beaumont-Craggs FRPS, past Director of AudioVisual at the Bibliotheque Internationale de Musique Contemporaine in France was invited by the editor of a celebrated photo magazine to demonstrate the process at the 1965 Olympia Photo Fair and write a monthly feature ”Sound and Picture for the Amateur Photographer” since 1968. In the introduction to his book Ray writes the following:

“More and more people are discovering the moment of excitement mingled with anxiety which marks the opening of a box of colour slides just returned from development. Only a few years ago the perfection of these transparencies would have seemed miraculous, but now technical miracles happen every day and are taken for granted. Perhaps photography is becoming too easy, because when that rst thrill is over and the pictures have been projected once or twice, interest wanes and is soon replaced by boredom. The apparent simplicity of taking a photograph is not the principal reason for this rapid discontent.

It is due to the fact that our world is increasingly audio-visual: Sight and sound are constantly linked together in entertainment, instruction, culture, and publicity and we can no longer be satised with images alone. Most of us realise this and when projecting our slides we feel obliged to keep up a ow of commentary ow of commentary which unfortunately none the better for being improvised. This is certainly no solution. Who would never dare to claim that he has never felt himself seized by apprehension when asked point blank: “Would you like to see my slides?”

The tape recorder brought a welcome change to the scene. When a commentary is recorded it can be well prepared and correctly delivered, stopping at certain moments to give way to appropriate music. This is already a great improvement, but it is just a beginning. Very quickly, the photographer who has added a soundtrack to a selection of his slides nds that he has at his disposal a fascinating medium, which not only enlivens holiday and family records but offers remarkable possibilities for creative and imaginative presentations.

On the Continent Diaporamas (as they were known as) were welcomed with enthusiasm both in photographic and amateur cinema societies. Without in any way giving up their normal exhibitions, photo clubs added this new medium to their activities and found it not only gave their members a new goal to work for, but drew many spectators who eventually became participants. ….

In Britain, club reactions were at rst regrettably different and for several years the very thought of slide tape presentations was anathema to many of them. Letters of extraordinary virulence were penned by people who had not even seen such programmes……”

The insular attitude is fading fast, and I am glad to mention that the rst major British society to adopt an understanding and open attitude to Diaporama was the one that is mistakenly thought to be the most reactionary: none other than the (Royal) Photographic Society itself.

Chairman's Chatter continued ...

It was pleasing to see the views of the RPS at that time, but disappointing to note the views of some of the camera clubs.

On a positive note the process of Distinctions in Film, Digital and Multimedia Distinction is moving forward slowly and I really hope to be able to present a citation of congratulations (skilfully designed by Andrew Gagg), to people who have reached the appropriate standard in either Licentiateship, Associateship or Fellowship. This will be the only time this citation will be awarded as it commemorates 50 years since the rst Distinction in AV was awarded.

Over the last few months I have “attended” many Zoom events with increasing numbers present showing that AV is alive and well. I have seen quite a number of AVs on the theme of lockdown during 2020/21. These will form a valuable record of recent times and experiences that have been encountered.

Work is progressing on a Digital Locker where AVs from members who are no longer with us may be kept for viewing. I am going to discuss with the Committee whether we could keep some of the lockdown themed AVs there as well.

Restrictions are easing and I am looking forward to our rst face to face event. Let us hope that the new nearer to normal is just around the corner.

In the meantime thank you for supporting and hopefully continuing to support events put on for the AV community whether RPS or not.

Best regards, Edgar

Congratulations to Martin Fry AV-EFIAP Bronze

The RPS AV Group is delighted to congratulate Martin Fry on gaining what we believe is a rst for the UK, the AV-EFIAP Bronze. Martin commented:

“I have AV-EFIAP but it doesn't stop there. Three years ago FIAP introduced EFIAP Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum. They are practically impossible to get, particularly at the top end as they are very much in line with the challenging FIAP still image distinctions and there just aren't enough FIAP recognised AV salons, particularly as each level requires sequences with new awards for the portfolio. However, I have plodded on and applied for AVEFIAP Bronze this year - not sure if this will be the rst by an AV worker in the country”

Editor’s Welcome

Alastair Taylor ARPS DPAGB/AV

Ihope you enjoy this latest edition of AV News and as always, I would like to thank all of the contributors. I am blessed with some excellent authors and it is nice to have some spare copy for the next edition, but please don’t let that stop you sending in more articles and reports. Along with the excellent AV News e-xtra edited by Martin Addison we seek to publish around six times a year with the e-xtra being used to report on competition successes and promote future events. We hope you like that approach.

Pulling together AV News is a challenging task given the short space of time between the nal copy date and publication. With design advice from Andrew Gagg, proof reading from a number of regular volunteers and then communications with our printers, it can feel rather pressured.

We have around 300 readers although I always work as if I have 3000. I wish that was true. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone of you were able to recruit another subscriber?

To help you do this we have a new promotional video and an A5 advert shown here. Do get in touch if you need a copy for an event or a publication.

I hope you are enjoying the new feature on AV Lives. I don’t think I will run out of potential victims, I mean wonderful AV producers, anytime soon and I am planning to interview AV people from across the spectrum including a few of the founding fathers of the AV world.

As always best wishes and happy reading. Feedback and letters are always appreciated.

magazine@avnews.org.uk

Photo Harmony or not; that is the question!

Edgar Gibbs FRPS, MPAGB, AV-AFIAP

The use of two projectors, then called Magic Lanterns, were used to create the rst “Dissolving Views” in 1836. Moving forward to 1971, or 50 years ago, this was the start of the RPS Distinctions in a genre called Slide Sound Sequences. The clue is in the title where slides were projected accompanied by sound, and the object was to show images with dissolves and to music. To show the pictures at their best they needed to be shown in a specic order or in a “sequence” hence the title Slide Sound Sequences.

Sir George Pollock had developed the Pollock Duofade which consisted of two mechanical irises placed in front of two slide projectors which were individually controlled by hand so each presentation was a performance. Music came from a single track tape recorder/player and some of the dissolves created third images.

Adding a voice could only be achieved by doing it live further adding to the “performance” element.

As technology progressed the voice was added to track two of the new reel to reel tape recorders. The TEAC 3440, a 4 track reel to reel tape recorder, became the kit of choice and this was connected to an electronic unit that controlled the brightness of the bulbs in the projectors without the need for irises and with a signal recorded, usually onto track 4 to change the slide

Mini history lesson over...

Photo Keith Leedham FRPS

Photographers love to have their work, seen by as many people as possible. These can be single images at exhibitions, in books and these days on social media. The term “Photo Harmony” was created by the RPS and adopted by the PAGB as a way of showing images in a structured way to music, possibly a return to the very rst Slide Sound Sequences. This was done to attract photographers who did not want to make what we know as “Audio Visuals”

Over the years the original title of Slide Sound Sequences has evolved and been rebranded as Audio Visual which in the case of the RPS Distinctions is now the Multimedia element of the Film, Video and Multimedia qualications.

Today “Audio Visual” is the name most people are familiar with. However, the differences between Audio Visual and Photo Harmony are very often unclear to both photographers, camera club members, some authors (AV workers) and judges.

Many people will remember the RPS National and International Audio Visual Festivals and FIAP Patronised Festivals where entries had to be submitted into Categories in which they were then judged, often leading to confusion and blurring. Nevertheless, in these categories the AVs have a structure and have a start, middle and end, as well as telling a story in varying forms.

Audio Visual

Documentary

*Are from the Federation of Art and International Photography (FIAP) Fiche

** The word Visual is optional

Interpretation of a song

Educational Nature

*Human Creations

*History

*Social Fiction Travel

Family history Poetry

*Reportage

Humour Theme

*Illustration

*Essay

Creativity

*Literary text

Photo Harmony has very specic denitions (see below), but “Open or Digital Stories” can have multiple pieces of music, voice over, text, sound effects, video, time-lapse, slow-motion, composite images, animation, third images during the dissolves, zooming, panning and more.

Photo Harmony Open or Visual** Digital Stories

The questions is: should we have Photo Harmony and Open or Visual** Digital Stories?

My answer is that if we want to attract the Photographers who do not want to tell stories but show their work in a structured manner, then I think we should.

Nevertheless, it would be unfair to judge a carefully produced interpretation of a song as a Photo Harmony or a Photo Harmony as a Visual** Digital Story.

The Royal Photographic Society had a denition of Photo Harmony in the Distinctions Handbook 2005 when Photo Harmony was introduced.

Overview: The Photo Harmony Category is designed to enable you to demonstrate your skill in the production and visual progression of images linked to sound. No script, or story with a specic beginning middle and ending is required. The emphasis is on matching the images with appropriate transitions and harmonising them with the music. A series of not less than 40 images with a running time of 6-9 minutes.

The Standard: There should be evidence in the photography of sound artistic and technical skill. The most important aspect is the selection, quality and sympathetic progression of the images; the appropriateness and recording quality of the soundtrack is also taken into account.

Techniques: The purpose of this category is to display a set of images which harmonise with each other and with the sound used. The sequences should be constructed so the images progress harmoniously in terms of colour or tone and graphic design. The category is not designed to display images which may be excellent when considered individually but which fail to harmonise with each other and with the sound chosen. It is expected that the sound and images start and nish together. Where music is used it is recommended that the original ending of the music is preserved rather than an arbitrary fade out. You should cross fade two or more pieces of music rather than make poor use of one piece of music.

Manipulation: Any digital manipulation should be well matched to the overall concept being communicated by the images; take care not to overdo it as this can prove counter-productive.

Photo Harmony as dened by the RPS and the PAGB.

The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain also has a denition of Photo Harmony in the Awards for Photographic Merit in Audio Visual PAGB (Leaet 6 Appendix 1)

Photo Harmony is encouraged in the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit in Audio Visual, particularly at CPAGB but also at DPAGB and even at MPAGB. According to the PAGB, Photo Harmony should demonstrate skill in the production and visual progression of still photographs linked to sound. No script or commentary with a specic beginning, middle and ending are required but the images must ow well in a pleasing progression, not just in a random manner. The emphasis is on visual harmony in colour, tone, or graphic design.

The aim is not to display a collection of individually excellent photographs, but rather a sequence of good pictures which blend well with each other and with a suitable soundtrack. Good technique is essential, and it is expected that the sound and the pictures will start and nish together and that the original ending of the music is preserved, rather than an arbitrary fade out.

In a successful Photo Harmony sequence the Adjudicators will expect virtually all of the pictures to be the entrant’s own photography with a proportion better than just competent standard at CPAGB and much better than competent at DPAGB. To succeed at MPAGB the photography in a Photo Harmony production must be of an exceptionally high standard in both content and quality.

