AV News 187 - February 2012
Third Party Images
Brian Harvey ARPS
I wish to refer to Malcolm Gees letter in Issue 186 regarding third party images.
This matter has concerned and annoyed me for many years. I have seen a
number of awarded sequences that contain many third party images. I find it
most annoying when I see AV's which contain numerous third party images
fairing better in competitions than AV's containing original images prepared by
the entrant. Please do not misunderstand what I am trying to state, I am not
advocating that poor and sloppy AV's should be awarded in preference to AV's
containing third party images but much hard work can be put into creating quality
original images only to be disappointed by seeing copied images fairing better
with judges. Whilst some AV's may require third party images this situation does
appear to be getting more wide spread and we do need to encourage original
work.
I agree with Malcolm in that much effort may be put into research but how
much skill is required to copy third party images. Surely we are predominately a
photographic society so at least there should be some originality with regard to
images and encouragement to produce original images. I am well aware that third
party music is often used within AV sequences but I feel that's a poor excuse to
follow on by saying that extensive use of third party images is also acceptable.
Lets not forget originality with regard to the photographic input of AV Sequence
production, after all that's supposed to be our specialty. We cannot all be both
competent photographers and music composers so at least lets show off our
talents as competent photographers. For goodness sake lets try and be a little
more original than trotting out what appears to be an endless stream of
documentary style AV's using third party images.
I enjoy the more creative sequences, sadly, many of which do not seem to fair
as well with the judges. I want to see work where the author is seeking to push
the boundaries with new ideas and techniques and NO I don't mean just the use
of endless pan and zoom and video inserts - I mean ORIGINALITY with both
CREATIVENESS and QUALITY and as Malcolm stated, use of innovative
photography.
Come on AV judges and AV lecturers help us to look to the future for AV not
back at the past. There's room for historical documentary style AV sequences but
not at the expense of the more creative minds.
Flower Power
Maurice Dybeck ARPS
You couldn't have timed it better in publishing my article about Flower Power, but
for a very poignant reason. The hero of that article, Marjorie, my wife, died the
previous day after a long decline with cancer. Such a pity she could not have
seen it but it reminded me of the pleasure she got from our escapades.
By a remarkable coincidence - I believe in coincidences - the website AV
CONCEPTS, by Tony Shapps also included a spiel of mine of that day. That was
about some early Daguerrotypes of ancestors of Marjorie, around 1860 which I
had recently unearthed.
Quite a challenge to photograph them but it WORKED!
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