AV News 187 - February 2012
Room At The Top
Stuart Clark
The Great Yorkshire AV Sundays have reached new heights!!
For quite a number of years
it has enjoyed the excellent
facilities of the now named
National Media Museum in
Bradford, but the recent
refurbishment has required
our AV day venue to move,
from level seven to eight.
The room on floor seven
was the exact size for our
attendance numbers with
reasonable ceiling height
and screen size, padded
seating and much more
importantly, the toilets were
adjacent on the same floor! Although seating in the new room may persuade
some attendees to bring soft cushions as well as their sequence and the low
ceiling and white walls tending to reflect onto the projection surface, the plus
side was that the crew were not required to balance on chairs to cover the
emergency lighting and signs. The conveniences on the lower floor did not
however appear to inconvenience the audience too much!
As MC Keith Scott the National Chairman noted, "where else could we find
a more conveniently located venue offering good parking, good catering and a
warm room, even if a little oversized and the wrong shape, but all at an
advantageous price to the RPS". "More especially, this provides the
opportunity to enjoy a great day, renewing or making new friendships from a
60-70 mile radius, exchanging experiences, knowledge and ideas while
bringing together some who work alone in isolation."
Having risen to the heights, the morning session of attendees sequences
took us further into space with a spectacular demonstration of what can be
achieved with the latest software program and a great deal of hands on skill.
The production was technically precise but some elements of continuity were
raised and, for anyone seeking to replicate the visual affects, the audience was
reminded of the great demands on memory in the hard drive and the
performance of graphics cards.
"We seem to be too taken up with technicalities"! Not my words but those of
a very experienced AV devotee of long standing who questioned the perceived
preoccupation with techniques overshadowing the content and how
information is imparted. Usually, authors produce sequences with the purpose
of showing it to someone, whether they be dedicated AV enthusiasts or the
general public. The former seemed more concerned with visual effects to
which the public may be unaware of the skills required and employed and will
therefore be unimpressed.
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