The text that has been highlighted in matching colours are the same words that appear in both The RPS and The PAGB documents and generally the overall description is near enough identical to conclude that The RPS and The PAGB are “on the same page”.

Summary

I have written this article to open up a discussion as to whether all organisations, and individuals whether organisers, authors or judges, should use the same denition of Photo Harmony.

What are your views?

Once the AV News comes through your door the discussion can continue on the AV News Facebook page. Turn over to read some thoughts from a few people from the AV Community

The Mousehole Cat courtesy Martin Fry

Photo Harmony or not; that is the question!

Tony Collinson: It’s noticeable that all these denitions are not to attract anyone with an interest in photography. They are solely for those photographers who wish to enter competitions or go for distinctions. Are there a larger number of individuals interested in taking and showing their photographs than photographers interested in competitions and distinctions? If so, then these denitions may provide guidelines but may also greatly reduce the numbers we wish to attract into our hobby. Just a thought.

Robert Albright: Edgar’s short recapitulation of the history of AV is very helpful, as is his summation: ‘Photo Harmony was created by the RPS and the PAGB as a way of showing images in a structured way to music, possibly a return to the very rst Slide Sound Sequences. This was done to attract photographers who did not want to make what we know as “Audio Visuals”. Edgar’s diagram showing PH as a sub-set of AV is also correct.

As someone closely involved when the main UK photographic organisations introduced Photo Harmony to their distinctions/awards and inventor of the term, I think I am in a good position to endorse Edgar ’s summation. It should be noted that it is not possible to gain a distinction or award in Photo Harmony, only in Film, Video and Multimedia (RPS) or AV (PAGB).

If you consider it carefully, it is impossible to dene Photo Harmony as a completely separate thing from AV. What of a production which otherwise conforms to the RPS or PAGB Photo Harmony denitions but has a few explanatory words on the screen of exposition or poetry? Is that an AV or a Photo Harmony? The answer is that it doesn’t matter, the distinction or award will be granted either way on the merits of the production.

Photo Harmony was never intended to be a separate category from AV. It is there to encourage a wider group of participants to enter for distinctions or awards in the RPS and PAGB main categories. This incentive is needed to make these categories viable in volume and cost terms. It is only in recent times that some clubs or salons have confused the matter by introducing Photo Harmony as though it is something quite distinct from AV.

Peter Warner: Here are a few thoughts: Is any text allowed? E.g. are quotes permitted on an opening or closing slide? Are songs allowed? Many don’t tell any stories. ‘No script with a specic beginning, middle and ending are required’ Does this leave this open to interpretation? Should it be emphasised that this category is about the quality of the photography and their harmonious blending to music?

Feedback from the AV Community ...

Andrew Gagg: Photo Harmony can be a very beautiful genre, notoriously difcult to do really well.

Despite the requirement in the Distinctions guidelines, I personally would not like to see six minutes recommended as a minimum length for a Photo Harmony sequence intended for entertainment or entry into competitions – I think however good the images are, it’s less easy to sustain that kind of length without a structure, usually in the form of a supporting narrative of some kind.

For myself I like to think of Photo Harmony as a stepping-stone to more complex work – It’s a ‘way in’ for many newcomers to the medium, and a genre that should be encouraged as a way of attracting more to the AV medium, and as such has a valid rôle to play in competitions and festivals, and I’d be very happy to continue judging the genre either as a separate category or classed together with other types of work.

It is often perceived as a big step further to introduce voice-over and sound effects, but Pictures To Exe and other easily available software and hardware make it very easy nowadays, and every effort should be made to dispel any illusion of difculty. Many of my own regular students have quickly moved to more complex forms at my incentive.

Sheila Haycox: I feel we should have Photo Harmony and Open as two separate categories, we should encourage those AV makers who prefer not to add narration but would like to produce a sequence that has a strong sense of feeling and impression. The aim being to demonstrate skill in the production and visual progression of still photographs linked to sound.

Mark Allen: As someone who has twice won the UK (and more recently, International) 'Bridgend 5 to 8 Photo Harmony AV Competition', I feel I do have something to contribute to the discussion. I love Photo Harmony. In my last article for AV News I said, if "I was going there, I wouldn't have started from here?" Well, the same applies here. In my view, we should be looking at top-down, rather than bottom-up.

Bottom-up takes ages, local clubs to local federation/association, local federation to PAGB, PAGB to FIAP and at every stage some idiot will want to have their say (a camel is a horse designed by a committee). At every stage, there will be fudges, misunderstandings and nonsense. I think there is a better way. Top-down, a universal che in Excel format is the starting point. Then the explanation of 'Open' and 'Theme', which in turn can be further split up into specic detailed themes.

Just occasionally in the world of Audio Visual there is a “ new kid on the block ” and in this case the newcomer ’ s AV production moved us all on to a new place.

It was back in 2017 that we rst saw the work of Judith Kimber ARPS, MPAGB/AV and what a game changer is has proven to be. Judith has quickly become a wellrespected member of the AV community and in this AV Lives, we will explore her work and what drives her thinking, and hopefully pick up a few ideas on the way.

“My family is one which has always taken photographs. My grandfather was a big camera club guy. As a child we spent time working in the dark room with Grandpa, and now I have a lot of his photographs in my house – I really love his work. I can still develop a lm in the dark room, though that doesn’t happen often these days. As children, we were often there when Grandpa took his photographs, so we were involved with the whole process. He worked in supplying farmers, so he spent a lot of time on the road selling farm equipment and seed potatoes. Some farmers in County Down were still using traditional agricultural methods in the 60 and 70s and my grandfather knew that it was important to get images of the social history at that time. It gave me a great insight into the rural nature of Northern Ireland”.

We talked about how these childhood experiences would inuence later thinking and Judith agreed with me that the work of AV workers in Ireland, North and South has a particular style which is distinctive on account of it being lyrical, poetic and deeply rooted in social history and the traditions which go with that. “The older I get, the more Irish I feel” added Judith who has spent the lockdown period learning Irish and reading about local history.

We agreed that AV work at is best is often an extension of the inner feelings of the producer. I commented to Judith and she agreed that “Your work always comes over as being from the heart”

It takes Judith a long time to make an AV and she feels that if it wasn’t a subject which she was interested in or thought passionately about, then she probably wouldn’t make the sequence. “It has to be important to me and meaningful” she added “I need to have something which I feel is worthwhile communicating”.

Judith was initially inspired by a visit from Raymond Hughes to her camera club, Bangor and Down. Until then, in 2016, she had not seen any AVs. It was Raymond’s AV “To What End”, narrated by Gordon Gray, which was the inspiration for Judith. We both agree that it is a very ne AV and deals with a difcult subject in such an innovative way.

We moved on to talk about Judith’s AV productions and their so called “back stories”.

Below: Images from Judith's childhood taken by her Grandfather

Audio Visual Lives: Judith Kimber continued ...

Poems for Girls

The AV seeks to compare the thoughts of two girls of the same age at two points in history. They have different pressures and different expectations of how they might behave and feel.

“I intended to reect that in the nature of the girls’ self-talk. The girl from the 40s, Betty, is talking about the world she is expected to grow up in and has an innocence and a “happy go lucky” spirit, whilst the contemporary one has a different inner conversation which reects the often-negative challenges the modern generation face. This girl, Ella, is having to deal with a much greater range of pressures”

The model for both characters is one of Judith’s nieces. Judith explained how her niece is a keen actress and once the narrative had been explained, bought into it so that she could portray the two characters effectively.

“She acted as a model, read the poetry and even supplied the handwriting for the notebooks and the credits” added Judith, “so as such she was engaged in the whole production”. We went on to talk about a Judith Kimber AV being something of a cottage industry with home made music, family members acting out the story as well as Judith’s own approach to photography. The only thing that wasn’t original was the poetry from the anthology.

The photography was a challenge, with only an hour and a half available at the location. The sequence of shots had been planned in advance, but halfway through the shoot it started to rain so some improvisation was needed to deal with the conditions. The ending of the AV had to be rethought to take into account the difcult weather conditions. It just brings home how you have to adapt to the conditions. We agreed that it is very enjoyable to absorb yourself in a subject and take as many pictures as possible as part of the process of telling the story.

I asked Judith whether she starts with the script or the photographs. She does not have a set pattern, but in the case of Poems for Girls the script came afterwards. The music is always last as that can be added to help tell the story. Judith is proud of this AV. She feels that it is the most emotional work she has done, and her work as a teacher in an all-girls school helped her to make it a very personal piece of work. She likes it if there is an emotional reaction to an AV and in the case of Poems for Girls, some viewers have identied with the story and had a sense of emotional attachment.

Audio Visual Lives: Judith Kimber continued ...

Safe

We discussed the backstory to this AV, which is based on the story of Judith’s great-great-grandfather’s sister. Judith chose to tell her story because she had a model who could play that role. I confessed to the shedding of a tear at the end of the sequence, and I know that I am not on my own in that respect. We agreed that the ending of the sequence is what makes it works so well with its family history and emotion.

The photography for Safe did not start as an AV. It was originally a project about workhouses, so many of the images were taken as part of that family history project. The images of the woman were actually taken in America where a suitable window frame had to be located to maintain a degree of continuity. What a seamless effect!. I bet no one noticed that!

We talked about how we are drawn to things we identify with and the older we get the more real these things become. It wasn’t until quite late on that Judith found out that her family history had an association with the workhouse during the infamous Irish famine. The rags to riches stories of so many people who went to do well having spent time in the workhouse and the tragic stories of those who did not survive are so common in Ireland but are often considered a taboo subject. We talked at length about the stigma associated with these subjects but how they make for an interesting AV story.

We agreed that prisons, workhouses, hospitals are always good territory for these subjects. Apparently Irish workhouses were all built at a similar time in the 1840s, and they are all built to a very similar design. “That makes it easy to visit any surviving workhouse and think about how it must have been for your family. I tried to communicate that feeling of connection in my work,” Judith added.

Judith does not use any third-party images in her work. “It is difcult to pull off well” agrees Judith. We agree that it is easier and better if you can make use of your own work to help tell the story.

Judith reveals that there are images in Safe which are not what you think they are. The model is the daughter of Judith’s partner in the United States. Desperately hoping for an opportunity to take a picture of a baby as part of the story, Judith had to compromise. The images of the baby towards the end of the production are in fact a toy baby purchased from the local Walmart. “It’s amazing what you can do with a suitably placed shawl or an image from an odd position. A glimpse of a dimpled hand will make people think it is a real baby”

Judith has a degree in music and a master’s degree in psychology and has been a music teacher for all of her working life. We talk about the difference between AVs made by people with an arts background compared to those with a more technical background. We agree that an arts background is a great help and particularly the background in music with that ability to express a story has been of great benet in Judith’s AV productions.

