AV News 183 - February 2011
Wilmslow Day School
Glyn Horne & Pam Garside
Glyn - It was a fine sunny day on Saturday 30th October. It would be for Suzanne
Walker and Howard Gregory were running an AV Day School at the Guild.
Pam - The day was aimed at people who wanted to know more about the
magical world of Audio-Visual and there was a full house of about twenty
people. Some were experienced AV enthusiasts, who told me "you can
always learn more" and some were like me, a potential beginner!
Glyn - or like myself refreshing past knowledge which has got rusty over the
past few years. Most arrived with laptops to be refreshed with tea or coffee
for a 10am start.
For Suzanne and Howard it could have been quite a daunting task to cover
such a wide spectrum. Yet with their customary efficient planning and
enthusiasm a comprehensive programme was established.
Pam - Excellent details had been sent out about the day, such as what
software would be demonstrated and what topics would be covered in the
available time - from an overview of the sequence production process to a
brief look at more advanced techniques. All stages of AV production would
be described and demonstrated on a big screen. Students could bring their
own laptop computers, or share with another student, so that after each
demonstration, they could try it for themselves.
My own intention was to get off to a good start by actually buying a laptop
computer, but I was panicking, because, although I had managed to load a
few images on to my new, unfamiliar laptop, as requested to create a
possible sequence, I still had no suitable software.
Despite my unprepared state, I was reassured by a friendly welcome upon
arrival and given a complete set of invaluable notes. This was followed by a
prompt start in the highly organised working area, a brief explanation of how
the day would proceed and a short example of a visually stimulating AV
sequence, complete with calming music.
Glyn - Each person was given an aide memoir of topics covered during the
day. These included:
1) Simple file structure set up
2) Editing of images such as:
a.Resizing
b.Tweaking shadow and highlight details - known as dodging and
burning in the old darkroom days
c. Producing audio files
d. Setting up a PTE project
e. Producing a Sequence
Some of the points emphasised during the day included:
a. Be meticulous at the planning stage
b. Avoid putting unnecessary files on the hard drive
c. Avoid telling the audience what they can see on the screen
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