AV News 182 - November 2010
I had exhibited in the RPS open international print exhibitions for a number
of years but the formation of the AV Group (by the Pollocks) prompted me to
become an RPS member.
The lack of stereo sound with the Akai (one track dedicated to the control
signal) prompted purchase of an expensive TEAC 4-track, whereupon the
Animatic started acting up. A good friend of Mike's (Ev Beckwith) put on a
show at my North London club, using the more reliable, professional,
Electrosonic dissolver; I was converted. This proved useful as its signal was
compatible with that used by the RPS in their International AV (1982), so I
entered. That same slide sequence is the only one I have digitised and was
shown at the first Nationals to have digital entries.
My only other RPS International entry (digital, in 2004) involved
MOVEMENT! To achieve this, prior to the introduction of animation facilities
in PicturesToExe, I had to learn GlobFX. But I had already dabbled in pseudo
animation in early PTE, having been inspired by Roger Malinson's animated
cartoons at that first digital Nationals. I also claim to be the first to make a
digital entry into an internal Wilmslow Guild AV Group's competition. This
again involved MOVEMENT; an animal in motion, shot at 5 frames per
second on a DSLR, plus Photoshop enhancements. As this was even before
PTE had a time line it had a 'wild' music track but the 'punch line' (on the last
frame) was a sound associated with that image.
All the above ramblings, were included to establish my long involvement
with AV and my attempts to keep at the 'cutting edge'.
I will conclude with the following observations:
Video is only a series of still images, but, in the days of slides, AV images had
a quality advantage over amateur movies; something we may see again
when HD standards are adopted for digital projection. Some of my most
memorable AV experiences (pre digital) involved MOVEMENT:
A Midlands exponent (Ray Dowding) who shook the projector prior to a
high rise building taking off, rocket fashion, then as it progressed horizontally
through space (represented by Milky Way and Mars Bars!) the slide was
moved in the projector gate. The latter is nothing new, as many old magic
lantern slides were animated with moving parts.
At the French Institute (London) a group of French diaporamists projected
a helter-skelter track whilst a projected carriage moved along the track by
swinging its projector.
Derick Forss nearing the end of an evening's entertainment (in Dorking)
where he had dazzled us with Lake District views from multiple projectors
(back projected), including magical dissolves from Wainwright sketches into
matching photos, suddenly gave us a movie clip of children running up a
hillside on a page of Wainwright's book.
Finally, at Photokina (Cologne), I was privileged to witness an Agfa show
(on their home ground) which was a spectacular mix of slide AV, cine, and
live actors.
Such mixed media might not be appropriate for formal competitive AV
Festivals but it's great entertainment.
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