Mathew Loney ’ s Miracle

This was the rst “proper” AV which Judith produced and has been her most successful. Judith talks about her very rst production which was entered into the NIPA competition in 2016. This beginner effort didn’t do so well, but some very positive feedback and encouragement from Howard Bagshaw spurred Judith on to make this more substantial piece over the course of the next year.

This AV is truly a home-made production. Judith took the pictures, composed the music, used John as the model, and even made the ring which features in the sequence. The pictures were taken on both sides of the Atlantic – a feature which had its own challenges.

In a scoop, I nd out that many of the images in the latter half of Mathew Loney ’ s Miracle were taken near Cape Canaveral in Florida. I don ’ t think I am on my own in being surprised by that. Some of the other images are on the east coast of Northern Ireland near the Mourne Mountains.

Judith thinks that this brings some authenticity and using different locations adds to the AV, although the light conditions were very different in the US with extremely strong light, as opposed to more cloud in Ireland. The whole AV is nished in black and white and that helps to overcome these differences. Judith uses Lightroom and Photoshop to process her images.

John didn’t have to be coerced too much to act out the story although this is easier in Ireland than the US as there is less chance of him bumping into someone he knows while dressed in period costume. “He’s a willing model who is happy to be rewarded with a few nice whiskeys,” adds Judith. He shares the celebration when things are going well and the AV is well received.

Judith made a few modications to this AV after its early showing but feels that too much adjustment might be counterproductive. In the case of Mathew Money’s Miracle, the ability to make changes is limited by the nature of the music score.

Judith is rightly proud of the success of this AV and as I pointed out to her, this production was one of those dening moments, a game changer in the AV world when we all realised that there was a new and different way of doing things. I suggested to Judith that her relative newness to the AV world was perhaps more of a help than a hindrance in so far as she was free of the conventions and perspectives, we often gain from viewing other people’s work. “That gives a freedom and unfetters us from becoming typecast” we agree.

Car Guy

I make the point that this AV is very different to any of Judith’s other work. These pictures were taken in the US state of Georgia. Judith like taking pictures of “old things” and this sequence captures her approach to photography. We talk about how older cars are easier on account of there being less chrome and other reective features, and how that can create a different mood.

We agree that this AV was invented as a “vehicle” for displaying the images. The script was added later as a way of conveying the story in a different way. It was written with the AV in mind. The Car Guy role is read by Judith’s partner John. We discuss the thought that Car Guy has some strong elements of photo harmony although the script makes it very personal and helps to take the viewer on more of a personal journey. Although the AV has not been immensely successful in competitions it is one that gives Judith a good deal of pleasure.

We talk about the length of AVs and Judith thinks that a length of around 8 minutes is often optimum, although only one of her AVs matches this. Car Guy is a little shorter. We both agree that there are some sequences which just y by and you can’t believe that 12 minutes has gone whilst others, far shorter, just don’t end soon enough.

The AV Community

We discuss how the move to Zoom has been a positive thing for the AV community and how welcoming it is. “People are very kind and make such positive comments”. Because Judith had not seen much other AV work, it certainly helped her to develop her own style. Judith commented on how good it has been to see some of the AVs from the past twenty years during some of the retrospective events which have taken place over the past year. We agree that some of the older AV productions stand up very well against current sequences and some of the modern features of cameras and production software can be overused and becoming too gimmicky.

A lesson in “ less equals more ” perhaps.

We talk about how some AVs are a quick idea whilst others are much more of a slow burn. Judith has a project underway at present but wouldn’t be drawn upon the contents. We will just have to wait and see.

Judith has recently gained her ARPS through a portfolio of single images. She has joined the Women in Photography group and thinks that the Fine Art group is also an area where she will ourish. Her single images for the ARPS were all in portrait format although we aren’t so sure this would work well in an AV.

I enjoyed my conversation with Judith and the opportunity to discover a little more about her work and what makes her tick.

The big take-away for me is the seamless way in which she tells the story even though the rst picture is taken in Ireland, and it merges effortlessly into a picture of a doll purchased in Walmart, on a beach, in Florida.

Now that is a skill …

To view a selection of Judith's awarding winning Audio Visuals, visit:

www.judithkimberphotography.com/ audio-visual

Went The Day Well!

The 2021 Great Yorkshire AV Day

A report from Stuart Clark

Now nearing, or even past, its golden anniversary, Great Yorkshire AV Sundays have come to be presumed of excellence. The April 2021 meeting was no exception. Despite being restricted to Zoom, Bryan Stubbs and his team upheld the reputation with Keith Scott ensuring attenders’ sequences, coffee, lunch and comfort breaks, were as always, to the minute.

For almost two hours we were entertained, informed and even educated with sequences full of imagination, inventiveness and photographic skills demonstrating that the author really cared about the subject depicted, whether with narrative or simply pictures and music. Three such attracted the most observations with suggestions for enhancement while especially praising the superb photography worthy of gracing any wall. To everyone’s surprise the images were scanned colour slides, a reminder of the days when at most a dupe exposure was made.

The information and visual impression of one sequence prompted the intention of one viewer to book the rst available ight to the location. More than one sequence conveyed a wealth of information demonstrating the subject had been well explored and researched.

In days gone by it used to be regarded as something of a put-down when the rst question to be asked of a sequence was. “ I enjoyed the music, what was it?” One author noted for his precise productions used music considered by more than one to be so familiar that it was distracting from the commentary and I found myself trying to identify one piece thus losing the spoken word. Choice of music is referred to later and it was suggested that titles in the closing credits are appreciated.

Audiences are a problem and it is well-nigh impossible to make a sequence to satisfy all, particularly when it comes to the length and thrust. So often documentary content takes on a poetic approach with slow transitions, too many words and too many images, thus making the whole too long. A special story for a specialist audience or one which is there for an evening out will stand any length but for the AV worker, not so.

The introduction of unusual techniques often enhance, and one such AV used personally produced wildlife paintings to introduce the essence of the sequence while another used cut-outs to rebuild the interior of Selby Abbey in a minute.

Humour mostly relies upon situations but occasionally authors which draw smiles and even laughter from well-chosen words relating to the subject or situation. However, one production intended to be humorous rather evoked sympathy and even self-pity while sharing the author’s exasperation at the recorded BT reply system while seeking an answer to his problem no laughing matter!

Perhaps the biggest surprise was a journey to the revolving restaurant at a height of 450 feet up the 531 feet British Airways Tower and despite being one of the sharpest and brightest presentations the author apologised for lack of Polariser and long lens use. He went on to explain this was an impromptu visit sans camera and only had his telephone in his pocket. Following the experience of this outing he’s dumped his second camera

One clear message was that of knowing and having a feel for the subject, clearly demonstrated by two or three authors who conveyed such feelings to the audience, just by illustrating happenings and features close to home.

Went the Day Well continued ...

Following lunch on normal AV Sundays it’s back into the theatre, but on this day we had a choice, go with the ow or into the garden. I hesitated, not sure I needed to know how presenters Linda and Edgar Gibbs put a sequence together. But aren’t I glad they were too strong to resist, with a presentation which was just too good to have been missed, especially by several who could have gained much valuable tuition. A friend later said “story telling seems to be in decline “ and this analytical breakdown of just how the story of Dylan Thomas originated, what was needed and how the elements were compiled was completely accomplished

With the title on the monitor a wealth of shots in various locations were shot, perhaps irrelevant to the story line, yet a ration book and a stained glass door panel blended smoothly with the accompanying word.

Linda being not only a nearby neighbour of the poet and of Welsh descent had a great afnity with subject and environment and together with Edgar they became emotionally immersed in the production. Post production was explained and illustrated to enhance atmosphere and unavailable original documents were accurately replicated, even to matching the font. Appropriate music calls for careful selection and use. It’s well and good to start a sequence but accomplishing the perfect ending may not be so easily managed.

Day to day we are faced with advertising of products which rely on layout and fonts which not only draw attention but are retained for the future, and Linda stressed your graphics are equally important, not only in appealing to and catching and attracting the eye of the audience but also setting or suggesting the production about to be screened. Here, Linda noted that the standard of typography in the morning’s sequences were rather good ( Hurrah! Are we seeing the last of ve lines of equally spaced coloured outlined capitals with drop shadow lling the screen) and referred to the need for careful positioning to ensure the words did not blend with the background colour. ( Shades of TV subtitles as in “The Young Montalbano”).

Dylan was nished predominantly in monochrome and one is left with the feeling that currently fellow AV workers lean toward generating a great deal of feeling, either in camera or with software, thus adding to atmosphere, an element so lacking in many productions, be it mono or colour.

Linda recommended everyone to add to the monitor the current production title as a constant reminder of the beginning and the end but especially in helping not to lose sight of what the sequence is all about and its content.

Sequences should not have The End title as it suggests there is no more, and Dylan Thomas was not so nished as other sequences of similar excellence were screened taking us from videoed fountains in Russia to the highly colourful and captivating masks and costumes at the Venice Carnival.

The varying quality of screen resolution I am told is due to several factors beyond the control of the author but it would be as well if you are into forwarding sequences to read up on the imponderables and the requirements for reducing the risks of poor resolution.

Thanking Linda and Edgar for taking the time to travel so far Bryan Stubbs expressed the thought that the whole day had been a success, thanks in no small part to the contributors to the morning session and particularly the unblemished presentation of Tony Collinson and Adrian White, Keith for his co-ordinating skills, and of course the ladies for the excellent refreshment arrangements, all standing to attention and awaiting the arrangements for the hoped for repositioning at Trinity College, November time, all of course due to the organising skills of Master of Ceremonies, Bryan Stubbs.

We are planning an RPS AV Day on Sunday 21st Nov and have a provisional booking at Trinity University, however, who knows whether this will happen face to face? We will have a zoom meeting if not possible to meet in person. Look out for details of the event ….

Dear Bryan and Mary

As a newcomer to the Great Yorkshire AV Day I would like to say how pleased I am that this year it is via Zoom conferencing. Perhaps not so satisfactory for those members who usually attend in person but I must say that it worked for me. The day started with attendees’ sequences which amounted to 14 AVs being shown with a very varied content. Members introduced their sequences and we had comments from the audience which made the whole experience all the more interesting.

