AV News Magazine | Page 25

AV News 187 - February 2012 Highly Commended: 'Pushkar Camel Fair' by Tony and Denise Collier had some excellent images, as we have come to expect from the pair who have made frequent visits to India. Highly Commended: 'The Cog' by Ray Wilson depicted the Mount Washington Cog Railway and was praised for its sound-track. The sequence was disadvantaged by the judge's familiarity with the railway however and was criticised for not telling more of its history. Very Highly Commended: 'Pongos' by Sheila Davies explored an orang-utan sanctuary. The video clips included one showing just how fast one animal could eat a banana - something that would have been difficult to convey in a still image. 3rd Place: 'It's All in the Mind' by Chairman Valerie Fillingham was a well-executed sequence, which centred on the Buddhist approach to life, impermanency and death. This was another thought-provoking production. 2nd Place: 'My Quest' by Sheila Davies told the personal story of a young girl who had been captivated by a 'Zoo Quest' programme made for television by David Attenborough. In her fulfilling journey to see the Komodo dragons for herself, Sheila told an engaging story which again included video footage, this time showing the speed of movement of the giant lizards. Winner: 'Ladakh' by Peter Turner recounted the story of a trek in the mountains of this sparsely populated region of northern India. With a length of 11 minutes it was the longest sequence in the competition, but the audience was enthralled so quickly that we were left wanting more of Peter's magical photography and personal challenges when it ended. Peter joined our society last year and this entry was only his second competitive AV - a creative force to watch in future! We are extremely grateful to John, not only for serving as an excellent judge on the evening, but also for sending us his typed comments afterwards. The whole club enjoyed his warm-hearted observations and the good humour of the occasion. Page 23