We saw a vegetable garden that got featured in a magazine; an insight into the surrounding areas of a Pennine Village; Madagascar was the next stop where we explored the various creatures, fauna and island life; A fun look at the antics of Percy the petried petrel and other statues of Morcambe; A trip to Orgosolo in Sardinia known in the past as “bandit ’s town” turned out to be unexpected experience as we were shown a large variety of unusual murals; Frost, previously a slide AV, gave us beautiful renditions of frost in all its forms; Brighton’s Doughnut Tower is the tallest observation moving platform and we were shown how it works, the views of Brighton and all its various uses; A snappy short AV on Covid 19 showing all the very many different signs of the times; Scottish Sea Shores gave us beautiful sea shore scenes from various parts of Scotland; We then got a tribute to Peter Lincoln who led a very active life with Bremex, a Mountaineering and Climbing Club where we were shown all aspects of the organisation and plenty of mountaineering images and Peter Lincoln; Haunted is about walking through ruins of an Abbey on a dark rainy night and being haunted by moving spirits; Luminarium, a colourful rendition of light coming through shaped objects; We then had a short AV on Selby Abbey ; The nal AV was, Its Good to Talk, a spoof on the problems of making a telephone call to a company with all the problems involved. Humorous and very apt to end the morning session.

For the afternoon session we had Edgar and Linda Gibbs who gave a couple of very interesting talks with hints and tips. The rst one showed us how they made A Rich Legacy which is all about Dylan Thomas from his birth in 1914 to his tragic death in 1953. They explained a great deal of background about Dylan Thomas. Linda and Edgar then played the AV.

The second presentation was called Tailor Made Titles. They were explaining their views on how to choose a title and perhaps not giving the game away when the title comes on the screen. Also when and where it goes.

The whole event was run very well with Bryan Stubbs in charge and Keith Scott running the attendees sequences and Tony Collinson in the background to take over when necessary. A very comprehensive presentation that kept us enthralled with a great attention to detail and it’s thanks to Edgar and Linda Gibbs for their presentation.

Thanks again Shelia Haycox

Dear Bryan and Mary

Thank you very much for such a warm and interesting day. I know just how nerve-wracking Zoom meetings can be but you and your team deserve the best plaudits for a rst-class event. Whilst I'm sure you will receive plenty of suggestions for the AV News etc, this is my offering to do with as you please. In these strange times we, as AV enthusiasts, have joined in with many Zoom events. Sometimes they are disastrous, often they are adequate but today the RPS Great Yorkshire AV Day was superb. The morning session involved fourteen members sequences’ ranging from brilliant to outstanding. Stretching from a programme remembering an old friend to AVs depicting situations in many parts of the UK and ending up as far-aeld as Madagascar. Comments were fair, constructive, and inspired improvement, whilst the screening by the Great Yorkshire crew was impeccable.

The afternoon session presented by Linda and Edgar Gibbs was immensely enjoyable. The rst part showing the thinking and planning behind their brilliant AV about Dylan Thomas, which could easily be the template for many future talks to entertain and educate audio visual groups. After the tea-break, Linda and Edger talked about titles. How important a good title is, how to develop a title and how we should t them into our sequences. Their easy and informative chat accompanied by several superb AVs was the epitome of easy listening – and learning.

We all missed the friendly banter and good food of the ‘Great Yorkshire AV Day’ but this Zoom meeting was the next best thing. As Bryan said, “who knows, we may have to do it again next time” The upside was - there was no drive home.

Best wishes Ron Henry

The Production of Aerial Images for use in our Audio Visual Sequences

Four years after we got married in the late 1960s, we started to take foreign holidays. One of the highlights was the ight to our destination and back. In fact, the journey was as much a part of the holiday as the stay abroad. We soon realised that these ights were an opportunity to take aerial images of the scenery below, especially soon after take off and on landing approaches, for possible use in future AV sequences.

After some initial trials, we developed a procedure for each ight. In those days there was no on-line check-in, so when booking the ights, or on checking in early at the airport, we tried to ensure we were seated in the best possible position. Ideally this would be a pair of side-by-side seats, including one by the window, ahead of the wing, to avoid engine efux gases blurring the image. This would give a good view of the ground below during the ight. Prior to the journey we would always consult a map to get a general idea of the ight path, and check the direction of the sun with respect to the route and the time of day. Our aim was to be seated so as not to be looking into the sun during the ight.

Malcolm Gee ARPS, DPAGB/AV and Jenny Gee LRPS, DPAGB/AV

Initially we used a 35mm SLR lm camera to take the images. The lm was always Kodak Ektachrome 64 Professional, rated at ISO 64. The default exposure was 1/500 second, ensuring sharp vibration-free images, at an aperture of half way between f4 and f5.6. When shooting very light or very dark subjects, exposure compensation was applied. We found a 35mm focal length lens tted with a hood best, with the focus set to the hyperfocal distance at an aperture of f4. To avoid reections from inside the aircraft it’s important to position the camera as close as possible to the window. However, it’s essential not to let the lens hood touch the surface of the window, to avoid the transmission of vibrations from the body of the aircraft. Similarly it’s important not to lean on the fuselage of the aircraft, as this is another source of vibration. Having a tissue to hand to clean the interior surface of the window is also recommended!

Successful aerial photography demands a good clear atmosphere and a ‘blue sky’ day. Over the past 50 years we’ve noticed a gradual deterioration of visibility due to the development of atmospheric haze, most likely as a result of pollution. Quite a worrying trend, and one not often talked about! Heavy cloud cover restricts photography, as besides limiting views of the ground from the air, it dramatically increases the required exposure, potentially leading to blurred images due to aircraft movement and camera shake. Without direct sunlight, modelling of features on the ground is also much reduced.

We now use a digital micro four-thirds compact system, mirrorless camera, tted with a zoom lens and hood, set to the equivalent focal length of 35mm on a 35mm format lm camera. For the exposure, with the camera operating in aperture priority mode, and the ISO set to 400, the lens is set to an aperture value that achieves a shutter speed of at least 1/1000 second. A shutter speed in excess of 1/1000 second ensures a sharp vibration-free image. The exposure determination mode is set to matrix metering, and the lens focus is manually set to innity. Once again exposure compensation is applied when shooting very light or very dark subjects.

These images have proved most useful, and surprisingly to date we’ve included aerial views in just over a third of our AV productions. They are not always part of the introduction or titling, and can be placed appropriately anywhere in a sequence to add to the overall effect. A selection of aerial images, that feature in our sequences, accompanies this article. For a more recent production, entitled ‘Shifting Shores’, we took the concept a step further. Needing a whole series of aerial views along the North Norfolk Coast, we arranged an hour and a half long ight in a high wing, light aircraft. A short article about this was included in AV News, issue No. 219.

As with any kind of photography, being prepared to take advantage of the situation pays dividends. So when we y we try and make sure that we can make the best of any opportunity to add to our library of aerial images. You never know when a particular shot might come in handy!

The Northern AV Group — March 2021

Anne Harbron

This one was a rst: the rst time the meeting was held online; and It went like a dream!

There was no stuttering of AVs, the transitions behaved themselves, no one had to make 30 teas or serve 30 lunches, no one had to put out or clear away a hall full of chairs. The wretched pandemic had meant we could not meet in person and this time we had decided we would not cancel the event: oh no! We would grasp the nettle and get on with it.

Plans had been laid well and carefully: 15 AVs had been supplied by their authors in the requested form; 30 people made up our audience with members joining from Cumbria, Tyneside, Teesside, and North Yorkshire; the programme for the day and help notes for successful viewing had been circulated to all.

In true AV fashion we travelled the world; we explored our local area; we found ways of dealing with the “L” word (Lockdown); we found that there are ways to get out of chairs easily if you are brave enough! Our memories were stirred by seeing places we too had visited in the past. Our future hopes include new ideas on our mental holiday lists.

It had been a great day and absolutely worth the time and effort involved so THANK YOU: thank you to the authors of the AVs and thank you to all the audience who “gave it a go”.

Bill Every 4th September 1931 – 13th March 2021

A founder member of ‘Worcestershire A.V. Group’, Bill’s interest in the visual arts went back more than sixty years. He joined the ‘Kidderminster Cine Society’ and there he met Dorothy. They were married in 1959.

Keen lm makers and photographers, for many years, they entertained local groups with lm and slide shows of their travels. With the advent of digital photography and his background in radio and television he welcomed the new technology, even converting some favourite slide sequences to digital.

Bill and Dorothy started ‘Worcestershire. A.V. Group’ in the sitting room of their bungalow in 1996. They were made honorary life members in 2020 when Bill stepped down as Chairman due to ill health.

Ludshott Photographic Club

Jim Henson Trophy AV Competition 2021

Kathleen Bird LRPS CPAGB

Ludshott Photographic Club resides on the Surrey Hampshire border, and is named after the National Trust common close to where we all live. The AV group within the club runs an annual Audio Visual competition commemorating one of our founder members. This year’s competition took place on Monday 1st March, the sixth year that we have held this event.

This year 70 people (including 34 visitors) Zoomed in to watch. Kathleen Bird organised and ran it, and our sincere thanks go to her for ensuring it was a great success.

We would like to thank our judge Howard Bagshaw for his time and expertise. Howard commented on each AV, and the contestants very much appreciated his helpful remarks. Our record number of twenty ve entries covered a wide variety of subjects, and were all previewed by Howard.

Congratulations go to the winner of the trophy, Geoff Lambert of Horndean Camera Club.

RESULTS - JIM HENSON AUDIO VISUAL COMPETITION 2021

FIRST Viticulture, from Bud to Bunch by Geoff Lambert of Horndean CC.

SECOND Magpie Mine by Brian Marjoram of Ludshott PC

THIRD A Year in the Wild by Mike Tibbots of Woking PS

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Columbia Road Market by John Baker of Ludshott PC

Big Skies by Kathleen Bird of Ludshott PC

Peterseld Remembers by Steve Kirkby of Alton CC

COMMENDED

No Where to Go by Daan Olivier of Bracknell CC

The Canal Journey by Norman Horsham of Mid Thames AV Group

Wings and Wheels by Harold Russell of Ludshott PC

Clay in My Hands

It is the 3rd of May 2019, about 3:15 in the morning, just before the time when the wretched birds start up, and ideas seem to ood in from just about anywhere. Much of my life has been involved with ceramics; ‘ pottery ’ in the vernacular.

I have a post - grad Design qualication from Stoke - onTrent.

Part One A Star Reborn?

Andrew Gagg FRPS

Many years ago, I nicked a fragment of a Roman mortarium from an archaeological site. It had been part of the spout, and where the potter had pulled it into shape with his thumb he had left an impression – the whorls of his ngerprint were still clearly visible.

Thoughts of mortality come unbidden. That Roman potter is long gone, but his work persists – he has achieved a kind of immortality. Though lost to me now, that shard will probably exist somewhere for another thousand years…

In the morning, as soon as I am awake, I write a kind of poem – intended as a script for an AV sequence. It personies the clay itself, slowly gaining awareness, slowly realising its own nature

Putting ‘red clay’ into my Lightroom search engine soon nds the thousands of pictures of ceramic objects I have stored away over the years – primitive pottery, nely-painted porcelain, roof-tiles, drain pipes, lavatory bowls, even the shattered fragments of slipware and clay pipes found in the soil of our own riverside garden.

Clay in My Hands continued ...

I dump copies of them all into a new folder labelled ‘Pot - Image Holding’ and start to select, recompose and rene some of them, changing them to a suitable format to go into a sequence. Then into another folder they go, labelled according to my usual convention ‘Pot - Pictures for Show’.

I mull over the title – ‘Pot’ doesn’t sound quite right, and it might be misconstrued. (Although a story about Cannabis sativa L. might have interesting potential!) Oddly, my thoughts turn to Discworld, and those creatures which Pratchett describes whose capacity for work seems to be limitless – the golems.

Research conrms that they are gures from Jewish folklore, made of earth and clay, and magically brought to life to do the endless bidding of their master. Maybe here is the idea I want – but will it be widely enough understood? Maybe when they have seen the sequence it will be!

Among them is a little clay model of a seated gure –perhaps a deity. Greek? Roman? One of the throne legs is missing, but it still manages to stand on the other three, and it is much eroded, probably from being in the earth for many hundreds of years. The face is very blurred.

Suddenly there is a connection – this is my golem! I have found my star artiste!

I spend much spare time getting pictures ready for use, but it now seems apparent that I will need some other material.

19th May . I start to shoot close-ups of the various pieces of pottery that we have in our house – a fortuitous accident in the kitchen provides me with pictures of a simple Spanish cereal bowl both before and after it was broken. I realise that my shots of lumps of clay take on a new meaning when, with the camera tripod-still, I move the lighting around, so I experiment with putting them all in a sequence, fading continuously into each other. The effect brings them to life in quite a weird way. Is it going to help meld bits of video into place too?

Not having any potter’s tools any more, I make up a ‘cheese wire’ for slicing clay. It is a two-ply twisted wire, and because it is a little coarser than the usual, it produces strongly striated cuts in the clay lump. Cross-lit, this looks splendid. I also rig up a ‘whirler’ (the turntable the potbank paintresses still use) as a stand-in for a proper potter’s wheel.

I dig around for music on Amazon, and nd various tracks of experimental music from diverse origins as far aeld as Turkey and China – strange electronic sounds which seem just right for the idea I’m trying to develop. Freesound and the BBC archive provide me with re noises, rain etcetera, together with some recordings of my own – an old plant pot hitting the concrete of our garage oor for example. Determined that I shall not be idle, Christine presses me to clear out our small attic space, which contains bits and pieces of pottery I have accumulated over a lifetime. I discover old friends I have not seen for years, including a collection of archaeological nds of unknown provenance which I found in a dusty cupboard in the pottery department I took over in my rst job.

Clay in My Hands continued ...

22nd May. I spend time in my garage studio shooting video of the halfburied gure getting wetter in a steadily increasing downpour – courtesy of Christine’s weed-killer spray – I hope she’s washed it out well

The video ‘rain’ doesn’t look parallel on the screen when I superimpose it over the golem pictures, but I manage to correct it by distorting the video in Objects and Animations.

21st June: I decided I liked the shot of my hand on a piece of clay, because my wrinkled skin echoes the surface of the wire-cut clay, but the hand wasn’t sharp enough, so I set it up again on my workbench and with a strong backlight took some more shots. It’s tricky when you are trying to handle a camera and clay at the same time, and I have to have a bowl of water handy to keep rinsing off the clay. The cable release button is inside a plastic bag. The pictures are ne, and one of them has dropped in nicely after the sliced clay images on the line “ My Master forms me from the earth…”

22nd June: While Christine was out, I spent a few minutes yelling into my recorder, then patched in one or two new bits of voice-over, with small changes in the words. I have also found the perfect place for the .png cut-out shot of Josiah Wedgwood holding the Portland Vase. I have ‘supered’ it over the rows of pots drying in the Kolkata sun, on the line “The Master Potter, unfeeling, consigns me to the ring”. The crackling of the wood re is now louder to follow it.

I re-shoot one of the fragments of old slipware we found in our ower beds, with its beautiful feathered pattern, and crazed glaze. The earlier ones were not sharp enough. This will go with “I attain beauty” together with the craquelure of a Japanese bowl we bought in a supermarket. I need to work on the ‘beauty’ part of the sequence – there’s masses of pictures, so I just need to nd exactly the right ones.

I have started to use the beta test version of PicturesToExe now. It seems to be working well, and I like the new dark background of the workspace.

23rd June: Pictures of the crazing in the pool of turquoise-blue glaze, darker than a blackbird’s egg at the bottom of my favourite cereal bowl. Worked on a shot of a huge black jardinière beside a calm sea in Abu Dhabi.

24th June: I have given it all a rest today. Sometimes it is helpful to just let it all settle down for a few days. As I did at work, if there wasn’t a deadline, I would be able to take a step back from what I’d done. Impossible for it to be totally fresh, but it helps

Next Time … ‘ Shaping Up ’ – A few words with Mr. Mansell.

Mark Allen DPAGB/AV

Taking your AV to the Next Level

In Part 2 and 3 of this article, Mark looks into the subject of Sound and nally, Production

Ialways start with the music. It is absolutely crucial that the music must be appropriate. Film music works well with AVs, because of the change of tempo and mood. Take care in your choice of music. I hear wonderful music and I know I have some photographs that will go with it. Others will add music at the end. Some folks work from a pre-planned script and detailed storyboard.

Inappropriate music, just like inappropriate fonts, will completely destroy the mood and emotion of a show.

It is almost always better to use a piece of music in its entirety rather than merely fade it out to just were you need it. Such poor fade outs will be noticed and will not use the mood and emotion of the music to its full extent.

Where to get your music? YouTube is a great source. Search for what type of music you are looking for, for example, ‘dark menacing lm music’, or ‘epic lm music’. You can then extract the music, in mp3 format, from the video. Just search for ‘how to extract mp3 from YouTube’.

Where to get sound effects? Search for the BBC sound archive. Within the archive you can then search again.

Sound effects, again carefully consider ‘Thinking In Threes’. Sound effects can often be used on the slide before, to let folks know of something coming up. For example, the sound of a train steam whistle. It hints at something they should be looking out for. Sound effects can also linger on the after slide as well. For example, the sound a steam train leaving the station can linger and fade out over the next few slides.

Inappropriate sound effects can seriously undermine a show. Overdone, over the top or, too many sound effects can seriously undermine the show. Ask yourself, does the sound effect really add to the mood and emotion of the images. Does it gel well and add to good ow of the show? If it does, then make sure it is not too loud. Sound effects, in most cases, should be subtle.

Narration. A show with narration can be much longer than a show without. It is the narration, the quality of the script, the voice of the narrator, that glues everything together. Shows with narration are the hardest type of AV to make. In ‘Open’ AV competitions, sequences with narration will often fare better than those without. It is all about the story telling.

Give your script to someone else to read. Do they get the story you intended? Does it have a beginning, middle and end? Does it deliver enough information? Too much? Too technical? Does it repeat itself? Is it appropriate for the audience?

Record in small soundbites. This will allow you move the sounds about within the timeline. It will also allow you to re-record again and again to get it just right.

Hisses, pops and lip smacks, in the narration are a distraction. Learn how to clean up the soundtrack in Audacity. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube.

The balance of the narration volume to the music is often an area of concern, differences in narration volume, soft and quiet in parts, then too loud in others. All of these can mar the ow of the production, which is why AVs with narration are the hardest to do and also why they can be the most gripping.

Production

This is the crucial area that brings everything together. The production is what makes it all work, to ensure the overall ow of the show.

The rst rule of Production Fight Club is, ‘does it help?’ This is a very simple rule. Ask yourself, does what I am adding, or taking out, actually help? Do this for every single element, be it an image, video, a sound effect, screen text, or narration, everything and anything really. Ask yourself,

 Does this improve things?

 Does it add to the narrative?

 Does it add to the storyline?

 Does it improve the atmosphere?

 Does it evoke emotion?

Taking your AV to the Next Level continued ...

The Second rule of Production Fight Club is ‘if in doubt, leave it out’. If you are not sure it helps, leave it out. Or leave it for a day or two and think again. Watch and learn from others. If you are interested in competition watch the winners’ sequences and ask yourself, what was it that made this sequence grab your attention? Did it excite and ignite? Did it pull at your heartstrings of emotion?

One important aspiration in any Production is to create emotion. It can be most difcult. If you are involved in ‘International Salon Photography Competitions’, you will receive a wonderful brochure with the images of the winners and a selection of the acceptances. Hundreds of absolutely stunning images. However; in my estimation around 80%, often higher, will have one crucial element. They will have a living something; a person, animal, insect or bird. The remaining 20%, often less, will include landscapes, still life, macros. These images will not contain anything living. Having something living in your image, evokes emotion. It is something to think about, especially if you are interested in competition work.

A good script, well narrated will evoke interest. With a beginning, middle and end, folks will want to follow along and know what happens next. They ask themselves ‘How does it all end?’ It grabs their attention, but how much the audience becomes emotionally involved depends on the script and the quality of the narration delivery, the music, sound effects and the overall ow of the production. Be aware that creating emotion, without a script/ narration/story, can be tough.

Fonts can impact on the emotion of a sequence. If you are using text, the font must be appropriate. Fonts matter. Careful consideration must be taken about the font type, its size and how long it is displayed. Get any of these wrong and it will undermine the show. I often do my font work in Photoshop. But consider this. Fonts matter.

You can get free fonts by searching for free fonts and adding the style you are interested in, for example, ‘free Asian fonts’. Some fonts, like sound effects cost money.

If your show does not have a script and narration, you will have to rely on excellent photography, superb music and subtle but effective sound effects for competition work, especially if it is longer than 5 minutes.

A show with narration can last up to 12 minutes, or sometimes beyond. 12 minutes is the usual cut off point for competition and distinctions. In my opinion, a show without a narration struggles after 5 minutes, sometimes after 4. Without the glue of a script/narration/story to hold it together, it can sometimes be difcult to retain the audience’s attention. Aim for between 4 and 5 minutes. Or much shorter. The 321 ‘Tell your story in 3 minutes 21 seconds’ is a real challenge.

The display time of each slide, the speed and type of transition to the next slide, must be carefully prepared to meet the overall mood and emotion of both the music and the photography. Too often the transition is set to just 2 seconds, even if the slide display time is 10 seconds. If the music is appropriate I will often set the transition to 1 or 2 seconds below the display time. A transition of 8 or 9 seconds to a display time of 10.

Bad syncing of the slides and music will ruin a show.

Slow music can have slow fades, fast music can have no fades. But there are no rules. The clip below is from the movie Victoria. The participants have just come back from doing a robbery and are mad with emotion, dancing, ghting and trashing around. It is all very quick, but the music is really slow, and yet it works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcyO7e_nuY0

The software will offer a multitude of transition types. That doesn’t mean you should use them all. Indeed, I would advise using straight ips or dissolves. No mad zooms, no crazy matrix pixel squares. The transitions should complement the photography, help draw the eye in. Fades or dissolves work well and can be used in masks or shapes. The key is for it to add to the overall ow of the show and enhance the photography, the music, sound effect and narration.

Taking your AV to the Next Level continued ...

Mad zooms and pans should be avoided as these are a serious distraction. On a slow fade type show, the ‘Ken Burns’ approach of increasing the size of the overall image from 100% to 102%, is very subtle and works well. Subtle panning can give a feeling of movement when there is a focal point in the photo moving one way or other. A person on a bicycle on the lower right third, travelling to the left, can be moved to panned to the left to increase the sense of movement. But subtle is the key. Too much will just look comedic.

Here are some screenshots from my sequence ‘All Human Beings’. In this one the archive image of the prisoners is very faint, making then look like ghosts. The viewer’s attention is drawn to the head of a women, centre upper third.

In the following slide, the prisoners become clearer, again the attention is drawn to the women at the centre, upper third.

The next slide is one of the most iconic views of the death camps. The viewer’s attention is kept on the woman’s head as it merges into the passageway of the building.

The head nally fades out, in the centre of the passageway, revealing Birkenau, with all the tourists carefully removed.

Those viewers that allow their eye to linger on the passageway will then see, for just a moment, the German Eagle appear and then disappear within seconds.

Thinking In Threes, meant I had to work backwards from the image above. I had to get the woman’s head in exactly the right place in the Birkenau image. Then in the one before and then in the one before that. The ghosts of prisoners across three images with very careful placement and drawing the eye using; Slide Options, Circle, To Centre, builds on the menace, unease and emotion. This is supported by faded garbled narration, in multiple languages, reading out the Declaration of Human Rights.

One of the best ways to take your AV work to the next level is to seek a mentor, either formally or informally. The RPS has a one-to-one, one off, mentoring scheme that costs £50.

If you are interested the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit, they have an Advisor scheme, which is free. At the moment, I am the only PAGB AV Advisor and have only had 4 people seeking advice, since lockdown last year. Perhaps after the recent ZOOM version of the PAGB APM, there might be more interest.

Memories

Brian Harvey ARPS

The interview with Ron Davies FRPS, FIPF, EFIAP, FACI(M) in AV News issue 222 brought back fond memories of my own years enjoying the world of AV.

I rst became interested in AV in the 1970's after seeing shows by Michael Tickner, Sir George Pollock and the remarkable stereoscopic AVs by Pat Whitehouse. Pat’s famous Hallelujah Chorus sequence was pure AV magic and once seen never forgotten.

My rst venture into AV started by making a Heath Robinson system of a slider operating cycle brake cables in turn opening and closing 2 sliding shutters with tear drop cut outs in front of 2 Rollei P35 straight tray projectors. I used 2 cassette tape decks, one for the soundtrack and the other to give me dissolve instructions via headphones. As many who have used cassette decks may know I soon found out that two decks do not run at exactly the same speed so during a sequence as time progressed the 2 decks became out of sync. The longer the sequence the worse the sync became. This led to having to ignore my headphone instructions and start to improvise hoping to match the slides to the soundtrack. A nightmare when putting on a show with an audience.

I was however able to produce a sequence and enter the First National AudioVisual Championship in 1980 for which I was pleased to receive an FIAP Silver Medal. Older AV workers may remember the early complex competition entry forms.

My interest in AV then progressed via a lucky encounter with an electronics engineer whom I happened to sit beside at an inter club slide battle. After general chat about our various photographic interests he said he would try and build an electronic system and in time he did including modifying the projectors. He also modied a tape deck to a 4 track unit, 2 tracks for stereo and one for spoken instructions again via headphone. The problem with this electronic unit was that it had only a xed dissolve rate limiting dissolve creativity but at least timing was a little easier.

In 1994 my luck improved further by winning a competition in Practical Photography magazine the prize for which was an Imatronic kit of 2 projectors and an Imatronic dissolve unit presented by Mike Woolnough Managing Director of Imatronic at the 11th International AV Festival at Bath.

I well remember the days of slide/tape and the hours and days taken to get slide timing exactly right to match the soundtrack. As many of you know with the analogue system of cassette tapes you have 1 shot at getting timing right and if that fails you have to start all over again.

I was pleased to gain my LRPS in 1997 and my ARPS in Slide Sound in 1999 with sequences built using the slide tape system. Eventually I moved on to digital AV where the building of AVs became much easier and to quote Ron Davies 'modern day AV workers don't know they are born'. My rst foray into digital AV was via a program named Globfx but eventually like many others I settled with PTE as my software of choice.

Memories continued ...

Looking back I can remember some of the nightmares of presenting AVs to audiences such as projector bulbs blowing mid sequence, halls with other activities nearby such as a show I presented next to a weight lifting gym, say no more. During another show my audio system picked up a taxi rm’s radio link so mid sequence I had a taxi driver breaking into my soundtrack announcing his next pick up. Another scare was changing slide magazines mid sequence. There were of course many thoroughly enjoyable presentations for charity events and clubs where all passed without a hitch..

I became disheartened with Photo Club life way back in the 80s when there was little AV interest in my locality and I had little interest in print work so a friend and myself decided to carry on with AV outside photographic club life.

Even though not a member of a photographic club I have always enjoyed showing my work and trying to encourage others to give it a try. I enjoy entering AV competitions and have kept my focus on producing what I enjoy (sometimes weird and contentious) and I have never made a sequence just to suit any particular judge, My enjoyment is others seeing my work, encouraging remarks even if unfavourable and sometimes overhearing remarks at an event if you are not recognised as the author. As Ron indicates one day you are top of the pile but another day you become an also ran.

In more recent years whilst presenting a show and tutorial at a local photographic society I met Malcolm and Jenny Gee who also are AV enthusiasts and local to me and so we become friends and stay in touch regularly swapping ideas and software tips. With the advent of Zoom I have now joined an AV Group and whilst they are approx 100 miles distant at least it gives me contact with like minded photographers and of course we enjoy friendly chat.

Jurassic Coast International AV Salon

5th and 6th June 2021

Cathy Fordham reports on the inaugural competition

So, where am I in the AV “scheme of things”? I am someone who is relatively new to the AV world having discovered it about ve or six years ago. However, I soon decided I liked it and began entering the WCPF Annual AV competitions and had managed to achieve 3 second places and a third.

The arrival of Covid last year saw the arrival of Zoom meetings offering me the chance to join Exmouth AV Group and benet from their knowledge. They, in turn, decided to form The Jurassic Coast International AV Salon and received patronage from The Photographic Society of South Africa. So…… here was my opportunity to enter my rst Salon.

The event was advertised and 116 entries received. It was decided that all 116 AVs would be shown over the 2 day event. 47 of those entries would go on to be accepted. The judges were to be:

 Joan Ryder Rathband FRPS FPSSA AFIAP DPAGB

 Clive A Rathband FRPS FPSSA EFIAP DPAGB

 Adri van Oudheusden AV-AFIAP, AV-FPSSA, AV-EPSSA, APSSA (Vers.)

So, as a “rst time entrant” how was it for me?

It was fascinating, from start to nish and so well organised by Ian Bateman and Sheila Haycox. Let’s not forget the Exmouth Photo Group Organising Committee who obviously had worked tirelessly in the background to make the event run so smoothly.

Jurassic Coast International AV Salon continued ….

Right from the opening sequences on both days (designed and executed by Ian Bateman) to the gold award winning sequences being shown on the second day the event just sang out “quality, hard work and dedication”. I was there to observe and learn and hopefully, get an acceptance. I had entered an AV into each of the two categories: The Open and the Photo Harmony.

9 Countries had entries and it was fascinating what each country brought to the table. Observing the quality of some of the photography I found myself thinking that I wasn’t at that standard. Yet. But still, you have entered these events and you harbour hopes

The running order of the two days was such that it didn’t get boring or tedious, photo harmony was juxtapositioned between documentary and the subject matter/topics that people had chosen to include were so very varied, as were their choices in music. I sat in awe watching an AV of somebody who had decided to make leaded glass panels for internal doors to his property during lockdown. Later, I could have cried at the sheer beauty of a Photo Harmony sequence showing Hebridean Beaches set to an Enya soundtrack.

And here’s the thing: I had already viewed that AV in a competition so would have expected to be less moved by it, but it took that second look to see even more beauty. No wonder the judges in these events make 3 or 4 viewings of each lm in order to make their very difcult decisions

Let’s not forget that whilst you are awaiting YOUR “turn” you are assessing/ assimilating the choice of font, backing track, sound effects etc and it makes for a couple of days of fun but also self-doubt. (Think “perhaps I shouldn’t have done this or said that…………..”).

Then: nally, the VERY LAST AV plays and suddenly I am aged 7 again, I have walked with my dad, two brothers and granny from her cottage in the Abernethy Forest to Loch Garten. (About a mile and a half away). It is early evening and the air thick with midges…. Dad has left the three of us with Granny whilst he walks to look at the Osprey nest at the top of a pine tree. My brothers can skim stones across the loch’s still waters and I haven’t mastered the skill. I take to slapping them and shouting “midge” and the whole situation deteriorates pretty fast.

Granny looks with her little dark eye like this and the Kelpie says quietly: “Come out of the water and take all three of you to the bottom of the loch”. We were well versed in the power of Kelpies, Granny had made sure of that. Such is the power of an AV about Kelpies and I thank you Howard Bagshaw PSSA Gold Medal winner in the open category) for reminding me of them.

So how did I do? I had two acceptances and also a Judge’s PAGB ribbon and it has to be said, was really rather happy. If I were to sum up the two days of the event in one word? Enriching.

Feedback from Howard Bagshaw ARPS

For many years, the only international competition for Photo Harmony sequences was the ‘Bridgend 5-8’. With its demise last year, the mantle has been taken over by the Exmouth Photo Group, who offered an additional category of an Open AV competition. The event gained patronage from both the PAGB and the Photographic Society of South Africa.

There could be no ‘live’ show of course, so Zoom, yet again, came to the rescue. Over two days we saw all 116 entries, spread over 9 one-hour sessions. Zoom opened up viewing to the world, so at 9:30 in the morning (UK time) we had an audience of around 60, including an American (4:30am) several from the UK and Ireland, Belgium & Italy (10:30am), South Africa (11:30am), and Australia (8:30pm). And we had a real feast of AVs to watch from around the world. The quality was very high with a large variety of styles. The consensus was that if Covid has had any benet it was that AV authors have been stimulated by seeing a greater variety of AVs and spending more time honing their work.

The last session on Sunday was the awards ceremony and the judges commented at some length about each of the award winners. Clive and Joan spoke from the UK, whilst Adri spoke from Port Elizabeth, SA where she and Roel were facing regular power outages. But thanks to Roel’s batteries and inverter, communications were maintained.

It is a credit to the organisers that a year ago such an event would have struggled with poor-quality images and jerky pans/dissolves. At this event, the technicalities and the ‘show’ worked wonderfully, so for us, watching on a 55” TV and Hi-Fi sound, it was almost as good as the real thing. But Carole and I still miss the opportunity for the chat over a cup of coffee and a scone with cream. Hopefully we have that opportunity at “Jurassic Park Coast II”.

My Holiday AV …

Peter Young

You’re going to make an AV using your recent holiday photos. Sharing your happy memories seems a great idea. Holidays are opportunities for adventures, for journeys in which you discover new places, people, buildings, cultures, and art. Now’s your chance to share your experience.

It seems straightforward to create a My Holiday AV from those photos you took. If you went off the beaten track it’s an opportunity for showing off, and for justifying taking all those photographs which would otherwise be consigned to obscurity. You’ll show your AV to an appreciative audience so that they may witness your technical expertise, your mastery of postprocessing and use of AV software. Hopefully they’ll praise your good work. But maybe not.

You selected the best photos and then sequenced them pretty much in the order you took them. Maybe added a map. Found some music. Wrote a commentary. But here lies the rst problem. Writing a script in diary form, narrating the events one day at a time – “The next morning we set off for ...” – will your audience care?

Two key aims of an AV are to inform and to entertain. You want your audience to be fascinated by the story your AV is telling, so that they stick around to the end. You might assume that your images will carry the story. But travelogue style AVs can so easily generate a “So what?” response.

Trying to liven things up with your evaluations such as ‘frustrating’, ‘funny’, ‘mind-blowing’ doesn’t work. “It was an amazing experience...” Sure, but say what made it amazing. Support this claim with your photographs. You want others to have an emotional response to seeing your sequence.

My Holiday commentaries tend towards the diegetic – that is, the words describe what you are actually seeing. But this is not how you tell an interesting and entertaining story; it ignores the needs and expectations of your audience. It’s time to rethink your My Holiday AV.

Remember Holiday Slide Shows in the pre - digital era?

A friend invited you round to see their holiday slides, which, of course, were unedited. You got the lot, mistakes and all. You sat in the dark, the slide projector fan whirring, and endured dozens of projected colour slides as the proud photographer regretfully recounted in great detail things that they missed by a few seconds, or because they had the camera pointing in the wrong direction. Honestly: how interesting are other people’s holiday snaps? Did you exclaim: “Oh, I never knew that before.” Perhaps the locations looked interesting. If you’ve visited there, it brings back memories, comparisons, updates. If it’s somewhere new, you consider: “Would I want to go there?” You wonder: Who were all those people? Friends, relatives, or just people who were on the same tour? If you were to know, would that knowledge make any difference?

My Holiday AV continued ...

Creating an AV is often an afterthought.

A holiday is primarily for enjoying yourself in the company of other people. At rst you weren’t thinking of making an AV at all. You spent a few days taking touristy pictures, and only gradually did you see a possible theme emerging. By then, the chances were you hadn’t taken sufcient photographs for illustrating that theme. You need further images, only now it’s too late. You’re leaving soon, people demand your presence, so there’s no way you can get those extra shots. You must make do with what you have.

Or perhaps you did have an AV Project in mind. You willingly forsook the rest of the family or the group and went off to capture aspects of your location. You did what you could in the limited time. If the light wasn’t right, too bad. You only had one chance.

Holidays present conicting options. On one hand there is a sense of freedom: you’re no longer constrained by your everyday routines. On the other, you’re limited in your ability to explore, either because you’re in unfamiliar territory, or you’re part of a social group that has an agenda and a timetable. However, if you can drag yourself away from the others for a quiet moment with your camera, you can explore outside of the itinerary. You can manage some early mornings, but frequently the places you want to visit are only open during the middle of the day – when the light leaves a lot to be desired.

It takes time to nd out what is noteworthy about where you are. You want to create something original, but without local knowledge that’s going to be challenging. The guidebook will send you to the places everyone else visits, and then you’re in a crowd of other photographers. Despite the other people, and the weather not being ideal, you grab establishing shots, close-ups, cutaways, and images taken from different points of view.

If you are on a journey of some sort – a trek, a train-ride, mountain-climbing –you have limited opportunities for varying your point of view; you know that covering the scene from different angles might make your AV a little more interesting. If you’re conned to a boat, a hot-air-balloon basket, safari truck or tourist bus, you’re truly stuck – but you do what you can.

My Holiday Reconsidered

Back from your trip, you review what you got. Your job is to edit your holiday memories to nd the story you want to tell. What exactly was it you wanted to explore? What difculties did you encounter along the way? How did you resolve them? Looking back, how did your plans change, and what did you learn from that? So now, what is the story to be told? Stories need a beginning (a plan or theme), a middle (a change in plan from receiving new information) and a conclusion (a result). You need to have all three for audience satisfaction. How are you going to arrange your images to show this?

Your commentary serves to tell the audience not just about things they may not have noticed (though minimize dates and measurements), but to reveal something of your emotional response to what happened. Your audience wants to know: “Why are you telling/showing us this? What effect did this journey have on you?” What stands out as the key aspect of your holiday? And what emotional impact has that holiday or journey had on you? How have you changed?

On a deeper level, how does your My Holiday AV tell us about the nature of the human condition? Now, this may seem esoteric, but whenever you tell a story – if it’s a good one – it will resonate with each member of the audience. They will experience a sense of “Oh, that’s true” or “I’d never thought of it that way before” and they’ll go away happy.

The Harmony in “Photo Harmony”

Malcolm Imhoff FRPS FACI(M)

The term “Photo Harmony” was invented by the RPS who for a while offered a Distinction in this discipline. The RPS denes this as follows

“Photo Harmony should demonstrate the skill in production and visual progression of still photographs linked to sound. No script or commentary with a specic beginning, middle and ending are required but the images must ow well in a pleasing progression, not just in a random manner. The emphasis is on visual harmony in colour, tone or graphic design.

The aim is not to display a collection of individually excellent photographs, but rather a sequence of good pictures which blend well with eah other and with a suitable soundtrack. Good technique is essential, and it is expected that the sound and the pictures will start and nish together and that the original ending of the music is preserved , rather than and arbitrary fade out.”

Both the RPS and the PAGB are very clear that the emphasis on any AVs submitted for a Distinction will be on the photography. For purposes other than distinctions I’m inclined to place more emphasis on the harmony aspect.

Harmony of images

It goes without saying that the images should harmonise with each other. This would include the subject matter, the colour palette, the style, say high key or low key, the shapes and patterns within the images (which may lend themselves to the creation of “third images”), and of course a consistent size and aspect ratio throughout. It is particularly important that each image should harmonise with the one before and the one after.

Harmony of transitions

It is quite possible to have a Photo Harmony sequence with cuts or very short transitions, such as one featuring grafti [See images below from my Whispers Linger sequence]. It is more likely that you will be using more gentle transitions, dissolves or wipes. Video clips are usually not allowed in a Photo Harmony competition, but zooms and pans are acceptable where appropriate. Make sure that the zooming image is always lling the screen, as showing the edges of the frame is very jarring to the viewer. Note that if you are zooming you will need a larger (in pixel size) version of your photograph so that when you zoom in to a small part it is not pixelated [see at top of page overleaf images overleaf].

Harmony of production

In my view the most important requirement of a successful Photo Harmony sequence is matching the images and transitions with the music chosen. For a start, unless there is a good reason not to, it is important to make sure the transition to the rst slide after the Blank starts when the music starts [See gure overleaf]. This isn’t rocket science as you can clearly see where the music starts by looking at the waveform.

The Harmony in “ Photo Harmony ” continued ...

It may seem obvious, but very often we see examples of a blank screen for a second or even longer before the rst image starts to appear, and this can be disconcerting for the viewer. And the other way round, having a picture on screen with no sound at the start of a sequence makes the viewer think that something has gone wrong.

At the end it is also important to make sure the last slide, usually a fade to black, nishes in sync with the end of the music, rather than by arbitrarily fading out the music. Again this can easily be seen on the timeline.

Of course you may have chosen a piece of commercial music, such as a lot of pop songs, where the recording does fade out at the end. You may have to make a feature of this, but it is sometimes possible to “end” the music at an appropriate point in your music editing software. The right hand image shows how I edited the Largo from Dvorak’s New World Symphony to make it come to a denite end at 3’21”. The actual piece continues for another 10’24”.

I dealt with choosing appropriate music in issue 221 of AV News. In making the Photo Harmony sequence it is very important to make the images progress and change or ow with the music. If it is music with a strong beat it’s easy to synchronise the transitions to the rhythm by looking at the waveform peaks and adjusting the position and timing of the transitions. You can see how I have done this on the gure on page 48. I used very short (0.1 second) dissolves rather than cuts as I often nd this works better. Because light travels faster than sound I have anticipated the beat and positioned the start of the transitions a fraction of a second before the peaks of the music.

With classical music it is a little more difcult but not greatly so. Most music has a structure, a time signature, a rhythm, bars, phrases, verses, choruses etc. so you should look for and go with that.

One thing to avoid at all costs is “auto-arranging” the images on the timeline. It is very easy to do this in PTE but it becomes mind-numbingly boring for a viewer to sit through 5 to 8 minutes of excellent photographs where every dissolve is the same 1 or 1½ seconds and every slide is on screen for the same length of time, say 2 seconds. We have seen quite a few presentations like this in recent AV competitions. It is a useful facility however for roughly arranging a set of images at the planning stage. For example if your chosen piece of music is 5 minutes long and you estimate that each picture will take up 6 seconds of screen time you will need 50 photos. Or if you already have 50 photos PTE will spread them out 6 seconds apart with your default transition.

Then comes the exciting bit. By playing the music and listening to it you can now position each and every one of your images precisely in relation to the music, and choose a suitable type and length of transition to suit. This is where the “harmony” comes in.

In the old days we had two projectors and an Imatronic hand control to dissolve from a slide in one magazine to the following slide in the other magazine, and at the end of the fade, click to change the slide in the “off” projector. Oh I know some people had a posh Royale with the two projectors built into one portable (ha ha!) unit which was much easier and quicker to set up with your two “line-up” slides, but the principle was the same. This was very much a “touchy-feely” approach, and I remember spending many happy hours “pulsing my sequences” as Kenneth Williams might say.

One of the techniques I used was to place a set of potential slides in the projector magazines, not in any particular order, and play the music while pulsing the tape with eyes closed. Just listening to the music (which by the end of the process was very familiar) and feeling the right moment to change, and the right length of time for the dissolve. It was all very organic. I would then put the slides in the “right” order.

The Harmony in “ Photo Harmony ” continued ...

That was achieved by placing one slide into the “A” magazine (“top” if you had a Royale [pictured below], and I have), and a set of potential next slides in the “B” magazine (“bottom” if you had a Royale, and I still have - any reasonable offer considered). I would then fade from A to B to see what it looked like. I would advance projector B and see if the fade to the next potential slide was any better. Once I found the best fade I would move that slide from magazine B to A and start over again.

If I found a “third image” appearing that was the Holy Grail and I would keep that and milk it, making the fade time longer. This would all be done manually with the Imatronic Hand Control and it was like an extension of your body. To me this is the “magic” of AV and what got me into making audio visual sequences in the rst place, 35 years ago.

Until some bright spark comes up with a hand control like the Imatronic [Pictured left] which you can plug into your computer to programme the fades digitally we have to nd a method of replicating that idea.

One method is to do it via Photoshop. Open Photo A, and open any number of potential photo Bs, all on separate layers. Then, by systematically using the opacity slider you can see the visual effect that might be achieved by fading from one image to another.

Using Photoshop is very ddly but I have used it successfully on quite a few Photo Harmony AVs.

The other technique I use is, having chosen all my images and placed them in the order I want, I insert them all on the timeline and then cut all the transition points. Then I play the music from the beginning, listening carefully to what the music is doing.

At the appropriate point I click the “Insert Transition Point” button (a bold “plus” sign) to insert a short transition of the default length [See images above].

Do this until you get to the end. Then go back and ne tune the precise position of the transitions, and adjust the length to suit the music. You can do this with any old slides and then substitute better ones if you want.

I quite often see Photo Harmony AVs where to begin with the synchronisation between the images, music and transitions is perfect, but somewhere along the line, maybe because of a lapse in concentration, or because the author doesn’t really know their music, the synchronisation, the rhythm, the harmony is lost.

You’ve probably got your photographs and are happy that they are up to scratch, but the most important thing is that to achieve “harmony” in a Photo Harmony AV you have to choose your music carefully, listen to it, analyse it, know it inside out, and then make your images harmonise with it. And as you are programming your sequence listen to the music, feel it, and go with it.

HINTS and Tips 25: Fiverr

Malcolm Imhoff FRPS FACI(M)

Need a voiceover? Is your own voice boring? Don’t know who else to ask? You could try “Fiverr” [ www.verr.com ]

Fiverr is an Israeli online marketplace for freelance services. The company provides a platform for freelancers to offer services to customers worldwide. The services offered are many and various, but the one that interests AV workers is the market for voiceover artists.

You can register with them, but it’s not necessary to see what is available. If you have a Gmail account you can log in with Google.

Go to the “Music and Audio” tab and select “Voiceover”.

Next you can choose various options to lter your requirements. Select the language (usually English), the gender of your speaker (usually Male or Female), your intended purpose (probably “video narration”), and the accent. Take care to specify “English British” not “English American” unless you want an American drawl. You can also request the age, young, old etc., and the tone required, e.g. casual, energetic, calming. There are more options but one important one is to decide whether the default mp3 format will do, or whether you require an uncompressed WAV le. This will cost a bit extra but if you are going to be doing a lot of processing of the voice and mixing the sound with music it is advisable.

You’ll then be presented with hundreds of thumbnail pictures so you can usually see what your voice looks like, and most of the artists will have recorded some sample takes for you to listen to and decide if you think it might be suitable.

The name “Fiverr” came from the base price of $5 (about £3.50), but while many artists offer this as a starting price this would probably be for a short “sting” such as an advertising jingle. Prices usually depend on the length of your script.

People who have used this service have usually found the turn round times to be quite quick, and it’s always possible to request a re-recording if something isn’t quite right.

The main drawback is that you have little control over how the voiceover artists will interpret your script. If you do it yourself you know exactly how you want it to sound. If you record somebody in your living room you can direct them and ask them to “say that bit again” or “try it like this”

Photoshop and Image Editing

Do you have any Image Editing hints and tips you would like to share or is there anything you need to know? Do please contact the Editor if you have any offers and requests and we will do our best to help you out

Contact the AV News Editor: magazine@avnews.org.uk

Photoshop – 2021 v22.3 Update

Keith Scott FRPS DPAGB AV-AFIAP

In a previous issue of AV News, I described the new “Sky Replacement” function, which is unbelievably clever in the way it automatically selects a sky and replaces this with another. In my initial test I stated that this function provided more than acceptable results.

Since then, I’ve carried out a signicant number of demanding tests on various landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, and a range of general images containing sky, including outdoor portraits, using well over 150 images. In most but not all instances this clever function worked satisfactorily. However, there are exceptions where “Sky Replacement” does not work well.

Recently while preparing a Zoom talk for the Leeds AV Group I wanted to use a particular castle image to illustrate several editing techniques, including replacing a poor sky. The “Sky Replacement” function in this instance selected the castle perfectly but left a large area of unsightly and noticeable feathered areas around the trees at both left and right side of the image.

Version 22 of Photoshop also includes a new “Sky” selection which is listed under the main “Select” menu at top of the workspace. Obviously from its title this automatically selects a sky, or if inverted it will select everything except the sky. This sky selection and its algorithms are seemingly used in the “Sky Replacement” function in the main “Edit” menu.

By using the “Sky” selection then applying a coloured stroke you can see the variance between the sharply dened castle outline and feathered tree selections. Fortunately, this error seems infrequent, so the “Sky Replacement” function is still relevant.

Before discussing such new features, it may be useful to think back in time to around year 2000, where digital photography was starting to look promising with quality getting better with each new camera model release. My rst digital camera had 2832 x 2128 pixels therefore designated 6 megapixels. At that time, this resolution was considered good, this camera however consumed batteries at an alarming rate, but it did provide me with many hundreds of memorable images still retained in my library.

This was superseded by a Nikon DSLR bought in Canada in 2004, this camera was also 6 megapixels, but the format ratio was a more recognisable 3008 x 2000 pixels i.e., almost the same ratio as traditional 35mm. This camera was more robustly built, and its battery seemed to last forever before needing a re-charge. This was in regular use until my next DSLR upgraded image size to 12 megapixels, followed by my current camera at 21 megapixels.

Many readers I suspect will have had similar experiences and have hundreds perhaps thousands of smaller size images that would benet by being much larger, especially if large prints or much cropping is required. However, it should be noted that currently we only need 1920 x 1080 pixels for projected HD sequences, therefore these older and smaller formats are still quite useable for AV work.

Adobe Camera Raw has for some time included a feature named “Enhance” with ability to increase image resolution, but with version 13.2 update “Enhance” has been enhanced! Yes, this feature is now much more powerful than previous, it can now double the pixel count of both length and height thereby effectively quadrupling the image area.

To access this new function the image must be open in Adobe Camera Raw, right click on the image or right click on the image thumbnail sited below the image whereby a menu will pop up.

This menu varies slightly in its layout depending on whether you clicked the thumbnail or main image. Both however have “Enhance” listed, click “Enhance” on the menu or you can use the shortcut keys Ctrl + Shift + D (see image left).

Photoshop - 2021 v22.3 Update continued ...

After clicking “Enhance” a new Enhance preview will appear above the main image. This preview box can be moved to any appropriate position simply by dragging. A preview in this control panel can be changed by double clicking anywhere on the main image. The “Enhance Preview Panel” (image left) now lists a “Super Resolution” option which “doubles image resolution, ideal for large displays and prints”. Tick this option to ‘quadruple’ your image size. Click and hold the preview window to see a before and after effect. An estimated time to carry out this function is provided on the panel; a slow computer could take several minutes.

After using this new enhance “super Resolution” function you will have two thumbnails below the main image. The rst represents your original image before being enhanced, click on this to see its information at the bottom of the Camera Raw screen. Using an old 6 MP image of St Aiden’s church, Bamburgh, this data states, “Adobe RGB (1998) – 8 bit – 3008 x 2000 (6.0 MP) – 300ppi”.

The right thumbnail image represents ‘after’ enhancement, clicking on this the bottom of screen information updates to show its enhanced status. In this instance “Adobe RGB (1998) – 8 bit – 6016 x 4000 (24.1MP) – 300ppi”.

Clicking on this information at the bottom of the screen, or the gear icon at the top right of Camera Raw screen will open Camera Raw Preferences control panel where you may make changes to the way Camera Raw functions.

Clicking each thumbnail will also alter the information at the top of Camera Raw screen. In this example it changed from DSC_5755.NEF for the original Nikon RAW le to DSC_5755-Enhanced.DNG after enhancement. Note that enhanced images are converted and saved to a .DNG le. This represents Adobe Digital Negative, which is Adobe’s terminology for a RAW le. Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom will all open, edit, and save .DNG les.

Adobe provide a DNG Converter, a free utility that enables you to simply convert camera-specic raw les from hundreds of cameras to the more universal DNG raw format. This format was developed to address the lack of an open standard for the proprietary raw les created by each digital camera. If you have the very latest model camera and an old version of Photoshop or Camera Raw that won’t recognise your le then convert it to a .DNG le, whereby it will then open. Adobe DNG convertor may be obtained from many internet sources, including Adobe. Just type DNG Convertor into Google.

Registration will open on 1st October 2021

Registration will close on 29th October 2021

Results will be announced on or before 16th December 2021, and emailed to authors on the same day

Salon Director

Jeff Morris AV-AFIAP AFIAP LRPS AV-DPSSA APSSA

Telephone: +27 12 803 2105 Mobile: +27 83 840 5459

Email: avmakerssouthafrica@gmail.com

Publication Information

AV News is published three times a year by the AV Group of the Royal Photographic Society. It is distributed free to Group members and is available to others for an Annual Subscription of £22 in the UK, £25 in Europe and £27 elsewhere – contact Alastair Taylor at avtreasurer@rps.org

23rd February 1st April

23rd June 1st August

23rd October 1st December

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